Page 76 of Hard To Leave

He pressed the phone up to his ear. “Hey, baby.”

Hearing him call someone else “baby” was weird.

It’s funny how things never ended up like you thought they would. Even though we’ve both moved on, it was going to be difficult for both of us.

I sat down on one of the leather couches while Brogan stepped out in the hall to talk to Sienna. I looked around the room and thought about how much more complicated his life was than mine.

His friend D, slid into the seat next to me. “So, you’re the one that got away?”

My body went still. “Excuse me?”

He leaned back and threw one muscled leg up on the coffee table and twisted a toothpick around in his mouth. “I’ve always wondered who you were or if you would show up someday out of the blue. I’ve been with him since the beginning. He was pretty fucked up when he got to Nashville. I don’t think you have a clue as to how much you're leaving him had fucked up his life. It took him a while, but he finally found himself in a good place. I don’t want you coming back and fucking it up all over again.”

His hard tone had my guard going up. “I’m happy that everything turned out well for him, but whatever happened between the two of us is none of your fucking business.”

How dare he judge me? He had no idea of what I’ve been through. How hard it was for me to walk away from the man that I loved.

His lips curved into a smile that didn’t quite match his eyes. “You see, missy…” He inched closer to me. His hard stare had me pressing back against the sofa. “That’s where you’re wrong. My man is in a good place. He’s got himself a fine woman. He doesn’t need you fucking shit up. And let me tell you something else.” The way his eyes slid across my body made my skin crawl. “If you end up fucking with his head right now, that ends up fucking with his music, which is my music. That would make this very much my business.”

His words tore into me because he had no idea how much I was about to “fuck up” Brogan’s life. I didn’t want his career to suffer or for my son to be thrown in the middle of a media frenzy.

My eyes landed on Brogan who just stepped back into the room. He looked to still be in deep discussion with his fiancée. Both of our worlds would be blown apart once the shit hit the fan. He wasn’t just a no-name living in a small town. He was a well-known celebrity, and his every move was plastered all over the internet.

I clearly didn’t think this through enough.

“I think I should go.” I stood up and grabbed my purse off the floor.

“I think that’s a good idea,” he shot back dryly.

“Why are you being like this?”

His reputation preceded him. The guy was an asshole. Something told me not to agitate him, but I couldn’t stop myself. I knew there was no way I could win a fight with him, but I could still stand up to him. I wasn’t going to sit here and let him attack me for reasons he knew nothing about.

“You don’t even know me.”

Taking a pull from his beer, he replied, “I’ve got a good eye for people like you. They creep out of your past to grab onto the ride of fame. I had girlfriends from high school who’ve crawled out of the woodwork, looking to get on board the fame train. I have a second sense about these things. I saw the way he looked at you, and that isn’t the way someone should be looking at someone who’s engaged to someone else.”

I secured my purse around my shoulder. “It’s not like that.” I wasn’t sure why I was defending myself, but it made me feel better that I did.

The other guys from the band came sauntering over. “Hey, D, the promoter just called. We need to head out for the photo session. Where’s B?” the short guy with curly hair asked, glancing around the room.

D never took his eyes off of me when he said with a smile, “Talking to his woman.”

Direct hit. Message received, loud and clear.

I started to move toward the door while Brogan was still talking on the phone. I didn’t want him to see me leave because I knew he would try to stop me. “I’ll let you guys get to your waiting fans.”

The short guy with curly hair held out his hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”

“Chloe.” I shook his extended hand. “I’m an old friend of Brogan’s.”

He smiled warmly at me. “Nice to meet you. I’ll let him know you had to take off.”

“I’d appreciate that. Thank you,” I said right before I shut the door and hauled my ass out of there.

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