Page 88 of When the Storm Breaks
He sounded so sincere. I was tempted to tell him that his daughter looked so much like him. That she sang all the time, and she had his changeable hazel eyes and dimpled smile. But the part of me who had been burned by him one too many times stopped me from saying anything.
“Will you at least think about it?” he pleaded.
I knew Dean. He only begged when he was in danger of losing everything. It would have taken a lot for him to ask this of me. I looked at my brother, the guy who had taken on the responsibility of watching over me after Maw Maw died. He’d worked two crap jobs just to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I didn’t know if I believed him about the drugs or if he was trying to paint Dean in a better light. But Landry had given up a lot to support me and had never asked me for anything in return.
Had Dean really gone to prison for Landry?
I thought he probably would have. Dean was tougher than Landry. He was street smart and he would have done it to protect Landry. God, why was life so complicated? Why couldn’t this be black and white, right and wrong? Why couldn’t my ex-boyfriend be a heartless villain? But I guess if he had been, I never would have fallen in love with him in the first place.
But if I agreed to this, it would be for my brother, not for Dean. “I’ll think about it.”
Dean breathed a sigh of relief like it was already a done deal. “Thank you. You won’t regret this.”
I already did. “I’m not making any promises. This isn’t just up to me.”
“We’ll sign whatever contract they put in front of us. No drugs, no booze, no trouble from me… I swear on my life.”
Guilt was a powerful bargaining chip, and Dean had never been afraid to use every tool at his disposal. Once upon a time, I had fallen in love with the boy whose father and brothers had abused him. I’d tried to fix him. Save him. Fill up the emptiness inside him. I had fallen in love with the musician whose guitar skills were some of the best in the industry. I’d never be the guitar player Dean was. He had music in his soul, and I used to believe it would be enough to save him. But nothing had ever been enough for Dean. Not my love. Not the music. Not his friend’s loyalty. Not fame or success or all the fans who screamed his name and proclaimed their undying love for him. The worse Dean’s behavior was, the more his fans adored him.
For some people, you could give them the whole world and it still wouldn’t be enough.
* * *
Ten minutes later,the three of us walked out of the cafe together. By the time I boarded my overnight flight to London later that same evening, our photos were all over social media along with a few headlines proclaiming: Acadian Storm is Getting Back Together. Dean and Shiloh Back Together. In one photo, Dean had his arm around the back of my chair, and it looked like he was about to kiss me. That wasn’t what was happening but that was how it looked. And sometimes appearances were the only thing that mattered.
All I could think about on my flight was whether Brody had seen the photos or read the captions. And if he had, would he have even cared?
Would it have been better if I’d never even met him?
For six weeks, I’d been living in a bubble. Now the bubble had burst, and I was being thrown back into the real world. My world. My life. It wasn’t in Texas. Never had been. It was probably for the best that Brody hadn’t told me he loved me. Why offer false hope? Better to cut the ties now before either of us got in too deep. Before he got dragged into my world.
But my God, I missed him so much.
* * *
“Shiloh. Shiloh. Shiloh.”The crowd chanted my name, raising goosebumps on my skin and sending shivers up and down my spine. This feeling never got old. I looked out at the sea of people, shoulder to shoulder in a field in Somerset, England. How had I gotten here? Headlining at Glastonbury. Standing under the spotlights of the Pyramid Stage. Flags from different countries waved in the light breeze and even though the sky was overcast, I was lit up from within.
The energy was palpable. Electrifying. Adrenaline zinged and fizzed through my veins. I sparked to life, feeling invincible. Like I could conquer the world.
“Hello Glastonbury! Are you ready to rock and roll?”
My question was met with cheers from the crowd.
I was on top of the world. Untouchable.
I forgot about everything except for the music. My guitar screamed and shivered in my hands, like an extension of my body, the music coming from somewhere deep inside my soul.
This was the high I chased. This was why I could never give this up. Today, I was adored. If only for a little while.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brody
As soon asI walked into The Roadhouse, Colleen set a bottle of Bud on the bar and poured a shot of whiskey. This bar hadn’t changed a bit in the twelve years we’d been coming here. The music was country, the memories weren’t all good, and the women were easy. Over the years, I’d gone home with too many of them and had almost always regretted it the next day. Beer goggles. That’s all I’ve got to say on that.
“The drinks are on Austin.” Colleen winked at me and I thanked her before pulling up a stool next to Austin.
“Who died?” I asked him. Austin was notorious for being a cheapskate. Whenever it was his turn to buy a round, he vanished.
