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“You left me! You knew that night you would be leaving. I asked you to promise me that we’d talk about it the next day. You didn’t even give me a chance to let it all sink in. To figure out a plan. You simply left without a backward glance. I would have gone with you, Anson. I told you I would’ve followed you in a few days, just not the next day. I wanted to go with you. I loved you more than life itself, and you up and left. Then you wrote that song and…”
This time it was Anson who looked away.
“You cannot lay all the fault on me. You wrote that song and made it very clear where I stood in your life.”
He tossed his hands into the air. “That stupid fucking song!”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Yes. That stupid fucking song that changed both of our lives. It was that song that made you famous. Your anger for me is what made you a success,” I said as I pointed to myself. “Do you know how that felt? What people said to me after that song came out? I hated that song, and after that, do you really blame me for not wanting to listen to any more?”
“The phone calls. The pleas for you to forgive me. What about all of those?”
My mouth opened, and then I shut it. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to think about any of it.
I exhaled and looked directly into those beautiful eyes of his. My God, they knew how to make a girl’s heart beat like a hummingbird. How many other women had gotten lost in those eyes?
My voice shook as I spoke. I had to stop and clear my throat to continue. “I did call you. You never called me back, so I got the message.”
His face constricted. “When did you call? Did you leave a message on my voicemail?”
I shook my head. “No, I called you after one of the voice messages you left me. My heart was torn in two, and I missed you so much. I hated what had happened between us, and I hated how sad you sounded. I needed to hear your voice.”
I wiped a tear away. Anson seemed like he was going to pull me to him, but he stopped and waited for me to go on.
“Some guy answered your phone. I asked to speak to you, and he started asking me how I got your number. I told him who I was. I said that I was from Comfort and was your girlfriend.”
His eyebrows pulled together in a hard line. “Someone answered my phone? Who was it?”
“Um, he said his name was Rob…no…it was Bob.” I shook my head and tried to remember.
“Bob McAllen?”
“I think so, yes, that sounds familiar. Anyway, he said you were in the recording booth. Then he asked if I had called because you’d been nominated for best new artist of the year. I was so proud of you in that moment. He laughed and said it was unheard of for a newcomer so fresh on the scene to win it. He said you were going to be a superstar and that his hometown should be proud of him. Then he said you had a day full of interviews and an event that night you had to prepare for, but that he would tell you I called. He promised me he’d tell you. When I didn’t hear back from you, I called again, and some lady answered your phone.”
Confusion danced across Anson’s face.
“I hung up the phone and realized I was too late,” I finished.
“Too late?” he asked, his voice a whisper so low I hardly heard it.
“Yes. I’d pushed you away by being stubborn and prideful.” I wiped at my tears as I went on. “Anson, if I had gone to Nashville to try and make things work between us, it would have been all wrong.”
“How would it have been wrong, Bri?”
“You shot to stardom! You would have thought I only came because you were successful.”
“You know I would have never thought that.”
I swallowed hard. “Maybe not, but the tabloids would have…and I know you and you would have always blamed yourself for me giving up my dreams. I wanted to be with you, but I couldn’t compete with the new life you had. I knew deep in my heart that I wouldn’t be happy in Nashville long-term. Yes, I’d be happy with you, but what about when you were gone, touring the world and off doing music things, and I was there. Alone. I was scared that no matter what I did, it was going to be the wrong thing.”
His confusion was replaced by anger.
