Once we finished our meals and he paid the bill, I figured he was going to drive me home, but Dom had other plans. “Mo’s was just a pit stop, Hannah. Honky Tonk Parade is the main event.”
I can’t remember the last time I was here on Broadway—the most famous street in downtown Nashville—within the vibrant display of bars and dancing and live music and crowds of people.
But I can say it’s certainly a stark contrast to my normal life.
“You good?” Dom asks, handing me a beer while I settle onto the wooden stool at the edge of the long bar and make myself as small as possible. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a crowd like this or attempted to be social, and as good as it felt thirty minutes ago, it’s starting to turn a little overwhelming.
“Yeah.” I push through, though, smiling in answer. “This is just a little crazy.”
Dom laughs. “Honky Tonk is always like this on a Friday night. I know it’s a little much at first, but you’ll get used to it soon.”
I nod, taking in the band on the stage and the people dancing in front of it, wondering what it would be like to be them. I don’t know their stories, obviously, but I imagine them being wildly different from mine if they find themselves here and already vibing.
“You come here a lot?” I ask, leaning in toward Dom’s ear so I don’t have to yell so much my voice strains. It’s literally so loud I can hardly even hear myself outside my brain.
“What is a lot?” Dom asks with a smile before nodding and leaning into me to talk directly in my ear. “I’m here at least once a week, and I’ve been coming for the last fifteen years or so.”
“Wow.” I laugh. “So they know you well.”
He smiles. “Something like that.”
Shane smacks him on the back in hello, startling me slightly. I pull back to take a drink from my bottle. His eyes narrow a little when they lock onto my face, but eventually he smiles at me in greeting too. “Well, hello, Hannah. Fancy seeing you here.”
“It’s certainly not my usual MO,” I answer with a little self-deprecating smile. “But Dom talked me into coming out for a drink or two before he takes me home.”
“Did he now?” Shane asks, glancing at Dom for a moment before looking back at me.
“Yeah.” I’m sure my smile is sheepish. “I guess you could say I was spiraling a little—as usual.”
Shane chuckles. “Well, good. Don’t get too comfortable with this man, though,” he says and gives Dom’s shoulder a shake. “He’s bound to get you in trouble.”
“Dom? Are we talking about the same person?” I tease with a laugh.
“Oh, didn’t he tell you? He’s not Dom here.” Shane’s smile is megawatt and mischievous at the same time. “Here, Hannah, he’s known asthe Karaoke Cowboy.”
“The Karaoke what?” I ask, my nose scrunching up in amusementandconfusion.
“The Karaoke Cowboy,” Shane answers, slowly pronouncing each word with a knowing grin.
I look over at Dom, but he just shrugs and manages to pull a white cowboy hat out of who knows where and place it on his head. “I can’t be held responsible for anything you’re about to see. This is the off-the-clock, non–Detective Dunn me, so you’ll just have to deal with whatever comes.”
A laugh jumps from my lips. “You’re not serious.”
“Oh, Hannah, but I am,” Dom continues, jerking his head toward the stage and handing me his beer to hold. “In fact ...” He winks. Atme. “The stage is calling me right now.”
My eyes widen as he takes off at a run for the stage, easing through the crowd like he’s Moses and it’s the Red Sea. People cheer and holler for him like he’s some kind of famous person, and he takes the mic from the band’s lead singer like it’s his God-given right.
What is happening right now?
Shane shakes his head and pushes in to stand beside me, leaning back into the bar with an elbow. “Just wait. Things are about to get really good.”
The band fires up and so does Dom, an entirely different persona coming to life. The band plays “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” and he commands the entire stage, dancing and spinning and even doing some kind of line dance I can only dream of being able to do. Every movement is effortless, confidence pouring off him in waves. I can’t stop staring, and for a second, I wonder if I’ve ever been this attracted to someone before.
His white T-shirt flexes over his muscled abdomen, and his jeans stretch across his thighs and ass as he shakes his hips from side to side. The women in the crowd whoop and holler, and when I look back to Shane, he’s smirking, his gaze meeting mine. “I told you.”
Just when I’m starting to relax on my little perch, enjoying the show from a distance, Dom jumps off the stage, parting the crowd once again and heading right for me.
“Ohno.” I shake my head as he approaches, but there’s nothing I can do but go as he grabs my hand and drags me off the stool, through the crowd, and onto the stage with him. My cheeks are on fire and my whole body is locked as the crowd in front screams for us to do some kind of group number.
