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He loved holding her.
In any and all capacity.
“You make that face because you don’t know. You have a dad that loves you and has made that clear your entire life. It’s okay for me to call mine a prick. He is one.”
She stood back and ran her hands over the tops of his shoulders and then tugged at the hair at the nape of his neck. Her blue eyes bright and observant.
“When was the last time you saw him?” she asked.
His cheek twitched. “The night I was supposed to meet your parents.”
Her eyebrows dipped and she looked so sweet and was so soft in his arms that for the first time he felt safe enough to say what he had never said out loud.
“He told me that I couldn’t hope to keep someone else happy long term. That getting married was a waste of time and money. And as soon as you realized what a bore I was, you’d be gone. And some other things of that nature.”
“André,” she said, her eyes shone with compassion. “That’s…wow. He reallyisa prick.”
André chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Told you.”
He let her go and started to get dressed.
“I know what that’s like though,” she said. Her tone reflective.
“Shelby used to tell Asa and me how bad we were at everything. That the only reason we were in her band was because she felt sorry for us.”
That sounded like Shelby.
He hadn’t known her for very long or very well. But he knew a bully when he saw one.
It had never made much sense to André why Shelby was considered the leader. She was mean and demanding but lacked the talent and drive of the other members. If anything, the pity went the other way.
Just thinking about how Shelby spoke to Nikki had his blood pressure rising.
“When was the last time you saw Shelby?” he asked, trying to keep disgust from permeating the question.
“You were there.”
Now it was his turn to grimace. Winking Pete’s last show had not gone well. Especially backstage.
Shelby had really lost it. She’d pushed Nikki offstage which led to Nik breaking her arm. And as they were trying to get Nikki to the hospital, Shelby accused her of breaking her arm on purpose to ruin the show.
Anger and guilt churned in André’s chest. He tugged his shirt over his head and crossed to the other side of the bed where he gathered her in his arms.
“Oh.” She dropped the clothes she’d picked out and instead wrapped her arms around his neck. “What’s happening? I missed something.”
He held her to his chest and buried his face in her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her. “I’m sorry.”
Her body relaxed into his and he kept going.
“I should have done more at the time. I have always regretted it.”
“Oh, babe.” Nikki pushed back so she could see his eyes. She frowned at him and shook her head. “No. That wasn’t on you. Shelby’s a dick. Please don’t feel responsible for any of her stuff.”
He ground his teeth together, knowing she was right but not being able to get rid of the feeling that he ought to have done something to protect her.
Nikki’s expression shifted slightly, and a soft smile curved her lips. “Besides, it wasn’t all bad. You took me to Paris, remember?”
“Yeah…” He nodded, and then a thought struck him. “You don’t still think about what she said, do you?”
