Page 72 of Some Kinda Romance

35

DASH

“We’re going out,” I said into my phone as I got into my car outside of Serenity’s building. “I need to drink.”

Lance chuckled. “What’d you do now?”

“Knock it off,” I growled. “I didn’t do shit, but apparently, that’s a problem. Are you busy?”

“Nope. Come on over. I’m not going out, but I do have drinks at home. I’ll have a whiskey waiting for you.”

I hung up, gave his address to my driver, and sank back in the seat. My head shook as I glared out the window. I had no idea what’d happened back there, and I really didn’t like not knowing. Clearly, I’d done something wrong when all I’d been trying to do was to stay out of whatever I’d walked in on.

I hadn’t meant to intrude and I had figured he would leave faster if I didn’t speak up. Given that I knew he wasn’t a fan of the fact that she was moving on with me, I’d thought I was doing the right thing by trying to stay out of it, but evidently not.

When I got to Lance’s townhouse, I went right in after he opened up and started ranting, telling him what’d happened at Serenity’s. Instead of commiserating with me though, he handed over a tumbler of whiskey and then shook his head at me.

“I hate to say this, bud, but you fucked up,” he said as we sat down across from one another at the small bar on his patio. “What were you thinking making it all about you?”

“I didn’t know what the guy was like,” I reasoned. “Well, I mean, I did. Sort of, but that’s exactly why I did it. I was just trying to get him to leave faster. It wasn’t like I could pretend I wasn’t there to see her. I was carrying flowers, for God’s sake. I thought I was doing damage control.”

“I’m pretty sure that she didn’t see it that way,” he said. “If you’d told me what you said word for word without any explanation, I’d have thought you only cared about yourself. You should’ve been more careful, Dash.”

My eyebrows twitched up. “How? If I’d said anything else, it would’ve become a whole thing, which is what I was trying to avoid for her sake. If I’d had my way, I’d have decked the guy. Or had him arrested, but if I had done any of that, he would’ve had more reasons to go after her.”

He sighed, dragging a hand slowly through his hair as he thought it over. “Maybe, but you need to tell her what you just told me. You have to let her know that you didn’t say it because you only care about yourself, but because you care about her.”

“I tried, but she slammed the door in my face.”

He grimaced. “Try harder and next time, think about what you’re saying before you say it. After everything she’s been through, she’s not going to be interested in a man who’s only in it for himself.”

“I’m not, though.”

“She doesn’t know that,” he reiterated. “Put yourself in her shoes for a minute and then think about that exchange again. She just got out of a relationship with a guy who viewed her more as a possession than a person from the sound of things. Ethan obviously didn’t support her. He wasn’t there for her. He didn’t give a flying fuck about what she wanted or needed. Do you really think she’s going to pursue a relationship with someone else who doesn’t seem to give a flying fuck?”

“No, probably not,” I admitted, closing my eyes before finishing the rest of my whiskey in one gulp. Lance poured me another and I looked at him. “When did you get to be so smart?”

He laughed. “That’s an easy one. I’ve never been commitment-phobic.”

“Neither am I,” I said.

He scoffed at me. “You’re thirty-three years old and you’ve never been in a serious relationship. Maybe you’ve never labeled it before, but you’re at least mildly commitment-phobic.”

“I’m not,” I argued as I got started on my fresh drink. “I’ve just never met anyone I wanted to get serious with. There’s phobia and then there’s timing. In my case, I think the universe wanted me to be free for Serenity when she finally escaped from Ethan.”

“Look at you getting all philosophical. I didn’t think I’d live to see the day.” He topped off his own whiskey. “Either way, you need to remember that words and actions have consequences now, bro. Serenity needs someone rock solid right now and if you can’t be that, then step aside. Especially for someone with her background, you’re going to have to really be there. Really prove to her that she can depend on you and that you’re nothing like her ex.”

“I’m not like him,” I said, but I was starting to understand where he was coming from. “Let’s say I agree with you, though. How do I stand by her side without overwhelming her or making her feel like I’m taking over? Because that won’t go down well either.”

“Then don’t overwhelm her and don’t take over,” he said simply. “You’ve been there a lot for me in the past, Dash. You’re always there for your mom. Your brothers. If you’re serious about Serenity, it’s time to make that circle bigger.”

Draining the rest of my whiskey, I pushed the glass over to him for another refill. “There has to be more to it than that.”

“Why?” he asked. “We’re all people you care about and so is she. It’s as simple as that. Don’t overcomplicate it. You were wrong tonight. Make sure she knows that you know you were wrong. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, right? So your intentions earlier might’ve been good, but now at least you know where you’re heading.”

I cursed under my breath, but I really listened to everything he was saying while we had a couple more drinks. When I left, I wasn’t drunk exactly, but I also wasn’t entirely sober. Even so, I had my driver take me back to her apartment.

Lance was right. I had been wrong and I had to make amends. I texted her on my way over, but she didn’t respond. That wasn’t surprising though, considering how we’d left things. I decided to risk it anyway, going up to her penthouse and knocking on her door.