“Evil woman,” I mumbled to myself.
Instead of placing my hand on her belly, she ducked under my arm and pulled me in for a hug. Then she asked the million-dollar question. “How are you doing?”
“Better now that you’re here.” It was only a semi lie, and I kissed the top of her head so she wouldn’t see the longing etched across my face at the reminder.
“You sure you’re up to performing tonight? I know it’s been a hard week for you.”
I sighed. Hard was an understatement. But this was Levee.
“Babe, you’ve been planning this thing for two years. There is no way a little heartache could keep me from being here.”
Her curls tickled my nose as she nuzzled in close. “Yeah, but I appreciate it all the same. You’re a real diva, but you sell tickets.”
I laughed. “You’d do it for me.”
She tipped her head back, and her chocolate-brown eyes shimmered as she looked at me and vowed, “I’d do anything for you.”
My heart stopped. I knew exactly how much she meant those words.
“Anything?” I asked around the lump in my throat.
“Anything.”
“Does that mean I can finally take Sam for a romp in the sack?” I asked, opting for humor when the emotions had become too much.
Her eyes smiled. “Sure!”
My head fell back as I lost myself in a fit of laughter. “Really? Just like that?”
“Yep.” She pushed from my arms and made her way to the mirror, sweeping her fingers under her eyes. “I know I’m not usually fond of the sharing thing, but seeing as you’re completely and utterly in love with Evan, I figure you won’t even be able to get it up. This might be the safest Sam has ever been around you.”
My laughter stopped abruptly at the mention of his name.
Her eyes jumped to mine in the reflection of the mirror. “You okay?”
I nodded entirely too many times. “Yeah. Let’s go find Carter so we can get Sam to his seat. I’m up first.” I quickly spun, giving her my back as I willed my heart to slow.
Suddenly, I felt Levee’s hand on my shoulder.
“I checked your schedule,” she said. “You don’t have to be anywhere for two weeks. Why is your tour bus out back?”
I straightened and flashed her a tight smile. “I don’t fly.”
“It’s a five-hour drive home. You could ride with me and Sam.”
I shook my head and toyed with the collar on my pale-blue button-down. “I’m not going home.” Swallowing hard, I pasted on an award-winning smile. “Nothing at home anyway. Robin agreed to finish off the tour with me.” I proffered an arm in her direction. “Let’s go.”
I knew that Levee wouldn’t buy my bullshit, but I didn’t expect her to call me on it either—at least, not right then.
“Deny it,” she ordered, poking my chest with a single finger.
“Deny what?” I poked her back.
“That you love him. And that you’re just fighting the inevitable by trying to stay away from him.”
I couldn’t deny any of it. She was pretty much spot-on.
But leaving had never been about how I felt about Evan.
I threw my hands out to my sides and then slapped them against my thighs when they fell. “Jesus Christ, Levee. Please just drop it.”
“Not until you deny it.” She poked my chest again. “Say you aren’t in love with Evan and I’ll never mention his name again.”
“What is up with you poking me?” I rubbed my pec.
“Don’t change the subject.”
I shit you not, the crazy woman poked me again. I was probably going to have a bruise from her knobby little fingers.
“Stop.” I swatted her hand away.
“Deny it!”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t force the blatant lie from my tongue, no matter how much I wanted her to drop it. “I can’t,” I breathed on a resigned sigh.
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
I lifted my eyes and glowered at her. “Can you just stop? You of all people know I can’t deny any of it. But hey, thanks for gutting me ten minutes before I have to go on stage.”
Levee hated feeling guilty, and I fully expected an apology when she realized the salt she’d just poured in my wound.
I didn’t get it though.
Her smile grew impossibly wide as she cupped my jaw. “I love you, so get your shit together. The last thing I need is to be forced to issue refunds because Henry Alexander sounded like a dying cat.”
She sauntered into the hall and then walked away, Linc hot on her Jimmy Choos.
My four-song set went off without a hitch. On stage might have been the only place I was able to forget about the ache in my chest. But, the minute the last note played, my regrets collapsed down on my shoulders again.