Dean must have been behind me. He cleared his throat and shook his head. Brooke took no notice. I wasn’t sure what to say. My hope had fallen when she dedicated the song to Jude. Now it was crushed.
“Anyway, I need to mingle. Hope you enjoyed!” She ran off with a wave, not taking a second look at me.
“Wow,” Dean said, his voice tight. “That was ... something.”
“Let’s go,” I said, trying to not let my voice crack. “It’s way too loud in here.”
Dean tugged me out of the bar, and in the warm air, I finally felt how hot my cheeks had gotten. Brooke had completely dismissed me, and the act hurt more than I wanted to let on.
But one thought was louder than the rest of them. I’d given Brooke so many chances and she let me down each time.
I wassotired.
“Grace,” Dean said.
“Can we not right now?”
“I’m sorry. I really am.”
“You should be telling me that we shouldn’t have come. And you’d be right.”
“I’m not gonna do that.”
“You should.”
He grabbed my hand. “She’s your sister. Your last family. It isn’t a bad thing that you’re trying with her. She’s the one who doesn’t deserve it.”
I closed my eyes and took a breath. I refused to cry on the streets of Nashville. “I don’t understand how she can only care about herself. I couldn’t imagine treating people like she does.”
“Of course you can’t imagine it. You’re kind. That’s one of your best qualities.”
I needed to hear that. I needed comfort instead of punishment. I leaned into Dean’s warm, solid body and let my emotions wash over me.
“Can we go back to your apartment?” I asked. “It would be nice to have a night in.”
“Whatever you want.”
I was quiet on the way back, but it helped to think through all that Brooke had done to me. I’d continued to give her passes and let her hurt me. All for the sake of family.
But I didn’t seem like family to her tonight. Just another inconvenience.
When had I become that to her?
I still felt down when he pulled into his place. We took the stairs slowly, stopping at the second flight.
“Need another ride?” he offered.
“No, but thank you. I want to master these myself.” I heaved out a breath. “After I catch my breath, though.”
He laughed and leaned on the wall.
Someone else came down the stairs, a woman with blonde hair in a high ponytail. She was in athletic wear and absolutely beautiful.
“Dean!” she exclaimed. “God, it’s been forever since I last saw you.”
His shoulders went tense. “Oh, hi.”
I had a feeling I knew where this was going. Dean’s past wasn’t a mystery to me. I knew he’d slept around, and most of the time, it didn’t bother me.