If I had known I could pull it off in time, I would’ve told Dillon last week and avoided hurting him. But it will all be forgotten in a few hours when Easton and I walk up the steps of the band’s private jet and announce we are coming with them.
I bring Easton into my confidence just before Dillon arrives to say goodbye. He’s bouncing off the walls with excitement, and I hope he doesn’t let the cat out of the bag. At this late stage, I want to keep the surprise until the last moment. However, it backfires spectacularly when Easton says goodbye with a big smiley face and then runs off like it’s no big deal that his daddy is leaving for seven months.
Dillon was already in a foul mood, but now he looks like he wants to burn the world down and then do it all over again.
“It seems like no one will miss me,” he fumes, shoving his hands in his pockets. “And to think I considered quitting.” He shakes his head.
“Dillon, that’s not true. You know we’re going to miss you.”
He barks out a laugh. “Honestly, Vivien? This past week has me questioning everything I thought I knew.”
Butterflies swoop into my stomach, but they’re not the pleasant kind. “What do you mean?”
“Was I just the Band-Aid, Hollywood? You needed me to help you get over the true love of your life and now you’re patched up, you don’t need me anymore? Is that it?”
“Please tell me you are not serious right now.” He cannot honestly believe that after everything we have been through. All because I said I wouldn’t come with him, providing very valid reasons. It doesn’t matter that it’s not true because the fact he’s even saying this shit to me now has me infuriated. How could he even suggest I used him as a temporary fix? He might as well have slapped me in the face. That’s how much it stings.
He shrugs. “How else do you expect me to react when you are fucking rejecting me again?!”
“How else do you expect me to react when you spring it on me at the last second again?!”
“I was waiting for the right time to ask you, but it doesn’t matter. You’ll do what you always do. Run to Reeve, except he’s not here anymore. He’s dead, and I’m still living in his fucking shadow. I’m still second best, and that’s all I’ll ever be.” His vitriol spews from his mouth like the worst sickness, and I stumble back, holding a hand over my mouth, disbelieving what I’m hearing.
“I’ll call every night to speak to Easton, and we can make arrangements for the holidays,” he says, opening the door of his Land Rover. “As for us, you’re off the hook, Hollywood.” Hurt is etched all over his face as he looks at me. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
I’m momentarily frozen in place. What the hell is happening right now? I snap out of it as Dillon fires up the engine, and I force my legs to move, racing toward his car as he takes off. To hell with the surprise. I need to tell him now. But I’m too late. He must see me in the rearview mirror, but he doesn’t stop, and I give up chasing after him, standing in utter shock as I watch him leave.
Shock gives way to anger, pretty quickly, and I’m tempted to cancel our plans and tell him to take a hike.
But this is Dillon.
The man who has gone out on a limb for me, time and time again.
I know that was anger and pain talking, and a part of me understands even if I can’t fathom how he could throw away what we’ve painstakingly rebuilt so easily. I know this is the past fucking with his head. How he’s equating me telling him no to my rejection in Dublin. But it doesn’t make sense because he has never been second best, and I told him that.
“I made a mistake,” I tell Ash as Leon drives us to the airport. Easton has his AirPods in, listening to Collateral Damage’s new album, because he wants to know all the songs so he can sing along at the side of the stage. I haven’t had the heart to tell him yet he’ll be wearing soundproof headphones to protect his little ears from damage.
The album released last night, and it shot straight to the top of the charts. Something Dillon never even mentioned when he showed up.
“Please don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind.”
“I haven’t. I meant I made a mistake not telling him what I was planning. We agreed there would be no secrets.”
“This is different. You wanted to surprise him.”
“Well, he’s gonna be surprised all right. Especially when he just broke up with me.”
“What?” she screeches in my ear.
I tell her how it all went down.
“He is such a dumbass. I’m going to kick him in the nuts when we get to the airport.” I hear muffled talking in the background, and I’m assuming it’s Jamie. Ro, Conor, and Dillon were making their own way to the private airfield where the band’s private jet is waiting to take them to Texas to board their tour bus.
“I wanted to make a grand gesture, to show him how much he means to me, and I’ve ended up achieving the opposite result. And now I’m fucking pissed that he could say those things to me and dismiss what we have just like that, even if I know he’s lashing out because he’s hurt.”
“I thought you guys had moved beyond this.”
“So did I, but it appears your brother is still harboring doubts and comparing himself to Reeve. I didn’t help the situation when I accidentally called him Reeve on Christmas night.”
“You’re only human, babe, and he knows you didn’t mean it.” There is more muffled conversation, and then she says, “We just arrived. I’ll try not to punch the idiot before you get here.”
“Traffic is shit, but we should still make it in time. I’ll see you soon.”
“But I wanna get on the plane now,” East whines as we pull up alongside the band’s jet.
“I need to talk to Daddy Dillon first, but I will come and get you as soon as we’re ready. Watch a movie, or listen to your daddy’s album again, or you could color,” I add, pulling the box of coloring pencils and thick coloring book from the back of the seat where I keep an emergency supply.
He pouts but sits back in his booster seat, and I’m glad he’s decided not to argue further. I’m in no mood to deal with two grumpy boys. “I shouldn’t be too long,” I tell Leon.
“I’ll keep an eye on Easton. Go fix things with your man.” He smothers a grin, and I narrow my eyes at him. Of course, Leon would have to be outside earlier when we had our fight.
I climb out, wiping my hands down the front of my skinny jeans, thrusting my shoulders back as I walk on high heels toward the plane. I’m wearing a white silk blouse under a formfitting black jacket, and a polka-dot chiffon scarf is artfully wrapped around my neck. My hair is pulled back off my face in a sleek ponytail, and I paid extra attention to my makeup.
I’m feeling confident and only slightly murderous when I walk up the steps and enter the plane.
The interior is luxurious, as I was expecting, with twelve leather seats, six on either side. Jamie and Ash are sitting side by side, facing Conor, while Ro and Dillon are sitting on the other side of the plane, facing each other. All eyes are on me. Ash and Jamie grin. Conor looks stoned already, and Ro looks confused.