Dare to Dream (Truth or Dare #2) (10 page)

This afternoon, I thought appealing to my mother was the best course of action, but since that didn’t work, I have to hope beyond hope that I can still salvage my relationship with
at least one parent now that he’s here with me.

“I’m not talking about that boy, Lea Diane. What made you think it was acceptable to speak to
your mother the way you did? Everything she’s done since the day she found out she was pregnant has been for you,” he chides, picking at a loose string on his trousers. “All she has wanted is for you to have the best life possible and you all but slapped her in the face today.”

I chew on my lower lip, waiting for the lecture to continue, but the only sound breaking the silence comes from the muffled noises of the city outside of my window. In a bold move, I cross the room, coming to rest on my knees in front of my father, hoping he’ll look at me, but knowing that at least he’ll see
a part of me if he won’t lift his gaze.

“Daddy, I know that she thinks she’s done
what’s best for me, but the truth is, she’s done everything possible to live vicariously through me,” I say, knowing I can’t make things any worse than they already are. There’s no way of knowing if I’ll ever have this opportunity again, part of me prays I won’t because my heart is breaking a little bit more with every beat.

“I’m almost twenty-two years old and I have no clue what I want to do with my life.
It took pushing Colby to do something uncomfortable to make me see that.” Tears gather along my lower lashes, refusing to fall. “I told him that he had to move down there so he wouldn’t regret me later. And now, he’s the only piece of my future that seems to fit. I know you and Mom want me there for Thanksgiving, but this is something that he’ll only have once in his life. And Daddy, I know you don’t like him, but he’s good. Real good. I can’t make you see that, but she made some vile accusations that I couldn’t stand around and listen to.

“And even more importantly, he loves me
back. There have been times when I couldn’t even tell anyone that something was wrong, but he knew. He knows me almost better than I know myself and he’d never do anything to hurt me.” Tears stream down my face as I reach for my father’s hands. “Daddy, I don’t expect you to be happy about this, but I hope that you’ll understand how important it is to me.”

For the first time since entering my apartment, my dad’s eyes meet mine. His expression softens as he searches my face. “You really
do love him, don’t you?” he asks softly. I nod, unable to speak around the lump in my throat. He grips my hand firmly, pulling me off the floor to sit next to him on the couch. After he places his arm over my shoulder, I begin to relax, curling my feet on the cushion next to me, leaning against my father for comfort.

“I still don’t approve of what your mother told me happened today,” he informs me, staring straight ahead. I nod, knowing that I crossed the line. “But I believe you when you say she said things in anger that she might not have meant. Her passion is one of the first things I loved about your mother. Sometimes, that is a weakness more than a strength. And you are what she’s most passionate about. It’s been hard for her to see you growing up, drifting away from us.”

“But she can’t say things like that and expect them to encourage me to stick around,” I say defensively. “She never took the time to get to know him in all the time we were friends, but now she thinks she can judge his character based on what she’s read about other celebrities in the tabloids.”

My father sighs, torn between the two women in his life. “You’re right, and that’s partly my fault,” he admits. “I thought he was taking advantage of your generosity for a long time, but knew that you had to realize that on your own. I’m the one who told your
mother he wasn’t welcome in our home, and I’m sorry. As for the other, I’ll sit down and have a chat with her. Sometimes, I think she gets a bit too caught up in all those entertainment gossip shows and now, she’s projecting what she thinks is reality onto your relationship.”

“Just like that?
Just two hours ago you were leaving me irate messages, telling me how I would regret lashing out at her in a few months when my relationship with Colby falls apart.” I want to trust what my father’s saying to me now, but it’s too much of a change for me to believe it’s sincere.

“That was before I saw the look in your eyes as you talked about him. The look in your eyes when you’re sticking up for him is the same one I saw in your mother’s eyes when her father told her
that I had ruined her life.” I lift my head off his chest, staring at my father in disbelief.

“But you and Granddaddy got along,” I say, cocking my head to the side.

“Yes, by the time you were old enough to remember, we did. But it wasn’t always that way,” he says somberly. “Your grandfather wasn’t a fool. He might have walked your mother down the aisle, but it wasn’t until you were about three that I had his blessing to be with her. By that time, I was finishing law school and I had worked multiple jobs so we could pay for daycare while your mother also finished college.”

“If Mom went through all that, why is she so angry about Colby and me?” I ask, truly wanting insight because I’d rather not have to live without either piece of my family.

“Because she’s afraid. Today was the first time you stood up to her and I don’t think she knows how to deal with that.” Again, he stares at the wall on the other side of the room for a long time. “You’re not a little girl anymore and that’s going to take some getting used to. I’ll talk to her about Thanksgiving, maybe offer to take her on vacation this year.”

“You’re really going to let me go?” I ask, still in shock.

“Lea, you’re a grown woman. Whether I like it or not, what you do is no longer my decision. I only ask that you don’t allow yourself to be completely blinded by love. It’s going to be even harder for the two of you than it was for your mother and me.” He shifts beside me and I sit up, allowing him to stand. “Keep your head on your shoulders and your heart guarded and I think you’ll be just fine. Now, how about we get something to eat? Your mother was so upset after you left that she left me to fend for myself while she went to sleep early.”

“I’d like that. I just need to change real quick.” I turn around as I reach my bedroom door, just in time to see my father wink at me. His face is still somewhat somber, but this time it’s because he’s learning to let go of me, not feeling me pull away.

Over dinner, my dad grills me about what’s going on with Colby. He seems pleased that Aaron has been there for him, making sure Colby doesn’t jump into any contracts without having them looked over. At one point, he even offered his services, free of charge, if Colby’s interested. When he hands me a check for a thousand dollars, to cover airfare and whatever else I need for my trip, my jaw nearly hits the floor.

“All I ask is that you remember what I said earlier. Head on your shoulders and keep your heart safe.” He kisses me on the cheek before turning to walk away. I stand in the lobby, watching until he’s out of sight before running up the four flights of stairs to our apartment so I can call Colby.

Colby

Cameron slaps me on the back, knocking me off balance. After a successful day in the studio, the first rehearsal with my new band and a photo shoot amidst the neon lights of Broadway, all of us wound up at Black Skye to celebrate. Aaron informed me two hours ago that I’m not going anywhere until he’s ready to leave, so I haven’t bothered to count the number of shots appearing in front of me.

“Colby, my man, you ready for this shit?” Cameron asks, enthusiastically. “A few months from now, you’re going to walk through that door and think about the night it all started. Sometimes, you might even wish you could go back to that night and duck out before you met us…”

“Not going to happen,” I promise, my words slurred. “Meeting you and Pete is the whole reason I packed all my shit up to come down here. Sure as hell wasn’t so I could listen to Aaron and Becky having sex all night,” I laugh, the statement made more hilarious thanks to too much Patron.

Aaron slaps his hand on the bar in front of me, causing me to jerk my head up. Fuck, I really need to go home. “First of all, she’ll
kill
you if she hears you call her Becky. Second, I’m too busy covering for your sorry ass to get any, so if you’re hearing noises from the bedroom, I might need to talk to her.”

“Fuck, you know I’m kidding,” I say, reaching across the bar to pat his shoulder. “I’m just fucked up, don’t listen to me.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Aaron chuckles, setting a glass of water in front of me. “Just so you know, you puke in my truck, you’ll be up at the ass crack of dawn to detail it before the sun bakes that shit into the leather.”

“I’m not gonna puke.”
I hope.
“Fuck, who let me drink so much?”

Cameron laughs, pulling up the stool next to me. “Buddy, it’s the only way you’re going to build up a tolerance before you hit the road. Trust me, you’re going to hate me tomorrow, but you’ll thank me next month. Plus, this way you get the need to celebrate out of your system before you can make an ass of yourself.
You can be an idiot all you want until you load up on that bus. After that, I won’t be around to save your reputation.”

He’s a bit unorthodox, but I suppose his logic makes sense. I’ve partied hard, but now that I’ve been focused for a few months, it’s not as much fun as it used to be. And I know he’s right about hating him in the morning. There’s no way I’m getting out of this without a hangover and I will more than likely be worshipping the porcelain god before I go to sleep. Fuck, I have no clue how people do this shit night after night.

Aaron’s hand comes into view as I prop my elbow on the bar, the only hope I have of keeping my head from hitting the brass rail. This time, he’s holding his phone. “Your phone dead?” he asks, still holding the phone in front of my face.

I reach into my pocket and see that I’ve somehow missed fourteen calls. “Fuck, she’s pissed, isn’t she?” I ask, reaching for Aaron’s phone, but not putting it to my ear.

“Right now, I think she’s more worried than anything, but give her a minute talking to your drunk ass and I’m sure she’ll be annoyed with you.”

My head slips off my hand, hitting the bar. That’s one more pain I’ll have to deal with in the morning. “Hello?” I answer, breathing deeply, as if that will help me instantly sober up.

“Are you drunk?” Lea asks, laughing. That’s a good sign.

“Lil bit,” I respond, holding my fingers in front of my face so the thumb and forefinger are almost touching. “
What’re you doing?”

“Now that I know my boyfriend isn’t lying dead in a gutter somewhere in Nashville?” she asks playfully. Something in the back of my mind tells me she shouldn’t be so happy, but fuck if I can figure out why. I’m not going to question it because the alternative is for her to be angry with me for being a drunken asshole and not answering her calls. “I’m going to sleep now. We can talk tomorrow.”

“No, it’s okay. I just need to get to someplace quieter,” I stammer. Cameron catches me when my body begins to sway the moment I hit my feet. I sit back down, offering him a silent thanks. “Actually, yeah, let’s talk in the morning. Call me before you head to class? And before you say that I need to get my rest, Cameron’s not having us do anything until tomorrow evening, so it’s all good.”

“Okay, I’ll call you then. Make sure you charge your phone so I don’t wake up Aaron again.” She sighs, like there’s something else she wants to say. Damn, her good mood didn’t last long. “I love you, Cowboy.”

“I love you too, Lea,” I respond wistfully, my drunken state amplifying how much I miss her. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

Cameron and Aaron sense the shift in my mood, likely because I’m no longer able to see anything except the glass in front of me. Lea referring to me by my nickname from years ago reminds me of a time in my life that already seems to be slipping away, melting into the presen
t just like the ice in the bottom of my glass will eventually disappear, becoming nothing more than water.

**

My head feels like it’s going to explode when the phone on my nightstand starts ringing. It feels like it was just a few minutes ago when I finally quit sulking around the room, pining for a life I never wanted in the first place, but the sun streaming through the blinds tells me it’s much later in the morning.

I put the phone to my ear, unable to form words. My throat feels like it’s coated in sandpaper. “Colby, are you there?” Lea’s voice sends a jolt through my entire body; pleasure to the south and intensifying the pain between my ears.

“Yeah, I’m here,” I groan, rolling to my side for a drink of water. Thank God I had the foresight to put a bottle there before I passed out last night. As the lukewarm liquid threatens to purge whatever’s left in my stomach, I make a mental note to kick Cameron’s ass when I see him today.

“Do you need me to let you go?” she asks, laughing at my misery.

I’m debating telling her that would be a great idea when I remember the text message she sent me yesterday afternoon and the complete silence that followed. “No, but if you could keep your voice down, that’d be swell. How did talking to your parents go?”

She lets out a long sigh and I brace myself for the letdown of her telling me she’s not going to be able to get away. I know I told her there would be other trips, but again, I’m a selfish prick and I really want her to be here for this trip.

“Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?” she asks nervously. I know her enough to know she’s probably sitting there picking at her fingernails, trying to figure out where to start.

“Most days, I’d say lay the bad on me first, but I’m not sure I can take that this morning.” I cautiously get out of the bed, making sure my legs are ready to support me before taking a step. The room seems bigger this morning as I cross to the windows, pulling the drapes closed to plunge the room into comfortable darkness.

“Have too much fun last night?” She laughs again, her mood entirely too light to offer me any comfort right now. Before killing off as many brain cells as possible last night, I kept staring at the phone, waiting for the hysterical phone call that never came.

“Yeah, way too much fun,” I grumble, curling into a ball on the bed, praying for my stomach to stop churning. “Anyway, what’s the good news?”

“I’ll wait for the long version until you’re feeling a bit more human, but the good news is that I’ll be down there next Monday. I emailed my professors and explained that I have a family emergency that I need to take care of. Two have already responded telling me what I will miss while I’m gone.” Mentally, I’m dancing a fucking jig at the news, but I lack the physical strength to do anything more than smile. My girl’s coming home. Fuck, she said there was bad news, too.

“Okay, well now I wish you’d dumped the shit on me first. I’m not sure I want you to kill the little bit of a high I’m on now,” I say, not sounding nearly as enthusiastic as I feel. I’m really wishing I wasn’t coming off a bender right about now. She deserves for me to be able to form coherent thoughts. I suck in a dramatic breath, gripping the sheets with my free hand. “I’m ready. What’s the bad news?”

“It’s nothing new, really,” Lea responds. She sounds sad now, like whatever she’s about to tell me is causing her pain. “My Mom hates you, says you’re going to ruin my life and cheat on me…” her voice drifts off, making me wish I was next to her so I could wrap her in my arms, coaxing the rest of the conversation out of her. “She’ll get over it in time, but we’re not speaking right now.”

I sit up in the bed, ignoring the daggers piercing my vision. Rubbing away the discomfort, I shift back against the headboard.
Two things stick out in my mind; first, I can’t remember a time when things with her parents got so bad that she wasn’t speaking to them, and second, she only mentioned her mother. Does that mean her father is still in the dark?

“Baby, are you there?” she asks when I don’t say anything in response to her statement.

“Yeah, I’m here. Are you okay?” I choose to not ask the question lingering in my mind because it doesn’t matter if Mr. Baker knows or not. The moment I promised to put everything into being successful, I gave up on hoping to win the approval of those who don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

“Yeah, I’m actually really good.” Lea laughs and I think she may have officially lost her mind. There’s no way she can’t be upset about the fact that she’s now receiving the silent treatment from her mother. “But we’ll talk about the rest later. I have to get to class.”

“Sounds good. We’re not doing anything until three today, so give me a call when you’re done. I love you.”

“I love you too, Colby,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s going to take a little time, but everything is going to be awesome.”

I only manage a grunt in response, sleep already pulling me back under. Hours later, I wake up, wondering if the entire conversation was a dream. It’s not until I find my phone and see her call in the log that I know it wasn’t. I only have to get through another week and she’ll be here.