Treat Me (One Night with Sole Regret #8)(9)

       
         
       
        

"I'll work on some stuff this weekend," Adam promised.

Shade opened his mouth to remind him that Madison would be making him happy all weekend, so he probably wouldn't write a single word, but he thought better of it. He was glad that Adam was happy. There had to be a way to keep him that way and off drugs and writing music. There just had to be. Shade would give it more thought and in the meantime try to be supportive. "I can't wait to see what you come up with."

Madison came out of the bathroom having changed into her typical country girl attire. Adam looked ready to jump her bones, which was Shade's cue to leave, though he couldn't resist offering Adam one more little push on his way out the door.

"I still think you should talk to what's her face." Kellen's woman.

"Dawn?" Adam said.

"Yeah, her." Shade left on that note, hoping the suggestion would stick in Adam's craw and irritate him into seeking Dawn's advice. She might be invaluable to him or not, but Adam wouldn't know unless he asked.

As Shade walked away from the bus, he checked his phone for the time. Occasionally, he could catch Julie between appointments in the late afternoon. He wasn't sure why her mother thought it was necessary to schedule every hour of their four-year-old's life with activity. Whatever happened to just being a kid? Discovering that it was almost five, he decided to risk a phone call. He dialed Tina's number and leaned against a wall for moral support. He hated calling her. She was always busting his balls.

"What do you want?" Tina asked in greeting.

"Just called to talk to Julie. Is she there?" Hearing his daughter's sweet voice was exactly what he needed at the moment.

"She's busy."

Too busy to talk to her father on the phone for a couple of minutes? "Doing what?"

"She's on a very important play date with Riley Callahan."

Shade rubbed at one eye under his sunglasses. There was no use arguing with Tina. He was sure she actually thought Julie's playdate with Riley Callahan was important. "What time do you want me to pick her up in the morning?"

"I'll just have her dropped off."

"I don't mind pick-"

"I said I'd have her dropped off. Why is everything an argument with you, Jacob?"

He hadn't been arguing. He was just trying to be helpful.

"We're going to the zoo tomorrow," he told her, "so make sure she wears something comfortable."

"I know how to dress our child, Jacob," she snapped.

His ire was starting to rise. This woman knew exactly how to push his buttons and she so enjoyed poking at them all. 

"I didn't say you didn't know how to dress her. Jesus Christ, Tina, I can't say more than two words to you without you jumping down my throat."

The line went dead. He pulled his phone away from his face and stared down at it in disbelief. She'd fucking hung up on him. That figured.

"What a bitch," he grumbled under his breath, before taking a deep, steadying breath and shoving his phone back into his pocket. Thank god that personality trait wasn't genetic. Julie was a perfect angel. No one would ever convince him otherwise. And Amanda was fun and cheerful and level-headed. Hard to believe the two were sisters. Maybe Amanda was adopted, he thought as he headed toward the building.

Shade stalked through the backstage door into the venue. Here he was in his element. But as he ventured further down the corridor, he recognized someone who shouldn't be in his element at all. He'd already told the woman that he wasn't interested in seeing her again when they'd parted ways in Tulsa. What in the hell was Nikki doing backstage? And with Gabe?

"Why is she here?" Shade asked Gabe, not sure why he cared so much.

Gabe immediately bristled, standing to his full impressive height, his bright red mohawk making him look even larger and more intimidating. But Shade wasn't the least bit frightened.

"If Amanda can come to our shows, then so can Melanie."

Shade shook his head. "Not Melanie. If you have a thing for her, of course she's welcome." He reached behind Melanie and pulled Nikki out from hiding. "Her! What is she doing here?"

Nikki tightened her hands into fists and glared at Shade. "What, did you forget my name already, asshole?"

Why did women always call him that? Because he refused to let them walk all over him? Because he knew what he wanted or didn't want and made no apologies for either? Did that make him an asshole? Shade shook his head. "No, darling Nikki, I didn't forget your name, but you can't be here. I don't want you here." And why did it bother him so much that Nikki was there? Was it because she was the last woman he'd slept with before losing himself to Amanda? Her presence made him uneasy. He didn't think he'd fall to her seductive charms again, but he didn't want to compromise his growing relationship with Amanda. If Nikki wasn't around to test his resolve, he'd have nothing to worry about. He knew the chick was still interested in him. Why wouldn't she be?