CHAPTER 28
CLAYTON
Derrick had shown up, and Clayton was pissed about it.
He dropped into the seat across from Nolan, arms crossed, his jaw still tight from the confrontation backstage. The bus hummed beneath them but he barely noticed. His mind was still back at the venue.
Nolan, stretched out with his boots kicked up, gave him a lazy once-over. “You look like you’re about two seconds away from putting your fist through a wall.”
Clayton exhaled sharply. “Jamie’s ex showed up.”
That got Nolan’s attention. He sat up straighter. “Backstage?”
“Yeah.” Clayton shook his head, his hands balling into fists on the table. “Security caught him trying to get into her dressing room.”
Nolan let out a low whistle. “That takes some nerve.”
“Nerve or stupidity.” Clayton leaned forward, his voice tight. “He was back there, acting like he had every right to see her. Saying he just wanted to talk.”
Nolan scoffed. “Right. Because nothing says ‘I respect you’ like ambushing you at work. ”
Clayton’s fingers drummed against the table. “Told security to get him the hell out.”
“And?”
“And they did.” He clenched his jaw. “But not before he ran his damn mouth.”
Nolan’s brow lifted. “What did he say?”
Clayton hesitated, then sighed. “That she’d always come back to him. That she was his. ” His voice dropped lower, rougher. “That I didn’t stand a chance.”
“What about his fiancée?”
Clayton shrugged. “Publicity stunt.”
Silence stretched between them. Nolan shook his head and let out a quiet laugh. “Well, no wonder you’re wound up.”
“It took everything in me to let security handle it.”
Nolan eyed him carefully. “Does Jamie know?”
Clayton shook his head. “Not yet.”
Nolan sighed. “She needs to.”
“I know.” He dragged a hand down his face. “I just—damn, she’s had enough of that sorry-ass bastard messing with her head. She’s riding high after that show and I’m not about to let him drag her down.”
Nolan studied him and smirked. “Man, you are so in love with her.”
Clayton didn’t even argue. “Yeah,” he admitted, his voice low. “I am.”
Nolan exhaled, shaking his head. “Then you better tell her what happened before someone else does. The last thing you want is her thinking you kept it from her.”
Clayton swallowed hard, staring at the table. He hated that Nolan was right.
“She’s not his,” he muttered, more to himself than to his brother. “Not now, not ever again. ”
Nolan tapped him on the shoulder. “Damn right she’s not.”
Clayton just wished he knew, for sure, that one day she’d be his.