Legends

Realizations

Allie's POV

I sat outside on one of the folded picnic tables that had been setup outside near the buses enjoying the warm day as I edited some photos from the last couple of nights. I was a little behind because of all the traveling. PJ had laughed last night on the way to the hotel when I smacked Dad in the arm for telling me I looked like a little lost puppy dog who lost their best friend. To which PJ replied nah, she just lost her favorite pillow for the night. I was good and had only threatened to hide his cellphone twice during brunch before he dropped me off here and went somewhere. Didn't tell me.

Brantley hadn't been here when I got back either since he didn't have soundcheck. More than likely out on the bike. Ass, didn't even offer to take me. Yes, I was pouting a little. I hummed along with the music coming out of my ear buds as I clicked through the photos deleting ones that weren't any good. I had already emailed some to be added to Brantley's website. I was lost in what I was doing and not sure how long I had been at it. I felt a soft kiss pressed to my cheek before my left ear bud was tugged out.

"What ya listening to Allie Cat?" Brantley asked as he sat down behind me propping his chin on my shoulder looking at my computer screen. He listened for a second then chuckled. "Tim and Faith. I shouldn't be surprised. Know you love his music."

"Where have you been mister?" I asked turning my head slightly to look at him as he pulled me closer resting his hands on my knees. My eyes narrowed at his outfit.

"Actually," he said with a smirk. "I went to play golf with your dad."

"Say what?" I said looking at him with wide eyes. "Since when did you take up golf?"

"Hey!" he complained squeezing my knee. "I can do more than throw a ball or shoot stuff when it comes to sports."

"Dad totally creamed your ass didn't he?" I said raising an eyebrow at him.

"God did he," Brantley said shaking his head. "That man is like a machine. Pretty sure PJ is still laughing over this."

"You know he plays with investors all the time, right?" I said trying to keep a laugh in.

"Yea," he grumbled. "I found that out. From roughneck to golf pro. Swear he hit a hole in one while on the phone chewing ass. I felt sorry for whomever was on the other end of that call. I didn't realize you could tell someone to go fuck themselves so politely."

"B..." I said with a laugh as he pouted. "Admit it. You just hate to lose. And yea he can. Human Resources finally gave up on telling him to stop. They just roll with it now as long as he is nice about it."

"Don't know what you are talking about Allie Cat," Brantley said shaking his head and pushing my hair off my neck to place a slow kiss behind my ear. He brushed a calloused finger across the lobe making me shiver. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you where you got those earrings. I noticed you wear them most of the time. They are really pretty."

I touched the white gold diamond studs that were in my ears. I'd had them for a while and the wings holding the diamonds in resembled the same ones tattooed on my back.

"Kolby actually," I said quietly. "He gave them to me for my thirtieth birthday."

"Well I'll be," Brantley drawled with a grin. "My little brother does have good taste."

"You're jealous," I said turning around to push his shoulder as he laughed.

"No baby I'm not," he said standing up then leaning down to kiss me. "I'm glad you two stayed close. From what I got out of him, he was there for you when you needed him. Sorry it couldn't be me."

"You're here now," I said quietly looking up at him. He gave me a wink and a wide smile.

"Damn right I am," Brantley said standing up to his full height. "You finish up what you were doing. I'm gonna go grab a shower before VIP."

"Okay," I said turning back to my laptop as he headed inside the bus. I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of him and Dad playing golf together. Hunting yea, I could see that and had, but the pair of them playing golf......

Later that night I settled down on the stool side stage to watch the show. Brantley had snatched my camera bag away from me earlier on the way to VIP passing it off to Mike. I had gone to argue and they both told me nope I would be watching the show tonight instead. That I better spend the time hanging out with my dad. I still snapped several with my phone when they weren't looking. Dad sat beside me watching Brantley in the middle of the stage sitting on a stool for the acoustic set.

"I swear," Dad said shaking his head then grinned over at me. "He's done nothing but get better with age. Watching him tonight Allie, I still see the scared kid shaking my hand terrified as he made sure he had my permission to date my daughter. God, he was such a cocky little shit back then."

"Yea he was," I said laughing. "I remember he turned pale after I said yes to marrying him. His exact words were "I am a dead man. I've got to call your dad."

"I worried so damn bad when you called to tell me you were following him to Nashville Allie," he said with a hefty sigh. "Then everything y'all dealt with over the years. It was hard but you both stuck it out. Which is why, until you talked to me about it, I was blown away when you called to tell me you had left and signed the papers."

"It just wasn't working then Dad," I said with a sigh biting my lip.

"I will tell you this sweetheart," he said reaching over to squeeze my hand. "Despite all my worries and doubts, I never doubted that he loved you. He still does."

"I know," I said nodding my head looking out to the stage. "I never stopped loving him either."

"Tell me something I didn't already know honey," Dad said with a grin winking at me. "All it took was seeing him again didn't it?"

"Yea," I grumbled rolling my eyes. Hated it when his smug ass was right. I turned my head back towards the stage when I heard Brantley speak through the microphone. He had gotten quiet for a minute then he snuck a quick glance back at me. He toyed with the strings of his guitar for a second before talking.

"You know I've learned over the years that life has a way of throwing curveballs at you," he said with a quiet chuckle. "Y'all know that if I write about it, I've lived it. I write the things I can't always talk about. This next song, hell every time I hear it, even I replay it over and over. That memory and the girl it is about stand out in my mind. Made it to the state line that night before I realized just what I had left behind. Little did I know that eventually our separate dreams would get in the way, but life does have a way of coming back around."

He lowered his head and started playing. I felt my eyes tear up as he started singing "More than Miles". I closed my eyes thinking back. I wiped at the lone tear that had slipped down my cheek. I remembered my heart pounding in my chest and flying out the front door when that truck pulled back up in the driveway. I'd kept the tears in that day until his truck had been out of sight then I had lost it. As he finished the song my eyes opened meeting his and I let out a gasp of shock making my dad turn to look at me. I saw the unshed tears in his even from here.

I covered my mouth as the tears slipped down my cheeks. I could see the pause in Brantley's eyes and he took half a step in my direction after passing his guitar off to a roadie. I shook my head letting him know that I was okay. He nodded then motioned for Ben to kick off the next song. It had finally hit me tonight after hearing that. All this time I really thought he hadn't cared, but this, this showed me something that I had desperately needed to see. He loved me. Not in the past sense, but truly loved me in the present.

All these years later, through the divorce, even with his reaction when he saw me again for the first time. I had thought he didn't care based off his actions. But tonight, in this moment, with that one song, he showed me what he had been trying to tell me. That no matter the time that passed, the people that had been in our lives since, there was no one else but us.