I swallow back my curse as the beep kicks in.
“Hey baby,” I sigh, leaning back against the wall. “How’s it going? I miss you,” I say softly. “But you knew that already.” I pause, still hoping she’ll pick up, but there’s nothing but silence on the line. “So, today we had a break-though, I think,” I continue. “You know how Jennings has been riding me all week? Well, he finally gave me a break.”
I fill her in on everything that happened, same as every night when I call. I like to think of her listening, out there on her balcony maybe, or the back porch, her feet kicked up on the railings, wearing that silky robe that always drives me crazy.
How much longer will she take to see what’s staring me right in the face? We belong together; we have done from the start. But she’s so paralyzed by the mistakes she’d made, she won’t move on and take a chance on a new beginning.
What if she doesn’t love me enough to move on?
The doubts rise, full of darkness, but I push them back. No, it’s not true. When she’s in my arms, and our bodies are moving together, everything makes sense. But the minute the real world starts turning again, I can see all her questions and insecurities flare in those beautiful eyes. I know I broke her heart, but damnit, I’m trying to fix the mistakes I made. I want to wipe the past away and make her feel safe again, but I don’t know what else to do. I’ve told her I love her, promised to build a future, and still she won’t move on.
Perhaps she never will.
I head back inside to get the drinks. Eddie’s at the bar already, turning on the charm for a group of coeds poured into cutoffs and belly-skimming shirts. “Here’s the man himself,” he says, greeting me with a wink. “I went and found you some fans.”
My heart sinks. Fawning girls are the last thing I need right now, but I don’t want to be a jackass, so I force a polite smile. “Hey.”
“Oh my God, I love your music so much!” One of them slides in close to me, wrapping her hands around my arm. “Can we get a selfie?”
Before I can object, she lifts her camera and snaps a shot, kissing my cheek as the flash bursts.
“I went to, like, five of your shows last year,” she continues breathlessly. “My friends say I’m a total groupie.” She giggles, and Eddie smirks over her head.
Eddie winks. “Thank me later,” he murmurs, before disappearing back to our group with her friends in tow.
“So what are you working on now?” she asks eagerly, still pressed up against me. She’s blond and cute, and definitely willing. Any red-blooded man in here would kill to be in my shoes, but I barely notice her. Everything I want in the world is bound up in Eva, and nobody else could even come close.
I detach her hands and step back. “I better get back to it,” I tell her blandly. “Thanks for the support.”
Her face falls. “Do you want my number? We could get a drink sometime—”
“No thanks,” I interrupt, then quickly turn and leave, pushing through the crowd until I hit the street and can breathe again.
Damn it, what the hell am I doing here?
I pace the dark sidewalk, heading back to my hotel. The city is bright and vibrant, busy with weekend party crowds, but every burst of laughter or smiling couple I pass makes me feel more alone. Half my heart is right back there in Oak Harbor, and for whatever reason, she can’t bring herself to leave.
Which means I have to.
By the time I reach my hotel, I know, there’s no other way. No matter how much that town spells nothing but pain for me, if it’s the only way to be with Eva, then fuck. I’ll take it. I’ll take the bitter memories and ghosts of the past, and all the things I’ve been running from these past five years.
I’ll take it all in a heartbeat for her.
I swipe my keycard in the door and go straight to the closet, pulling my case down and throwing shit in without even looking. I can fly back tonight, camp out at the airport until I get a seat, or hell, rent a car and drive straight through. I’ll be back in her arms by morning either way, and I’ll never leave her again.
Kyle will freak out, Jennings will blacklist me for good. Fuck, the whole album might be scrapped now, but I don’t care. I’ll give it all up to be with her again. It’s no choice at all. Five years ago, I left that girl behind. It may have been for all the right reasons, but that doesn’t undo the damage and hurt I caused.
I won’t be the reason for her heartbreak again.
I zip the bag shut and head for the door, but just as I’m grabbing my jacket, I hear something. A rattle on the window, like gravel.
I pause, then go to look. I haul the glass open just as another rock comes flying up and I have to duck out of the way to stop it hitting me in the face.
“Hey!” I yell down, angry. “What the fuck?”
“Sorry!”