Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars(81)

Walking down the hallway to his suite, she took a deep breath before knocking. She waited a moment, listening for rustling inside, but there was nothing. Tapping on the door a few more times, she finally heard grumbling.

The door jerked open, and Travis, looking handsomely rumpled in a pair of boxers and nothing else, said, “Gemma? What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to you,” she said. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, sure, come on in,” he said. Stepping back to let her pass, her shoulder brushed his chest, and she had to remind herself that stopping to snuggle against him was no longer her privilege.

Closing the door behind her, he reached down to grab his jeans off the floor. Sticking one leg in, he said, “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Straight to the point. “I wanted to apologize for blaming you for those reporters. I was out of line and I’m sorry.”

Buttoning his pants, he seemed to be weighing her apology. “Okay.”

That hadn’t been the response she was looking for. “Okay? That’s it?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. Something besides okay,” she said, knowing she was being ridiculous but unable to stop herself.

“I appreciate the apology. As it was, you were partly right. It was my fault we were leaked to the press.”

“You know who it was?” Gemma asked.

“Chelsey Cooper. She leaked your first name and our high-school connection to the papers after she saw the picture of us leaving the chapel. The media must’ve dug up the rest,” Travis said as he pulled a T-shirt out of his bag and put it on.

“Why would she do that?”

“Apparently, she holds a grudge and has issues with rejection.” Travis crossed his arms with a triumphant smile and said, “But after this little stunt, she’ll think twice before making trouble.”

If the woman hadn’t created a permanent black mark in Gemma’s mind, she would feel bad for her. “There’s something else.”

Travis sat on the bed. “Yeah?”

“I lied when I said I didn’t love you. I was angry about the reporters, and scared that when you went back to this life, it would be over anyway. I know I’ve probably screwed up beyond repair, but I just needed you to know that I was a coward. You are all I’ve ever wanted from the time I was sixteen, but I spent my life keeping my heart trapped away in a little box, afraid of it getting trampled, and I never truly opened it. I came here to tell you that I’m ready. I’m all in, if you’ll have me, because if you won’t, I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life. No one could ever love me the way you do. You’ve forgiven me when other people wouldn’t, you’ve loved me when I couldn’t even love myself, and you’ve shown me that some things are worth fighting for. I accused you of not fighting for me, but the truth is, I’ve never fought for anything. It’s been easier for me to wrap myself in my protective bubble, so I don’t get hurt, but that’s not living. I want to live my life to the fullest . . . and I can’t do that without you in it.”


Halfway through her speech she’d started crying, but she didn’t try to wipe the tears away; she just waited for him to say something. Anything.

Finally, he stood up and ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Okay. I appreciate your apology and your honesty; I do. And I hope you understand that I need some time to think.”

Gemma couldn’t blame him for his doubts and reluctance, but it still ripped her insides apart. She wanted to beg and plead, wanted to get down on her knees, but she had a feeling Travis wouldn’t appreciate her falling apart on him. “How much time?”

“I don’t know. When I saw you in Vegas, all I wanted was to have you. I was all in; even after I found out about Charlie, I was willing to move on. And you looked me in the eye and told me to leave. So, I need some time to figure out if I have anything left in me that wants to make this work.” Slipping his hands in his pockets, he said, “I’ve decided to settle down in Rock Canyon so I can be close to Charlie, and when I have my next break during the tour, I’m hoping to come see him for a few days.”

Wiping at her nose, she nodded. “Of course you can see him as much as you want.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I’m hoping we can be friends, but if not, at least civil. For Charlie’s sake.”

“We’ve never had any trouble being friends.” Starting for the door, she paused and looked up into his eyes. “Thanks for hearing me out. I’ll tell Charlie you’ll see him soon.”

Turning away from him, she walked out of the door, trying to control the dam that threatened to burst.



“FIFTEEN MINUTES TO showtime, Mr. Bowers,” Kenny said, poking his head into the dressing room.

“Thanks, Kenny,” Travis said as he put his Stetson on his head. Checking his phone again, he wondered if Gemma had flown back home. He kept telling himself he’d made the right move. He wasn’t lying about wanting time to decide whether he was willing to give it another chance, but it had been so hard to let her walk away when she’d been laying her heart out for him.

The last few days, all he’d thought of was what he’d say when he saw her again. When he’d opened his mouth to respond to her heartfelt apology, he hadn’t planned on telling her he needed time. He’d had no idea what was going to come out, but he now knew time was exactly what they needed. Time apart. Time to figure out whether this was something worth saving. No sense in rushing back into things and repeating the same mistakes.