“I don’t understand. Do you want me to choose?” I spin to face him, ready to throw the tour out of his skyscraper window and watch it shatter on the street below if that’s what it takes. “Because there is no choice. It’s you and Molly for me. It always has been. I’ll stay here with you both. I don’t need to sing.”
His eyes are glassy and he looks at me with a sad finality. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“Why is it? Who says it has to be?”
“I won’t hold you back, Tate. It’s not fair. You deserve more. Go and sing. You have to.”
“I don’t want to unless you tell me you’ll wait for me.” I sniff, not caring that I sound likeI’m begging.
Because I am.
I’ll beg until my voice deserts me if that’s what it takes. I love him. And I love Molly.
He puts his glass on the table and takes my hand, lifting it to his lips. He screws his eyes closed and kisses my fingertips one by one before dropping his forehead to them.
“My life changed the day they both died. I will always be in New York. For my family. Your career could take you all over the world, but I willneverleave here. And you’ll never have more than this with me.”
“It’s enough. It’s more than enough,” I urge, a bubble threatening to burst in my throat and bring a barrage of ugly tears with it.
“It shouldn’t be.” He shakes his head. “You shouldn’t have to give up your dreams for us.”
“The night I heard my song on the radio, you said you were right here, that you weren’t going anywhere,” I say, searching his face for a hint of surrender, but he’s as cool and collected as he is at work, CEO poker face well and truly in place.
“And that’s true. I am right here. And I was there for you that night. But I will always behere, Tate. With Molly. You don’t see it, but we have to stay as we are. Me and Molly.”
“What about you, me, and Molly? I lov…”
I bite back the word before it slips out, hating how pathetic I sound.
He pins me with one of his intense stares. The ones that usually make me weak at the knees.
This time he brings me to them.
“I’ll never marry you, Tate. I’ll never want kids with you. You will never be more than a girlfriend who I hide my daughter from seeing first thing in the morning.”
The bubble detonates spectacularly, and I choke out a sob.
His voice is so soft, so caring.
But his words are brutal, shredding my heart to pieces.
“I’m sorry. That is all I can ever offer you. Nothing more.”
“You’re not in love with me,” I breathe, my bottom lip trembling. “Why don’t you just say that?”
The first hint of emotion flashes in his eyes and they pinch at the corners.
“Ican’tlove you. Not the way I want to.”
“What does that even mean?” I yank my hands from his and swipe at my eyes, hating the look of pity that’s growing in his.
“It means tonight is our last night together. Cliff will drive you home now if that’s what you want.”
Silence stretches between us. I give him time to take back his cruel confession. Time to retract the last five minutes and start over.
To make it all good again.
He just watches me with those damn eyes that I can never seem to look away from.
