After his meteoric rise to superstardom, Jim O'Brien is no longer a small-town boy who plays in bars and dreams of success. His handsome face is plastered on the covers of celebrity gossip magazines, and his voice alone is enough to make girls swoon...
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I leaned against the door of my condo. The events of the night drained me of every ounce of energy.
Ava's scent still clung to me, my skin, and my clothes, and I didn't want to wash her off. Neither did I want to go to the bathroom and see the rose petals floating in the water and the bottle of champagne in the bucket on the edge of the tub.
Maybe suggesting a break was a mistake, but what else could I do? How else could I make sure she'd accept who I was? How could we have a future if we didn't learn to trust each other?
That didn't mean I didn't understand her reaction. If I found a note from another guy in her clothes, I'd ask her about it, too. What hurt me was her automatic assumption that I was unfaithful. It was as if my deepest fears materialized.
I already missed her. There was a gaping hole in my chest only she could fill. Giving her space was both the right and the hardest decision I'd ever made.
I pulled the phone out of my pocket.
Me: Sweet dreams, baby. I already miss you.
Two seconds. It only took two seconds for the dots to appear, followed by a text.
Ava: I miss and love you, too. Try to sleep, Jimmy.
***
My bandmates and I huddled to the side of Rose's grave. Although the guys didn't know Isla well, they wanted to be there, and Isla said it was okay.
Ava and Ivy had their arms around her. Ava lifted her gaze off the ground, and our eyes met. The urge to wrap her in my arms overwhelmed me. I wanted to take her home, hug her and forget all about the month we'd spend thousands of miles away from each other. But her friend needed her. I couldn't be selfish, not when I was the one to suggest the damn break.
Ava approached me after the burial. Saying nothing, she wrapped her arms around me and tucked her face in the crook of my neck.
"I don't know how I'll get through this month without you," she mumbled into my skin. "I trust you. I always have. I don't need a month to be sure of something I already know."
"I love you," I whispered into her hair, kissing it, fisting the fabric of her dress. "It's also hard for me, Ava. I couldn't sleep last night and the night before that. I think about you, us, all the time."
Ava pressed her lips to my skin. "Me too, baby. When are you leaving?"
"In five days. It's the label's birthday tonight. The guys and I have to attend the celebration. I'm not planning on staying long, but we have to make an appearance, or Wyatt will lose his shit."
"I trust you." Ava cupped my face with her palms. "Okay?"
