I roll my eyes and pull myself in closer, breathing him in and letting all my frustration from earlier wash away. At some point, I need to face the implications of a life with Jake and what it means for my career, but that’s Future Kate’s problem. Today, I want to enjoy being with the love of my life and pretending I can figure out how to balance two completely different worlds.
Even when my heart and mind are screaming at me that something’s gotta give.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
jake
As I stroll backto the buses after soundcheck, Jason is coming down the steps of my bus with an odd look on his face. God only knows what’s going on with him these days. He’s in a perpetual mood—always pushing for me to do more and go faster.
“What’s going on?” I ask, assuming he must have a reason for stopping by. It’s no wonder chess is his favorite game; he’s constantly three steps ahead and extremely intentional with everything he does. Perhaps that’s why he and Anna butt heads so often, they’re both masterminds at moving chess pieces before anyone realizes they’ve been playing the game.
Jason grimaces, pulling on the back of his neck. “I’m not sure what else to say, but good luck.” He shakes his head and walks away without uttering another word.
For fuck’s sake, what did he do now?
I drag a hand down my face, urging myself to remain calm because there’s an off chance it’s nothing. That I’m going to walk into my bus and find my gorgeous girlfriend curled up on the couch, enjoying a relaxing Saturday afternoon, not whatever shitstorm Jason has created.
After taking a deep breath, I climb the stairs and open the door to find Kate exactly where I expected, sitting on the couch with a book in her hand. Except she looks fucking pissed.
Goddamn it. What the fuck did he do?
I was hoping for a calmer day after yesterday’s debacle when I accidentally got naked on Kate’s client video call. No such luck.
“What’s going on, Kate?” I ask, sitting in the recliner across from her, wanting to look her in the eyes as we talk through whatever has gotten her so riled up. Besides the obvious… Jason.
She presses her lips together tightly, clenching her fists as she drops the book on the couch. “Well, Jason stopped by to say hello and shared how much he loved the new ballad you wrote for the album. The new song about me. You know the one—it tells the story of how we got together and then broke up. How I left you.”
All the color drains from my face. I’m going to fucking kill him.
Her arms are crossed as she focuses on her breathing, likely trying to stop the tears welling in her eyes. “Jason was saying how it’s going to be a massive single and how excited the label is to get it out to fans. Needless to say, I was surprised to learn that information.”
“Kate, I’m so incredibly sorry,” I croak, angry at myself for not being the one to tell her about the song and furious at Jason for mentioning it.
“You promised,” she sobs, covering her face with her hands. “You promised I would be the first to hearanysong about me. Before Jason or the label.”
Fuck. She’s not wrong. How do I explain what happened without it sounding like an excuse?
I start pacing in the small living space, tugging at the ends of my hair as I try to find the right words. Jason is going to get a fucking earful when I see him next. He knewexactlywhat he wasdoing by mentioning it to Kate, trying to force my hand to ensure the ballad made it onto the album even though he knew I was conflicted about it.
Stopping in front of Kate, I drop to my knees, gently pulling her hands from her face until I can see those beautiful hazel eyes. “I’m deeply sorry, Kate. This is not how I wanted to tell you about this song. I never meant to break my promise. My intention wasalwaysfor you to hear it first,” I explain softly, wiping away her tears. “Jason happened to stop by when I was working on the demo before we came out on tour this weekend. He overheard it and had a ton of questions. You know how he can get.”
She nods, tears continuing to stream down her face. “You still could’ve told me. I’ve been with you since Thursday.”
I sigh, taking a seat next to her on the couch and adjusting our positions so we’re facing each other. “I had this entire scenario in my head about how I was going to tell you. Planned on playing it for you once we got home to Nashville. Another special night in the home studio.” I tuck a strand of her brown hair behind her ear and wipe away her tears. “I never agreed to put the song on the album. I wouldneverdo something like that without talking to you first. Making sure you are comfortable with it. Please tell me you believe me.”
She blows out a deep breath, bringing her knees closer to her chest. “I want to, but it’s hard when Jason was so overly confident about what was happening.” She shakes her head, briefly looking at the ceiling. “He made me doubt you. Question whether you’d go back on your promise to further your career. I should know better, but it feels like something new tries to rip us apart every day. To disrupt our happiness. It’s exhausting.”
I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her tightly. “I know. I’m so sorry you have to go through all of this because of me. I promise it will get easier eventually.”
“Can you send me a calendar invite for when that’s supposed to happen? I’d really like to make a big celebration out of it,” she jokes, leaning her head against me.
I chuckle, the laugh reverberating in my chest.
We sit in silence for a few minutes, each of us deep in thought about what happened and how other people will still play a role in our relationship, whether we like it or not. While Kate seems to be calming down, my frustration is rising, and it’s all directed at Jason.
“Are you okay if I leave to go find Jason? The two of us need to talk.”
“You’re going to lose your shit on him,” Kate says calmly.
