Page 51 of Rockstar Baby Daddy

And I did, but the mood was different after Alex’s arrival, so I postponed the brownie pie Granddaddy made and took Alex to my office.

“All right, what was so damn important that it couldn’t wait?”

Alex sighed. “Sorry,” he said without a hint of apology in his tone. “Starting Monday, we kick off three weeks of promo, doing the rounds on TV, radio, and internet. Magazines, too. We’ll get your face in front of everyone we can. We’ll do a few live spots of you playing some of your biggest hits and then ten days of downtime that may or may not include a few interviews.” Alex sighed and looked up at me—finally—for approval. “The week the album drops, you’ll be going pretty much nonstop with live musical performances of your first couple singles. Then,” he sat back with a smile, “North American tour for four months to start.”

My heart sank. Four months.To start.That would definitely cost me this chance I had with Suzie. “Why so soon? Usually, we wait to see how the album sells before setting up a tour.”

Alex laughed. “You’re GavinfuckingRoss, man. A guaranteed stadium sell-out artist. And the pre-sale orders are through the roof. This is a good thing, Gavin.”

“I know it is, Alex. The timing is just awful, but I’m on board. No worries.”

Now I just had to go out there and tell Suzie.

I found her sitting quietly in the theater room, a stoic, almost blank expression on her face. “Suzie.”

She looked up with a small, sad smile. “It’s all right, Gavin. We knew this would happen, and sooner rather than later.”

“I know, but I hate it.”

Her smile flashed and it was still sad, but more affectionate. “When you came to Jackson’s Ridge, you were worried you might not ever sing again, and now you have an album and a half worth of music and a tour in your future. This is a good thing, and I don’t want you to be unhappy about it. This is your career, the thing you love most.”

Not anymore.But she wouldn’t be able to hear those words, not now. “Still, I’m not ready to leave you.”

She sighed and pushed off the sofa. “And I’m not ready for you to leave, but you have to. This is what you do, it’s your superpower. And you’re contractually obligated to do it.” She put a hand to my chest and gave me a small pat. It felt like goodbye, like she was trying to put the distance between us that she’d talked about at the start of the week. “Go out there and make the world fall in love with you through your music.”

“I’m just trying to make you fall for me, Suzie Q.”

“Even if I did, you’d be too far away to do anything about it.” Her words weren’t coy, they were honest. She felt for me what I felt for her, even if I couldn’t voice it yet.

“I’ll keep in touch regularly, so much that you get sick of me, but I need you to promise to do the same. I don’t want to miss one moment of this pregnancy, as much as I can help it. I want to know everything: your weird food cravings, how much your nipples hurt, weird hormone dreams you’re having, all of it.”

She laughed. “Have you been secretly reading pregnancy books?”

I nodded. “I may have downloaded a few to my e-reader.”

“That’s sweet, Gavin.” She sighed as her thumb caressed my jawline. “I’m really going to miss you.”

“No,” I told her. “You’re not, because we’re going to talk all the time. About doctor’s appointments, your day at work, the weird things celebrities ask for on the road. We’re going to talk and text and video chat so much that you won’t have time to miss me. Right?”

Suzie took her time responding and after a while I was sure she was trying to find a nice way to refuse my request. To reject me. To tell me that once I was gone, I should forget all about her. I prepared myself for the sting of rejection. Then, her shoulders fell in resignation and hope returned.

“Yes. Okay, Gavin. I can do that. For you, I can do that.”

All the tension left my body and I pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you, Suzie Q.”

She hugged me back and whispered in my ear, “Don’t make me regret it.”

“Never,” I whispered back, and then I put my lips to hers and gave her a long kiss that felt like a goodbye but wasn’t. “See you soon, Suzie Q.”

“Not if I see you first,” she added with a shy smile. “Good luck.”

“You, too,” I told her and put my hand to her belly. “Don’t forget about me while I’m gone.”

She rolled her eyes. “As if I could. You’re only my favorite artist ever.”

“I’m auditioning for a different role this time, babe.” I winked and walked out of the room before she changed her mind.

Suzie

---