Page 104 of Nashville Cowboy
“Everything.” He reached for her wrists and pulled her into his lap.
“I’m all wet,” she said, barely protesting being this close to him again.
“I have to tell you something important.” His hand glided up and down her spine, creating a friction that warmed her.
She settled in to him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Is it good news?”
“I hope so, for both of us. Got a call from my manager this morning. One of the best producers in Nashville is interested in working with me. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t think I can pass this up.”
“Oh,” she said, her throat tight. “No, you can’t.”
This moment was far too familiar.
“Our band got an offer to play in Nashville,” Jackson said.
“When?”
“In a couple of weeks. Don’t worry, I turned them down. We’re gettin’ married.”
“But—”
“I’m happy, baby. Maybe we’ll both go out to visit them someday.”
“We could wait to get married—” she offered, even as she fully realized that all the deposits had been made and this late in the game, no refund was possible.
“No,” he said, brushing a kiss across her fingers. “We’re doin’ this. It’s too late now.”
“Eve,” Jackson said now, tipping her chin to meet his eyes. “I want you to come with me. Please think about it. The next few months to a year are going to mean hours of hard work in the studio, hashing it out. But the upside is huge. This producer is a hit-maker. I would say that I’ll come back to visit but I wouldn’t be able to realistically do that for close to a year. That’s too long for us to be apart.”
“I agree.” She breathed in his scent. Woodsy with a hint of leather. “And after that?”
“Probably a US tour to support the album. Some local appearances. Travel.”
“If I go with you, what will I do?”
“Whatever you want. And be with me, every morning and night. Just like we’ve been doing here. I’m addicted to you. Obsessed.” He glanced around her office. “I know what I’m askin’ you to give up and I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it’s our best bet long-term. For our future. Our children.”
“Our children?”
“You’ve got to marry me and have my babies. You know that, right?” A single dimple flashed.
She squinted. “Is that a proposal?”
“Call it a pre-proposal. The actual one will be big and flashy, or soft and quiet if that’s what you want.”
“Soft and quiet,” she whispered.
His hands slid down to her wrists and cuffed them. “All I’m asking from you is two years. Then we’ll both come back to Stone Ridge for good, build a house here, and you’ll go back to your practice.”
Two years. Two years without practicing medicine, unless she could figure out a way to do it in Nashville. She’d have the horses and dogs that Jackson had on his small ranch on the outskirts of Nashville, but likely that would be the extent of it. And yet she’d already lost him once before to pride and the worry of holding him back. Everything had changed because as a grown woman she realized neither one of them could be everything to each other. She understood that sometimes sacrifices would have to be made, on both sides.
“Eve?” he whispered, since she’d been silent for several minutes.
“I could save you on your vet bills by taking care of the animals myself.”
“Is that a yes, you’re coming with me?” He grinned.
Eve swallowed the ball in her throat. “Yes,” she said, threading her fingers through his hair. “You better believe I’m coming with you.”
