Page 42 of I Just Want to be Yours

“He’s going to tell her he loves her,” Mya pipes up next to me.

My fingers halt on the guitar, and I look over at her with wide eyes.

She gasps before squeaking, “Sorry!” again.

Bracing myself, I bring my attention back to Dave standing in front of me. His eyes are still on Mya, his eyebrows raised. “Oh, yeah?” Looking back at me, he grins. “Nice.”

“I’m getting a hotel that night,” I say flatly, knowing that’s the answer he was actually looking for.

Everything with Margot has felt fleeting lately. Our calls, our texts, the time I get to spend with her. None of it is enough. They’re all just tiny glimpses into what we had when we were together all the time. Holding onto her is starting to feel a lot like holding onto water.

“Good,” Dave says, pulling me from my thoughts. “I don’t think one more person in here would be a good idea.”

He’s right. When we first got the RV it felt like a ton of room, but with the added people on board, it’s already cramped like the van. It’s crazy how as soon as you achieve something, you want the next thing. I guess that’s the curse of this business: never being satisfied. I’m already imagining how much better things would be with a tour bus.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I rented a room walking distance from the venue once we get there.”

Dave nods. “How long will she be here?”

“Just the one night.” It will be too short of a trip. Even saying the words out loud leaves an ache in my chest. I know it won’t be enough.

“Nice. You’ll have a good chunk of time with her then.” He claps a hand on my shoulder, his words contradict everything I’m thinking. Luckily, he doesn’t wait for me to respond and heads toward the front of the bus. It’s his turn to drive and give Brady a break.

Mya makes sure to keep her voice down for once when she says, “Are you going to plan something special for when you tell her?”

My fingers go back to picking at the strings. My first reaction is to say,no.I haven’t planned anything outside of getting us a room, but something nags at me from the pit of my stomach, and instead, I ask, “Like what?”

“Jackson, you’ll be inNew York City!” Her sharp whisper is enough to pause my playing again.

“So? You heard how much time I’ll have with her right? I’ll be lucky if I get to tell her backstage.”

Mya pins me with an unwavering stare. “Don’t you dare.”

I let out a breath of laughter. “By the time we get out of the show Saturday night, everything worth seeing will beclosed.” What does she expect me to do? Break into the Empire State Building?

Mya pulls her feet up and rests her chin on her knees. “No, that won’t work.” Her lips pout as she thinks. “You’re right, a lot of sightseeing things will be closed, but still, it’s the city that never sleeps.” Before I can even open my mouth to agree with her, she lifts her head. “Times Square!”

“You want me to tell Margot I love her in the middle of Times Square?” Even saying the words out loud have my heart rate spiking.

“Well, it’s better thantelling her backstage.” She deepens her voice to mimic me, and I narrow my eyes.

I didn’t think Margot would care where or how I told her. I almost told her standing near my car for Christ’s sake. But what the hell do I know? I’m no expert on long-term relationships, and Mya is looking at me like I should understand the gravity of this situation more than I do.

“Okay. I’ll figure something out,” I say, just wanting this conversation to end. Margot hasn’t said anything about wanting me to tell her a certain way. Hell, I don’t even know if she feels the same. I think she does . . . When she looks at me, I think she does. The bottom line is that she deserves it. If Margot needs me to make a big deal out of this, I will. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.

24

margot

My feet dragup the steps to my apartment, and I hope Rae is home. Even though my day was busy and full of distractions, that image of Jackson standing next to his beautiful new traveling companion has been gnawing at me all day.

Even if they’re just friends and he’s not attracted to her at all, she’s still there. She’s the one celebrating his successes. She’s the one telling him they had a great show at the end of the night. She’s the one waking up with him and doing it all the next day.

I figured there would be groupies eventually. But for there to be a girl on the bus who looks likethat?Yeah, I didn’t think this through.

I want Rae to be home so I can get her take on things. I’ll show her the picture and see what she thinks. She’ll talk me down, and I’ll feel better.

But when I reach the top of the stairs, there’s someone standing outside my door with his back leaning against the wall. He looks up when he sees me and flashes a beautiful smile.

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