Page 54 of Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars (Rock Canyon, Idaho 2)

“THIS IS SUCH a mess,” Gemma said, dashing the tears from her cheeks.

“Yeah, it is,” Travis said, wondering how he could feel sorry for her. From what he’d caught of the conversation, she’d kept Michael in the dark about their marriage, and had taken him for granted. Anyone else and he’d have judged her harshly. But he still had a hard time believing Gemma would be deliberately cruel.

Sniffling, she grabbed a box of tissue off the desk. “Apparently, I have issues being honest with people I care about. God, I am such an asshole,” she said.

Travis didn’t argue, since he’d pretty much been cursing her all night, but for some reason, even if it wasn’t directed at him, Gemma’s remorse made him a little less angry with her.

“Mike obviously cared a lot about you to keep Charlie a secret. Why didn’t you ever give him a chance?” Travis asked, curious.

Moving behind the desk to close her laptop, she said, “I knew it wouldn’t work.”

He wondered if there really was someone else she was holding a torch for; not Michael, of course, but had her hesitations in Vegas really all been about Charlie?

“What about someone else? You must have dated other men.”

“I’ve had a few dates, but no one ever fit in with our life,” she said.

There was no way she had lived like a nun, though. “So, no one serious?”

“I said no.” She sounded impatient, and he smiled. He had told himself he didn’t want to fight, but he kind of liked Gemma when she was bristly and irritable. Her cheeks got rosy and her mossy eyes darkened to the color of pond water when she snapped. It was hot.

I need to stop thinking with my cock or she’s never going to go for this.

“Good, I’m glad you aren’t seeing anyone,” he said, before adding, “That makes my proposition less awkward.”

“Proposition?” Her tone was suspicious, and he bit back a smile.

He’d had no idea he was going to bring up his harebrained scheme until a few seconds earlier, but he really did think it was their best option for keeping the peace. He just hoped she would be smart enough to realize it.

“I’ve been thinking about our situation and it seems to me the best option for everyone may be if I move in with you and Charlie. At least for the duration of my stay,” he said, and from the red hue of her face he could tell she was about to explode.

“You can’t be serious. You can’t live with us. It’s just going to make things worse with everyone in town and confuse Charlie,” Gemma said.

“We are married, and everyone in town will know it by tonight, so that’s a weak point. As for Charlie, I thought you were going to tell him about our marriage anyway?”

Or were you going to try to hide that, too?

“I did, and he was so excited, even though I told him it was only temporary. It’ll break his heart if you move in and we get his hopes up. Why don’t we—”

Travis cut her off. “This is how it’s going to be. You had your way for ten years, but for the next two weeks, we’re doing things my way. Or I can call my lawyer and start custody proceedings today.”

Her flushed face paled. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll give you as much time as you want with Charlie, but that doesn’t mean you have to move in.”

Knowing he was being cruel, he said, “Forgive me if your word isn’t enough.”

The quiet in the shop was deafening. Travis thought she was gearing up for a new argument, but she surprised him when she said, “You’ll sleep in the guest bedroom downstairs.”

“That’s perfect. Trust me, sex with you is the last thing I want.” He saw her wince and almost apologized, but part of him wanted her to feel bad, even though he was lying through his teeth. She was beautiful, and he couldn’t stop his reaction to her every time she was near, but if making her think he wasn’t interested would get him what he wanted, then so be it.

“Where is Charlie, by the way?” Travis asked, looking toward the back of the store.

“He’s at his friend Evan’s. I’m picking him up after work.”

“I could do it,” Travis said, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “I told him I would spend the day with him anyway, and the day is half gone.”

“Oh, that’s okay, I—”

“Gemma,” he said, trying to sound patient, “I don’t want to disappoint him.”

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