He glanced at his watch. It read 3:04 a.m. “You want me to leave now? Why?” He grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face. “What’s going on with you? And don’t tell me nothing. I can see there’s something wrong.”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing. It was just a stupid dream.” She shook free of his grasp and stalked past him into the bedroom. After bending to pick up his clothes, she thrust them at him. “I’d like you to go now, please.”
“I don’t get it. Last night was amazing. I felt like we were really connecting. Then you have this weird dream and now you can’t get rid of me fast enough.” He knew there was some connection between the dream and her attitude toward him. He just needed more insight to put the pieces together.
She sank down on the edge of the bed, sighing. “You’re wrong. This has nothing to do with the nightmare. This is about you and me.” Staring at the floor, she said, “It’s not going to work. I’m sorry. Last night never should’ve happened.”
He fisted his shirt in his hand. She was doing it again, trying to push him away. Only this time he wasn’t going to let her. “Are you telling me you don’t want me, you don’t feel anything for me?” If she tried to convince him of that, she was wasting her time. He knew what she felt for him was as powerful as the feelings he had for her. If she needed a little more time to come to terms with it, he could give her that, but he’d be damned if he’d let her walk out of his life again.
She looked up at him briefly, her eyes quickly scanning his face before diverting her attention to the bedside clock. “I’m not going to lie. I do have feelings for you, but I don’t love you, Ty, I’m so sorry.”
Okay, that hurt, but he still wasn’t willing to accept it without a fight. He couldn’t force her to feel something she didn’t, but his instincts told him she was living in denial, out of fear. He had to uncover that fear before he could help her get past it. “I don’t believe you.”
She looked up; seemingly surprised he planned to challenge her claim. “You have to believe me; it’s true.”
“Last night, that was the real you, Avery. That was the woman behind the mask, the one you’re afraid to show to the rest of the world.” He sank down to his knees in front of her. “You let me in last night. Why are you trying so hard to shut me out now? What are you afraid of, honey?”
She sighed, her breath coming out in a shaky huff. “I’m afraid of hurting you. You don’t deserve that.” She rested her hand on his shoulder. “You’re a good man. You’re just not the man for me.”
“Why not?” He had to force himself to ask the question. If she was determined to end this, he had to know why he wasn’t good enough.
“Why are you making this so difficult?”
“Answer the question. Tell me why I’m not the guy for you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re really going to make me do this, aren’t you?” When he said nothing, she grabbed a pillow, holding it against her mid-section. “Fine, I’ll tell you. I’m used to dating men who are sophisticated, wealthy, and professional, like Jeffery. Not cowboys who want to be country singers.”
He felt like she’d kicked him in the gut. Maybe he should have walked away instead of calling her out.
“I’ve gone to the finest schools in the world, built a successful business on my own. I need someone in my life who’s travelled the same path I have. And I’m sorry to tell you that isn’t you. Let’s face it. We couldn’t be any more different.”
She was right. His family had been struggling financially since the day he was born. They were hardworking country folks with good values and better intentions. He wasn’t ashamed of where he came from, but she clearly was. “I’m not good enough for your high-society parties? Not good enough to meet your prep school friends, is that it?”
She laughed. “Come on, could you really see yourself on my arm at a black tie charity ball? That’s my life. It’s who I am. You could never fit into my world, no matter how hard you tried.”
He’d been trying to convince himself they could make it work, despite their differences, because they loved each other. But if she didn’t feel the same way, it was pointless. “Okay, I get it.” He stood up, gathering the rest of his clothes. “I won’t bother you again.”
Avery waited for the soft click of the door before she fell back on her pillow, sobbing. She hated herself for saying those cruel and hurtful things to him. They couldn’t have been further from the truth. She didn’t give a damn about the money or their roles in society. She loved Ty for who he was, kind, generous, hardworking, and honest.
He was getting too close to the truth. She could see it in his eyes after she’d woken from that awful dream. He was starting to put the pieces together and she had no choice but to throw him off the path, to distract him. Judging by the look in his eye when he left, she’d succeeded.
She glanced at the bedside clock. There was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep or focus on work. Instead, she turned on the television, curled up in the fetal position under the duvet that still smelled like him, and watched sitcom reruns until she finally dozed off.
Hours later, the telephone and alarm clock rang simultaneously, rousing her from sleep.
She sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Checking the call display, she muttered a curse. Her mother was the last person she wanted to deal with today.
She punched the button to silence the alarm and cleared her throat before picking up the phone. “Hi, Mom, what’s up?” She fell back against the pillows and rubbed her bleary eyes. Thank God for concealer to hide those nasty dark circles she was bound to have.
“Hello, darling. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
Her mother’s faux concern grated on her nerves at the best of times. When she was already on edge, it was unbearable. “It’s okay. It was time for me to get up.”
“Ty isn’t there, is he?”
Ty? How the hell did her mother know about him? “No, why would you think that?”
“Your young man came to see us recently. I have to admit, Avery, I was surprised, to say the least.”
Avery ground her teeth. Her mother was nothing if not an elitist. She was undoubtedly prepared to rake her over the coals for dating a man who was beneath her. “Why were you surprised?”
“He’s a lovely young man. Your father and I think he’s perfect for you.”
Avery sat up so quickly she smacked the back of her head against the headboard. “What are you talking about?”
“He told us how he feels about you.” Her mother sighed. “You know I’m not one to be taken in by heartfelt declarations, but I must say he had me convinced. That man loves you.”
She felt the hot burn of tears stinging her eyelids. She wished she and her mother had the kind of relationship that lent itself to full disclosure. Sadly, they didn’t. But she could use someone to share her burden and her mother, the shrink, seemed like the most likely candidate at the moment. Maybe she could put on her doctor hat and help her make sense of the mess that was her life.
“Mom, I have something to tell you.” She took a deep breath, bracing herself for the backlash. “I’m pregnant.”
Her mother emitted a sound that sounded suspiciously like an excited squeal.
“Are you okay?”
She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Of course I’m okay. This is the best news I’ve heard all year. When is the baby due?”
“Not until the spring, but…”
“Ty must be so excited. When he told us about Melanie, it was obvious how much he wanted a child of his own.”
The guilt stabbed her like a sharp blade through the heart. “Ty doesn’t know about the baby. I can’t tell him.”
“What? What are you talking about? He is the father, isn’t he?”
Avery sighed. Her mother still had a talent for making her feel like a rebellious teenager instead of a grown woman. “Of course he’s the father, Mother. Are you suggesting I sleep with dozens of men at one time?”
Her mother gasped. “You know that’s not what I meant. Shame on you for even suggesting such a thing.”
Avery rolled her eyes. For a woman who made her living listening to the depraved musings of the marginally unstable in the psychiatric ward of her local hospital, her mother could be such a prude.
“Suffice it to say, Ty is the father. But I can’t tell him because his ex-wife is back in the picture, making all kinds of threats and demands.”
“I thought he and Abby had been separated for years.”
Wow, Ty apparently did believe in full disclosure. He had told her parents all the sordid details of his life. How he still managed to make a good impression was beyond her. Had it been anyone else, her parents would have been crucifying her for her poor taste in men.
“They have been, but she’s back in the picture now. She found out that I’m pregnant and she’s threatening to go to the tabloids with her sad story about how her husband cheated on her and is having a baby with his mistress. Country music is still a pretty conservative business. She knows that kind of story would be enough to end his career before it even got off the ground. I can’t do that to him, Mom.”
Anna sighed. “I can certainly see your dilemma. So, what will it take to make this little bitch disappear?”
It was Avery’s turn to be shocked. Her mother never used profanity. “Are you suggesting we have her knocked off?”
She laughed. “No, darling, nothing that sinister. Women like that are after one thing, money. I’m suggesting we buy her silence.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to work. She thinks the big payoff will come if she stays married to him. That’s why she’s trying to get me out of the picture. She wants to cash in on the platinum records, sold-out tours, not to mention the notoriety.”
“You’re confident he’ll achieve that kind of success?”
“I have no doubt about it.” Ty had everything it took to be a megastar in this business. The only thing standing between him and stardom was her and their unborn baby.
“Okay, so we just need to dig up some dirt on her. We’ll fight fire with fire. Find some nasty little secret that she wouldn’t want to see the light of day.”
Avery thought about it. The plan made sense. For the first time in a long time, she felt optimistic, thanks to her mother. She never would have guessed Anna Collins, who had been little more than a stranger who shared the same DNA, would become her ally. “That could actually work. Her parents have been supporting her all of her life. If she was doing something they didn’t approve of, they may see fit to cut her off. I’m sure that alone would be enough to scare her.”
Anna laughed. “Excellent, then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll hire the best team of private detectives money can buy and by this time next week, little Mrs. Abby McCall will realize she messed with the wrong family this time.”
Avery smiled, overwhelmed by her mother’s uncharacteristic support. “Thanks, Mom. I’m glad I told you.”
“So am I, sweetheart. I know we haven’t always been close. I blame myself for that, but I would like to change things. Maybe this could be a start? I’d love it if you’d let me be a real grandmother to that precious baby you’re carrying.”
Her mother was willing to put herself out there and risk rejection. The least she could do was meet her halfway. “I’d like that.”
Ty scowled into his cup of black coffee. His third one this morning and he still felt like he’d been run over by a bus. When he left Avery’s house in the middle of the night, he cruised around, trying to make sense of everything. The bottom line was she didn’t want him because he wasn’t good enough for her. There was no way to put a positive spin on that. He just had to find a way to deal with it.
A knock at the door interrupted his pity party. He was tempted to tell his visitor to go to hell, but his parents didn’t deserve his anger. “Who is it?”
J.T. stuck his head in the door and grinned. “Hey, big shot, I heard you were home. So, tell me about the concerts.”
He didn’t want to deal with his brother’s warped sense of humor this morning. “They were good, great.” After pushing the coffee cup aside, he propped his elbows on the table. “Everything is just fucking great, kid.”
“Uh-oh.” J.T stepped inside, bending to pet the dog before he grabbed a kitchen chair and straddled it. “I know that look. What the hell happened?”
Ty dropped his head in his hands. “My life is a mess, J.T.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You’re on tour with one of the biggest names in country music. You’re finally getting everything you ever wanted.”
Ty shook his head. “Not everything.”
J.T. winced. “This is about Avery, isn’t it? Man, what is about that chick that turns you inside out. I mean, sure, she’s hotter than hell, I’ll give you that, but you have a song in the top ten, my friend. That means you could have your pick of hot women.”
Ty stared at his brother. If only it were as easy as J.T. seemed to think it was. Obviously, the kid had never been in love. “Yeah, well she’s the only one I want. Unfortunately, she doesn’t want me.”