Girl in Love(44)

Her mouth opened slightly, but he rushed on before she could tell him it was okay, or to go to hell, or whatever she intended to say.

“And I broke my promise not to cross any lines and that was a dick move. I hope you can forgive me.”

She sipped her coffee. He held his breath.

“Kylie? You forgive me?”

She pursed her lips. “I don’t know yet. I’m still waiting for you to apologize.”

Trace scoffed. “I just did.”

“No,” she said slowly. “You just admitted that you needed to apologize. And rehashed some of the things you did wrong. Now you should actually apologize. And then I’ll decide if I forgive you.”

He couldn’t believe his ears. What the hell was her problem? He smacked his head, intentionally over exaggerating the gesture. “How did I forget? You’re impossible.”

“And you’re arrogant and hard-headed. Now that we’ve covered that, feel free to apologize.”

“I did!” Jesus, she made him crazy.

“Well if that was your apology, then I don’t accept.” He watched as she slammed her coffee cup down on the counter. “I swear, I see things so clearly now. Never once have you ever actually said you were sorry and meant it.”

“That’s not true,” he said, lowering his voice.

“When? When have you actually said the words and been truly sorry for what you’d done? Name one single time.” She folded her arms over the soft cotton T-shirt straining against her chest and glared at him.

The moment his eyes met hers, he knew they were reliving a shared memory. The day he’d walked away from her, he’d kissed her on the head and told her he was sorry. Sorry for hurting her, sorry for putting her through everything he had, and sorry for having to be the one to end it.

He knew she remembered because her narrowed eyes suddenly widened and filled with tears. He slid out of the booth and stood.

“Don’t,” she whispered, putting her hands up between them. “Forget it. I-I forgive you. Just don’t touch me. And no more kissing me. Or flirting with me, or whatever. Respect me like you would any other artist or I’m done with this tour. I mean it, Trace.”

He nodded once to let her know he would. Or that he would try his best.

“Kylie—” he called out, but she disappeared into her room before he could stop her.

He dropped back into the booth and placed his head in his hands. Why couldn’t he have just said he was sorry?

Oh yeah. Because he wasn’t. He wasn’t one bit sorry for kissing her, for wanting her, or for wanting the opportunity to love her again more than he wanted anything. But yet again, instead of being honest and putting his heart on the line, he’d been an idiot and pissed her off.

She was right. He was the same old Trace.

He was beginning to wonder if he was capable of doing anything other than hurting her.





“SHE WROTE a what?!” Kylie tried to distance herself from where she’d been chatting with Hannah and a reporter as she spoke to her publicist on the phone. She plugged the ear she didn’t have the phone to so that she could hear over Trace’s soundcheck. “And someone’s going to publish it? Why?”

“Money, Kylie. We’ve been through this. People don’t care if she’s full of shit. They care if the book will sell.”

“She can’t do this. There’s a nondisclosure agreement somewhere. Trace had her sign it when we toured together before. I don’t understand how this is even possible.”

“It’s being looked into. You might be able to sue her and maybe even the publisher depending on the content of the book. But if she didn’t write about the two of you, specifically, then the NDA might not cover it.”

Kylie pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand.

“Well that’s just wonderful.”

“Listen, for now, my official advice is ‘Do not engage.’ If anyone asks you about it, just say ‘no comment.’ A public outcry will just generate more attention in her direction.” Her publicist reassured her that she would do her best to take care of the situation before they hung up.

Jane Bradford was a tough lady who had approached Kylie immediately after her tour with Mia Montgomery and Lily Taite had ended. Seeing how the media was portraying Kylie as the cause of Trace’s rehab stay and then turning her relationship—or whatever it was—with Steven into something that made everyone hate her, Jane had contacted her with a plan. A plan to turn Kylie into Nashville’s Sweetheart—even though she wasn’t entirely sure that’s what she wanted to be. But it worked. And she had Jane to thank for a lot of her success.