She wanted to know about Gavin, and I knew I should clear the air between us and tell her, but fuck, just the thought was making a sickening well of acid rise up my throat. I don’t want to think about him, think about what Kiera would want us to be. That was not my future. He was not my future. He was nothing. I couldn’t tell her about him…but I had to tell her something. I didn’t want to lie, not again, so I needed to tell her something true. And that was when it struck me—I actually did have something to tell her.

I almost sighed with relief. Thank God, I have something true to tell her. Tossing on a smile, I shrugged. “I didn’t tell you the bad part about getting signed.”

She looked surprised, then concerned. “What?” she asked, a strange sadness on her face.

I instantly hated myself. I shouldn’t have said anything last night. I should just tell her the truth right now. But instead of owning up to my secrets, I committed to the one fact I was willing to share with her. “As soon as the tour ends in May, they want us in L.A., to record the album. In the meantime, the guys and I will be spending every free moment we have going through our songs, picking out the best ones…perfecting them. We have to be ready when we get there…”

She let out a forlorn sound. “You’re basically telling me that you won’t have any time to spend with me…for a while…aren’t you?”

The truth of that hit me hard. Jesus. When would I see her again? I hated this already. I had to swallow back the sudden knot of sadness in my throat before I could speak. “I’m sorry…We need to do this, so I won’t be able to visit, like I’d hoped. I’m sorry.” For more than you know.

Eyes moister than before, Kiera said, “It’s okay…I understand.” She looked down for a moment while I wished that things were different. If only she could stay with me. Kiera’s eyes suddenly flashed to mine. “Could you make it back in June?”

Knowing what she was really asking, I nodded and cupped her cheek. “I’m not missing your graduation…no matter what. I don’t care if I have to walk out on a recording session…I’m not missing it, Kiera.”