Chapter 33

Knowing she had one more day with Jon before she had to head home, she decided to get moving early. He was still asleep when she looked at the clock, seeing 7:45 a.m, she decided on a quick workout and shower. She went down to the gym, finding she had it all to herself. After a hard 30 minutes on the treadmill, she lifted a few free weights and headed back upstairs. Opening the door to the bedroom, she saw Jon still asleep. She tiptoed into the shower, washing off from her workout. The sound of the shower roused Jon. Stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sat up in the bed. Katie came out of the shower wrapped in a towel.

His face lit up as he said, "Mmm, you look nice. Morning, beautiful." He said smiling at her.

She walked over to the side of the bed, kissing him on the lips. "Morning yourself, sleepy head. I've already been down to the gym, now I am showered and ready for the day. And you?" She teased.

He admired her under the towel, her skin still damp from the shower. He grabbed her as she leaned over to give him another kiss. She toppled down on top of him feeling his morning appreciation against her derriere. He unwrapped her towel, kissing her breasts, running his hands up and down her sides. Katie moaned, laying down next to him, running her hands down his stomach, over his thighs and firm ass. Jon rolling over on top of her, entered her quickly. They made love quickly, almost forcefully, afterward holding each other tightly. Jon felt a deep urge to hang on to her for as long as he could. They showered together, and ordered room service for breakfast.

After they were dressed, Katie was standing by the window looking out at the city. Not as big as Boston, Nashville was a little gem against the deep blue sky. She would miss flying down here once Jon was back in New York. She tried to get down at least three times a year to see her family. But it wasn't the same as hiding out in a luxury hotel with him. Katie had thoughts nagging at the back of her mind. She knew he was going to ask when he could see her again. She knew she was booked for the next three week solid, she knew there was nothing she could do about it without hurting her business. Jon, noticing the pensive look on her face, put his hand on her shoulder and turned her toward him.

He gave her a hug and said, "Kat, I think we need to talk." She looked into his eyes trying to read them.

"Yeah, I know." she admitted.

Jon started, knowing he might bottle up if he didn't just dive in. "Kat, I'm not sure where to start. These last two months have been the most amazing two months to me. I was not prepared for you. Yet here we are. I can't eat, sleep, or even take a piss without thinking about you. I keep trying to make sense of it all, but I can't. The only thing I know for sure is that I want you in my life. I want to hold you as much as I can. I know we both have busy lives, and live miles and miles apart. But I want to figure out how to see more of you."

Katie realized she was holding her breath. She let out a long, slow sigh, and looked into his eyes as he continued.

"I know we both have kids and they will always come first. But I'm hoping once I'm back in New York it will get a little easier."

Katie nodded, "It might. It isn't as far as Nashville, that is for sure." She couldn't blame him for anything he was saying. The same thoughts had plagued her often lately, but she did her best to push them away.

"I'm going to fly back to the city in two weeks and will be back to stay. Do you think you can fly up for a weekend? Maybe a long weekend?" He asked hopefully.

Katie swallowed the lump in her throat, not wanting to start this part of the conversation. "I'm afraid I won't be able to leave for the next month at least. Between the kids and clients I'm booked solid through the first of November." She looked at him as he looked down at the floor. She could see the frown on his face.

Jon found his frustration taking over, pushing away any rational response. "So I won't get to see you for a month? I have to be in New York to finish up on the greatest hits album, or I would fly down." He looked at her, visibly hurt. She felt almost as badly as he did, but there was nothing she could do.

"Jon, I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do. This is my busiest time of the year." She said sadly.

He stood up and walked to the window, looking out, the disappointment evident on his face. He turned around, banging his hand down on the table, "Damn it, Kat! Doesn't this matter to you? Don't we matter to you? Why can't you just cancel a few clients? I don't think that is asking too much!" He said angrily.

She stood up walking over to him, enraged "Excuse me? How dare you ask me to "cancel a few clients." You are so used to someone always being there to give you whatever you want. Doing whatever you want them to do. You want something, you snap your fingers. Your own driver, your own damn plane. All of it at your disposal, day or night. Well, I'm sorry. But I will not jump when you snap your fingers, ok? I have a life, a business, a family. I cannot just drop all of that because you want me in New York when it is convenient for you."

Jon could see she was fuming at this point. But so was he. To Jon it seemed obvious that he clearly didn't mean as much to her, as she did to him. Katie would have argued differently, but she could not see past the pain his words had caused her.

He nodded, raising his voice, "Ok. Ok, I see. I'm so sorry that I disrupted your little life. I didn't realize what an inconvenience it was for you." The moment the words left his mouth, he immediately wished he could take them back.

Feeling the threat of tears stinging her eyes after hearing his hurtful words, Katie defended, "I never said it was an inconvenience. Never. Don't put words into my mouth. And my little life? I'm so sorry that I'm not some famous starlet to wear on your arm. But my life is far from little to me. It is all I have and I will not change it for the whim of some spoiled rock star." She had her hands on her hips at this point and was staring daggers at Jon.

Too caught up in his own feelings of disappointment and frustration to think rationally, he dug himself in deeper. "Well, like I said, it is obvious this was not a big deal to you. There is nothing else I can say." He said, turning around away from her.

Not able to hold the tears back any longer, they seeped out, down her cheeks. "Well, then maybe this is for the best. Because I can not be with someone who does not value me or what I hold dear, even if it isn't as grand as your life." Katie stormed into the bedroom, throwing her clothes into her suitcase.

Jon turned around, following her and yelling, "So that's it? After all of this, you're leaving just like that?" Jon wasn't prepared for this. He never meant to get so angry. Damn stubborn woman. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was too impossible to make this work.

"Yes. I'm leaving just like that." She said as she wheeled her suitcase to the door, wiping the tears from her face.

"Wait, Kat, let me drive you to the airport at least," He offered.

She turned around, "Uh, no! I am capable of getting myself there, thank you!" She opened the door, stormed out, letting it slam behind her. And she was gone.

In shock, Jon stood looking at the closed door. He heard the elevator ding as the door would be opening to let her in. It brought him back to reality. As the actuality of what happened hit him, he fell to the floor, putting his head in his hands. Shaking, he whispered, "But Kat....I love you...." Realizing what he had just said, he stood up, opened the door and ran to the elevator. Punching the elevator button, but too impatient to wait for it, he ran down the stairs. Just as he burst into the lobby and ran to the front door of the hotel, he saw her sitting in a taxi as it sped away.

He pounded his fist on the door in defeat. "Damn it!"

The bellman asked him, "Sir, is everything alright?"

He looked at the bellman, sighing and nodded, "Yeah, its fine."

He turned around and went back to the elevator. When he got back up to his room, he immediately tried calling her cell phone, but she wasn't answering, he realized, on purpose.

He called back leaving a message. "Kat, please. I'm so sorry. I need to talk to you. Please call me."

Not knowing what else to do he sat on the sofa with his phone in his hand, staring out the window for what seemed like hours.

In the taxi Katie struggled to get the tears under control. She heard her phone ring, seeing it was his number, but didn't answer. She heard it ring again, and again, didn't answer, but heard her voice mail alert. Dialing it she deleted the message before she even listened to it. She sat back and watched the buildings fly by as the taxi took her to the airport. Wow, she thought. How had she not seen this coming? How had she missed this side of him? She had thought him so unaffected. So...so normal. Well, you were wrong, Katie, dead wrong, she told herself. Just another spoiled rock star, just like all the others. She sighed. Well, better to know now than say after you fell in love with him, she told herself.

At the airport she managed to change her flight, boarding the plane quickly. It was almost as if fate was steering her back home. She spent the majority of the flight staring out the window, trying to make sense of it all. Trying to figure out when things went from too good to be true, to this. Its your own fault, she told herself, for playing with fire. And you got burned.

Chapter 34