“Thanks, Cruz. You know I love you, right?”
Jesus. He was making this a challenge. “I do. Love you too, brother.”
He squeezed my shoulder and jogged to his car. I watched him drive away, and for the first time in two years, I started to think Lennon might actually be growing up.
“I’m so ready for spring break,” Tory said as we took our seats at La Trattoria.
Jade and Tory had met twice, and they’d hit it off.
“Same. I need a break. I had my last midterm today,” Jade said.
“Where are you guys going for break?” Tory asked, and Adam laughed as he tore off a piece of bread. His girl was chatty as hell and she asked a shit ton of questions, but Jade didn’t seem to mind.
“He won’t tell me,” my girlfriend whined, and it was cute as hell.
“It’s a surprise,” I said.
“What about you two? Do you have any plans?” Jade asked.
“I’m going with a group of girls to Daytona Beach and I’m trying to get this one to go with me,” Tory said, batting her lashes at Adam.
“I’m thinking about it,” my best friend said. Adam was a relationship guy, always had been. But something seemed different with this girl. He liked her a lot. Even so, Adam was way too haughty for spring break in Daytona, but love could make you do crazy shit. I, for one, could vouch for that.
“I don’t even know if you’re allowed in the state of Florida.” I laughed hard. “Don’t you have a warrant out for your arrest?”
“That’s your fucking fault, Winslow.”
“Oh yeah? I made you go a hundred and ten on the freeway?” I said, using my hand to cover my smirk.
“Uh, let’s see. You pushed me to rent that goddamn Lambo and insisted no one was out on the road at that hour,” Adam said, his head falling back with a dumbass grin.
“And I was almost right. We were the only ones out there, aside from the one cop hiding on the side of the road.”
The table erupted in laughter, and I caught my girl staring at me. She claimed my laughter was her kryptonite. I needed to remember to laugh more.
“Jesus. I almost shit my pants I was so scared,” Adam said.
“I suggest checking with the state before visiting. Pay that shit off.”
“Yeah, if you get signed, you’re going to be traveling a ton. You might want to clear your record for the future,” Tory said, and Jade’s shoulders stiffened.
“Yeah, that’s not the only state I need to check with either,” Adam said under his breath so only I could hear.
I nudged Jade with my shoulder, and she smiled, but it was forced. The idea of leaving her sucked, but I didn’t want to stress about it until I had to. So much needed to happen before we got to that point. Our waiter set our plates down and I sneaked a ravioli from Jade’s plate.
“So, Jade, are you going to go to the show when AF Records comes to watch them? Maybe we could go together?”
“Yes, I’m definitely going, and I’d love to go together. I want you to meet my roommate Ariana. You’re going to love her.”
“I can’t wait. What are we going to do if these guys leave?” Tory said, and I wanted her to quit talking about it, so I shot Adam a look.
He was sitting across from me, and Jade right beside me. I rested my hand on top of hers in her lap.
“Let’s not worry about that, yet,” Adam said.
“I know. I’m so torn because I know how bad you want it to happen, but I can’t imagine not having you here.”
Adam and Tory had been seeing each other for just a couple of weeks, but they were inseparable.
“Don’t worry about it. You aren’t getting rid of me that easy,” my best friend told her.
Tory dropped the topic and I appreciated it. We spent the rest of the night laughing our asses off, and no one mentioned the fact that everything might change in a few months.
“Is your friend going to be here?” Jade asked as she, Ariana, and I made our way to the front door of the rental house.
The small white house with gray shutters was only a few blocks from campus and even closer to my house.
“No. He owns it and uses it as a rental. Turns out it’s empty now,” I said. I kept it brief for a multitude of reasons.
“It’s so cute,” Jade and Ari said at the same time, and laughed.
Kay swung the door open. She was the property manager, and she and I had already discussed how this would go down.
“You must be Jade and Ariana. I’m Kay.”
“Yes, hi. This place is adorable,” Ari said, and Jade squeezed my hand and looked over with a big grin on her pretty face.
“Did you find out how much the rent is? This looks pretty fancy,” my girlfriend whispered.
“You worry too much. We’ll get all the details from Kay.”
Natural light flooded the front room, and Jade gasped when we stepped inside. She turned slowly, taking in the space. It was light and airy, according to my realtor. Yeah, I bought the place. She needed a house and I didn’t want her in a shitty apartment. I’d prefer she lived with me, but she wouldn’t even consider that yet, so this was the next best thing. Jade needed a place and I had a shit ton of money. I called it my reward for having a piece of shit father. We had large trust funds, and the dude who managed our money had urged me to invest in something. It was a win, win. But if I told Jade I owned the property, she’d over analyze it. Kay was aware of the situation, and she’d manage the property for me. This was a lie that didn’t hurt anyone. I wanted to help her and she wouldn’t let me. So, I found a creative way to make it happen. The rent money from Ariana and Jade would go into an account that would be Jade’s when she went to medical school. So, she was stocking away for her future. And why not invest in someone that had her heart set on saving the world? It didn’t get any better than that.
“Are these the original floors? This wood is gorgeous,” my girlfriend asked. Jade was renting the house, not buying it. But in typical Jade fashion, she’d researched everything out there—she’d done her homework.
“They are the original knotty pine. This little cottage got a complete overhaul before the new owner purchased it, but they kept all the history intact. They didn’t change the moldings or the flooring, but everything else is new,” Kay said, smiling at the two girls.
She was playing her role. I had the place cleaned up for them after I’d purchased it a few months ago when Jade’s dad mentioned she needed a place. A contractor came in and made it pretty. I liked renovating homes. It was something I could see myself doing in the future. My parents bought and sold homes often, and I’d learned a thing or two watching them. It was easy to make money when you had money. That’s why I wanted the funds from this place to go in an account for Jade. Why the hell do the rich bastards get to profit off everything. What about the girl who was killing herself to attain her goal? Her father worked his ass off to keep our city safe. They deserved it more than anyone I knew.
“That’s amazing. It looks like he put new furniture in here. Is someone living here now? When will it be available?” Ari asked.
“He’s not going to move in. He just wanted a rental. He figured college students wouldn’t have furniture, so this all comes with it,” Kay said, glancing over at me as she adjusted the collar on her navy suit jacket.
“Are you kidding me? It’s gorgeous.” Jade placed her hands on each side of her face and smiled.
She was so fucking perfect. She appreciated everything, and I loved it. I wasn’t used to it. I was surrounded by spoiled fucking brats, including myself. I liked seeing the world through my girl’s eyes.
“Yep. He brought in a professional designer to set it up.” My realtor led them to the two bedrooms and they only grew more excited as they saw more of the space.
The kitchen was the final stop, and the girls did not h
ide their excitement. It was all white and clean, as that was the new trend.
“There’s literally no way we can afford this. And there’s three bedrooms. I don’t know if we could find another roommate,” Jade said, looking at Ari.
“You don’t need a third roommate. You can use it as an office or a study room,” Kay said, proving she followed instructions well.
“Well, I don’t think we could afford it with just the two of us. What is he asking?” Ari asked, and I could see how nervous they both were.
“It’s a thousand dollars a month. Five hundred bucks each. That includes utilities and landscaping.” Kay read the details from her notebook and avoided looking at them. We all knew that was ridiculously low for this area. Hell, I’d have preferred they paid nothing, but I knew that would be too obvious.
“What? How is that possible? Rents are much higher in this neighborhood. Are you sure you have the numbers right?” Jade bit down on her lip, and I pulled her against my body. Her back to my front, resting my chin on her shoulder.
“Yes. He was very particular about who he would rent it to. He liked the idea of two young ladies who wouldn’t be throwing wild parties.” Kay was going rogue now, throwing in her own bullshit. I wasn’t renting this place to anyone but Jade, but if it made it more believable, I was fine with that.
“We won’t throw any parties, we barely even go to them,” Ari said, and we all laughed.
“That sounds perfect, ladies. Would you like to sign the paperwork? The place is yours on May first if you want it. They just have a few things to finish up on the renovation, and you can move in,” Kay said, pulling some papers from her leather portfolio.
“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe we get to live here.” Jade turned in my arms and kissed my lips. “Please thank your friend for us. Is it anyone I know? I hope it’s not Dex’s place.”
“Nope. A friend of my dad’s.”
They filled out all the paperwork, and we dropped Ariana off at the dorms and Jade grabbed her suitcase and clothes for our trip tomorrow.
“Everything is just coming together,” she said when she slipped in the car beside me.
“I told you it would all work out.”
“I think you’re my good luck charm, Cruz Winslow.”
I hoped she was right about that. Because I sure as fuck wanted to be.
“I can’t believe we’re in Paris,” Jade said when we stepped off the plane. She’d spent the first few hours of the flight guessing where we were going until she and Lennon begged me to just tell her.
“I told you I’d take you to new places whenever I could,” I said, tugging her close to me as we walked toward the waiting car.
“Jesus, you two are made for Paris. Never thought I’d see my brother so sappy,” Lennon said.
“Shut up, asshole. I’m not fucking sappy.”
Lennon and Jade both chuckled.
“You’re a little sappy, baby. But I like it,” she said.
I rolled my eyes and slipped into the car. Jade and my brother played board games most of the flight, and I wrote. Writing was an odd thing. There were times I couldn’t sleep because the words wouldn’t turn off. The ideas poured from me like water from a fountain. Other times there was just nothing there. Right now, the ideas were flowing, and I’d been writing non-stop.
We dropped my brother off at the rental house he was meeting his friends at and Jade and I headed to our hotel. We were staying in the city, so we could walk to all the touristy bullshit. When we entered the grand hotel, her eyes grew wide as she took in the high ceilings and magnificent architecture.
“Oh my gosh, this isn’t real,” she whispered.
“We have a whole week to do whatever you want,” I said.
“I want to see everything.” She wrapped her arms around me and nestled her face into my neck.
“Then that’s exactly what we’ll do.”
After checking in we made our way to the top floor and stood in front of the floor to ceiling windows, taking in the views. It was magnificent.
Jade and I spent the week eating croissants, pastries, and every French treat we could get our hands on. We spent two days at the Louvre Museum, and Jade appeared to enjoy it as much as I did. I agreed to take a baking class with her on our last day, which basically meant Jade learned how to make macarons and I ate most of them. I’d never spent spring break sober, and I’d never had a better time.
I was used to booze and sex, and yes, we were having a shit ton of sex in France, because—why not? But it was different. I wasn’t wasted. And I was crazy about this girl. We had wine a few times with dinner, but most of the time we were dead ass sober. Unless you count the fact that I was fucking drunk on Jade Moore. She numbed my pain and made me want more out of life.
And I was all in.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jade
The last few weeks were some of the most memorable in my life. I’d been to Paris with Cruz, and we’d had the most amazing time. He’d become the center of my universe, and I knew I should be cautious. I was going to drown in this boy, and my inner voice told me to reach for a life vest, but I didn’t want to come up for air.
Today was the day. It was an exciting day. But it didn’t feel like it. AF Records was going to be at The Dive tonight. They were ready to sign Exiled pending they liked their live performance. Which of course they would. There was no question there. I wanted to be encouraging, wanted to share in this achievement, but I couldn’t. I’d never been a selfish person, but when it came to Cruz, I was a greedy bitch. I didn’t want to share him. AF Records was a huge label. If they signed Exiled it would mean tours, and travel, and paparazzi. Fame, and fans, and partying. That wasn’t me. I was school, and studying, and Oak Street Beach. I preferred the quiet most of the time and there was nothing quiet about what Cruz might be venturing into.
I lie in bed and rubbed my upset belly, bending forward in the fetal position when a sharp cramp struck below my belly button. I was letting everything get to me. I didn’t want to be a walking stress ball. I needed to rally for my boyfriend and that’s exactly what I was going to do.
“You slept in today,” Cruz said as he strode into his bedroom with two Starbucks coffees.
“Oh wow, you’ve already been out?”
I slid up to sit with my back against the headboard and pulled my knees up to stop the cramping. It wasn’t working, but I pushed the discomfort away. My last test was yesterday so I could actually enjoy the next few days before I was buried again.
“Yep. I didn’t sleep much,” he said. He avoided my gaze, and I knew he was as nervous as me.
Maybe for different reasons. Maybe for the same reasons. I honestly didn’t know. He only talked about how much it all meant to Lennon, and Adam, and even Dex. He also said that he didn’t want to leave me. I didn’t know what Cruz wanted, because he was so wrapped up in what everyone around him wanted. We avoided the conversation. I didn’t push it because I didn’t want him to know how scared I was. How terrified I was about him leaving me. About losing him. Because really, how would it work? It wouldn’t. And I didn’t know if I could survive without Cruz. At least I didn’t want to.
“Are you nervous?” I asked, taking a sip of coffee.
“Nah. I’m excited for you to hear the song I wrote for you.”
Nausea hit my stomach, as the topic of tonight was impossible to avoid.
“I can’t wait,” I said, resting my head on my knees.
“Are you worried about tonight?” he asked, dropping to sit beside me on the bed and pushing the hair back from my face. “You feeling okay? You’re a little flushed.”
“It’s nothing, just a little stomachache.”
He kissed down my neck and took the coffee from my hand. He set it on the nightstand and tugged me to lie down on my back. I laughed when he tickled my neck with the graze
of his lips. He knew how to make everything better.
“A stomachache, huh? Should I kiss it better?” he said.
Butterflies swarmed my belly, and I arched into his touch. He pulled my shirt over my head and kissed his way down my body. I tried to breathe as I writhed beneath him with a fire that only ever burned for him.
“You should definitely kiss it better,” I said, my voice raspy and full of need.
“Oh, I intend to. I’m going to kiss all your worries away, More Jade.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
The Dive was packed. It was even crazier than Halloween. Exiled continued to grow in popularity, there was no denying it. Everything was falling into place for the band—and imploding for me at the same time. Tory put on some lipstick in the mirror in the back room, and Ari and I passed a beer between us. I didn’t feel like drinking tonight. My stomach was still queasy and the last thing I wanted to do was get drunk and emotional on my boyfriend’s big night. Cruz and the rest of the guys were with Luke getting ready to go out on stage.
“All right, ready girls? Let’s go wedge ourselves up front,” Tory said.
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Ari laughed.
My two friends met thirty minutes ago, and they’d hit it off. It was a relief because it took the attention off my shitty mood.
“I need to use the restroom before we go out there,” I said, trying to push back the fact that my stomach was in knots and I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I couldn’t tell anyone how I was feeling because I was embarrassed about being so selfish. This was their big break. I needed to rally.
“No worries. You’re probably about to get your period. I always get the worst stomachaches right before,” Tory said as she pulled hard on the door handle.
“Oh my gosh, not again. Can you imagine if we miss the entire show because we’re locked in here.” Ari grunted as she tugged harder.
I reached forward and pulled hard several times. The damn door was stuck. Again. We all three took turns shaking, pulling, and screaming at the door. I wasn’t sure what the yelling would accomplish, but it got out our frustration.
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