The Rocker That Savors Me(71)

“I don’t want to talk about it, Jesse.” She stood and handed over the keys that she had gotten that morning. “It’s all ready for you.”

I took the keys and felt like the world was tilting on its axis. Tonight was the night. I was scared, anxious, and excited. I couldn’t wait to talk to Layla. Dropping a kiss on top of Emmie’s head, I left. I passed Lana and Drake in the kitchen, and without a word to either of them, I grabbed Lana and dragged her out of the house with me.

“Jesse!”

“It’s set. Do you want to see it or not?” I called over my shoulder as I headed for the beach.

Lana stopped struggling and hurried to keep up with me. I had told her Thanksgiving night what I was doing and swore her to secrecy. I guess in a way I had been asking Lana for permission. Maybe I should have asked Lucy too, because I was about to turn all our lives around. But I had been afraid the six year old would let the cat out of the bag and ruin my surprise.

Two houses later, I was jogging up the steps to my new home. Emmie had moved heaven and earth to find me a place as close to her as possible. I had only seen it once and had liked it well enough, but she was the one who had taken care of all the fine details: making the offer, getting everything sorted out, closing on the house. I wasn’t sure how I managed without Emmie and I hoped I never had to find out.

The house wasn’t as big as Emmie’s. Mine was only a four bedroom. The family room was huge though, and had a beautiful view of the ocean. The kitchen had all new appliances, again thanks to Emmie. Other than the bare essentials, the house was empty because I wanted Layla to decorate our home.

“This is really happening,” Lana murmured a while later after she had seen the whole house. “I mean, I knew that you were serious, but it didn’t feel real until right now.” She sighed. “I’m really glad that she fell for you, Jesse. As far as rockers go, you Demon’s Wings guys aren’t so bad.”

I laughed. “I’m glad you think so, sweetheart.”

She frowned. “Are you sure though? I mean…” She broke off, but I knew what was bothering her.

“I’m hoping to be your brother-in-law before long, Lana. That means that you are mine just as much as Layla’s. I want you to be happy. Just pick which college you want and give all the details to Emmie. She knows what to do.” When I had talked to Lana about my plans for the future, I had told her that she didn’t have to worry about college. I wanted to make it happen for her.

She had gotten her acceptance letters to several colleges for early entrance. Stanford, UCLA, NYU, the list seemed endless. Lana deserved the best education I could provide for her. I just hoped she didn’t destroy us all by picking NYU. I would miss her if she was all the way across the country, and I doubted that Drake would survive long with her that far away. Those two were closer than close. She was his best friend and vice versa. I could see for myself that Lana was hiding some strong emotions, but Drake was still determined that friends were all they would ever be.

“Have you decided?” She only had about a week before she had to get the ball rolling. Classes started in the middle of January and it was already December.

“I’ve narrowed it down.” She gave me a sly grin. “Don’t worry, rock star. I’ve got it under control. You have other things to think about. Like getting my sister to say ‘yes’.”





Chapter 21


Layla

My heart was like a lead weight in my chest.

Leaving the laundry in the basket, I left the main house. I was glad that Lucy was riding the bus home with a friend and spending the night. I didn’t have to worry about her right now. I didn’t want to think about Lucy or anything else. In fact, I was sure that my brain had shut down as some kind of defense mechanism so that I didn’t instantly shatter into a billion pieces.

As soon as I walked in the guesthouse I started tossing things around. If Jesse was breaking up with me, if Emmie was going to fire me, then I needed to pack. Moving on autopilot, I pulled my suitcase from the closet in the bedroom and started packing all of our clothes. I had saved a good amount of money since September. It would hold us over until I found another job…

Tears spilled from my eyes without me realizing it. I didn’t want to find another job. I wanted the one where I got to be with the people I had grown to love…people who obviously didn’t love me back!

Before I knew it, the big suit case was full and the closet was bare. I zipped up the case and dragged it into the living room. After placing it by the door, I headed back into the bedroom. The front door opened and Drake walked in, surprising the hell out of me.