He gave me a knee-weakening grin. “Hey, I can’t help it. When you kiss me like that all I can think about is how to get more.”
I shook my head, looping my arms around his neck. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I don’t know, but you’re stuck with me now.”
“I think I could get used to that.”
I was just leaning in to kiss him again when my phone rang. It was a video call from Lola, so I answered it even though Wyatt was still close enough to kiss. She took one look at my face and groaned. “Ew! Is this what I have to look forward to when I come back to school?”
“What?”
“You and McDreamy all lovey-dovey and kissy-faced.”
“Good to see you too, Lola,” Wyatt said, planting a kiss on my cheek before giving me some space to chat with my best friend.
“Quit!” Lola whined. “No PDAs allowed!”
I rolled my eyes. Lola was the last person to be dishing out that advice. She was practically the kissing queen of Northwood. “Isn’t that what got you mono in the first place?” I teased.
“Ha-ha, you’re hilarious.”
“I know. I think my boyfriend’s great sense of humor is rubbing off on me.”
“Well, I hope you’re still laughing when I tell you my news.”
That sobered me up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, but I won’t be able to come to the competition. My mom called my doctor and they advised against it since technically I could still be contagious.”
I sighed. I’d always known this was a possibility, but Lola had been feeling a lot better this week and I was hopeful she might be allowed to come cheer me on—from a safe distance, of course.
I swallowed my disappointment. “That’s okay, Lo. I just want you to get better.”
“Me too, but I really wanted to be there to see you kick some diva butt!”
I laughed at my best friend’s competitive streak. I knew it was killing her not to be able to face off against her musical nemesis. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll be sure to make faces at Jenna while she sings.”
“That’s my girl,” Lola said, brightening again. “But for real. I’m sorry I won’t be there. I’ll be rooting for you though.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“Knock ‘em dead, Layne.” Lola said. “Oh, and go give that hunk of yours a kiss when I hang up.”
“What happened to no PDA?”
“It’s perfectly fine when I’m not around. Geez, I’m not a monster. Even I wouldn’t be able to resist that dreamboat for long,” she teased.
“Still here, Lola,” Wyatt called, smirking from a few feet away.
“You better treat my girl right,” she called.
Wyatt walked back over and wrapped his arms around me so he could fit in the camera. “Don’t worry, I have no plans of screwing up the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
He placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek and Lola gagged. “Okay, on that note. Talk to you later. Good luck tomorrow.”
“Layne doesn’t need luck,” Wyatt replied.
And I grinned, because for the first time, I actually felt like that was true. I had everything I needed right here. Wyatt had helped me find it within myself.
We hung up and I let Wyatt help me into his car. He hopped in and drove us out of the parking lot. “So, big day tomorrow,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows as we headed for my house. “Are you excited to prove you’re the fairest diva of them all?”
“You know, actually, I am.”
“That’s what I like to hear. You’ve got this, Penny Layne.”
“We’ve got this,” I reminded him.
Wyatt grinned, picking up my hand and giving it a quick kiss.
I settled back in my seat, reveling in this moment. My life might change in a day, but for now, I was pretty happy with where I was.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Layne
I stood backstage chewing my nails. I couldn’t believe competition day was finally here. Saying I was prepared and actually being prepared for how momentous this moment was, were two completely different things.
I felt like I was going to throw up as I looked around at all the confident competitors. There was so much talent in this room it was making my head spin. I spotted a few of the girls from the Diva Squad. I’d been talking to them online lately, but it’d been months since I’d actually seen them.
For the millionth time I wished Lola was here with me. I’d always let her be the voice of our little duo and I felt weird going up to