More of Us ( A Love You More Rock Star Romance #3) - Laura Pavlov Page 0,102

I’ve listened when I needed to and spoken up when I felt passionately about something. I’ve studied abroad and loved it; yet I learned that home is where my heart is. I’m not afraid to say that anymore. It doesn’t make me any less driven to want a family and want to be surrounded by the people I love. Because I can pursue all my dreams right here where I want to be.

So, bring it on senior year. Challenge me. Push me. I look forward to it. These last three years have molded me into the person I am today, and I’m proud of it. I’m ready to blow the roof off this last year. My goal? To be in the moment. To be present and appreciate each step I take along the way.

I want to make a difference in this world, and I’m ready to make it happen. Cheers to my last year in college.

Ciao for now,

J.E.

I loved reading Mom’s journal, and I dreaded the day it would come to an end. For now, I’d take in all her wisdom with each word she wrote. Thankful that she’d left me her life story to read.

We’d just arrived in New York in time for my white coat ceremony. We’d spent six weeks in France, London, and Italy. It was nice traveling together when we weren’t rushing to shows, or on anyone else’s schedule. It was just the two of us, and it had been an unbelievable couple of weeks. I’d had my very own built-in tour guide as Cruz had been to all of those places many times. I knew he’d needed the time away. The time to heal after his father’s death. Their relationship had not been a strong one, but Steven was still his father, and my boyfriend needed to grieve that loss. We’d spent hours talking about all the things he was feeling, and he’d tried hard to remember the good times he’d shared with his dad, as the bad times still hovered like a dark cloud. But he’d recalled a few memories from his childhood—some of the best being of a trip to Europe that they’d taken as a family. It was important for him to hold on to those as well.

We both didn’t want our trip to end, but we needed to get back to New York and settle into our new place before my white coat ceremony and the first day of school for both of us.

Cruz had been accepted to the Creative Writing master’s program at NYU. He thought he would want to pursue Art History, but his passion for writing music had inspired an interest he’d never known was there. NYU had approached him about teaching a songwriting course to beginning writers, and he’d agreed to do a trial class this semester which they worked around his course schedule. That was my boyfriend—so much passion lived beneath that broody, tough exterior. And I loved everything about him.

He’d read me Wuthering Heights while we traveled through Europe, reading a little bit to me each night before we went to bed, and now we were going to make our way through all the classics. His smooth voice lulled me to sleep each night, and now I couldn’t imagine drifting off any other way. Life had taken on a simplicity that we’d each craved, and even though we were both pursuing a challenging road in our education, our lives were less complicated now. Cruz’s father’s death was still in the news, but New York offered us more privacy, and people left us alone for the most part.

It was a big day, and I Ubered over to campus, as Cruz was at the airport picking up Dad, Sara, Sam, and Ari who’d all flown in for my white coat ceremony. I made my way to the table to check-in. We were led to our seats and I introduced myself to the students sitting beside me.

“Hey, I’m Jade.”

“Hi, I’m Eva. Nice to meet you. Can you even believe this day is finally here?” she said. Eva was tall with shoulder-length blond hair and a warm smile.

“I know, right? It’s hard to believe it’s all happening.”

“I’m Sean. Nice to meet you guys. Where are you from?”