More of Us ( A Love You More Rock Star Romance #3) - Laura Pavlov Page 0,106
couldn’t wait.
Things were more manageable now with Jade settled into her own practice, and me having some flexibility in my teaching schedule. I still wrote music for Exiled and occasionally joined them on stage when they performed in the city for old time’s sake. Lennon had married Bailey shortly after Jade and I tied the knot, and they had two little boys, Wyatt and Ace, who we adored. They were a few years older than Winnie, and we all got together as often as we could. They had a house not too far from ours, and they’d be joining us to trick-or-treat tonight.
The doorbell rang again, and Jade answered it and gave my mom a hug. They’d grown close over the years, and I was happy that my mother was so involved with Winnie, Wyatt and Ace. She’d stepped up as a grandmother. It had taken Mom years to get over the loss of my father, but she’d remained clean and sober through the healing process, and I was proud of her. She still didn’t date, but she’d found a peace in her life that she hadn’t had before. And I’d made peace with my father’s death as well. Did I have fond memories of the man? No. But I’d let go of all the anger that I’d been holding on to for years, and I’d come to terms with the fact that he was an addict—and his addiction cost him his life, as well as his relationships with the people he loved. I didn’t want anger and resentment to be something I carried around with me. Something my little girl would learn from me.
Hell, I’d even made peace with that fucker, Dex. I’d run into him in the city a few years back, and the guy had opened a music school for at-risk teens. He told me he’d had a few slip-ups with his sobriety over the years, but he’d continued to fight it with rehab and meetings, and I couldn’t fault the dude. He was trying. And there was something to be said about that. And God knows I’d had my fair share of fuck-ups that I’d been forgiven, so I’d left my hostility for Dex in my rearview. Were we best-friends? Hell no. But I didn’t hate him anymore, and that was a step in the right direction.
“So, shall we tell them what you did, and see if they think I’m the crazy one for getting upset about it?” Jade said, her lips turned up in the corners, and her eyes met mine. The woman still did crazy shit to me with just a look. She was fucking beautiful, and I couldn’t get enough of her.
“Let’s hear it,” her father said.
“Well, Cruz took Winnie to her friend Jasmine’s birthday party this morning at Chuck E. Cheese while I put the goody bags together for tonight, and he had a little run-in with a five-year-old boy.” She smirked. My wife loved to give me shit.
“That little shi—er, stinker had it coming,” I said, correcting myself because I’d do what I fucking could to preserve the sweetness of my baby girl, and Jade would kick my ass as well. “He scratched Winnie in the face. You can’t see the little cut on her cheek under the face paint. He didn’t want her to get in the ball pit. I saw the little punk do it. He gouged her face and pushed her on her back,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
Jack, Sara, and my mom all burst out in laughter. I didn’t find it funny.
Yeah, I was the fucking president of the Winnie Winslow fan club, and no one was going to fuck with her on my watch. Period.
“So, what did you do?” my mother asked, acting all judgmental before I even spoke.
“Not enough. I can tell you that. The little punk’s mother had the nerve to tell me to let the kids work it out. She said that’s how kids deal with things, all while she remained on her cell phone,” I said rolling my eyes before continuing. “Listen, I wouldn’t tolerate Winnie hurting another kid either and I sure as shi—um, heck, am not about to let some little punk hurt her. She’s three years old for God’s sake. So, I took