More of Us ( A Love You More Rock Star Romance #3) - Laura Pavlov Page 0,16

know, because that’s not fair to you. Unless you feel compelled to tell me what she told you about him?” Apparently, I wasn’t as mature as I liked to believe.

He smiled. “You aren’t actually asking me to betray my daughter, are you?”

“Only if you’re comfortable with it,” I said with a smirk.

He barked out another laugh. “Never. But I’ll tell you this. I really don’t know anything. I don’t think it’s anything serious. But I do think Jade wants you both to take some space, date other people—you’re young, and you’ve been through a lot. You know what my wife always used to say?”

“What?”

“It was her mantra when we first met,” he said, wiping at his eyes with nostalgia. “She’d always say, if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. She said it when we’d apply for jobs, when we wanted to have a baby and when we struggled with making decisions. And I’ve come to believe it. You can’t change the past, so it’s out of your control right now. So, just keep working on you, just like you’ve been doing. Let Jade figure things out and see what happens.”

“You know patience is not my thing, right?”

“You don’t say?” He chuckled.

“She sounds good. I think she’s where she needs to be,” I said.

The place was buzzing. Loud chatter filled the space, and the door chimed every time it opened, which was often. Our waitress stopped by to refill our coffee, and I dumped in a few more packets of sugar while Jack rolled his eyes. A few people gaped when they walked past our table, but I kept my eyes trained on Jack, and they moved along.

“Yeah. So, are we still good to have that little welcome home party for her at the firehouse?” I asked.

“Yes. Plan on it. You sure you’re going to be in town?”

“Positive. Lennon, Adam, and Luke want to be there too. So, Zach will be there by default.” I chuckled.

“How’s that going? You really think he’s going to be able to replace you at the end of the year?”

“I do. He’s a good guy. They can actually get by with just three dudes if they wanted to, but they may bring someone in on air guitar to keep it a four-man band.”

“And you’re ready to leave all that behind?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’ll keep writing lyrics for Exiled. That’s what I like most. But I’m ready to be in one place. I’m over the long hours and the travel. The press. The lack of anonymity.”

“I hear that. And what about graduation. What’s happening there?”

“I should be walking in December.”

He smiled and shook his head. “That’s great. I don’t know many rock stars out there pursuing their education.”

“Thanks.”

“Are your folks going to come for the ceremony?”

I covered my laugh with a cough. “Probably not. I mean, who knows. My mom is in a different place now. Maybe she’ll want to come. My dad would not attend a graduation commencement unless it was a media opportunity. But I don’t give a shit about that. That’s not why I did it. I did it for myself. I don’t need anyone there.”

“Well, I’d like to be there. Hell, I wouldn’t miss it.”

My chest squeezed. Being sober sucked. It made me feel all sorts of shit I wasn’t used to feeling. “It’s not necessary.”

“I’m not going because I think it’s necessary. I’m going because I’m proud of you.”

I looked up to meet his dark gaze. There was no humor there. “Thanks, Jack.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Cruz. Regardless of what happens with you and Jade, I consider you part of the family. You know, I grew up similarly to you. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that?”

“Really? Your dad was a rich, asshole?”

He laughed. “No. Just an asshole. Actually, a drunk, broke, asshole. It’s why I went into firefighting versus going to college. I mean, I wanted to be a firefighter, don’t get me wrong. But I also didn’t have four