More of Us ( A Love You More Rock Star Romance #3) - Laura Pavlov Page 0,34
Nine
Jade
Ari and I walked along the sidewalk, making the trek home from the library.
“Is Jace coming over tonight?” I asked.
“He’s watching Monday night football with his friends, and I thought I’d just chill at home and we could catch up on This Is Us. We’re an episode behind.”
I laughed. “Sounds good.”
“What’s happening with Richard?” she asked.
“We had class together today. I like him. He’s a good guy.”
“But…”
“But, what?”
“But, he’s not Cruz, right?” she said as we walked up the steps to our house.
“Right. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”
“Jade, you’re in love with someone else. You’re the only one that seems to feel the need to torture yourself over it.” Ari unlocked the door and we walked inside, dropping our bags in the kitchen and each grabbing a water from the refrigerator.
“I know. But that doesn’t mean he’s good for me. I really want to like Richard. That has to count for something. Cruz and I are friends right now, and that’s how I want to keep it.”
She laughed. “I know you do. But you can’t make yourself like someone because you think they’re a safe bet. You already fell for a rock star, bad boy.” She wriggled her brows.
“Whatever. I believe in learning from my mistakes.” I chuckled.
The doorbell rang and Ari ran to answer it. She came back with a package in hand. “It’s for you.”
“Really? I haven’t ordered anything.”
“Open it.” She shook the box in front of my face before handing it to me and hopping to sit on the counter.
I cut the box open and pulled out another box inside. When I removed the top, there was a black suit inside. A pencil skirt and suit jacket, along with a cream-colored shell.
“Oh, wow. Is there a note?” she asked.
I fiddled around in the tissue paper and pulled out the card and read it aloud. “A little something to wish you luck on your interview. No one deserves it more than you, Jade. Go kick ass. Love you more, your best friend, Cruz.” I barked out a laugh.
“Your rock star, bad boy, sure is thoughtful,” Ari said, pulling the suit from the box. “This is gorgeous, and a size four. The bad boy sure knows you.”
“Yeah.” I played with the ring that hung from my necklace.
“And you turned down his offer to fly you to New York and stay at their swanky apartment. You’re really sticking to your guns, girl.” She hopped back up on the counter and faced me.
It wasn’t about sticking to my guns. It was about being careful. What I’d come to realize was that there were different types of heartache. And I’d already experienced my fair share. Losing my mom at a young age was brutal. Unfair, even. But it wasn’t in my control. It wasn’t in anyone’s control. But getting my heart broken by Cruz Winslow a second time—that was in my control. And I wasn’t going to let it just happen. And I was going to do everything I could to make sure it didn’t happen again.
Cruz was the other half of my soul. There were times that I actually felt like my heart might stop beating when I wasn’t with him. But when I think back to that day and waking up in the hospital—it’s a reminder that Cruz lied to me. That he had a problem that I couldn’t fix. Something bigger than the both of us. I thought about all we’d been through—the miscarriage, the fire, and Dex, and I wanted to push it all away and protect myself.
Protect my heart.
“I can’t go to my interview with Cruz on my brain. And what if his father showed up? What then? No. This is something I need to do on my own. That’s why they invented this thing called credit cards,” I said, admiring the suit she held in her hands.
“I get it. But he sure is trying to show you that he’s changed.”