More of Us ( A Love You More Rock Star Romance #3) - Laura Pavlov Page 0,4

spending two weeks in a program does not make you reformed, Cruz. She needs to see it, and it’s going to take time. So, instead of trying to convince her to take you back right now, because that’s what you want…focus on being the best you can be. For you and for her.”

“Fucking fine.” What the fuck choice did I have? I ran my fingers over the new tat on my forearm. I’d permanently inked the nail marks that Jade left on my skin. It was a perfect reminder of why I could never go back to that lifestyle. Rock bottom was a dark, lonely place, and I wasn’t going back.

She smiled. Which didn’t happen often. Probably because she enjoyed seeing me suffer. Like I said, Dr. Evil. But unfortunately, she’d proven otherwise so far.

“Good, Cruz. Where do you want to start? What areas of your life do you want to focus on?”

“Well, I’m sober. That’s one. And it fucking sucks because I have to feel all this shit. So, I should get some extra credit for that one,” I said, with a laugh. “I’ve been writing a lot. Working on some lyrics. And I was online this morning finding the last two classes that I need to graduate. If I start my courses when I get out of here, I could graduate in December. And I found out I can actually walk at the grad ceremony at Northwestern because I completed the majority of my coursework there.”

“Good, Cruz. I think receiving your diploma and attending the ceremony would give you a sense of accomplishment,” she said.

“I never cared about that shit before, but graduating has been more of a challenge than I expected, so yeah, I don’t mind taking a minute to celebrate it.”

“Okay… you’ve got yourself some solid goals. This is a good start. Focus on you, and the rest will come.”

“Alright. My brother is on his way, so I better head back to my room.”

“Same time tomorrow?” she asked, pushing to her feet.

“Yep,” I said, because fuck if I had a choice, but I would keep that to myself. I stepped into the hallway and made my way down to my room.

This place was nice, and I was fortunate that I had the resources to be here. The label had agreed to give the band a thirty-day reprieve from touring. We’d been dealing with a shit ton of drama since Dex left the band and Zach took his place. Dex had given multiple interviews about why he’d left, as if he’d had a choice. He’d claimed that there just wasn’t enough talent in our group, and he chose to walk away. Fucking Dex. He failed to mention that he’d hit my girlfriend and left her for dead on the floor when he fled the scene. I fucking hated him. We didn’t comment on his departure because I wanted to keep what happened with Jade out of the media. So, it was a good idea for Exiled to lie low right now. And being in this place—it allowed me to catch my breath. There was no press. No fans. No expectations. Aside from the ones I currently had for myself. And getting healthy and getting Jade back was all I cared about.

“Hey, douchebag,” Lennon said when I got to my room.

I laughed. I missed him. Hadn’t seen him in a few weeks. He looked good. The irony was not lost on me. Lennon was visiting me in rehab. I was now the one who had the problem. Never in a million years would I have thought our roles could be reversed. It was important for me to remember just how easy it had been to lose myself.

“What’s up. Thanks for coming out. You here for a few hours?” I asked, dropping to sit on the bed when Lennon sat in the chair across from me.

“Yeah, I’m here until tonight.”

“How’s Bailey?” I asked.

“She’s fucking fantastic.” He laughed.

I rolled my eyes. My brother was one whipped motherfucker. And I couldn’t be happier for him.

“Good. How’s Zach doing at rehearsals?”

“Dude, it’s so much better. You’re going to be a lot happier.