The Has-Been and the Hot Mess - Isabel Jordan Page 0,39

to admit, even to himself, that watching Kendall with her family made him a little jealous. Even though he was glad she’d grown up with this crew, he couldn’t help but wish he and Ray had been raised similarly.

Because even as Annabeth and Grandpa Frank razzed Kendall about her work and her love life, and even as Lilian grilled her about where she was going to live and when she was going to settle down and get married, he could tell that these people adored her unconditionally. She could call on any one of them, day or night, and they’d be there for her. They might tease her and wouldn’t hesitate to call her on her bullshit, but they’d be there. And Kendall loved them back with equal ferocity.

Other than Ray, had he ever had that kind of love and devotion in his life?

Jackson didn’t think so. The guys in the band had been his colleagues, not friends. They were all fairly self-serving and opportunistic. None of them would’ve gone out of their way for him. And that feeling had been largely mutual.

Back in the day, his record label had devoted an entire staff to the band and to him personally, making sure he had everything he needed. But they didn’t really care about him. Only that he was able to keep making them money. They weren’t concerned with how sick or strung out he was. As long as he could sing and look good on stage, that was enough for them.

Jesus. He had to pull himself together. This little pity party certainly wasn’t going to do him any good.

He glanced over at Kendall, who was leaning forward in her chair, listening to Annabeth tell a very animated story about a parent-teacher conference she’d recently had.

Jackson liked Annabeth. She was hilarious and sharp, and had a way of making him feel welcome without being overly solicitous.

She was cute, too. A little shorter and curvier than Kendall, Annabeth had wide-set blue eyes, a cute little freckled nose, and an unruly mop of auburn curls that looked like they were moving even when she was standing still. She made Jackson wish he knew some straight single guys he could fix her up with.

Lilian looked like Kendall thirty-or-so years from now. She had the same sharpness in her eyes, too. When Lilian looked at him, he felt like she was silently calculating the odds of whether or not he was going to eventually marry her daughter. Or she was calculating his sperm count and ability to give her grandchildren. He wasn’t sure which.

And Grandpa Frank…ah, Grandpa Frank. He was in his nineties but looked way older. He had fluffy, iron-gray, Albert Einstein hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed in years, and a carved-oak cane he liked to smack people in the shins with when he felt ignored.

Jackson would likely have a few dandy bruises by morning.

How in the hell had he—the boy who grew up in a trailer park in middle-of-nowhere Texas, former drug addict, disgraced rock star—manage to end up here, with these good, hardworking, normal people? Did he even deserve to hope to one day be part of a family like this one?

That’s when Kendall caught his eye and gave him a slow smile that damn-near stopped his heart and made all his doubts and insecurities fade away.

Well, that settled it. He was exactly where he needed to be.

Chapter 24

Jackson was practically carrying Kendall into their hotel room after the longest day imaginable.

The good news was that her dad was going to be fine. They’d managed to remove the blockages in the cath lab, and he was sleeping comfortably. He’d be able to see visitors in the morning.

Jackson had taken Kendall and her family to dinner when the nurses on the cardiac unit kicked them out for the night. He’d answered all their questions (No, he didn’t plan to tour with Maelstrom again. No, he’d never been married. Yes, he someday wanted kids. Yes, his intentions toward Kendall were honorable—mostly, anyway. And no, he’d never done prison time. He’d been in jail a time or ten…but that wasn’t what they’d asked.) He’d also signed a few autographs and snapped a few selfies with a group of women out on the town for a bachelorette party. Then he finally, finally, dropped Kendall’s family off at home.

Lilian had offered them her guest room for the night, but Kendall had objected so loudly and vehemently that he went ahead and made hotel