Stay For Me - Megan Smith Page 0,54
what’s going on?”
I paste on the best fake smile that I can. “Nothing, why?”
Eli narrow’s his eyes at me. “Why do I feel like you’re lying to me?”
Jaylinn coughs and I know I have to tell him. I don’t want to but I can’t not tell him either. I let out a deep breath. “I just saw Brian’s car pull out from over there.” I say nodding behind him to the place Brian’s car was on the other side of the park’s fence.
“Did you see him earlier?” He asks with concern etched on his face.
I shake my head.
“Is this the first time you’ve seen him since you moved in with me?”
I nod.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, positive. I would have told you.”
“Like you were going to tell me just now?” He retorts making me feel all of about two feet tall.
My head drops forward. I shouldn’t have tried to lie to him.
Eli tips my chin up to meet his eyes. “I need you to tell me if you see him again, okay? I don’t like that he’s lurking around like that. You have no idea how bad I’m tempted to hire Dante to watch you and Fallon all day, every day.”
My jaw drops in shock. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh I’m dead serious.”
Jaylinn snickers from behind Eli. “He’s got it bad for you, Layla.”
Eli closes his eyes and bites back a smile. I slide a hand up his chest, around to his neck and give a little tug pulling him closer to me. “I have it pretty bad for you, too.” Then press my lips to his.
Just as his hand slides around to rest on my lower back we hear, “Eww!” coming from Fallon. We break apart, both laughing.
“Ah, kids. Gotta love them, huh?” Jaylinn snickers. “We were just getting to the good part, too.”
“Jay?” Eli calls then gives her the finger.
She throws her head back and starts laughing. I bend down to Fallon’s level. “Take a few steps back and I’ll toss the ball to you.”
She squeals and runs down past a few cars. “Come back a little closer.”
“No way, stay where you are.” Eli says taking the ball from my hand.
We spend the next few minutes tossing the ball back and forth while we wait for Cooper. When he finally emerges, a few fans stop him for autographs. Cooper smiles and signs them happily but from what Jaylinn tells me he hates the extra attention. It’s like when he’s done with the game, interviews, press and anything else he needs to do he just wants to leave baseball on the field. I know from the few people who ask about him at Fierce that it rarely happens. Guess it explains why he doesn’t really go out shopping with Jaylinn and why she’s always dragging me along.
Cooper signs a little boy’s hat, says goodbye and walks away towards us. “Hey, guys.” He greets us.
“Uncle Cooper!” Fallon yells as she launches herself in his arms.
“Huh, he gets a better greeting than I do.” Eli complains but I know he’s just messing around. Fallon started to call Jaylinn and Cooper ‘aunt and uncle’ a few months ago. We were sitting at the dinner table and she asked why she didn’t have any relatives. Jaylinn spoke up before I could explain why.
“I’ll be your aunt and Cooper will be your uncle if that’s okay, squirt.” Jaylinn and Fallon both looked over to me.
My eyes grew teary while I nodded. I’m truly blessed with a best a friend like her. She’s opened her arms up to Fallon and me without a blink of the eye. She’s taken her under her wing like they were sisters.
“Are we ready for some pizza, squirt?” Cooper asks while picking her up and over his head sitting her on his shoulders.
“Yes!” She cheers.
“We’re taking her with us.” Cooper tells me walking off towards his car with his arm draped over Jaylinn’s shoulder.
“Well,” Eli says throwing his arm around my shoulder as we walk to his car. “We can finish what we started.” He whispers.
I giggle all the way to the car but glance over to Cooper who is watching us. I’m not sure what to make of the face he’s giving me. His head is tilted to the side and he’s watching the way that Eli and I are interacting.
We pull up to the pizza place a few miles from home. It’s the same one that we eat at when we go out with Jaylinn and Cooper. There is a little