“You could have woken me. I would’ve watched Layla.”
He shrugs. “I see them plenty.”
“Right, but it probably helps to have some downtime when you just hang out.” I don’t know where I get this bit of wisdom, but it seems to make sense.
“Here’s the thing.” He licks his bottom lip. “I just wanna spend time with you.”
I thread my fingers through his hair. “Careful, or you’re going to get sick of me.”
He plants a kiss on my lips. “Impossible.”
Sitting with him like this, I could almost forget what happened at last night’s show. My phone blowing up with notifications tells me otherwise. I’m going to have to look at the footage whether I want to or not. “Listen, if it’s okay with you, I’m not going to get online until after I stop by Taylor’s reception. I don’t want to deal with everything that happened with Marlowe yesterday until I get a chance to see my dad and let him know I’m alive.”
“That’s fine.” He frowns. “I thought you decided not to go.”
I sigh. “My dad left me this long voicemail last night, and I think he caught me at a vulnerable time because I texted him and said I’d try to stop by.”
He cups my face. “I know I’ve already said it, but I’m sorry about what happened at the concert. I wish I could undo everything about that show.”
“It helped to talk about it. Thanks for tackling that head on.” I try to smile. “I might not like the woman, but even I can admit it was a killer performance.” I run my finger over the collar of his t-shirt down to where his wedding band hides beneath the fabric. “Would you mind if Susan babysits Layla? She’s offered before, so if she’s free tonight I was going to ask her to watch the baby for an hour, if it’s okay with you.”
“That’s fine. I trust her.”
Layla slaps her hands on the table, and I take the spoon from Jace and feed her. “Is Daddy dropping the ball here? Daddy, she’s hungry.”
I try to scoot off Jace’s lap, but he nips my earlobe with a growl. “Daddy, huh?”
My face goes beet red. “Nope, I’m not calling you that.”
He chuckles as I move to the opposite side of the table. I grab a yogurt for myself, and Jace finishes feeding Layla. “What time are you leaving for the reception? I’d like to go with you if I can swing it.”
“It’s close to our hotel, so I’m heading over there at eight.” We’re checking into our rooms at three and then the guys are headed to practice. “How will Frank feel about you ditching rehearsal?”
“If I only go for an hour, it shouldn’t be too bad. We usually practice till pretty late. I’ll call it our dinner break.”
I smile, loving that he’s willing to do this for me. Frank’s scheduled this week down to the minute so he can maximize rehearsal time. I’d feel bad about this, but Jace’s band is really experienced. Hopefully they won’t have any trouble learning the new songs. “So we’ll meet at the hotel to go to the reception?”
He gives me that crooked grin. “It’s a date.”
I’ll feel so much better showing up to Taylor and Hayden’s reception with Jace in tow.
Frank’s wife waves me off. “I’ve got her, dear. Go have fun.” Susan’s sitting on the couch, knitting, while Layla plays with a few toys on a blanket. She’s staying with Frank in our hotel while we’re in Dallas.
“She can crawl really fast now and walks along the couch, anything she can grab on to, really, so just make sure she doesn’t fall and hit her head. Or grab anything that can topple over.”
Susan gives me a patient smile. “I have a dozen nieces and nephews. I swear, she’s in good hands.”
I bite my thumbnail. “I’m sorry she’s not in bed yet. It’s hard to nail down a sleep schedule for her on the road. She sometimes conks out at a concert, but the rest of the week we struggle to get her down. Bedtime is hit or miss.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to explain that to me. If anyone knows that living on the road is a giant pain in the patootie, it’s me.”
I laugh and grab my purse, but I hesitate by the door. “I was also wondering if you’d show me how to knit. I can crochet a little, but I’d love to learn how to knit.”
Her grin widens. “Absolutely. We could make Layla little outfits.”
“That sounds so fun.”
“Now shoo. I have knittin’ to do and you’re distracting me.”
