“Hi,” she says quietly.
“Frank, can you give us a minute?”
He gives me that same paternal glare I get from Rhett when he disagrees with something I’ve done. “Fans are waiting for you.”
“I won’t be long.”
Frowning, he nods and moves a few feet over to the signing table.
My daughter is asleep in the stroller. I smile at her and turn to Rory, grabbing her hand. “Remember what I said earlier today? That I was telling everyone you’re my girlfriend?”
For the first time since the lasagna incident, she looks at me. “Yes.”
“I’d like to make an amendment to that.” Her eyes widen like I’m a snake about to bite her. It annoys the fuck out of me. I cup her face and move until she has to tilt her head back. I take in her beautiful face and long eyelashes and bow lips I wanna kiss. “We should date for real.” She sputters and tries to move away, but she’s next to a pillar, so I walk her toward it and lean her against the concrete. “What could it hurt?”
She looks down. “You don’t want this, Jace. Not really.”
My attention snags on her wedding band that now sits on the wrong hand. We’ve been married for five minutes, but I really fucking hate that we have to hide… whatever it is we’re doing.
I gently turn her face so she has to look at me. “Yes, really. I want to date you.” It’s been bothering me since we talked in bed the night before last. “I might not know where I’ll be at the end of the summer, and you might not know where your next job will come from, but so what? We’re here together, so let’s make the most of it. If we gel well now, maybe we can figure out the future when the tour ends.”
When she doesn’t say anything, I move closer until I can run my nose against hers. “What do you say, Aurora? Can I date my wife? Would that be okay with you?”
She struggles not to laugh. “Well, when you say it like that…”
“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? But who cares? It’s our crazy, and I’m down for this if you are.”
Her beautiful smile returns, and just like that, my bad mood disappears. She runs her finger over my collarbone. “I’d like to be your girlfriend. If you’re sure.”
“I’m really fucking sure.” I thread my fingers through her soft hair, tilt her head back, and graze her lips. Once, twice, three times, before her arms wrap around my neck, and she kisses me back.
Fuck, yes.
All is right with the world.
25
RORY
My mind reelsas I push Layla back to the bus.
Jace Walker and I are dating.
I can’t decide if I’m the luckiest girl on the planet or the dumbest. He could crush me so easily.
But it’s not fair to punish Jace for the sins of my ex. Jace has been nothing but respectful since we started this tour. I want to give him a chance. I want to giveusa chance.
Because I can’t be that scared girl forever. I need to take a leap of faith here.
After all, why would he say he wanted to date me if he wasn’t interested? The label gave him the perfect out by telling him to hide his marriage. Jace could’ve used that to create distance. Instead, he proposed we tell people we’re dating, and then asked me to go for it and date him for real.
It’s enough for me to forget that humiliating moment at the restaurant. Instead, I’m going to focus on how Jace wants to date me.
I’m grinning when I reach the bus where I greet Edmond, who helps me get Layla’s stroller up the steps. It’s late, so when Ireach my bedroom, I only turn on the lamp on the bedside table. Then I change and feed Layla, and she quickly knocks out again.
But I’m sticky and sweaty from the show, so after I get her down, I jump in the shower. The cool water feels so good. After I towel off, I reach for my clothes—that I forgot to bring into the bathroom.
I wrap the towel around me and tiptoe out into the bedroom, where I find Jace waiting for me, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Oh!” I press my hand against my chest. “You scared me. I didn’t think you’d be home for a while.”
