Grinning, I nod. I fold my lips in so I’m not too toothy, and he winks at me, making my heart gallop.
Like she loves it too, Layla starts bouncing in my lap. I hang on to her hands and let her do her thing while I try not to swoon over Jace.
When we reach Fort Lauderdale, it’s late afternoon. Jace and I pack up our dirty clothes and the baby’s stuff, and we put Layla in a stroller. Across the lot, next to Marlowe’s bus, I spot Karina, who gives me the stink-eye.
Don’t judge her, Rory. You don’t know anything about that girl. Maybe she’s hurt Cooper moved on thirty seconds after they hooked up.
Frank meets us at the front of the bus with a printed piece of paper. “The laundromat is about two blocks away, and here are some restaurants that won’t give you food poisoning.”
“Thanks, Frank. You’re awesome.” I grin at my new favorite person. “Can we bring you something to eat?”
“Thanks, darling, but I have a salad.” He pats his belly. “Gotta watch my figure so my wife keeps me around.”
Jace pulls out his phone, presses a few buttons, then tucks it in the back of his jeans. “I have my ringer on, so call if you need to reach me. We’ll be back in a few hours.”
Edmond’s back on security duty tonight, and after I get his order—he wants some cookies—Jace and I take off. The beach air is fresh and warm, like the city is welcoming us with a hug.
“This is very domestic of us,” I say as I push Layla’s stroller and he hauls our laundry.
He leans over like he’s about to impart a secret. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m a fluff-and-fold genius.”
I love seeing this side of Jace. “And how does one achieve such greatness?”
“It was my job when I was little. I had a lot of laundry duty, especially if I got in trouble.”
“Let me guess. You got in trouble a lot.”
He chuckles. “I always got yelled at for playing the penis game.”
Um. What? “I’m afraid to ask.”
“It’s not as dirty as it sounds. You take turns saying the word ‘penis,’ starting with a whisper. Then the next kid gets louder and so on, until the teacher hears and yells at someone. Well, that was often me.”
I cover my mouth, laughing. “I suppose that’s not the worst thing in the world.”
“No, the worst was when Mav and I climbed the water tower and couldn’t get down until the fire department rescued us. As punishment, Mav had to shovel the barn for months, and I got stuck doing laundryandshoveling cow shit.” He chuckles. “Unfortunately for my brothers, I washed a lot of stuff on hot. Rhett walked around with pink t-shirts for years.”
“I was an only child growing up. What was it like having a big family?”
He gets a faraway look in his eyes. “My brothers are awesome. Always have been. But when we were little, my family was broke. My mother took off and my father was a drunk, so we spent a lot of time scrambling to get by. Rhett worked his ass off so child protective services wouldn’t take us or foreclose on the ranch.”
My God. I had no idea. “I’m so sorry. That had to be hard.” Jace’s life has been so much tougher than I’d imagined when I first met him.
He glances down at Layla, who’s reclining in her stroller. “That’s why it was important I bring her on the tour. I know what it’s like to be left behind when my mother ditched us. Layla’s been through enough. I might not be perfect, but she’ll always have me.”
Ugh, he’s killing me. “I can take more photos and videos of the two of you. Not to post, but so you can show her someday. So she’ll know you had her by your side on your first tour.”
“Hopefully, it’s not our only tour,” he says quietly.
“It seems like it’s going well. You got bumped to the larger stage in Daytona, and your fans online are pretty rabid.” Good Lord, the messages he gets are over the top. I’ve accidentally clicked on a few when I was posting, and I got an eyeful.
“Nothing’s ever guaranteed, and it’s harder to write on a bus than I imagined.” We reach the laundromat, and he sets down our laundry bags so he can open the door for me and Layla.
“But don’t you have until the end of the summer to write something?”
“That’s what I thought, but Frank told me this morning the label wants me to record something in Dallas next month. I’m not one of those people who can hammer out a song in twenty minutes.”
After he sets the laundry on a washing machine, I step up to him and put my hands on his broad shoulders. “You can do this, Jace. Don’t freak yourself out. Write what you know and love. Don’t overthink it too much. The words will come.” I’m no writer myself, but if I was, that’s what I would want to hear. Jace has written some great songs, so he obviously has the talent. He just has to lure that talent out.
