“I still can’t believe I’m done. It went well. I just feel like this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
“Yeah. That’s got to feel good. And you graduate in a week. You did it,” he said, pulling me on his lap.
I laughed as his scruff tickled against my neck.
“It feels really good,” I smiled, because I also felt particularly good at the moment.
He chuckled against my skin. “Missed you, baby.”
“Missed you more. But we did it. We made it. We’ll go back for graduation and then I can travel with you for your last month. And then we move to New York. How is this our life?” I said, throwing my arms in the air.
He smiled. “We’re pretty fucking lucky.”
“Yeah. We sure are.”
We pulled in front of the venue and several security guards waited outside. My how times had changed. Cruz would be bombarded if he tried to step out of the car alone at a show now.
“Stay right in front of me and keep your head down. Donny will lead you in.”
“Got it.” I gave him a quick kiss before moving to my feet.
I grabbed onto a fistful of Donny’s shirt as the screams were deafening. My god. These people were out of control. I wondered if Cruz would miss all of this.
We made our way inside and Lennon charged me. “Missed you, Jade.”
“I missed you too. Where’s Bailey?”
Just then Lennon’s girlfriend Bailey came running around the corner and hugged me. “So glad you’re here. We can watch the show together.”
“Yes, I’m excited.”
Everyone came out and said their hellos. Adam gave me a hug and we talked about how bad we felt for Tory. She couldn’t come to this show because her grandfather passed away, and she was at the funeral.
“I feel fucking bad I can’t be there for her,” Adam said.
“I stopped by and saw her this morning before I left. She is doing okay. She understands that you can’t just leave a sold-out show. Don’t stress. She’ll be here soon.”
“Alright, thanks,” he said.
Luke walked over and gave me a hug and asked all about my classes. He really was a good friend to Cruz, and I was thankful that he always looked out for my boyfriend.
“Hey, little mama. Glad to see you,” Tia yelled as she slapped me on the butt and ran out on stage.
I don’t know that I’d ever have a good read on that girl, but I liked her. Yes, I’d wanted to hate her for a brief time after she’d kissed Cruz on stage, but I knew there was nothing there and it was a publicity stunt. It sure as hell stung at the time, but now it had become a bit of a joke every time I saw her.
We moved to the side of the stage while Luke and Lennon talked, and I watched Tia perform. Cruz had his arms around my middle, his chest to my back and his chin rested on my shoulder. Bailey stood beside me watching her sister, and I saw the pride in her eyes.
“She’s really come into her own, huh?” I said to Bailey. Tia was one hell of an opening act, and she’d added in a lot of dancing and acrobatic moves to her old show.
“Yeah, she’s working hard.”
Tia exited the stage, and Cruz kissed me hard before leading the band out to the roaring crowd. The lights flickered all around, and Cruz grabbed the mic.
I watched him move across the stage, with so much confidence and raw talent, he took my breath away. He commanded everyone’s attention, and he did it with so much ease. It had been a while since I’d seen him on stage, and I was happy I’d be with him for his last leg of the tour.
“So, what do you think about this Farah Clearwater bitch,” Tia said as she pulled up a stool beside me.
“Tia,” Bailey said, and gave her sister a hard look.
“What? It’s not a secret. Winslow tells her everything,” Tia said, meeting my gaze with a raised brow.
I laughed. “It’s fine. There’s not much to say. I don’t think the interview is going to happen.” Cruz had his legal team looking into his father, Dex and meeting with both Farah Clearwater and Laurel Hayes. I didn’t know how much had been shared, so I was keeping it to myself for now. But I believed Farah’s two minutes of fame were up.
“I’d love to be a fly on the wall when she gets her ass served to her. And I know that asshole Dex is behind this,” Tia said.
Cruz had thought the same thing. And I guess it would be like Dex to do something like this. But he did seem sober when I last spoke to him. It didn’t mean he couldn’t have slipped, or that he wasn’t capable of doing this. But, Cruz was now suspicious of his father as well, and I wouldn’t put anything past that man. I’d been tempted to tell Cruz the truth about my meeting with him, but he’d been so upset at the thought of his father stabbing him in the back again, I just couldn’t do it. Not right now.
“Yeah, I just can’t wait to put this behind us.”
“I get that. Lennon said Cruz has handled it really well. He was not happy that their dad offered to make this go away if Cruz agreed to stay in Exiled for one more year. I mean, who blackmails their own kid?” Bailey said.
Cruz had phoned me after the meeting with his father and he’d been pretty devastated by Steven’s offer, which had now left him suspicious of his involvement. Just another nail in the coffin for the man. I wasn’t all that surprised. Not after he’d offered me a shit ton of money to end my relationship with his son. The man was sick and twisted. He wielded his money over everyone. I hated him for how much he hurt Cruz and Lennon. A father is supposed to protect his kids and keep them safe. Steven Winslow gave parenting a whole new name.
“Ol’ Daddy Warbucks thinks he can buy his way out of everything. And sadly, he’s probably right. It would be a hell of a lot easier to just shut this story down, rather than go to battle with the devil. But Winslow wants out, so I get it,” Tia said.
I nodded, before turning when I heard my name being called out on stage.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
“Did you expect anything less?” Tia laughed. “The guy’s been biting at the bit for you to get here.”
Cruz jogged toward me and reached for my hand. “Let me sing to you one more time, okay?”
His hair was a disheveled mess. His skin glistened with a layer of sweat, and his eyes danced with amusement. He took my breath away.
I nodded. “Okay.”
Taking my hand, he led me out on the stage. I stayed behind him, gripping a handful of his cotton T-shirt in my fist. Lennon laughed when I glanced over. I don’t know how they did this night after night. The crowd was loud, and my stomach wrenched with nerves.