“Wyatt, please keep your voice down,” my mother warned.
“I don’t care who hears me,” I argued. “This isn’t fair, and you know it!”
The moment I heard the MC announce Layne had won, then take it away, I’d been out of my seat.
I had to do something. All of this was my fault.
I’d been pleading with my mother since the moment I’d found her, but she wasn’t budging on her decision.
“Please,” I begged. “This isn’t Layne’s fault. I’m the one who put the song on the radio. She didn’t ask me to do it. That has to count for something, right?”
“Darling, I realize this is upsetting, but there’s nothing that can be done.”
“That’s not true! You’re one of the sponsors.”
“Exactly,” she said. “And how do you think it would look if I gave preferential treatment to my son’s girlfriend, when you used a radio station your father has a stake in to get her an unfair advantage?”
“But—”
“No, Wyatt. I’m sorry. This program is important, and I will not have its validity jeopardized because you acted without thinking, as usual.”
Her words stung, but not as much as knowing I’d let Layne down—again.
I was devastated. How was I going to face her when I’d just single-handedly dashed her dreams?
“Darling, I’m sorry. Truly, I am. But sometimes disappointment is how we learn from our mistakes.” And with that, my mother walked away, each clack of her heels hammering another nail into my coffin.
I slumped against the wall, closing my eyes as I rested my head against the cool bricks. It suddenly felt too heavy for my shoulders. I replayed my mother’s words, wondering if there was anything else I could’ve said. But I kept getting tripped up on her parting words. ‘Disappointment is how we learn from our mistakes.’
I had been learning from my mistakes. I’d taken responsibility lately. I was trying to find my direction and stop treating each day as another aimless joke.
Layne had changed all of that. She made me want to figure out my future, because I wanted her to be a part of it. And that’s why no matter what way I looked at it, I couldn’t see what I’d done as a mistake.
Of course, I wished putting her song on the radio hadn’t caused her to get disqualified. But not doing it would’ve meant losing her. Not only that but she probably would’ve given up on the competition, too.
Or maybe she wouldn’t have.
If I’d learned anything, it was that Layne shouldn’t be underestimated. The girl was capable of greatness. As long as people like me didn’t get in her way.
This sucked!
I couldn’t believe she’d come so close only to have this dream taken away. And it was my fault. Maybe my mother was right; I needed to learn from my mistakes.
I still couldn’t rectify that doing what felt right in my heart was a mistake, but it was hard to argue that Layne might be better off without me. She certainly wouldn’t have gotten herself disqualified if I wasn’t in her life.
I sunk onto my crutches, which my mother had handed to me, adding insult to injury. Though I might need them, considering my legs felt like they could give out at any moment thanks to this catastrophic blunder.
I didn’t think I could feel any worse, until I saw Layne approaching. She had tears in her eyes, and I felt my heart cave in. Despite my best intentions, I’d hurt the girl I loved.
My throat tightened with emotions. I didn’t deserve her.
“Wyatt,” she sobbed, throwing herself into my arms.
I let my crutches fall, not caring one bit about the scene we were causing. This could be the last time I ever got to hold her—my Penny Layne. I caressed her hair, committing her soft coconut fragrance to memory.
I was ruined for life. Nothing would ever compare to this girl. How could it be over? But how could it not?
I’d wrecked everything.
I pulled back to run my hands down Layne’s cheeks, wiping away her tears. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my heart breaking with each word. “This is all my fault.”
“Your fault? What are you talking about?”
“The competition. You got disqualified because of me. I tried talking to my mother, but she—”
Layne’s laughter cut me off. “I don’t care about getting disqualified.”
I blinked at her in utter confusion. This was worse than I thought. She must be in shock if she was laughing at a moment like this. But to befuddle me further, she grabbed my face in both her hands and kissed me like she’d just won a Grammy.
My head swam as I fought with everything I had not to just give in to her amazing lips and let myself have one more perfect moment with her. But I didn’t deserve that.
I pulled away. “Layne. I-I . . .” I didn’t even know what to say. I raked my hand through my hair desperate to find a solution, because I could see my soul in those big brown eyes of hers and if I let her walk away now, I knew I’d never recover.
I knew it was selfish, but I wanted to fight for one more chance. “Maybe we can try to talk to my father. We’re on really good terms now. Maybe he can reason with my mother about the scholarship. I know it’s a long shot, but please, just let me try to fix this.”
Layne looked at me with that touching smile of hers. “You don’t need to fix anything,” she said. “I won. The prize is just different than I thought.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You, Wyatt. I’m talking about you. I won, because you’re the best prize of all.”
I stared at her, knowing I must be dreaming. But I didn’t care, I didn’t want to wake up. I just wanted her to say more things that made my heart turn inside out.
“Maybe I didn’t win the scholarship. But I know I can do it now. I know I’m good enough to follow my dreams. That’s what today was really about. And we’ll always have the memories of what we did up on that stage together. That’s enough for me. Because I have you and my music, and no one can take that away from me.” She lifted one shoulder and grinned. “So, I guess I’m saying nothing else really matters.” She added. “As long as you’re okay dating a DQ’d diva.”
Her eyes sparkled up at me and I didn’t waste another second before sweeping her into my arms. I claimed her lips with mine, slow and thorough, showing her just how ‘okay’ I was with dating every version of her.
Chapter Sixty-Six
Layne
“Are you sure you don’t want to go home?” Wyatt asked as we watched people lining up to get autographs with the guest judges.
“No, I want to hang around and cheer on the rest of the Diva Squad.”
He leaned down and kissed my hair. “And you’re still my girlfriend?”
I laughed. “Yes, Wyatt. I’m not going to change my mind.”
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
“I know,” I teased. “Don’t you forget it.”
“Believe me, there’s no chance of that happening.”
I stood on my tippy toes and gave him a soft kiss.