“IT’S YOUR MOM,” Zach says, holding out his phone.
Taking his phone, I bring it to my ear. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, Jayla. Thank you for speaking to me.” She pauses. “You’re in St. Thomas?”
Call me impulsive, but I was pissed at my mom and the rest of my family. So, Zach and I drove straight to my house from the restaurant and grabbed our bags, which were already packed because we were supposed to leave the day after tomorrow. Luckily, George, my trusty pilot was available at the last minute. I feel bad for leaving our friends behind, but I need a few days alone with my guy. Zach called them from the airport to apologize and that I’ll be sending the plane to get them.
“Yes. I just need some time alone, okay? And don’t worry, Troy and Levi are close by.”
“I’ll respect that. We shouldn’t have kept that from you. It was wrong. Don’t blame Alex, though. It was my choice to wait. I thought with everything that’s happened, it was too much and it would be better to wait until after you graduated. Unfortunately, someone got hold of the information and leaked it to the media before I got the chance to tell you. I hope you don’t hate me. I—”
“Would you stop saying that? I told you before that I could never hate you. I have a lot of questions, but I need to wrap my head around this first.”
“I feel like I’m failing at this single parent stuff,” she cries.
“Mom, stop. That’s not true. You have been the best mom anyone could ask for. I love you and your craziness. Mean it.”
“Ha-ha. How’s Zach? Is he ready to bail yet?”
“Pssh. Please. Have you met Elizabeth Easton?” I laugh and Zach looks over at me with raised brows.
“Okay. I’m off to LA to meet with Chandler and our attorneys to see if I can get this story retracted. I won’t let the media ruin the reputation Marcus worked so hard to build. He and I loved each other and he didn’t cheat on me. And I won’t let them make Sophia out to be a home-wrecker. She’s a good woman.”
I sigh in relief.
“Two words, Mom. Miles. Townsend.”
“Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Dad trusted Miles. He’s on our side. Alex’s article isn’t supposed to come out until next month. There’s still time. Let Miles help.”
“I’ll do that. Good thinking, Jayla. We’ll be going over some last-minute details for the tour, so please answer your phone when I call.”
“I will. I love you very much, Mom. Even though you baby me too much and piss me off, I know you only do it because you love me and want to protect me.”
“You’ll understand one day. I love you, baby. I’ll call you when I get to LA. And promise me that you’ll give Alex a chance.”
“I promise.”
I WAKE TO the sound of my phone ringing, Dude LAW flashing on my screen. “Lucas, you’re lucky I love you,” I say by way of greeting.
“Did I wake you?”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. Is everything okay?”
“My dad just told me about Alex. I was calling to see how you’re doing.”
“You didn’t know?”
“Hell, no! There’s no way I would go along with keeping a secret like that from you.”
“Weenie did.”
“Yeah, well…” He sighs. “…I can’t imagine it was easy for her. She probably only did it for Alex. Where are you?”
“St. Thomas. We’re on spring break.”
“I know. You guys want some company? I really want to see you.”
“You know I never turn down a visit from the LAW,” I drawl, teasing.
He chuckles. “Funny. Kali and I will be there probably the day after tomorrow. Is that cool?”
“Sounds perfect. The whole gang will be here by then.”
“Hold on a sec,” he says and there’s a muffled voice before it becomes louder once more. “You’re on speaker, Jay. Kali wants to say hi.”
“Jayla,” Kali says. “I swear the hits just keep on coming. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve come to realize that this is my life and anything is possible.”
Zach chuckles beside me.
“It’ll all work itself out. Go back to sleep. I love you. We’ll see you in a couple of days,” Lucas says.
“Love you, Jayla,” Kali says.
“I love you, too. Bye.”
“JJ!” EVANGELINE YELLS as she comes bursting through the front door and slams into me.
Oomph! “I’m so sorry,” she cries.
“Weenie, you’re choking me,” I say and Zach guffaws beside me.
“Hey, Jay,” Alex says as he steps through the door.
Evangeline releases me from her bear hug and wipes her tears as I walk into Alex’s open arms. He hugs me as if his life depends on it. “How much do you hate me?”
I pull back and look up at him. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
He shrugs.
“Are you mad at me?” Evangeline asks.
“I am not mad at you. I just…. I don’t understand why I’m the only one who didn’t know.”
“It wasn’t my call,” Alex claims.
“I know.”
“Okay, you two. Zach and I are gonna leave you to it,” Evangeline announces before she presses a kiss to Alex’s lips and heads for the door. “Meet us down at the beach when you’re done,”
“Bye, babe. I love you,” Zach says, leaning over to kiss me before he follows Evangeline out the door.
Alex and I each take a seat at the kitchen table, just staring at each other for a minute.
Alex tilts his head a little. “You can ask me anything, Jay.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” I admit.
“Then I’ll start.” He leans forward with his forearms resting on the table. “I always knew my dad wasn’t my real dad. My mom never kept it a secret. All I had to do was ask. But I had a dad who loved me. He coached my little league games, volunteered for school field trips, gave me advice on girls, bought me my first box of condoms—”
“Eww.” I roll my eyes. “TMI, Alex.”
Alex laughs. “He taught me how to drive, helped me pick out my first car and always made sure I had gas money. Every so often I’d think about my real father, wondering if he would’ve done those kinds things for me if he were around. Then I’d feel guilty, like I was betraying my dad. It wasn’t until my first year of college, when my parents sat me down and told me who my real father was. It’s not every day you find out your real father is a famous rock star and the lead singer of one of your favorite rock bands. I laughed. I thought she was kidding. She went on to tell me that she and Marcus met at a diner, after a night out drinking, where she and her friends had stopped for “drunk food”. It wasn’t love at first sight or anything. She was a twenty-two-year-old girl with a crush and a once in lifetime opportunity to spend the night with a rock star.
“I asked Marcus if he was married when he and my mom met, because rock star or not, I would’ve lost all respect for him if he were. He swore to me that he hadn’t met Emerson until later.”
“I still don’t understand why he didn’t tell me,” I add. “How did you even get in touch with him?”
“My dad had a lawyer friend who referred us to Mike Easton.”
“Mike Easton? Zach’s dad?”
“Yeah.” He laughs softly. “Long story short, after my mom explained the situation, Mike excused himself from the room and returned fifteen minutes later to tell us that Marcus agreed to meet me.
“We spent the next year getting to know each other before he invited me to California to meet you. He was very protective of you, Jay. Even from me. But before I got to California to meet you, he found out he was sick. I don’t know why he didn’t want to tell you, but I suspect his illness was more than you could handle without the added drama of an illegitimate son from a one-night stand.”
“Gross. Stop saying, ‘one-night-stand’. No one wants to picture their parents having sex, let alone with someone who isn’t the other parent.”
“I have something for you,” he says, pushing back from the table and making his way over to his bag, which is still sitting by the front door.
A few moments later, he sits back down at the table and passes me an envelope with the familiar handwriting addressed to Jaybird.
“What’s this?” I ask with a shaky voice.
“It’s from Marcus.”
The man had a letter for everything.
“Have you read it?”
Alex frowns. “No. I would never do that.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Alex.”
He nods stiffly as I open the envelope and pull out the letter.
Jaybird,
If you’re reading this letter, then you know Alex is my son and your brother. I can only imagine what you must be feeling and all the questions running through your mind.
First, you need to know that your mom is the love of my life and when you were born, it was the best gift she could’ve given me.
Alex’s mother, Sophia, and I spent time together before your mom and I ever met. We were at the end of our tour in Florida when I met Sophia. I missed my flight back to LA, but I was lucky to get a last-minute flight to LA from Tampa. That was the day I met Em, the love of my life, my soul mate and the woman who would become my wife. It was fate.
Your mother and I wanted to tell you about Alex. And we’d planned to. But before we had the chance, I got sick. It was just too much to dump on my baby girl all at once. I’m sorry if you’re hurt, but I was only trying to protect you. Your mother wanted to protect everyone, including Alex and his family. They’re good people and at the end of the day, he’s still my son. And he’s still your brother. He’s still Alex.
Give him a chance.
Love you always,
Daddy
“Maybe I should be asking if you hate me?” I admit, setting the note on the table between us before swiping the tears from my cheeks with the backs of my hands.
Alex frowns. “Why would I hate you?”
“Because I had him as my dad for seventeen and a half years and you only got a few years with him before he died. I feel guilty for that.”
“Don’t feel guilty. I told you, I have a dad. He might not have been the man who gave me life, but he raised me and I love him. And besides, I had something that you didn’t and that makes me feel a little guilty.”
“What’s that?” I ask, sniffling.
“Normal.”