Page 49 of My Song for You
“How old is he?” I asked her.
“Nine weeks.”
“He’s adorable.”
“Adorable and a handful,” she said, “but I’m glad we have him. Now I have someone to keep me company when the guys are on tour. I’m Hailey, by the way.”
“Hi. I’m Callie.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you. Jared said you guys have known each other since you were kids.”
“That’s true. How did you and Nolan meet?”
“Same deal. We were once best friends, but it wasn’t until he returned home last December that things between us changed.” The look she gave her boyfriend, who was talking to Jared, said it all. She was deeply in love with him, and from the look he gave her in return, the feeling was mutual.
Rocky licked Logan’s hand, and he giggled in surprise. Hailey showed him how the puppy liked to be stroked. Forget Disneyland—Logan had found his new happy place.
Maybe, if he was lucky, Jared would get him a puppy.
I couldn’t tell if Jared had already told Nolan and Hailey the truth about Logan. If she did know, she said nothing that would give it away.
The puppy jumped up against Logan’s legs, and he laughed again. I retrieved my smartphone from my purse and shot a few photos. At least I’d have those once he was gone.
Tears welled up. I blinked them away.
“Rocky, no jumping,” Hailey said, pushing the energetic puppy back down. “How ’bout we go outside? Maybe you can get Rocky to play catch with you, Logan.”
Their backyard wasn’t huge, mostly just grass and some flowers and shrubbery around the outside, along the fence. But it had plenty of room for a young puppy and four-year-old boy to play in. Hailey gave Logan Rocky’s favorite ball and we watched them run around. Logan’s throwing arm needed a little work, but Rocky didn’t care. He bounded after it and tried to pick it up in his mouth.
While they played, Hailey and I talked. Any other time, under different circumstances, it was easy to see that she and I could’ve been good friends. But now that the situation between Jared and me had changed, it would never happen. Her boyfriend was Jared’s best friend and bandmate, which meant she had to be on Jared’s side—even if she wasn’t.
A hand rested against my lower back, and I startled. “I have a feeling he’ll now expect me to get him a puppy,” Jared said, his mouth close to my ear. A shiver of desire shuddered through my body. Stupid, traitorous body.
“I suspect you’re right,” I replied in as cheerful a voice as I could muster, given the situation between us. “Then he’ll have someone to keep him company while you’re touring.”
The hand on my back jerked away, as if Jared had just realized he’d accidentally placed it there. “It’s not like I’m leaving him alone in the apartment.”
Yeah, but you’d be leaving him with your family instead of the only mother he’s ever known.The words hovered at the tip of my tongue, but I needed to keep things civil between us. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. It’s just Hailey said she’s happy to have Rocky to keep her company while the band’s away touring.”
Hailey returned from retrieving the ball from a bush. “Nolan said you guys are going to Disneyland tomorrow. I’ve always wanted to go there.” She looked longingly at her boyfriend, standing next to her.
“We are?” My gaze shot to Jared. He threw the ball for Rocky and Logan to chase after.
“I’m taking Logan since he wants to go,” he said.
“And when exactly were you going to ask me?” My throat closed up, shrinking to the width of a straw, making it hard to squeeze out the last words. He was already pushing me out of Logan’s life.
“You can come with us if you want.”
Now if only it had sounded like he actually meant it.
I focused my attention on Logan, but I could feel the quizzical gazes aimed at Jared and me.
“Do you mind if I use your bathroom?” I asked Hailey.
“No, go ahead.” She told me where to find it.
I didn’t really have to go. I just needed several minutes on my own to pull myself together. I didn’t need Logan to witness me falling apart.
