“You can do that as much as you like.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “You can do anything you want to me, Layne. I’m yours, completely.” A laugh bubbled free, because even in my wildest dreams, I’d never imagined tonight going so well. It made me brave. “I love you, Layne.
Her irises grew with passion and I found myself drowning in the gold flecks that danced in her eyes like tiny flames. I kissed her gently once more and pulled back to take in the full extent of her beauty.
She had tears of joy in her eyes when she looked up at me. “I love you, too,” she whispered.
And then her lips captured mine, making me wish we could exist like this forever—one heart, two sets of lips; never to part.
Chapter Sixty
Layne
It was late by the time I walked Wyatt back out to his car. We’d spent the rest of the night hanging out in my backyard, kissing under the stars and listening to music on his big cheesy boombox.
“I still can’t believe you put my song on the radio,” I whispered against his chest as he pulled me closer.
“Don’t you know?” he hooked a finger under my chin and gently tilted my face toward his. “I’d do anything for you, Penny Layne.”
I leaned in and grazed my lips against his again, loving the way his kiss could ignite every nerve in my body. I knew this was dangerous territory. Once we started kissing, we couldn’t stop. It had taken us twenty minutes just to make it from my front porch to his car. But now that we were here, I wanted to rewind the clock.
I didn’t want tonight to end and I had a feeling Wyatt didn’t either. He backed me up to his car, pressing his lean body against mine. It felt amazing to be caged in by him. And when his hands grasped my hips, I swear a fire ignited in my belly. It was so sudden and fierce that I gasped.
Wyatt pulled away, practically panting from the effort. “I’d better say goodnight,” he said, his voice low and gravelly.
I nodded, biting my lower lip. They were swollen and bruised, but it was a pain I welcomed if it meant kissing Wyatt more. The boy had skills.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” he said, his eyes sparkling as he released me and opened the door to his car. He pulled out his leather moto jacket, the one I’d left in his driveway last night when my heart had been shattered.
It was strange how much had changed in a few hours. Last night I’d been destroyed and now I felt invincible. I guess the right kiss could change everything, or maybe it was the right song. Either way, I happily accepted the jacket as Wyatt draped it around my shoulders.
He grabbed onto the lapels and pulled me closer, plying me with a dozen sweet kisses.
“You know what this means, don’t you?”
“What?” I asked, loving the excitement in his voice.
“It means you’re my girlfriend.”
“Oh, really?”
“Well, you’re wearing my jacket. That’s a big deal.”
“I was wearing your jacket before.”
“Yeah, but that was different.”
“How?”
“Well,” he didn’t even attempt to hide his smile. “Now we’re in love.”
I laughed. “I guess that does change things, huh?’
“You’d better believe it,” he said, pulling me in for another tender kiss. “You’ve changed everything for me, Layne. And I’m going to spend forever proving that to you.”
“I’d say you’re off to a pretty good start.” My heart fluttered. “I still can’t believe my song was on the radio! How did you pull it off?”
He shrugged. “I had help.”
“Robby?” I questioned. “What did you have to promise him?”
“Oh, yeah. We’ll be giving him a ride to school for the next week.”
I laughed. “Oh no. You know you’re going to be finding Robby-crumbs in your car for months, right?”
Wyatt grinned. “Worth it.”
I kissed him again. “So, I guess I owe Robby a thank you, huh?”
“Yeah, and maybe my dad.”
“Your dad?” I cringed, remembering all the awful things I’d said to him. “I’m not sure he’s my biggest fan.”
“You might be surprised.”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked him to call in a favor to help me get your song on the radio.”
“Seriously? You asked your dad for a favor?”
“Yeah. We’re actually on kind of good terms at the moment.” Wyatt gave me a sheepish grin. “I sort of owe you for that, too.”
“Really?”
“Well, after you ripped me a new one last night, I started thinking about everything you said, and I realized you were right.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” Wyatt smirked. “I have a feeling that’s going to be a theme in our relationship.”
I laughed. “It bodes well for you that you recognize that now.”
He squeezed my sides, making me giggle as he pulled me closer. “Anyway, I decided to have a talk with my dad last night. I told him how I felt about everything and we’re making an effort to be better to each other and be more involved in each other’s lives.”
“I’m happy to hear that. I think it’ll be really good for you.”
“I just want to be good enough to deserve you,” he said softly, making my heart melt.
“Wyatt,” I reached up, stroking my fingers along his cheek. “You’re already more than enough.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his bright green eyes searched mine, seeming to ask if I really meant it. “So, does this mean I’ve finally proved you wrong?”
I couldn’t help smiling at him. “Wyatt, the only one you needed to prove something to was you. You’ve always been everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”
He closed his eyes and pulled me against his chest. I loved the way my head tucked perfectly under his chin as his arms wrapped me in warmth. “I love you,” he whispered, emotion cracking his voice.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Sixty-One
Layne
The next few days passed in a blissful blur of kisses and music. I could honestly say I’d never been happier in my life. I’d found a piece of myself in Wyatt and it unlocked my soul even further than I knew possible.
We spent every waking moment together. Most of it was rehearsing for the competition, which was rapidly approaching, but we made time to sneak in a few stolen moments just for ourselves, too.
I’d never had a boyfriend before, so I had nothing to compare it to, but I was pretty certain that Wyatt was the most thoughtful boyfriend in existence. With how quickly our relationship started—from hate to love in less than twenty-four hours—I wasn’t sure what to expect. We’d sort of done everything backwards. But that didn’t stop Wyatt from planning adorably romantic dates for us.
My favorite by far was when we had a picnic by the pond at Silver Acres. We’d went in to visit with his grandparents after.
Gramps was over the moon to hear that we’d finally started dating.
“It’s about time ya stopped wasting time,” he exclaimed. Then he gave my hand a little squeeze and said, “We don’t call him Nashanova for nothing.”
I barked a laugh. “How do you know about his nickname?”
“Who do you think gave it to him, sweetheart?”
I shook my head, as the two of them shared a conspiratorial grin. It was easy to see where Wyatt got his playful sense of humor and charisma from.
“Okay, Gramps,” he said. “I think we’d better go before you try to sweep my girlfriend off her feet.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” he said. “I want to hear you two lovebirds sing.”
“You’ve heard the song on the radio, haven’t you?” Wyatt asked.
The radio station had been getting requests for my song since that night, so to my complete delight, they’d continued playing it all week.
“Of course, I have,” Gramps replied. “But nothing beats the real deal.”
“We didn’t bring our guitars,” Wyatt argued.
I stepped up and put a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. “I’m pretty sure I saw instruments in the rec room.”
Wyatt smirked. “You saw those, huh?”
“Don’t get cold feet now, Nashanova,” Gramps teased. “You’ve sang for me and Gram-cracker so many times I’ve lost track.”
“Yes, but asking my girlfriend to sing is completely different.”
“I don’t mind,” I said, stepping closer to him.
Wyatt’s eyebrows rose. “Really? I don’t want to put you on the spot.”
“I’m going to have to sing on stage soon, so I might as well get used to an audience.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Gramps chimed in. “Why don’t you put on a little show in the rec room. Everyone would love to hear your music.”
Wyatt started to object, but I turned to face Gramps, grinning. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.”
His watery green eyes sparkled. “I knew I liked you.” He smirked at Wyatt. “This one’s a keeper. Don’t screw it up.”
Wyatt looked at me with complete adoration and winked. “I’m doing my best.”
Two hours later we were walking back out to Wyatt’s car, hand in hand.
“That was so much fun,” I said.
Wyatt laughed and pulled me against him when we reached his car. “Do you know how amazing you are?”
“I’m pretty sure you tell me every day, so I’m starting to get the idea.”
He shook his head. “I’m serious, Layne. I’m so incredibly proud of you.”
“For singing to Gramps and his friends? It wasn’t that hard considering he’s probably our biggest fan.”
“It’s more than that,” he said softly. There was a tenderness to his voice, hinting at serious emotions.
I touched his cheek, letting him know he could tell me what he was thinking. He pressed his cheek into my hand and sighed. My fingers slipped into his hair. Wyatt’s dark lashes shuttered closed as he locked his hand around my wrist. He pulled my palm to his mouth, as he liked to do, and kissed it.
“What is it?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t think you understand the gift you have. Your music . . .” he searched for words. “It touches people. It reminds them what this is all about,” he said gesturing around us. “Your songs fill people with love and hope. They make people feel less alone in the world, and those people in there, they need that more than anyone.”
I felt the sting of tears as I blinked up at Wyatt. I had no words to express how much hearing him say that affected me, so I did what I always did. I closed the space between us and kissed him with everything I had.
When I finally pulled away, we were both breathless.
“Wow,” he said, smiling so wide his dimple made a rare appearance.
I returned his grin. “I second that wow.”
He laughed and ran his hands down my back, pulling me closer. “Kinda makes me wish we got in a fight a long time ago.”
“Why?”
“So we could’ve been making up this whole time.”
I laughed. “Only you would think of that.”
He gave me a knee-weakening grin. “Hey, I can’t help it. When you kiss me like that all I can think about is how to get more.”
I shook my head, looping my arms around his neck. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I don’t know, but you’re stuck with me now.”
“I think I could get used to that.”
I was just leaning in to kiss him again when my phone rang. It was a video call from Lola, so I answered it even though Wyatt was still close enough to kiss. She took one look at my face and groaned. “Ew! Is this what I have to look forward to when I come back to school?”
“What?”
“You and McDreamy all lovey-dovey and kissy-faced.”
“Good to see you too, Lola,” Wyatt said, planting a kiss on my cheek before giving me some space to chat with my best friend.
“Quit!” Lola whined. “No PDAs allowed!”
I rolled my eyes. Lola was the last person to be dishing out that advice. She was practically the kissing queen of Northwood. “Isn’t that what got you mono in the first place?” I teased.
“Ha-ha, you’re hilarious.”
“I know. I think my boyfriend’s great sense of humor is rubbing off on me.”
“Well, I hope you’re still laughing when I tell you my news.”
That sobered me up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, but I won’t be able to come to the competition. My mom called my doctor and they advised against it since technically I could still be contagious.”
I sighed. I’d always known this was a possibility, but Lola had been feeling a lot better this week and I was hopeful she might be allowed to come cheer me on—from a safe distance, of course.
I swallowed my disappointment. “That’s okay, Lo. I just want you to get better.”
“Me too, but I really wanted to be there to see you kick some diva butt!”
I laughed at my best friend’s competitive streak. I knew it was killing her not to be able to face off against her musical nemesis. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll be sure to make faces at Jenna while she sings.”
“That’s my girl,” Lola said, brightening again. “But for real. I’m sorry I won’t be there. I’ll be rooting for you though.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“Knock ‘em dead, Layne.” Lola said. “Oh, and go give that hunk of yours a kiss when I hang up.”
“What happened to no PDA?”
“It’s perfectly fine when I’m not around. Geez, I’m not a monster. Even I wouldn’t be able to resist that dreamboat for long,” she teased.
“Still here, Lola,” Wyatt called, smirking from a few feet away.
“You better treat my girl right,” she called.
Wyatt walked back over and wrapped his arms around me so he could fit in the camera. “Don’t worry, I have no plans of screwing up the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
He placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek and Lola gagged. “Okay, on that note. Talk to you later. Good luck tomorrow.”
“Layne doesn’t need luck,” Wyatt replied.
And I grinned, because for the first time, I actually felt like that was true. I had everything I needed right here. Wyatt had helped me find it within myself.
We hung up and I let Wyatt help me into his car. He hopped in and drove us out of the parking lot. “So, big day tomorrow,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows as we headed for my house. “Are you excited to prove you’re the fairest diva of them all?”
“You know, actually, I am.”
“That’s what I like to hear. You’ve got this, Penny Layne.”
“We’ve got this,” I reminded him.
Wyatt grinned, picking up my hand and giving it a quick kiss.
I settled back in my seat, reveling in this moment. My life might change in a day, but for now, I was pretty happy with where I was.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Layne
I stood backstage chewing my nails. I couldn’t believe competition day was finally here. Saying I was prepared and actually being prepared for how momentous this moment was, were two completely different things.
I felt like I was going to throw up as I looked around at all the confident competitors. There was so much talent in this room it was making my head spin. I spotted a few of the girls from the Diva Squad. I’d been talking to them online lately, but it’d been months since I’d actually seen them.
For the millionth time I wished Lola was here with me. I’d always let her be the voice of our little duo and I felt weird going up to talk to the other competitors without her, even just to wish them luck. I guess that was the trouble with being a sidekick for so long, it made flying solo feel weird.
Though I knew I could do this alone, I was really glad I didn’t have to. Wyatt was here with me. Well, current
ly he was in the green room getting me a cup of tea to soothe my tense vocal cords.
We’d driven in together this morning and already run through our songs once. We were as ready as we’d ever be.
I did my best to calm my nerves as I glanced around backstage. I was standing about as far away from the curtain as possible. I’d already made the mistake of peeking out to take a look at the crowd. I hadn’t expected the performing arts center to be so crowded. But my quick glance through the curtains showed the seats were starting to fill up.
The only thing I had going for me was that the singer/songwriter category was one of the first groups to compete. We’d already gotten a rundown of the schedule with the day’s event coordinator so now all that was left to do was wait.
Thankfully, I was third in the songwriter lineup. I felt like that was a pretty good spot. Not first, not last. Just enough time to chew my nails down to nubs.
I pulled in a steadying breath as people rushed around me finishing up last minute things like testing lights and putting X’s of tape on the floor so each of us knew where to stand when we took the stage for the results.
I looked at the clock on the wall. In a few more minutes I’d be walking onto that stage and taking a stab at my future. Winning this scholarship could open a lot of doors for me. First of all, it would help me afford college, and not just any college, but one where I could major in music.
I tried not to let the overwhelming pressure get to me. But just as I was repeating my calming mantra, Jenna appeared. I sighed, wondering if she was part shark. I swore the girl could sense weakness.
“Hey, Layne,” Jenna said. “So, Lola really didn’t show, huh? I knew she didn’t have what it takes. What a coward.”
“She’s not a coward,” I shot back. “She’s sick.”
“Ah, yes. How convenient.”
Just then Wyatt walked up, carrying the hot tea I’d requested. “Hey,” he greeted, placing an arm around my shoulder after handing me the tea. “Who’s this?”
“This is Jenna,” I said. “She was just leaving.”
Kissing The Hero (The Dangers of Dating a Diva Book 2) Page 23
