Page 20 of Hard Rock Temptation
I wanted to do the right thing.
I had no idea what the right thing was.
“If you knew everything would turn out okay, what would you do?” Mom asked. “Would you still only want to stay friends? Or would you go for it, knowing there were no consequences?”
“If I knew everything would be fine, I would get down on one knee right now,” I said. My mom raised her eyebrow. “Metaphorically,” I added, even though there was a not-so-small part of me that burned to make Kaylee mine in that way. It was that all-consuming feeling, rearing its head again.
“And you know for sure she feels the same way?” Mom asked.
“She said she does,” I replied. Then I hesitated. “Well, maybe not thedown on one kneepart.”
“So you’re letting your fear of what might happen get in the way of guaranteed happiness?” she asked. “That doesn’t seem like the rational thing to do.”
“Love is irrational,” I said without thinking. “Love has nothing to do with reason. It isn’t logical. It isn’t sensible. Love makes no sense at all,” I continued, getting heated. “Why do we fall for someone, even though we know nothing good will come of it? Why does our heart choose someone if the only thing it will lead to is heartbreak? Why does love make us act completely out of character? Love doesn’t make sense. But…” I swallowed and lifted my head to stare up at the ceiling lights. “Even though it doesn’t make sense, I love her anyway.”
My mom was quiet for a moment, listening to me breathe heavily after my sudden rant.
“You love her?” Mom finally asked.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “I do. I love her. I want to be with her. I want to share every part of myself with her. I want every part of hers to be mine. I want tomakeher mine. Just like I’m already hers.” I looked back down and chuckled ruefully. “I probably sound like an obsessive stalker.”
“You sound like a man who has met the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with,” Mom said. “You were just lucky enough to find her early.”
Luck?
I’d never considered myself lucky. I believed in hard work, not luck. But with Kaylee…
How lucky was I, that I could find my perfect match in my best friend?
How lucky was I, that the person I wanted to spend my life with understood intimately the ups and downs of my career choice?
How lucky was I, that the woman I had fallen in love with… loved me back? Loved me without reservations. Without hesitation.
Kaylee knew all the things that could go wrong, but she wanted to be with me anyway. Because she wanted all the things that could go right.
I sat up straight in my chair, as a realization dawned on me.
I knew exactly what I had to do.
NINE
KAYLEE
One week after I’d left Micah’s apartment, one week after I’d issued him that challenge, he called us all into the recording studio. We were all a little surprised at how fast he was moving. We’d only just decided on our songs.
“Don’t worry,” Micah said once we had all arrived. His hands were in his pockets and with his rapidly blinking eyes he looked on edge, half a step away from a nervous breakdown. “We’re not recording anything officially today. I just had something I wanted to share. Sorry in advance for my singing, but I want you to hear the lyrics, too.”
“Can’t be worse than Finn,” Zain ribbed.
Instead of taking offense, Finn just shrugged. He couldn’t protest when it was the truth.
Micah’s singing efforts were always fine. Not the best, but not ear-splitting. Still, his exceptional talent on keys made his singing sound like a dying cat in comparison. He knew it wasn’t his strong suit and left vocals to Anya, and every so often me or Zain.
“You guys stay over here.” Micah headed into the room on the other side of the glass. His arms vibrated slightly, as if his hands were trying to shake but couldn’t, stuffed into his pockets as they were.
“Do you know what he’s going to play?” Zain asked. It was addressed to the room, but I knew everyone was waiting for me to answer.
“Not a clue,” I said.
