The guys had finally finished all the recording they needed to do. I was happy to have them all around the house again, and I loved getting to spend more time with Jesse. But I felt like something was up with him. He was acting strange, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was getting bored with me. But I was too scared to ask him what was going on.

The week after Thanksgiving, I overheard Jesse and Emmie talking in her office. I was on my way to the laundry room and the door was closed, so I only heard part of their conversation. What I did hear made my heart crack.

“…Perfectly Clean said that they can have a new housekeeper here after Christmas,” Emmie was saying.

“Will you be okay until then?” Jesse asked, sounding concerned.

“None of this is okay with me, Jesse. I don’t want you to go…”

“Emmie, I’m not going far. You know I can’t stay here. Not now.”

I heard them moving around inside and rushed down the hall to the laundry room before they found me eavesdropping. I tossed the basket of clothes on top of the dryer and leaned back against the closed door. My heart was racing, my throat tight and burning with tears.

It was true. He was going to break up with me. Emmie was already looking for a new housekeeper, and Jesse was leaving. My heart clenched in a painful way, and my knees gave out. Slowly, I slid down the door hugging my knees to my chest as I silently cried. I was about to lose everything: my job, my home, my friends.

The guy that I loved…

Jesse

Things were put on hold for a few weeks after Mia came along.

I had hated to ask Emmie to help me when she had been so sick. Postpartum had been a real bitch, but I was relieved to find my old Emmie coming back to me now. For a while, the world had seemed dark because she was lost in a maze of hormonally induced black emotions. We had Layla to thank for helping Emmie find her way back, and I think I was deeper in love with her because of it.

Once Emmie was back to her old self, she started where she had left off. I didn’t even have to ask her about it. She just did what she did best and made things happen. Things were moving faster than I had expected, and I was worried that I was going to be leaving Emmie out in the cold when I left.

Even though she was helping me, she didn’t want me to go, even if I was just going to be a few houses away. It hurt me just as much as it hurt her, but we both knew that it was time for me to move on. A house was not meant for two families. Now that she had hers, I needed to start my own.

“You can visit me every day,” I promised her with a grin. “And you know I can’t go a day without seeing you, Em.”

Her chin trembled but she was smiling. “I’m glad you have Layla. I like seeing you so happy, Jess.”

I cocked a brow at her. “And how are you and Nik? Still arguing?”

She grimaced. “A little.”

“Because you won’t marry him?” Nik was chomping at the bit. He had asked her to marry him months ago, but she had said that they had to wait for the baby to arrive first. Now that Mia was here, Emmie still didn’t seem ready. I wasn’t sure what was holding her back. I knew that she loved Nik. I think I had known it before she had.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Jesse.” She stood and handed over the keys that she had gotten that morning. “It’s all ready for you.”

I took the keys and felt like the world was tilting on its axis. Tonight was the night. I was scared, anxious, and excited. I couldn’t wait to talk to Layla. Dropping a kiss on top of Emmie’s head, I left. I passed Lana and Drake in the kitchen, and without a word to either of them, I grabbed Lana and dragged her out of the house with me.

“Jesse!”

“It’s set. Do you want to see it or not?” I called over my shoulder as I headed for the beach.

Lana stopped struggling and hurried to keep up with me. I had told her Thanksgiving night what I was doing and swore her to secrecy. I guess in a way I had been asking Lana for permission. Maybe I should have asked Lucy too, because I was about to turn all our lives around. But I had been afraid the six year old would let the cat out of the bag and ruin my surprise.

Two houses later, I was jogging up the steps to my new home. Emmie had moved heaven and earth to find me a place as close to her as possible. I had only seen it once and had liked it well enough, but she was the one who had taken care of all the fine details: making the offer, getting everything sorted out, closing on the house. I wasn’t sure how I managed without Emmie and I hoped I never had to find out.

The house wasn’t as big as Emmie’s. Mine was only a four bedroom. The family room was huge though, and had a beautiful view of the ocean. The kitchen had all new appliances, again thanks to Emmie. Other than the bare essentials, the house was empty because I wanted Layla to decorate our home.

“This is really happening,” Lana murmured a while later after she had seen the whole house. “I mean, I knew that you were serious, but it didn’t feel real until right now.” She sighed. “I’m really glad that she fell for you, Jesse. As far as rockers go, you Demon’s Wings guys aren’t so bad.”

I laughed. “I’m glad you think so, sweetheart.”

She frowned. “Are you sure though? I mean…” She broke off, but I knew what was bothering her.

“I’m hoping to be your brother-in-law before long, Lana. That means that you are mine just as much as Layla’s. I want you to be happy. Just pick which college you want and give all the details to Emmie. She knows what to do.” When I had talked to Lana about my plans for the future, I had told her that she didn’t have to worry about college. I wanted to make it happen for her.

She had gotten her acceptance letters to several colleges for early entrance. Stanford, UCLA, NYU, the list seemed endless. Lana deserved the best education I could provide for her. I just hoped she didn’t destroy us all by picking NYU. I would miss her if she was all the way across the country, and I doubted that Drake would survive long with her that far away. Those two were closer than close. She was his best friend and vice versa. I could see for myself that Lana was hiding some strong emotions, but Drake was still determined that friends were all they would ever be.

“Have you decided?” She only had about a week before she had to get the ball rolling. Classes started in the middle of January and it was already December.

“I’ve narrowed it down.” She gave me a sly grin. “Don’t worry, rock star. I’ve got it under control. You have other things to think about. Like getting my sister to say ‘yes’.”