Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) (12 page)

Jayne released her hold.
Zander had the expression of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He
looked at the woman. "Hi, Mom. What are you doing out this way?"

Jayne glanced between the
two. "Mom?"

"And Dad." He
waved to the man in the driver seat and leaned close to Jayne's ear. "They
don't live close by."

His mother got out of the
car and walked over, wearing a large smile. "Aren't you going to introduce
us?"

"Mom, Dad, this is
Jayne Warren. Jayne, these are my parents Alex and Mila. Jayne is—"

"I know who she is
now." His mother extended her hand. "Irisa has told us so much about
you."

"She speaks very
highly of you." His dad also shook her hand. "How are you enjoying
the tour?"

"It's been
interesting."

"Why don't you both
come to dinner tonight? I want to hear all about how the tour is going."

Zander shook his head.
"Sorry, we can't."

She gaped at him. From
the way he and Irisa spoke about family, she was surprised he'd turn down
dinner. She was about to tell him not to worry about the sleepover when another
thought dawned. Maybe he didn't want her around them. An uncomfortable feeling
curled in her gut and she wrapped her arms around her middle. She'd give him an
easy out if he needed one. "You know, you don't have to do that thing with
me tonight. It's not a big deal. You can have dinner with your parents instead.
I really should be getting settled with Patch one-on-one anyway."

He frowned at her,
narrowing his gaze, then turned to his parents. "We can't do dinner, but
we can grab coffee now if you're free. There's a place about five minutes away.
They have tables outside so we can bring the dogs."

Mila beamed. "We'll
meet you there."

When they climbed into
the car, Zander turned to her. "You're angry."

"No. I'm confused
about why you turned down dinner with them. If you turned it down because of
the whole sleepover thing, well, that could have been moved back later. And if
you didn't want me at their house, I gave you an easy out so you could still
go."

He rubbed his hands over
his face. "I don't know if my sister ever mentioned that my mom's been on
this babies and wedding kick for a few years now."

"And you don't want
me getting any ideas?"

"Damn it, that's
not
what I'm worried about. Get as many ideas as you want." His eyes
flashed at her in challenge. "She can be relentless and she's not subtle
and I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable. She met Dom for the first time
last week and told him and my sister they'd make pretty babies together. He
rolled with it, but my sister freaked out. My mom doesn't have a filter when it
comes to this."

"Oh."

He eased the car onto the
road. "So now you know. Forewarned, forearmed, whatever. But no matter
what happens, you're coming over tonight. You're sleeping in my bed. And Patch
can get settled in with Shredder because they're going to be spending a lot of
time together."

His harsh tone and the
muscle jumping in his jaw told her the extent of his anger. He'd spoken to Luke
that way, but never to her. She clasped her hand over her pendant—the one he'd
given her. The heart pressed into her palm. She lowered her hand to her lap.

The car pulled into a
parking space. His parents were seated at one of the coffee shop's tables.

Zander was out of the car
and had both dog's leashes in hand by the time Jayne had finished unbuckling
her seatbelt. His rigid posture and clenched jaw telegraphed his anger for
anyone to see.

His parents greeted the
dogs while Jayne took a seat. The small, square table insured she bumped knees
with Zander. The heat in his eyes and the tension in his features hadn't faded.

They placed their orders.
Zander all but growled his. Mila exchanged a look with Alex and murmured
something in Ukrainian. Jayne only understood a handful of words, thanks to
Irisa, and most of them were expletives or foods. Those wouldn't help her here.

Zander's head snapped up.
He barked something back in his native tongue. Definitely sexy.

"Jayne, I love your
hair. It's such a pretty shade."

She smiled at his mother.
"Unfortunately, it's from a bottle. My real color is pale blonde."

"We've never had a
blonde in the family."

Again, Zander spoke a few
low, unfamiliar words. The tone sounded threatening, but she couldn't know for
sure.

"Do you come from a
big family?" Undeterred, his mom continued.

"Not really. I'm an
only child. My parents divorced when I was a teenager. They've both since
remarried. I don't see them very often. We're not very close." Why
couldn't her family be anything like his? She glanced down. Shredder nudged his
head into her legs, then settled on her feet.

"Enough with the
questions." Zander's hand met hers under the table. He still looked
completely pissed off, but she no longer thought it was entirely on her.

His parents exchanged
another look before his dad nodded and patted his mom's hand.

The waiter brought out
their orders, including two bowls of water for the dogs. Everyone laughed over
Patch's antics as he tried to share Shredder's bowl.

Alex asked Zander a few
technical questions about the tour, drawing his son to less touchy topics.

Mila took his cue, asking
about the band's travel and hotels. Jayne rattled off dates and flights and
arrival times, and chatted about catering to the guys' specific needs.

"I'm so glad Zander
has you to look after him." His mom smiled. "I've been telling him
for a long time that he needs someone."

He set his cup down with
a glare and a clatter.

Jayne risked another
glance at her usually patient lover. "I'm just doing my job. But he's the
easiest one to please. The least high-maintenance."

"Alex and I will be
watching Shredder during the last two weeks of the tour. We'd be more than
happy to watch Patch, too." Mila's gaze swung back and forth between Jayne
and Zander.

Jayne tightened her hold
on her mug. "That's very nice of you to offer, but I'm sure I'll figure
something out."

"It's not a bother.
And look at how well they're getting along. It wouldn't be good to separate
them if they're spending a lot of time together. "

True, but now she had no idea
how much time she and Zander would be spending together. "I'll think about
it."

"Good." Mila
signaled Alex and they stood. His mom gave her a hug. "We'd love to see
you again, maybe you can come to the next family dinner. Hopefully, Zander will
be in a better mood by then." She ruffled her son's hair before leaving.

He sat glaring into his
coffee. "I warned them off questioning you."

"I gathered that
much." She set her coffee aside. "What the hell? You made that so
awkward."

"Me? I wasn't the
one pumping out twenty questions."

"It wasn't twenty.
She asked two."

"Thanks to my
warning."

"I think it had more
to do with your dad than you. Once he patted your mom's hand, she
stopped." She dragged her hands through her hair and fought to control her
emotions. "They have a relationship where all it takes is a pat on the
hand to communicate what you're feeling. Anyone can tell by looking at them
that they're still in love. You're lucky to have them."

He pushed away from the
table. "I still don't want her scaring you off."

"You're doing that
all on your own." She grabbed Patch's leash. "I'd appreciate it if
you drive me home."

Fire-sparked hazel
returned full-force. He palmed his keys. "Fine."

The blare of her cell
phone made her jump.
Dalton's mom.

"Hello?"

"Dalton ran
away."

"What the hell? What does she
mean, he ran away?" Zander grabbed his phone. No reply from Dalton to his
earlier message. He sent another.

Jayne scrolled through
her phone. "He came home from school, found out they were moving early and
that Patch was gone, then he took off. He left a note saying he's been thinking
about doing this for a while. A bunch of clothes are missing and he took his
guitar."

"Did she check the
community center?"

"She said she did. I
just sent an email and a text to Kate."

He opened the car door
and loaded the dogs in, then opened her door. "Get in. We're going
hunting."

"We could cover more
ground if you drop me off to get my car."

"Going in pairs is
better."

They drove around for
hours, didn't say much, and heavy silence lay over them like an awkward
blanket. Finally, as sunset streaked colors across the sky, his phone rang.
Dalton
.

"It's him." He
nudged Jayne's arm, and engaged the call. "Hey, bud."

"Um, I think I'm in
trouble."

Shit. "Where are you?"

"I'm at a shelter
but the guys here are bad news. It's going to be dark soon and I don't know
where else to go."

"Which shelter? I'll
come get you." He passed his phone to Jayne once he had the address.
"Keep talking to him. He sounds scared."

Jayne kept up a running
conversation about the dogs until they pulled up at the shelter.

Zander climbed out of the
car, more worried than he'd wanted to let on. Anything could have happened to
the kid.

Dalton hustled toward
him, relief rushing across his features.

Thank God he was okay.

Jayne held back both
Shredder and an excited Patch while Zander stowed Dalton's bag and guitar, and
Dalton climbed into the backseat. Patch wriggled and whined until she let go of
his leash. He leapt into Dalton's lap. He hugged Patch and kept his face buried
in the dog's fur.

Zander couldn't just drop
the kid off at home. Dalton wasn't ready and might run off again. "Did you
eat dinner?"

"No."

"Okay then." He
headed toward his house. Beside him, Jayne sent a text to Dalton's mom.

When they arrived, and
the dogs raced around the yard, Jayne turned to them. "I'll start dinner.
You guys relax."

Zander nodded his thanks.
"Dalton, come on, let's sit out here for a while."

They sat by the pool. He
kept his attention on the kid, waiting until Dalton had calmed. "Why did
you take off?"

"I'm losing
everything—my house, my dog, the community center, my friends there, you."

"Why would you think
you're losing me?"

"Because when I
move, it'll be too far for me to get to the center. You're supposed to give me
lessons at the center once the tour is over. I can't get my driver's license
yet."

Zander hesitated to point
out the how-to videos and phone calls the pair had exchanged over the last few
weeks. Dalton knew about those. Maybe the real issue was he worried Zander
would disappear from his life like everything else. "Do you think I've
been spending time teaching you my solo just to stop in the middle?"

"Uh… No?"

"No. Tell me, do
remember that big thing with wheels that we drove in today? I'll bet it would
even take me to wherever you're moving."

"You'd really do
that?"

"Again, I haven't
been teaching you my solo for nothing."

"Wow." His
voice cracked and he turned his face away. His breath hitched and his shoulders
shook.

Zander leaned against his
chair, giving Dalton a chance to deal with his emotions. He patted the kid's
back. He'd never had anyone depend on him, but it felt damn good to be making a
difference. "You can't run away anymore."

Dalton shrugged.
"Not like anyone cares."

"If no one cared,
your mom wouldn't have called frantic and scared. If no one cared, would we
have gone out looking for you? If no one cared, would I be here? Would Jayne be
cooking you dinner? Would you be hanging out in my house? Would countless
people at the center and your school have gone out searching?"

Dalton shrugged again.
"I guess not."

"You guess
right."

"I screwed up pretty
big."

"You freaked out a
lot of people, so yeah, you did. But I get it. Look, your situation stinks, but
you're not alone. Your parents actually do care, but they're going through some
pretty heavy stuff right now. Jayne went through what you're going through, I'm
sure she'd talk to you about it if you want. How do you think she learned to
play the piano? She lost herself in music when her parents' fighting got too
bad."

"I didn't know
that." He scuffed his sneaker against the patio. "I guess I could
talk to her sometime."

"You should. And
she's already told you that you can visit Patch whenever you want, and that
he's yours no matter what."

"She's
awesome."

"She is. If you can
keep yourself together, you can help out backstage at shows. You'll learn a lot
by shadowing Chad. And you know I don't let just anyone handle my
guitars."

"You serious?"

"Yes." Zander
reached over and ruffled Dalton's hair. "But if you run away again, I'll
cut all of your guitar strings."

"Deal." Dalton
hugged him tight.

Zander patted the kid's
back. Jayne stood in the doorway, watching them with a big smile where a worry
line used to be. He held out his hand toward her. He owed a lot to the
incredible woman who'd put him in touch with the lonely boy. But most of all,
he owed her an apology.

Jayne padded toward them.
She slipped her hand in his and placed her other hand on Dalton's shoulder.
Zander held tight to her delicate fingers. They remained joined together until
the dogs came barreling in, demanding attention.

Zander showed Dalton
where to wash up, then returned to the kitchen. Jayne set the table and chatted
to the dogs sprawled exhausted on the floor.

He cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry about this afternoon. You were right to call me out on it. I
didn't want them to get in the way and push you out."

"I like your
parents. They're fun." She placed her hand over his. "At least they
care about you, and your mom is going out of her way to try to make sure you're
happy. You saw what happened when you met mine. I'm more of an afterthought
with them."

"I noticed that
about your parents and I'm sorry. But you're not an afterthought with me. You
know that, right?"

She squeezed his hand.
"I do."

"So we're
okay?"

She nodded. "By the
way, those things you said in Ukrainian?"

"Yeah?"

"That was pretty
sexy."

He met her gaze with a
half-smile and raised a brow. "So, sleepover?"

"Sleepover."
She laughed and the relaxed tone flowed over him. "But I have the feeling
we won't be doing a lot of sleeping."