Part 29 (1/2)

I don't hear him. ”What?”

He meets my gaze, and his eyes are so tender, so sweet, that again, I can't breathe. I'm lost. Completely lost, and I'm pretty sure I never want to be found as long as I'm lost in Jace Sinclair's eyes. ”I want to ask you something,” he says again, this time louder.

”Yeah?”

He swallows hard, his Adam's apple moving up and down, but his eyes never leave mine. I can tell he wants to say something, something intense and real, but all he is doing is searching my eyes and I'm confused.

”Jace?”

But he shakes his head before looking away. ”Never mind, Markus and Mekena are going on.”

As my brows touch, I stare at the side of his face while Markus and Mekena start to sing ”FourFiveSeconds” by Kayne, Rihanna, and Paul McCartney. He's laughing, but I know it doesn't reach his eyes and I know he wants to say more. Reaching out, I take his jaw in my hand and turn his face. When he looks at me expectantly, I ask, ”What were you going to say?”

He shakes his head. ”Later.”

I glare. ”I don't want to wait.”

He grins. ”Gonna have to. Can't do that here.”

I eye him skeptically, but then Markus steals my attention when he starts to sing. He's good, and so is Mekena. They are cute and I'm sure she wanted to sing a love song, but she seems to be having a good time, which is what I wanted. I miss her and our friends.h.i.+p, but I've allowed Jace to take over my life. Which is probably bad since I did this before. I blew off all my friends for Caleb, and in the end, I had no one. Who could blame them?

But, that won't happen with Jace.

I have to stop thinking like that.

Clearing my throat, I watch as Markus and Mekena kill it onstage. When they finish, everyone is clapping and cheering them on, and I grin as Jace takes my hand. As our fingers lace together, Caleb and the past are nowhere to be found and all I see is Jace.

He's the light.

”Come on, our turn,” he says, pulling me out of my chair and toward the stage. ”Now remember, you can't suck.”

I laugh because what else can I say to that? He's insane. When we reach the stage, he picks the song and I'm a little stunned by his choice. I raise an eyebrow and he smiles as he says, ”I love that song.”

”The Beatles are the best band ever.”

”So you know it?”

”Duh.”

”Awesome, I listened to them growing up, know every song by heart.”

Which is so f.u.c.king hot. A dude who knows the Beatles by heart? Yeah, sign me up. Wait, that means I'm committing, right?

c.r.a.p.

Shaking my head, I say, ”Jude and Lucy, named after them, I a.s.sume?”

”Yup, I was supposed to be Rocky after 'Rocky Racc.o.o.n,' but my dad hated it.”

I grin to keep from agreeing with his father and Jace laughs. ”Yeah, it's bad. But still, it would have been cool.”

”Yeah, for sure,” I say just as the guy gives us the go-ahead. ”You ready?”

”Um, duh. But the question is, are you ready?”

Rolling my eyes, I push him and he laughs as he leads me up onstage. The countdown to the Across the Universe version of ”Don't Let Me Down” by the Beatles starts, and I wait until it's time to start the song, and I begin. I love this song, have listened to it a billion times, and even know how to play it. As I expect, the crowd quiets and then the cheering starts. Jace stands there, a big grin on his face as I sing. But when it's time for him to go, I watch him pause before he opens his mouth.

And then the most G.o.dawful noise comes out of his mouth.

It's like nails-on-a-chalkboard bad, and he knows it! He's grinning so hard, I want to smack him, yet he keeps going. His confidence, the way he struts as he sings, has the crowd going nuts. Even Markus is cheering him on while I stand there dumbstruck. Where is this amazing voice he spoke of, and why am I so attracted to him right now?

When he comes toeto-toe with me, singing his heart out, I can only look at him in complete puzzlement before I start to sing. Our voices blend together, badly, mind you, but he is getting it. Singing with all the gusto of Freddie Mercury. It's insane! All I can think is, holy c.r.a.p, this is so bad and I should be embarra.s.sed, but I'm not.

I'm blissful.

And he is amazing. Bad singing and all.

As the song ends, I glare at him as he wraps his arms around my waist, kissing me loudly on the lips, which only makes the crowd cheer louder. Shaking my head as we part, I accuse, ”I thought you said you were good.”

He grins. ”I am!”

”Jace!” I say incredulously and he just laughs.

”Don't try to bring me down. Go, I'm going next.”

”Seriously?”

He nods. ”Um, yeah, I'm working the crowd. Don't be jealous they like me more.”

Gasping, I break from his arms as he shoots me a wicked grin. ”You're impossible!”

As I walk down the stairs, handing the mic to the guy, Jace's voice runs down my spine as he whispers into the mic, ”Now, for my next song, I want to dedicate this to my Rose. My Avery Rose.”

I turn when I reach the table, and his eyes are locked on me as he lets out a long breath, the guitar starting in the background. I know the song. I mean, I'm pretty sure everyone does. But I don't know why he is dedicating ”Every Rose Has Its Thorn” to me. It's about breaking up, so how is it a love song? I'm completely confused and so is Markus. That is, until Jace sings the chorus.

He's changing the words from ”Every Rose” to ”Avery Rose,” and I'm mortified as Markus falls off his chair laughing. Even Mekena is dying while I just stand there, so d.a.m.n embarra.s.sed I don't know what to do.

Until finally, I just laugh.

Soon, I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe and I'm crying from the hilarity of the situation. He is unreasonable and crazy. I've never had someone sing a song to me, or even dedicate one, and I've most definitely never had a guy change the lyrics to fit my name. Even if the song is an old rock song about breaking up with some girl.

But it's for me.

As he sings into the mic like he is Bret Michaels himself, with the bandanna and s.h.i.+t-kicking boots, all I can do is shake my head, wiping my tears away.

Man, this guy.

s.h.i.+t...

I think he stole my heart.