I nod at that, thankful as hell to have a manager—and a dad—who has my back. Two months might seem like a long time, but our last tour was just over four months long. And as much as I don’t want to leave Layla, it’s not fair to the guys. They’ve busted their ass right alongside me every day to make us what we are.
“We’re going to be leaving for Big Bear the day after Christmas and spending New Year’s there,” Mom says. “Patricia is going. You should ask Layla if she and Felix would like to join. Invite the guys. Kendall was supposed to come home for Christmas, but she’s met a guy…” She rolls her eyes playfully, used to my sister flitting from one man to another. “She’s going to meet us there.”
Big Bear Mountain has been a family tradition since my parents first got together. My dad took my mom and Kendall there when Kendall was little, and we have gone every year since. Eventually, they purchased their own cabin that’s damn near big enough to fit everyone.
“I’ll talk to Layla about it. I’d bet Felix would have a blast on the slopes.”
After we finish up breakfast, I meet with the guys and discuss getting my own place with the hope of Layla and Felix joining me. Just as I suspected, they’re cool with it.
“Dad mentioned Jill’s scheduling our next tour.”
Braxton nods. “Figured as much since we’re about to put out a new album.”
“You going to be okay with leaving Layla?” Declan asks.
“Yeah, I have to be. This is our life.”
“True,” Declan agrees. “Unless you’re thinking maybe this isn’t the life for you anymore,” he adds, no malice or accusation in his tone.
“This is the life I want. Do I want Layla as well? Yeah, but I can have both. My grandparents and my parents both did. Dad said the tour would be two months instead of the usual four. Would that be okay?” The longer the tour, the more cities we stop in, and the more money we make. Not that we’re hurting for cash, but I don’t want to be the reason the guys make less.
“Sounds good to me,” Declan says.
I glance at Braxton and Gage, who both nod.
“I can’t stand being on the road for too long anyway,” Braxton says. “Two months sounds good.”
We bullshit for a little while, and then I take off to meet with the real estate agent and go over several places. I consider asking Layla first but decide it would be better if I asked her once I found a place. What I can afford and what she can afford are in two different brackets. I don’t want her to see the prices. I just want her to see the place I find and hopefully agree to make a home with me.
It takes several hours and virtual tours, but I find it. The home I can see us in. The real estate agent makes a couple of calls, and I get the approval to see it in person this afternoon.
Me: Can your mom watch Felix after school? I need to show you something.
Layla: I can ask.
A few minutes later, she texts back that we’re good to go, and I tell her I’ll meet her at her mom’s.
“Where are we going?” she asks as we walk down the street, our gloved hands threaded together. “It’s kind of freaking cold out, you know.”
“You’ll see. It’s not that much farther.” We walk a couple more blocks, and once we get to the address the real estate agent gave me, we stop.
Layla glances at me in confusion. “Are we lost? It’s going to snow soon.” She scrunches her nose up like she always does when she doesn’t like something. Layla has never loved the cold or the snow. If it weren’t for her having to live near her ex or the fact that I know she loves being close to her mom, I could convince her without any effort to move to the West Coast.
“We’re here,” I tell her, guiding her up to the gate. It’s one of the few homes on the street with an actual wrought-iron gate in the front yard that can be locked. I type in the code the real estate agent gave me and unlock it. The driveway isn’t big, but there’s a garage on the ground floor with two staircases ascending from each side and meeting in the middle where the front door is. We take the stairs on the left, and once we’re at the door, I unlock and open it, exposing the open space.
“Whose house is this?” she asks, stepping inside.
I ignore her question and instead take her through the house. It’s four stories, including the garage, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms. A living room and family room, a gym, and an office. There’s also a room next to the garage that could easily be turned into a studio.