“You sure?” he asked.
Bailey nodded.
“Okay. I wanted to tell you... we went viral.”
“Viral?”
“Our last performance. Over half a million hits on YouTube. There's talk of a record deal with Lee Records in New York.”
Bailey's mouth fell open. “New York? A record deal?”
“It's the opportunity of a lifetime.” Jackson’s eyes sparkled. “What do you think?”
“How soon are they—”
“Tommy's getting the dates from them now. Bailey this will be epic. We can—”
She hurried to her feet. “I can't go, Jackson. I'm not even in the band officially.”
“You are.”
She shook her head. “Now's not a good time. A lot has changed in my life. I can't drop everything and go to New York.”
“I'm not saying drop everything. I'm saying to at least hear what they have to say.”
“What if they offer a deal? Will you be moving?”
“We haven't gotten to that, Bailey. We can't know everything right away.”
She pounded a hand to her chest. “I need to know! I've been lied to enough in my life. I can't live like this!”
Jackson rushed over to her and grabbed her hands. “Talk to me. What's going on?”
Bailey's bottom lip trembled. “I found out... I'm adopted.”
Jackson's face fell. “Wow.”
“No one told me. Almost thirty years of my life and no one told me the truth. Now I find out my real parents are dead. My mother is not mine. My father is not mine. Nothing is mine!” The knot inside her stomach increased.
Jackson moved his hands to rub at her shoulders. “It‘ll be okay.”
“No, it won't! What's worse is I don't think I care anymore!”
“Bailey—”
She backed away from him. “Please leave. I can't think with you here.”
“I'm not going anywhere.”
“I need you to leave, Jackson. I'm not ready for this. I don't even know who I am. Anyway, this thing between us probably won't last.”
He stood still for a moment. “What makes you think—”
“Music doesn't work in my family. It never has and never will!” Heat flushed through her body. “I guess that doesn't matter. They're not even my family.”
Jackson's features softened. “I can't imagine what you're going through.” He inched forward, closing the distance between them.
Why wouldn't he leave? She was too vulnerable. Why didn't he walk away? “Go, Jackson. Please.”