Finding Laila: Some Changes Are Necessary Part 38

"It was the d.a.m.ned OK Corral," he argues while opening the hatch of the SUV so we can grab our things. "It's sacred ground, dude."

We left the iconic OK Corral and those two proceeded to argue for the next two hours about how it went down and the history that has been pa.s.sed down since.

It was a jerk move, but the only way to shut them up was to talk about their ex-girlfriends, who happened to be texting me at that moment about being at a party together. What I didn't tell either of them is that Bailey and Ree were asking about the guys and missing the them. I love my guys-I do-but they've been too cavalier about the breakups, so I withheld the small detail about the girls.

"I'm going to get my own room," I tell the guys.

"We're good," Braxton answers, but Cole speaks up and contradicts him.

"If the woman wants a room all to herself, let her have the d.a.m.n room all to herself," he argues with exasperation. "h.e.l.l, go stay with her, I don't care, I just want to sleep on a d.a.m.n bed tonight."

Braxton punches his arm playfully and walks over to grab my heavy bag while I check in. The lobby is buzzing with people coming in and out, but I pay little attention to the traffic.

"Brax, wanna share a room with me this time?" I ask and he narrows his eyes at me.

"Laila, give it up," he smirks and grabs his bag to follow me. "I'm never going to be interested in you like that."

I laugh as we leave the other three standing behind us while we head up to our room, but they'll be in the adjoining room so we can share the large balcony. There are two beds and we toss our things of the floor before picking a bed to relax. His phone rings and he moves to the window for privacy, so I leave altogether to give him some s.p.a.ce, but end up in the lobby. Again.

I'm sitting here alone looking at the map on my phone. According to the GPS, Andie is less than fifteen minutes away if I walk; and I'm tempted to walk. I have so many questions that I didn't have at this time last year. My parents have answered as many as they can, but there are others that only Andie can answer.

I wish I were twenty-one so I could down some liquid courage, but I'm not, so I sip on a soda and eat my weight in chocolate. Sometimes it's as if Joey can read my mind because his text comes through mid-chocolate binge.

Joey: You okay?

Me: Yep.

Joey: Liar Me: I have her address Joey: Open your door Me: I'm in the lobby Joey: Be right down I tuck my phone into my pocket and wait for Joey to appear. When he finally steps off the elevator, I notice a couple of girls looking at him and openly flirting. He offers the nod he's perfected under Cole's tutelage and continues toward me. There's no mistaking the evil sneers I receive from the two disappointed girls who are stepping into the elevator.

"I'm surprised you didn't entertain that," I say when he's close enough.

"Entertain what?"

"Joey Parker the third, don't play dumb, it's insulting," I laugh. "You know those girls were checking you out. Own it."

"Yeah, I do look pretty d.a.m.n good today," he answers with a c.o.c.ky grin.

"And now we're going to dial it back a notch," I laugh.

"Why'd you call me down?"

"I didn't," I argue. "You texted me."

He sits on the chair next to me and leans back, pleased with himself. Joey has always enjoyed pus.h.i.+ng my b.u.t.tons, and I've given as good as I've received. He's been my very best friend since day one and I don't know what I'd do without him. Knowing that he's going to be so far from home physically hurts my heart, so I've done my best not to think about it.

"What's up?" he asks.

I pull out the address and hand it to him, waiting while he plugs the information into his phone. I'm sure he's receiving the same search results because not much has changed in ten minutes.

"Joey?"

"Yep?"

"I want to see where she lives."

"I'll tell the guys to get down here so we can check it out."

"Don't."

I stand up and he does the same, but looks confused by my lack of clarification.

"I don't want an audience. Public humiliation is so high school." I try to laugh, but it sounds as forced as it feels.

"It can't hurt to have them come with."

I start to walk through the revolving hotel door when I am stopped by the voices of Braxton, Cole, and Haden. I turn to face them and Joey laughs softly, and I know he told them what was up. Haden walks over to me and tries to look me in the eyes, but I avoid contact.

"If you don't want me there, I'll stay here," he whispers so only I can hear.

"It's not that, I'm just scared. What if she's a jerk? Or what if she doesn't want to see me?"

"I think it's safe to say that if she does either of those things, you'll need us there to have your back."

The hotel door spins once again and I step through as it leads me outside. It's getting late, but we still have sunlight and the temperature is far better than it is in Texas. Haden wraps his hand around mine and I appreciate the gesture immensely. The five of us walk the mile and half toward a street that looks to be lined with small cabana houses. Each house has a beachy charm to it, with the windows open as if the owners were from a different time. A safer time.

I look at the map application on my phone and note that we are only a few houses away from my destination. From my birth mom.

There's a small sports car in the driveway that looks almost vintage, but I'm sure it's more modern than it appears. I study the house and log it to my memory. White siding, rust-colored shutters, and Spanish-tiled roof mark the home of the woman I've never laid eyes on and only learned about recently.

"What am I supposed to say? 'Hi, Andie, could I interest you in a magazine subscription-or perhaps you'd be interested in a long-lost daughter that you gave up for adoption?'"

"You don't have to do anything right now," Cole advises. "There's no rush."

"He's right," Haden says, kissing my temple.

"I just want to see her," I say, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman from the pictures my parents showed me.

Joey places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes gently before turning around and walking off. One by one, the others follow until it's just me standing here alone. They don't go too far, but give me enough s.p.a.ce to make a decision for myself.

"I don't hate you," I whisper at the phantom mom I've yet to lay eyes on.

The guys are at the corner of the street when I begin walking toward them but stop when I hear a screen door slam closed. I turn at a painfully slow pace to see where the noise came from and see a woman who looks to be my height checking her mail. She is blissfully unaware of my presence so I take the opportunity to watch her from this distance to see if we have anything in common I can spot, but the only thing I notice is our hair color.

"Someone went outside, but I couldn't tell if it was her," I tell the guys when I catch up. "I'm an idiot."

"Why?"

"It may not even be her. Andie could have moved years ago and I'm the weird stalker who is thinking of showing up on someone's doorstep unannounced."

"Let's get something to eat and maybe we can figure something out," Braxton coaxes, and I finally give in after turning one last time to see the house where my birth mom, at some point, did live.

Chapter 33 ~ Finding Andie.

Our hotel is a little sketchy, but it overlooks the beach so I have no complaints. Sitting out here alone on the patio, I find myself getting lost in the rhythmic sound of the cras.h.i.+ng waves. The salty sea air touches my lips as the wind whips my hair out of my face. I glance through both screen doors and note that the guys are still sleeping so I stand up and walk out to the sand to enjoy the peace and solitude that the ocean brings.

It's early, so the beach is relatively empty except for the few people running along the waterline with headphones on. I wonder if they know how lucky they are to live in such a beautiful place. There's a spot that catches my eye so I take a seat on the sand and let my toes wiggle beneath to the soft, cool earth as I hug my knees to my body.

It's still early in Texas, but I pull out my phone to check in with Mom and Dad.

Me: You up?

Mom: I am. Having fun?

Me: Yeah. It's beautiful out here.

Mom: I bet. I guess you haven't seen her yet.

Me: Not yet. Nervous.

Mom: You'll be fine Me: R u ok?

Mom: I am now Me: I miss you Mom: I love you so much and I miss you too. Always.

She doesn't send anything else and neither do I. This is an almost perfect morning, and as much as I'd love to go for a run on the beach, there's no time. If I am going to see her, I need to do it before my nerve is gone. And the guys and I decided we wanted to check out the zoo later before we head back home, so I stand up and shake the sand from my clothes before walking back to the hotel room.

The screen doors are still open when I return to the room, and the guys are starting to wake up. I look over to see Haden with his arms propped behind his head, watching me. A smile plays on his lips when my eyes meet his and he motions for me to come to him.

"How long have you been up?"

He rolls to his side and faces me so I sit next to him where his body curves.

He moves a strand of hair from my face and yawns. "Not too long. I saw you sitting on the beach, but you looked like you wanted to be alone," he says.

"You should have joined me-could've used the company," I answer and lean down to kiss his cheek. "It's pretty out there."

"Maybe we can go for a run later, or just lay out," he suggests and my mood brightens.

"Everyone still up for the zoo?" I ask loudly for any that are up listening at the moment.

Braxton raises a limp arm before dropping to the pillow next to his head. Joey gets up from the bed and stretches, revealing his stomach as he steps outside to the patio. He looks back and gives me thumbs up, but Cole still hasn't responded.

"Cole," I wait to get his attention before continuing. "I need a favor."

"If it calls for me leaving this hotel, count me out," he says with his eyes shut as he fights the incoming light.

"Can I borrow your car?"

He sits upright and looks at me with wide eyes as if he didn't hear me correctly.

"Please?"

"Where are you going?"

"To Andie's house," I say her name as if she's an old friend.

"Just wait and I'll come with you," he breathes out at the same time as he reaches for his jeans from a pile on the floor.

"No, it's fine. I'd rather go alone," I tell him loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Braxton says now that he's fully awake.

"I love you, Brax, but I'll be fine. You know I will."

He watches me for any signs that I'm lying before giving me the Braxton Jameson smile he's always been known for. Everyone usually follows his lead, so his confidence in me is a plus.

"You shouldn't go alone," Cole snaps, looking to the guys for support.

The room is silent, leaving only the sounds of the tide and birds squawking outside to fill it. Cole bites the inside of his mouth and looks out the window, clearly annoyed that no one jumped on his bandwagon.

"Cole, I'm going to do this alone with or without your awesome car, I'd just prefer to do it with. I'm not asking for permission to go-because I am going."

"She'll be fine," Joey finally says from the patio and I smile knowing he believes I can handle whatever comes my way. Because I can.

"Yeah, Lai's got this," Haden adds, and turns to me. "Make sure you have your phone in case you need us."

"Cole?" I say his name in an attempt to get him to look at me.

"Yeah, take it," he says as he hands the keys to me but doesn't let go. "We'll be at the beach when you get back."

"Thank you, you're the best," I say when I finally take the keys. "Behave," I warn before I rush off to get changed.

White shorts and a denim s.h.i.+rt are what I brought with me, which is nicer than I usually dress in the summer. I wash my face and apply a natural layer of makeup so I don't look like I'm trying too hard, but there's no doubt I am. I want her to like me. I finish the look with a pair of brown hoop earrings and pull my hair into a loose ponytail.

This is it.

I step out of the small bathroom but the guys are gone-all but Haden. I look around and he points out to the beach.

"You look hot," he says and gives me a kiss. "I wanted to tell you I love you and no matter what happens, you're going to be fine."

"I know," I smile confidently. "Thanks for sticking around."