SEQUEL TO EXPECTATIONS!
It is highly recommended to read the first book before starting this one.
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It's a funny thing, expectation versus reality. Expectation lives somewhere on the border of your biggest dreams or your worst nightmares...
Buckle your seat belts, kids! If you enjoy this chapter please don't forget to vote and drop some comments to let me know what you think! :)
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Finishing up lunch out on the patio, I notice Alex's demeanor change suddenly. Sensing something wrong, I look over my shoulder to where his gaze is set on a man across the street with a camera taking pictures of us.
I instantly go into panic mode. Abruptly standing up from the table, I take Hallie out of her booster seat and scoop her up into my arms. "Hallie, we have to go, sweetie," I say, trying to keep my voice as even as possible to not scare her.
With her face buried into my neck, I keep one hand at the base of her head to shield her while my other arm secures her to my hip. I briskly walk away from the deli and down the sidewalk back towards the studio.
"Auntie Joslyn, what's going on?" Hallie asks, trying to pull her face away from my neck but I keep my hand firm on the back of her head.
"Nothing, baby. We just have to get back to the studio," I say gently, picking up my pace while making sure I don't stumble over my own two feet with her in my arms.
"Joslyn." Alex runs up behind me, the front half of him plastered to my back as we speed walk down the sidewalk. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
He keeps close, shielding me and Hallie from the man with the camera that's following us on the opposite side of the street. While I appreciate his help, I feel like he's only attracting more attention to us. Regardless, I keep my feet moving, my destination the safety of the studio, and Alex keeps right in step with me.
The couple of blocks to the studio feel like miles, my mind swirling and my senses on high alert. When we reach the back door Alex flings it open and we go scrambling inside, finding the nearest empty room.
I set Hallie down on the wood floor, pulling her sunglasses from her eyes.
"Auntie Joslyn?" She looks up at me with her big blue questioning eyes.
"It's ok, baby," I reassure her again, kneeling down and sliding my own sunglasses up to rest on top of my head. I smooth out her hair and grab her tiny backpack, pulling out her crayons and coloring book. "Here." I offer them to her and she breaks out into a smile, all forgotten as she excitedly takes them from my hands and gets to coloring.
I stand up and place my hands on my hips, starting to restlessly pace.
"Joslyn, I'm sorry. I didn't know," Alex reiterates, slight distress in his voice.
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. Damn it. Zack is going to kill me.
From the start, Zack never wanted Hallie to be exposed to the world. While they weren't the biggest band at the time she was born, they were quickly taking off and Zack set strict boundaries early on. He's already so protective of his friends and family, that instinct is only tenfold when it comes to his own daughter. He even forbid Hannah from posting her on her public social media accounts.
