"But you have talent."

"I'm sure you do as well."

I thought about it for a moment, and while I didn't want to accept the challenge, I did very much want for him to write me a song. "Okay, you're on. Get ready for a reggae masterpiece."

"Reggae, huh?"

"I am from Miami."

"No, you're from the South. I was expecting some country. A little something about me, your pickup truck, and your dog."

"That's messed up, Zane. All country songs are not about pickup trucks."

"Sorry, should I clarify it's a Ford?"

"Idiot." I swatted him in the arm. "I do like country. I just really like reggae as well."

"Like Bob Marley, mon." Zane spoke in a Jamaican accent and I burst out laughing.

"Don't ever do that again," I chortled. "Is Bob the only reggae artist you know?"

"No, I know his son, Ziggy, as well." Zane bent down and kissed me on the lips. "Okay, you do your reggae song and I'll do my creation."

"Please no heavy metal."

"Wait, you don't want me to scream about how I want to love and kill you? Lucckkkkkyyy, I want you to knoooowwww, that I love you sooooo. Don't ever goooooo," he started shouting in a rock voice and I covered my ears.

"Please, no."

"Come on." He pulled me up. "Let's go home and shower."

"I called Leo, he's going to come over tomorrow and pick you up for dinner." Zane looked up as I stepped out of the bathroom in shorts and a t-shirt.

"Okay."

"Thanks for doing this, Lucky."

"I don't even know why this is needed."

"I don't know what Braydon and his lot are capable of. I don't want to risk anything." His voice rose and I groaned.

"Okay, okay. I don't want to get into it again." I rolled my eyes and Zane sighed.

"I don't think you understand the seriousness of the situation, Lucky. These guys aren't going to care if they have to hurt you." He grabbed my face. "Please do not do anything stupid."

I shook him off of me, feeling annoyed again. "I'm not a little kid. I don't want to have to keep telling you that, Zane. Sometimes you can be so annoying."

"I'm just trying to be your protector."

"I don't need a protector." My voice rose.

"You're right; we don't need to go into this again." He turned away from me. "I'm going into my office to do some work. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Yes." I nodded, annoyed at him. "I'll start making some notes for the doc.u.mentary." And looking up your mom online.

"That's good. I'm glad it's something you love." He smiled at me sweetly and came over and gave me a kiss on the head. "Be good, and I'll be in the study if you need to talk."

"Yes, papa," I whispered under my breath as I rolled my eyes at his retreating back.

"What was that?" He turned to look at me with a frown.

"Nothing, sir." I stood to attention and saluted him. "Nothing at all."

Zane shook his head at me and walked out through the door. I flopped down on the bed and checked my phone. I had another message from Leeza and I decided to call her.

"Lucky!" she answered on the first ring.

"Hey." My voice was hesitant and not super friendly as I was still upset at her from the previous call.

"Evan and I broke up," she sighed. "He's an a.s.shole."

"I didn't even know you guys were dating." I shook my head and my words were angry.

"Well, we weren't dating dating. We just hung out a few times and had s.e.x."

"You slept with him?"

"He was hot."

"You didn't even know him."

"I don't have your rules, Lucky. Anyway, did you ask Zane if I can come to Los Angeles?" I could hear her pout over the phone.

"I thought you said he was creepy."

"Oh, I just said that. Evan made me think that, but maybe he's just sweet. And not a stalker." She paused. "Sorry."

"It's okay," I sighed. "And you can come to L.A. whenever."

"This weekend?" she asked hopefully.

"I guess." I wasn't really too anxious to see Leeza.

"What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? You can't afford that."

"I got a ticket already." Her voice was low.

"Why? You didn't even know if it was going to be okay."

"Well, Evan and I were going to take a trip, and ..."

"And you broke up, so now you want to come and visit me instead?"

"Yeah." Her voice was low. "Don't be mad at me, Lucky, please," she pleaded. "I miss you. I want to see you and make sure you're okay. You just left Miami so quickly, and I know you don't really know Zane that well."

"You can come," I groaned.

"Thank you, Lucky," she squealed. "I'm so excited. I've never been to California before. Can we go to Beverly Hills tomorrow?"

"I already have dinner plans for tomorrow." I frowned. "I guess you'll have to come."

"Oh, I don't want to interrupt your dinner date with Zane."

"I'm actually having dinner with a different guy." I paused to think if I should fill Leeza in on all the drama.

"Oh me, oh my. Are you guys swingers, Lucky?" Leeza's voice sounded shocked. "I blame myself, like, I knew this would happen. It always does. You had no s.e.x, for like, what two years?"

"A year."

"And now you've gone crazy. That's why I just let myself indulge when I feel like it."

"Yeah, that's why." My voice was sarcastic. "Anyway, I have to go. I'm getting another call. Email me your flight info and I'll see if we can pick you up." I didn't wait for her to reply, and clicked over to the other line. "h.e.l.lo?" I asked slowly and cautiously, praying to G.o.d that I wasn't about to hear Braydon's voice on the line.

"Lucky?" Sidney Johnson's warm voice filled the airwaves and I smiled.

"Yes, hi, Sidney. How's it going?"

"Good, good. Betty just made me some pound cake and tea. I think she's trying to fatten me up." He laughed into the phone.

"That must be nice."

"So, I was just thinking about our conversation the other day," Sidney continued and I heard Betty mumbling something in the background. "Well, I told Betty and she told me to give you some information."

"Oh?"

"I told her it wasn't our place to get involved, but she said she thinks Noah would have approved, had he been here." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, when we saw Noah for the last time, he gave me some files, and well, me and Betty never really went through them before. But today, we had a look and, well, there's some information on his mom."

"On Noah and Zane's mom?" My jaw dropped and I lowered my voice. "You mean he found her?"

"Well, it looks like he did." Sidney's voice was worried. "I don't really know, but there's a number and an address. I don't know if they are good. But yeah, Betty thought I should give you the information. Save you some time, if you were going to look for Zane's mom."

"Oh, Sidney, that would be great," I gushed with my heart beating fast. "Let me get a pen and paper so I can write the information down."

"So there's one thing," Sidney continued. "The address and number, well they're in Paris. Paris, France."

"Oh." My heart dropped momentarily. There went my images of a happy family reunion and a trip to Disney.

"But we figured you could still call her."

"Yes, yes. I'll call her." I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote the number and address down. "Sidney, thank you so much. You don't know just how much this means to me."

"I just hope it will help." His voice sounded unsure. "I don't like to be a busybody, or in anyone's business. I know most old people get a bad name for that."

"It's okay, Sidney. It's more than okay. Thank you."

"Don't go gushing, girl," he sighed. "And don't go getting your hopes up. It may lead to nothing."

"But it may lead to something." There was a wistful tone in my voice. If Zane was able to reconnect with his mother, if he was able to understand why she left, then he may be able to fully let go of that pain and rejection. He may be able to love me without being so worried all the time. It was something that could possibly make our relationship a whole lot better.

"Well, just let me know." He paused and I heard Betty talking to him. "Oh yeah, Betty told me to tell you that we're going to Chicago next week to visit family, so we won't be available for the next few weeks. But feel free to call our cellular phone if you need to talk. It's not connected to a wire so we can talk from anywhere."

"Awesome." I tried not to laugh.

"Technology, I tell ya," he chortled. "Well, my dear, I better go before Betty takes offense that I'm not eating her cake."

"Enjoy, Sidney, and have a good time in Chicago. I'll see you when you get back."

"We better see you, girl, Betty's already planning the outfit she wants to wear to the Oscars."

"Ha ha. You two are too funny." I hung up with a smile and looked down at the paper in my hands, my stomach churning with nerves. I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to call the number, but I didn't want Zane to be upset with me or to think I was meddling. Without knowing what I was doing, I felt myself pushing in all the numbers and waiting for the phone to ring with my heart in my mouth.

"Bonjour," a man's deep voice answered, and my breath caught.

"Ah, Bonjour. Is Mrs. Beaumont there?" I cursed inwardly at the fact that I didn't know her first name.

"Allo?" the man continued.

"Is Mrs. Beaumont there?"

"No English." I heard him put the phone down and I waited impatiently, hoping that this wasn't going to be a lost cause.

"Bonjour," a woman's voice spoke and my heart skipped a beat at the slight hint of an American accent I heard.

"Mrs. Beaumont?" I asked softly, praying that I had the right number. The phone line went silent and I could hear music playing in the background.

"Sorry, who is this?" her voice sounded strained.

"I'm a friend of your son Zane," I continued quickly. "Is this Mrs. Beaumont?"

"No, no. Sorry. I think you have the wrong number."

"Wait, please," I pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you." The voice paused and I heard a voice in the background whispering something.