The Summer I Met You

CHAPTER 40

It's been a few days since the premier. I spent two hours attempting to pull myself together that night. I knew that I had to be presentable for the Q&A. As much as I didn't want to be there, I wanted to do it for my fans. Rachael found me in dad's office, and everything that happened spilled out of me. I'm grateful that she sat between Chase and me. It still wasn't ideal, but it helped.

Both Maya and Dan have made it a point to check on me too. I'm not sure why since they are truly Max's friends, but the gesture hasn't gone unnoticed and I'm thankful for their support. Alexa has been amazing and spent two nights sleeping over to keep my mind off Max and mom. Amid the chaos, dad fired mom for good. She threatened to sue him, but when Walker stepped in, she realized she had no case and baked out.

I've attempted to type many messages to Max and VGMaster. I wanted to apologize to VGMaster for not being able to meet up. Mostly though, I just want to explain myself to Max. It looked bad from his point of view. The look on Max's face will always haunt me forever.

My thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Dad steps inside and shuts the door gently behind him. His forehead wrinkles with worry lines. I've spent my days mostly in bed, but I've also helped with Elli a bit. Dad and Walker had to work for a few hours the past two days, and I spent them taking care of Elli. It was a lot easier than watching him at the park. That little boy has been the best therapy for me. His kind little soul lights up my world. Only, it's moments like these when he's napping or with a therapist that I'm back to being stuck in my own head with nowhere to run.

Dad sits beside me on the bed, putting his feet up and relaxing. His shoulder bumps into mine and he grins.

"Let's talk."

He's being serious, but I laugh anyway from his silly approach.

"Sorry." I smile.

"It's okay, it's nice to see you smile."

"So, what's up?"

"How would you feel if Walker was your manager?" he asks. "He's got a knack for the business. He knows a lot about it and has plenty of friends who can guide him."

"I don't want you to have to uproot your lives, and what about Walker's job now?" I ask.

Dad shakes his head. "He won't have to quit. He'd just be putting some extra hours into his day to help you."

"Won't that be too much?"

"He wants to do it for you."

I think about all the amazing things that I could accomplish in my career with Walker by my side. He was the one who encouraged me to audition in the first place. I had wanted to, but I had a ton of anxiety and nerves, but he convinced me that I could do it. I have no doubt that he will push me to do things that would better my skills rather than rake in money.

"What's wrong Lennox?"

"Sorry, I was in my own head." I give a half smile. "I think it's a wonderful idea, but will it work out if I end up back in LA or something?"

"If that happens, we'll work something out."

"I don't want you guys to uproot your lives for me."

Dad shakes his head. "Lennox I'd go to the ends of the earth to make you happy if I could. We both love you and know that you are passionate about the art rather than the money. You are not the same scared little girl who got on that plane all those years ago."

Dad's right, I'm no not her, but I'm also not the girl I was in LA, and I'm not the same person I was when I landed in New York in June. I haven't changed because I'm still Lennox Taylor, but I've grown. I want to beat myself up over everything that's happened, between the Chase drama, the issues with my mom, and now my breakup with Max. All of those things hurt but sitting here dwelling on them is not going to fix any of it.

"As much as I hated the way you spoke to your mother, I'm so proud of you for standing up for yourself. She was in the wrong, and I'm sorry it took this long for us to see the real problem. You are going to make terrible choices in your life Lennox, we all do. It's what you do with the consequences that help you grow.".

I nod. "I know that now."

"I love you," I say, my voice breaking a little.

"I love you too."

"Hello?" Walker calls out as he opens the door just enough for his head to peek through.

"Did she say yes? Please tell me she said yes," he teases.

"I said yes," I say, ripping the covers from me.

Walker steps into the room as I barrel into him, and he wraps me into his arms.

"Thank you, both of you."

Dad stands from the bed and joins us in our hug, as Elli comes crashing into the room.

"Hug!"

Elli's little arms wrap around Walkers as best they can. All three of us laugh as Elli attempts to squeeze us all.

"This is such a Fuller House moment."

"Honey, Fuller House moments will never top the originals."

***

An hour later I decide to let my fans know why I've dropped off the face of the earth this week. There have been so many comments on my page, both good and bad. Some of my fans are rallying for bringing Andi back. There's even a #SaveAndi campaign running on Twitter and Instagram. I'm thankful for all my fans who support me, and I want to let them know where I'm heading next. When I was asked that question during the interview at the premier, I couldn't answer them, but now I can. I also need to reach out to Max and I've got a plan, I just hope it works.