“I’d love that.”
When Mitch takes his call, I reach for Laiyla’s hand, and she doesn’t pull away as we stroll the street. “There are five models here: Lakeview, Haven, Sycamore, Cascade, and Summit.” I gesture to the homes looking over the lake. “These are Lakeview models, our most expensive, and they’re all sold.”
“Wow.” The awe in her voice makes me look at her, and her expression is just as amazed, which makes me feel great. “Can we go in?”
“Sure.” I lead her toward the front door of one house that’s nearly done. “There are one hundred and fifty homes in this phase.
“That’s big.” She scans the curved stairway in the entry and high ceilings, then strolls through the pimped-out kitchen, her hand sliding across the quartz counters. When she walks into the open living area, she pulls in a sharp breath. Windows cover the walls facing the lake with views of the mountains beyond. It is truly breathtaking.
“Oh. My. God. This is stunning.”
She wanders through the rooms, recognizing all the details I so painstakingly dwell over, and her validation soothes my rough edges over our… Is what we have a relationship? Are we dating? Are we committed? Are we just trying things out? I hate not knowing exactly where I stand with her, and I’m fully aware that’s mostly because I don’t want it to end. That I’d feel safer if we gave it a label. It may be immature, but my heart is stressed over the possibility of losing her again.
I follow as she moves from room to room, then house to house, watching her marvel over details and look out at the views. All while I’m watching her. Soaking in the long, smooth legs stretching beneath cutoff shorts, the shape of her ass, the swell of her breasts in the V of her fitted tank, the flash of flat belly beneath the hem.
I think of other women I’ve dated, arguably just as beautiful as Laiyla. Many just as smart as Laiyla with good hearts, great senses of humor, strong sex drives, a desire for family. I don’t know why they didn’t stick. All I know is that I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about her.
In one of the Sycamore models, Laiyla sits in a window seat and looks out at the view of the mountains. “I’m so…” She turns her gaze on me. “Impressed by everything you’ve done with your life. I’d say proud, but I feel like I lost the privilege of being proud of your work when I walked away.”
I sit on the ledge with her and take her hand, twining our fingers together. “It still means a lot to me.” When she continues to stare at me, I smile self-consciously. “What?”
She shakes her head and tightens her hand in mine. “I just… I don’t know what I was thinking to just walk away. You were everything to me back then. I know it probably doesn’t seem like it, but you really were.
“I hate that I let my parents control me, though, at the time, they still paid all my bills, paid for college. I wasn’t exactly independent. But I’m thirty, and I’m still having a hard time dealing with them. They keep calling, and I’ve stopped answering. I’ve explained what I want here and why I want it, but they don’t hear me because it’s not aligning with their grand vision for me. All they hear is disobedience. All they see is foolishness. And it’s hard, because while I may be a grown adult who has proven over and over that I’m capable and intelligent and driven, it’s never enough for them. I’m expected to obey and excel and shine, and, to be honest, it’s exhausting.”
She sighs, and her expression of discontent haunts me. This is a very similar conversation to the one we had before she left for Paris. Then, she used more teenager-type language—they don’t understand me, they don’t care what I want, I have to do everything they say—but the heaviness she carried in her attempts to please them is still coming through loud and clear
. And I can’t help but wonder if I’m going to lose in this tug-of-war. Again.
“They don’t want me here,” she says. “They hate the fact that I want to renovate the marina, and they’re pissed I quit.” She meets my eyes with turmoil in her own. “It’s just, they’re all I have, you know? Now that Grandpa’s gone, my mom and dad are my whole family. You have your sisters and your sisters’ husbands and their kids and your parents and your grandparents and even this town. I’d be alone without my parents. And, sure, we have our issues, but they’re still my parents, and I love them.”
My heart sinks. The problems that stole her away the first time are still alive and well now.
“Maybe if they came up, we could change their minds,” I say. “I could meet them, show them what I’m working on—”
My cell buzzes with a message from Brianne. “Lucy has bunko tonight, so we’re meeting at Wildfire Brewery for dinner. See you at six.”
“Ah shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
I pocket my phone. “I forgot it’s Sunday.”
She shakes her head before realization dawns. “Right, your family. No problem, we can always do dinner another night.”
I tighten my hand on hers. “Come with me. Bri and my parents would love to see you.”
She gives me that uneasy I-don’t-know look. “Bri told me Lucy’s still pissed—”
“She’s not going to be there. She’s got bunko. Dinner was supposed to be at her house this week, but she can’t make it. We’re meeting at the brewery. Give it a shot, Ladybug. You might be surprised at how easily you could have a second family here.”
17
Laiyla
I’m wringing my hands as we pull up to Wildfire Brewery. KT, Chloe, and I have eaten here a couple of times over the last few weeks. It’s new and upscale and huge as far as restaurants go. Taking up a large portion of the industrial complex, Wildfire brews on site and has an expansive tasting room and store.
“Hey.” Levi draws my attention, and his smile helps me relax a little. He releases his seat belt and leans over to kiss me. “It’s going to be fine.”