Layla For the four-hundred-thousandth time since we last spoke on the phone, I delete the draft of a text message and toss my phone away. I don’t have the guts to text Leif, not even after Emma tells me he stopped by last night. “He looked all panicked and disheveled,” she tells me, biting into her toast. “What did he say?” “He asked if you’d mentioned anything important.” She tilts her head, frowning. “What do you think that means?” I resist the urge to curl my hands over my stomach. He couldn’t... Leif doesn’t know about the baby... Does he? “I’m not sure, Em.” “Well, did you call him back?” “Nope.” She giggles. “He’s probably shitting his pants right now.” “Language, honey,” my grandmother says, swanning into the kitchen as she hums. Ever since we got the notice from the lawyers about Leif’s company backing off, my grandmother looks ten years younger. Leif did that for her. For me. Would he have done it if he knew about the baby? If he knew how much more complicated things will become? Sure, he’s already a dad, but he never mentioned wanting more kids. Plus, he might like me and all—or even say he loves me—but starting a family together is a whole other proposition. Starting a family. Oh, God. I am so not ready for this. I can hardly take care of myself and Emma, let alone a new baby. I close my eyes and try to stop myself from hyperventilating when I hear my sister shift. Her arms appear around my shoulders and I bury my head in her shoulder, squeezing her tight. “What’s wrong, Layla?” “I...” I shake my head. “Nothing. It’s fine.” My grandmother stares at me from across the kitchen, eyes narrowed. I turn to Emma. “How’d your assignment go?” As expected, Emma lets out a dramatic groan and flops down on her chair. “It was impossible.” I hide my grin. “So impossible you’ll probably get 100% on it?” Emma’s eyes twinkle. “I can’t help it if I’m an overachiever.” We settle back into familiar patterns and conversations, and I push aside all thoughts of Leif. If he wants to talk to me so badly, he’ll call today. If I’m not at work, I’ll answer— but I’m not going to go chasing after him. No way. Leif doesn’t call, as it turns out, and as I wipe down the last of the tables after the bar closes, I try not to let that sting. He doesn’t call for a whole week. Then another. The demolition of the buildings next door is progressing at a crazy-fast pace, and pretty soon the whole area is cleared.
Where a bunch of buildings existed before, a flat patch of dirt remains. Being a responsible pregnant woman, I’ve already been to the doctor once and have an appointment for four weeks from now, when I’ll be sixteen weeks along. Sixteen weeks out of forty. Nearly halfway. I’ll probably have a visible bump by then. I close my eyes, willing myself to calm down. It’s a beautiful spring day in early April now and I’m drinking a cup of herbal tea as I look at the lot next to my grandparents’ place. The sun rises behind me, warming my shoulder blades. So many things have changed in the past few months and so many more things will change in a few more. Buildings were razed and now nothing remains in their place but flat brown dirt. Maybe, by the time my baby arrives, there will be something new on this lot. There’s something poignant in that idea. A never-ending cycle of creation and e volution. Life charges forward, no matter how much I wish it would slow down and let me breathe once in a while. The purr of an engine makes me spin around in time to see a beautiful, expensive silver car pull up next to the curb. Elton doesn’t even have time to open his door before Leif is getting out, hauling a bunch of big, rolled-up papers out of the back seat. His eyes lift to meet mine, and I suddenly wish I were wearing something other than my pajama pants and an old hoodie. “Layla,” he says, and it sounds like sheer relief. “You’re here.” I nod. “Yeah,” is the only response I can manage. Leif doesn’t look like he just rolled out of bed. He looks tall and powerful and male, and despite everything that happened, all I want to do is crawl into his arms and ask him to make everything better. But... There’s still space between us. The looming memory of my anger, of his anger, the flat plot of land beside me as evidence of all that has happened to ke ep us apart. He stalks forward, pausing a few feet away in a jerky motion that makes me think he wanted to come straight to me and wrap his strong arms around my body. Instead of giving in to the urge to leap into his embrace, I take a sip of tea. “Have you figured out what you’re going to build here?” I nod to the empty lot. Leif sets down most of the rolls of paper and grabs one of them, unfurling it in a dramatic motion. He spins around, arms spread wide, to show me the plans. I gape. There are no fancy condos. No luxury building that will crowd every inch of space around my grandparents’ house. No big mansions that will drive up property values and gentrify the neighborhood. He’s building a park. The architect’s render includes massive green space with trees lining a winding path, benches and lighting and a children’s playground. But not just any children’s playground. There are rolling mounds of green grass surrounding swings, slides, a freaking small zipline, something that looks like a Ninja Warrior obstacle course... It’s basically the coolest, most badass playground I’ve ever seen in my life. And it’s going to be right beside my grandparents’ house.
My mouth dries up completely. I can’t stop staring at it, and it’s not until my cheek bumps into his arm that I realize I’ve moved closer. “Leif...” “It took a lot to convince the city of my plan. They need more housing, and I had promised them sixty-two apartments.” He gives me a wry grin, rolling up the image of the playground to grab another one from his pile. Leif unfurls it to show a new building—more modest than the plans I’d seen of the condos he was planning to build here. “I had my architects design something that provides the same number of apartments, although they’re quite a bit smaller. It took a lot of convincing, because these apartments are more geared toward young couples or people downsizing, instead of the wealthier, established demographics we were targeting with the condos here. But I had my team put together a r eport showing a gap in the market for affordable housing in this area.” I blink. He’s not plonking down luxury condos I’ll never be able to afford in the middle of my neighborhood. He’s thinking of young and old couples. A spiky ball lodges itself in my throat. “Where’s that going to be built?” “I bought your old apartment building,” he says, and a bit of redness swe eps over his cheekbones. “It was condemned anyway, so I got a good deal. I was driving by it when I got the idea.” A good deal. Right. As if people can just up and buy whole apartment buildings. “And the park?” I croak. “Well, when I told the city council I’d donate the land, they weren’t going to say no.” “Donate?” I blink, my breaths growing shallower by the minute. “Yeah.” He rolls up the plan and drops it next to the others, then combs his fingers through his hair, fusses with the lapels of his jacket, readjusts his collar. When his eyes lift up to mine, there’s something infinitely tender in his expression. Something that terrifies me with how badly I want it to be true. “You’re putting in a children’s playground next to my grandparents’ place,” I say, my voice nothing more than a hoarse whisper. Leif is quiet for a beat, his pulse thudding violently in his neck. “The night I called you, I had just gone to the Midtown apartment.” He gulps. “I... I found something in the trash can.” I suck in a breath, my hand moving to my stomach. Leif’s eyes track the movement, then flick up to mine. “Is it true, Layla?” I take a st ep back, but Leif just takes one forward. “Layla,” he says softly, reaching a hand toward me. “I’m ke eping it,” I say, jutting my chin out. “You can’t make me change my mind.” His eyes widen, hand still suspended between us. “And I’m not asking anything of you, okay? I know it’s probably throwing a wrench in your plans and whatever was happening between us is way too new, so I get it if you just want to back off. You can be part of the baby’s life, of course, but I’m going to fight for custody. I’m not like your ex, Leif. I’m not going to walk away from my baby.” His breath is coming short and fast, his eyes glued on mine. “I know you’re not.” “Good. So that’s settled.” “Nothing is settled, Layla.” There’s a bird trapped in my chest and it’s flapping its wings far, far too violently. “It’s not?”
“No, because you still think I’m going to back off.” He takes a st ep forward. When I try to retreat, the fence encircling the empty lot hits my shoulder blades. “You’re not?” I squeak. “If you think I just spent weeks negotiating for our child to have a playground next to his or her great-grandparents’ house and then I’m going to walk away from you, Layla, you need to get your head checked.” Our child. He said those words, they rolled right off his tongue like he liked the way they sounded. “You can’t be so romantic and so damn arrogant at the same time, Leif. It doesn’t work that way.” Leif’s lips kick up at the corners and he erases the distance between us. His warm, broad hand slides over my cheek and he tilts my head up so all I can do is stare into those fathomless eyes. “Listen to me, Layla. I’ll say this as many times as needed for you to understand. I love you. I love you so much I’m lost without you. This past month has been the hardest of my life, because you weren’t beside me. The only reason I survived was because I knew I was fighting for you. I knew I needed to show you that I’m serious.” His face inches closer, those sapphire eyes the only thing I can see. “You showed me that I was living a lie. I thought my life was perfect and orderly and set up in neat little boxes, but I was using that as an excuse to hide from the things that scared me. I was terrified when I realized I loved you. Scared shitless of the way you barreled into my life and made me see all the cracks in my walls. I wanted to fight it, but I couldn’t. Because you’re you, and you’re meant for me.” A shuddering breath leaves my lips, but I can’t find the words to r eply. “I love you so much I feel like I’m coming apart at the seams.” Leif’s other palm covers my hand, still resting against my belly. “And the thought of adding a new son or daughter to my family...” He closes his eyes and rests his forehead against mine. “Layla, I know I don’t deserve you or the baby—not with the way I’ve acted and the mistakes I’ve made—but I’m a selfish bastard, and I’m not going to let you run away from me. Not when you’ve got my heart stitched up inside your chest where it belongs.” “Oh, Leif.” Ceramic shatters against concrete as I drop my mug, my arms flying around Leif’s neck as I pull him in for a kiss. His mouth angles over mine, and the world rights itself. His arms are strong and warm and safe when they wrap around my waist, his chest is broad and strong and fits perfectly against mine. His mouth tastes like heaven, lips moving in sweet seduction as his words sink into my skin like raindrops. He loves me. He wants the baby. He’s building a playground for our child instead of a multi-million-dollar condo tower. A moan rattles his chest as he de epens the kiss, sliding his tongue over mine in a way that makes my head spin. His hands grip me tight and it feels so, so right to be in his arms. “If you weren’t pregnant already, I’d put a baby in you right now,” he growls, nipping my jaw, my neck. “I’ve missed you so much.” Oh, that shouldn’t turn me on as much as it does. “Me too,” I pant, clinging onto Leif’s shoulders—shoulders that can share all my burdens. “I’ve been miserable without you.”
He pulls back to look me in the eyes, smile widening. “I shouldn’t be happy to know you were miserable, but I kind of am.” “That’s the arrogant jerk in you making an appearance.” He laughs, then in one swift move, hauls me into his arms, bride-style. “Elton,” he barks. “Take a walk for a while.” “Sir.” Elton nods before turning down the street, whistling to himself with his hands in his pockets. My heart flutters as Leif rips open the back door of his car, shoves me inside, then comes to join me. Before I know what’s happening, Leif’s got my pajama pants off. There’s a center console in the back seat and Leif sits my bare ass down on top of it, spreads my knees wide, kneels in front of me, then runs his tongue over every inch of me. Leif moans like a man starved. Starved for me. I’m no better. I’m whimpering and moaning and writhing against his mouth. For once, I’m glad he has a fancy, expensive car, because there’s enough room back here for him to do this to me. He devours me until my vision goes dark and stars explode behind my eyes. Vaguely, I hear Leif grunt in approval. When I’m still loose-limbed from my trip to outer space, Leif tugs me down to one of the seats, pulls me to the edge, and shoves inside me in one hard thrust. I gasp, clawing at his shoulders, bringing him down to my lips. It feels better than the first time. Better than anything before, because now I know we belong together. “You’re mine, Layla,” he growls, breath hot against my neck. “Say it.” “I’m yours,” I pant, clinging onto him for dear life. He growls in response. “And you know I’m yours, don’t you?” “Yes,” I answer. “Yes, I know.” That seems to please him more than anything. We find ecstasy together in the back of his car and as I slowly float back down to earth, I realize that thin thread of hope has turned into a blazing light inside me. For the first time in my life, I know for sure that everything will be okay.
Epilogue Layla My last shift at the sports bar lasts an eternity, but I refuse to just quit. I’ve worked here long enough to know that I don’t want to leave my coworkers in the lurch. Plus, it feels like the end of something. A new beginning. I’ve been having a lot of those. Last week, Leif went with me to my first doctor’s appointment. Then, he persuaded me to let his lawyers look over the contract his mother had drafted. They negotiated for more control for me, as well as clear delineation of what Christine could and couldn’t dictate. Yesterday, I signed the contract. Reynolds Events is about to become official. As I carry a tray of drinks to a table in my section, I feel a prickling ghost over my skin. It doesn’t surprise me to see Leif in the doorway, his regal, powerful demeanor drawing everyone’s gaze. Then he looks at me, and he looks thunderstruck. Quickly, I dish the drinks out and slide my tray on a nearby table, just in time for Leif to wrap one arm around my waist, his other hand coming to rest on my cheek. “It’s you,” he rasps. “You’re the other splinter.” I frown. “What?” “Six years ago, I met a waitress at a club. I never learned her name because I was thrown out for punching the cre ep who groped her.” My heart thuds as my breaths grow shallow. Leif pulls me close, pressing my soft body against his hard one. His voice is harsh, ripped from his throat. “I went back every day for two weeks until I finally asked someone about you. They told me you didn’t work there anymore. Wouldn’t tell me your name or number or anything.” “You remembered me?” My voice sounds like it’s coming from somewhere far away. After everything, this is the thing that nearly breaks me. All the times I told myself to ke ep Leif at arm’s length because he’d forget about me... I was wrong. He didn’t forget. “Of course I fucking remembered you,” he says, his laugh sounding bitter. He closes his eyes and rests his forehead against mine. “That’s why you looked familiar. Because it was you all along.” Wrapping my arms around Leif’s neck, I tilt my chin until my lips touch his. Warmth glides through my body as everything settles into place. I was never forgotten or forgettable. I was Leif’s. “Let’s get out of here,” he says, pulling back enough to brush his thumb over my cheekbone. “I know you’re trying to be noble and work out the rest of your shift, but just come home with me, Layla.” “Just do it!” Kylie calls out. “It’s dead in here anyway.” Biting back my smile, I glance at the floor manager who’s watching me from his perch at the bar. He gives me a flat stare, then shrugs and waves me off. “Give me five minutes. I need to cash out.” But Leif just growls, and I feel a bubbly, effervescent laugh take over. Untying my apron, I shove it into Kylie’s hands. “Cash out for me and ke ep the tips. As a thank you for not hating me.”
She blinks three or four times, then grins. “Works for me.” Running to the back to grab my jacket and purse, I meet Leif outside and let him bundle me into his waiting car. We speed through the darkened streets, kissing and touching fervently until he pulls up outside the townhouse. Inside, Isla runs toward me with a squeal. “We made cake!” she tells me, tugging me toward the kitchen. “Emma said it was her favorite recipe. Come eat it with us!” My sister had to babysit tonight since Harriet needed a night off to take care of her husband. And it looks like she needed a study break, because the kitchen looks like it just went through a baking extravaganza. My sister grins at me from the kitchen as she loads up the dishwasher. Laughing, I let Isla lead me to a seat, glancing over my shoulder at Leif. His eyes are soft, his hand pressed against his chest. He mouths the words I love you, and I feel them all the way down to my toes. I love you too, I tell him, and he comes to stand behind me to steal the first bite of cake. He hums in appreciation as I try to bat his hand away from my slice, but then I feel both hands settle onto my shoulders. “Isla,” he says in a tone that makes me sit up. “Layla and I have news for you.” My heart thumps. We’ve talked about this, about telling Isla about the baby, but as Leif’s daughter twirls in the kitchen and comes to a stop in front of us, leaning her hands on the island counter that s eparates us, my heart suddenly starts to thud. What if Isla gets jealous? What if she likes me enough to let me hang out here, but she doesn’t want me to stay? What if more problems, more complications start to heap themselves on my plate and Leif decides it’s all too complicated? “What?” Isla says, licking a bit of frosting off the edge of the cake. “You know how you always said you wanted a sibling?” Leif starts. Isla freezes. She blinks at her father, then drops her eyes to meet mine. Leif clears his throat. “Well, you’re going to have one in a few months.” Isla is still for a beat. Two. Three. Then she vaults into the air, squealing, and comes sprinting around the counter to throw herself against her father’s legs. “Really? Reallyreallyreally? I’m going to be a big sister like Talia?” She looks at me as I spin around in my chair, her little hands coming to rest on my thighs. “The baby is in there?” She points at my stomach. Throat tight, all I can do is nod. Isla’s eyes grow bright, and she inches forward, lifting a hand. Her eyes flick to mine in question and I nod. Gently, she places her hand on my stomach. With Leif’s fingers curled around my shoulders and Isla’s acc eptance right there in her touch, I let out a long breath, meeting my sister’s gaze across the kitchen. I told her and my grandparents about the baby a couple of weeks ago, when Leif told me he was building a park beside their place.
But now, as my sister comes around to wrap me in a side hug, my heart does a funny kind of flip right there in my chest. The four of us hug each other, tears shining in everyone’s eyes. The future is bright. For the first time in my life, I’m not afraid of what will happen next. I’m excited. Leif kisses the top of my head, then lets out a long- suffering sigh that sounds suspiciously like the ones Isla makes. “The baby better be a boy. I’m starting to feel a bit outnumbered here.” Laughing through my tears, I give him a sideways glance. Isla just dances away. “I hope it’s a girl. Then Layla can teach me how to do fancy braids and I can braid my sister’s hair!” The doorbell rings and my grandparents walk in without waiting for anyone to answer—like this is their home as much as Leif’s. As much as mine. Heart so full it’s about to burst, I smile as they lift up trays of food and tell me they’re here to celebrate the end of my career as a waitress—and the start of my future as an event planner. I move into the townhouse. Emma moves into the Midtown penthouse to be closer to college. Everyone—including Leif’s parents, most weeks—meets at my grandparents’ house for a weekly family dinner. We all watch the progress of the playground, and I can’t help but feel insanely lucky that my child will get to play there and know his or her father created it. When the cold weather rolls around again, I pull out my almost-four-thousand-dollar jacket (which I didn’t have the heart to sell after the supply closet incident), put it on, and feel warm all the way down to my toes at the way Leif looks at me. It feels good to be taken care of. Leif changes the direction of his business slightly. Instead of focusing on luxury properties, he includes a chunk of more affordable housing as well. He tells me about his projects as he works on them, no longer ke eping business s eparate from other aspects of his life. Leif doesn’t get his wish, because on November 15, right on schedule, I give birth to a baby girl. By the way tears roll down his cheeks and he holds her like she’s the most precious thing in the world, I know he doesn’t mind that she’s not a boy. After the hubbub of birth and tests and cleaning, a day goes by, and I still feel high. I’m in the hospital room with Leif, Isla, Emma, my grandparents, and Baby Madeline, finally showered and feeling half-normal. Leif rocks the baby, looking down at her with stars in her eyes. “Isla will have a partner in crime now,” he says, voice rough. “I’ll never be able to control anything.” “Were you ever?” his mother quips from the doorway. She congratulates me, then hands me a stack of five business cards. “What’s this?” I ask, sitting up in bed, eyes drifting to my daughter every few seconds. “Five people who want to hire you for baby showers. They saw the pictures you posted of your own. All of them were at Isla’s birthday party and the anniversary party, too.” Throat dry, I look through the business cards, then up at Christine. “Really?” She smiles. “Mama, you’re going to be busier than you ever imagined possible this year.”
When I look at Leif, he shifts the baby into my arms, then places a kiss on my forehead. “You’re going to do great,” he says. I settle into the comfort of his words, hearing the truth in them. He believes in me, and all these people around me will be there to support me. I’m no longer lost in a turbulent ocean on my own. I’m not carrying my family on my shoulders. “I want to make it official,” Leif says, catching my eyes. “Make what official?” I ask, then squeak when he kneels beside the hospital bed. He pulls out a velvet box, opening it up to reveal a marquise-cut diamond flanked by two smaller diamonds on a white-gold band. His hands tremble slightly, and I realize that last time he was in a hospital room with a new baby daughter, he was going through a very different time. “Layla,” he says in front of our entire family, “I love you so much I can hardly think whenever you’re around. Make me the happiest man in Manhattan and tell me you’ll marry me.” Tears budding in my eyes, I can’t find my voice to tell him he’s as high-handed, arrogant, and bossy as ever. Instead, I just let the tears roll down my cheeks and nod. I can’t extend my hand toward him though, because I’m still holding our baby. He slips the ring on my finger right there beside the swaddled bundle of love, then leans over and lays a soft kiss on my lips. When he pulls back, I know this moment has soothed the last of the hurts on his soul. I’m not leaving him behind. I’m not walking away from him. We’re going to live this life together—forever at each other’s side. Exactly where we belong. Want to find out what happens when Layla finally gets her trip to Paris? Leif has a surprise in store for her when they get there... Tap here to get your exclusive bonus chapter! (http://www. lilianmonroe. com/subscribe) Marcus is a gorgeous, grumpy self-made billionaire. But how will this tech genius react when he hires the bubbly, sunshine-filled dog walker who breaks electronics by breathing on them? Get Book 3: Big, Bossy Problem HERE (mybook. to/Big Bossy Problem)