Page 55

Because that much had been made clear.

I obliterated Liam.

Obviously, I’d known that rejecting his proposal was going to be difficult for him to take, but I hadn’t anticipated there being such a tremendous response to seeing me all these years later.

Maybe that was naïve.

Maybe I should have expected that much.

But somewhere deep inside, I truly believed he would have moved on and all but forgotten I’d existed.

Perhaps that was what I was telling myself to ease the guilt and lessen the burden on my shoulders for what I’d done to such a good man.

“Layla?”

I blinked my eyes and shook my head, as though needing to physically remove the thoughts from my mind.

Turning my attention to my mother again, I noticed the nurse had left.

Had I been that caught up in what was going on inside my head that I hadn’t even realized a human had walked out of the room?

“Sorry. I was distracted.”

“I’ve noticed.”

I sat up taller as my head tipped to the side. “What?”

For a few beats, my mom simply stared at me without saying a word. The expression on her face was enough for me to know that I was about to endure a healthy dose of questioning that would likely be mixed with the advice that only a loving mother could give.

“I saw it yesterday, but I thought it was possible you were just dealing with the all the recent changes,” she finally shared. “Now, I know that’s not it. You’re my daughter, Layla. I know you, and I know something’s wrong.”

Evidently, I hadn’t been doing such a good job of hiding the distress. I should have known that if anyonewas going to see right through me, it would be the woman who raised me.

Even though I wanted her focused solely on her physical well-being and recovery, I wasn’t going to lie to my mom. Plus, I figured it could help for her to have something that might distract her from what she was facing with her injuries.

I licked my lips. “I saw Jules.”

“Jules? You mean?—”

“Liam’s sister,” I confirmed, although there wasn’t another Jules that my mom knew.

“When did this happen?”

“Two days ago. It was the first day I went to the store. She happened to be in the area, and she saw me as I was heading inside,” I revealed.

Nodding slowly, allowing the details to register, my mom didn’t take her eyes off me. “How did it go?”

I shrugged. “It was okay. Awkward, I guess. But Jules was as sweet as ever. She didn’t expect to see me here, so it’s safe to say she was curious about what was going on. I told her about your accident. And I’m sorry, I should have told you about it sooner, because she wanted me to extend well wishes and a speedy recovery to you.”

Though I shouldn’t have imagined any differently, my mom wasn’t upset. If anything, she was contemplative as she took me in, her warm eyes roaming over me carefully. A small smile formed on her face. “I always liked Jules.”

I had, too.

Jules and I had become great friends when Liam andI were together. Though it didn’t compare to the way I felt about him, I couldn’t say I didn’t miss her, too.

I offered a slight smile in return. “You can’t believe how much she’s changed. She’s still Jules, still as gorgeous and sweet as ever, but she’s all grown up now. And she’s got her very own bakery, too.”

A bit of longing flashed in my mother’s expression. It was difficult not to feel just a twinge of guilt over what I’d taken, not just from Liam and his family, but from my mom as well.