Page 11 of Rejected Heart (The Westwoods #5)

LAYLA

THREE MONTHS LATER

“Earth to Layla.”

I blinked my eyes and shook my head, bringing myself back to reality. Turning my attention to my mom, I apologized. “I’m sorry.”

Her face lit up with a smile. “Don’t be.”

"I’m supposed to be working,” I reasoned as I returned to sorting through the new merchandise that needed to be put out on the floor.

She nodded. “Yes, you should be. But it’s clear you’re sidetracked.”

There wasn’t a hint of frustration or anger in my mom’s voice. “Why aren’t you the least bit irritated with me?”

My mom tossed her hand out to the side in a dismissive wave, the smile on her face still plain as day and having grown in the last few seconds. “Why would I be? I remember what it was like.”

Intrigued, I tipped my head to the side. “You remember what it was like? What do you mean?”

She moved toward me and placed her hand on the side of my face. Something washed over her expression, but I wasn’t quite sure it was a look I’d ever seen before. “I remember that feeling.”

“That… feeling?”

“The one that consumes you when you’re in love.

” Her hand fell away from my face, and she took two or three steps back toward the table with the folded garments.

After picking up a shirt that needed to be refolded, she revealed, “Nearly every waking moment is spent thinking about that other person. And when you aren’t with them, it’s worse. ”

I should have known she’d be able to take one look at me and know I was daydreaming about Liam. It was just a couple of months shy of two years since we’d taken that field trip together, and I was still so caught up in him and how he made me feel.

That it was now summer didn’t mean we didn’t get to see one another every day. We did. But Liam worked during the day at the amusement park, so I tried to find ways to occupy myself, mostly spending my mornings and afternoons with my mom at the consignment shop.

“So, I’m not crazy?” I asked her.

Laughter spilled out of her. “Not at all. I was the exact same way with your father. He was always on my mind. If anything, summertime felt more challenging for me. I had nothing to distract me. No homework to complete or upcoming tests to study for. The long summer days dragged on. All I wanted was to spend time with him, but he would be at work. And since he worked for a landscaping company, his days started early and ended late.”

Sometimes, it still blew my mind how open my mom was about sharing with me the details of her relationship with my dad.

It was clear how much she loved him, but that didn’t negate him breaking her heart.

How it was possible for her to have such a sense of peace whenever she spoke about him was a mystery to me.

“It’s the same with Liam. He works so hard.”

“I know he does.”

“Was it… Did you ever feel bad?”

“In what way?”

Obviously, I’d been feeling undeniably consumed by Liam, never managing to go more than an hour without thinking about him.

But part of me felt a bit selfish. “I know I come here and help you out during the week, but it’s nowhere near the level of physical labor that Liam does.

He works like that out in the sun and heat all day, and he still manages to make time for me every night.

I love it. I just hate seeing how exhausted he is. Was it like that with you and dad?”

“Exactly like that. I had a summer job babysitting for one of our neighbors. The mom only worked part-time hours, so I spent my mornings playing with these two little kids. Their mom was home by lunchtime, which meant I had all afternoon to do whatever I wanted. Your dad never had that, but he didn’t let that stop him from driving by to pick me up, so we could spend a few hours together.

I always felt like I was counting down the minutes until he’d show up on my doorstep.

When he proposed so young, I remember feeling like it was the best day of my life, because I’d be able to wake up and go to bed beside him every single day. ”

Looking at my mom and listening while she shared these stories with me, especially recently, felt like looking in a mirror. She’d always been open about their relationship over the years, but I hadn’t ever been able to relate to it on the level that I could now that I had Liam.

And it was like we were the same. Sure, I enjoyed spending time with her as we worked together in the store, but I was addicted to gazing at the clock. And with each hour that passed, I grew more and more excited about seeing Liam.

Knowing the type of love my parents had, it warmed my heart to see the similarities. But in the same breath, it terrified me.

Was it possible that Liam and I could wind up just like my parents?

TEN MONTHS LATER

“Only one year left.”

There was so much relief and excitement in Liam’s tone.

While I never wanted him to feel anything but happy, I could admit to myself that I found it a struggle to be optimistic about something like this.

We’d just finished our last day of school for our junior year, and in true Liam fashion, he’d taken charge and decided we’d celebrate by lounging by the pool at his parents’ place.

We were the only ones here, since his parents, brothers, and Ivy were all working at Westwood’s—Ivy and Tate finished their spring semesters at college two weeks ago—and Jules had gone to a friend’s house after school.

Liam was right. We had only one year left.

But where it brought him such a sense of peace, I felt like I was waging a war inside. “It’s still so terrifying to me,” I confessed.

“That we only have one year to go?” he questioned me.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Rolling my head along the lounger and in his direction, I pushed my sunglasses back into my hair. I thought it was important for Liam to see my whole face as I shared my fears with him. “I’m still so uncertain.”

Concern washed over him, and it didn’t surprise me that he sat up and swung his legs over the side of his seat to face me. With his hands clasped in front of him as his elbows rested on his thighs, he leaned forward and asked, “What do you mean?”

I sighed. “I don’t know what I want to do with myself, Liam. I feel so lost, like I’ve got no direction. There’s not even a hint of anything that’s remotely interesting.”

Tension eased out of his frame. “You shouldn’t be upset about that.”

He’d been so concerned, and the moment he learned why I was feeling stressed, that concern seemed to have vanished.

Why? Didn’t he want to see me succeed?

“You don’t think I have any reason to feel upset?”

Liam stood slightly and scooted his lounger closer, so that he had to slide his feet underneath mine to close that distance between us.

He placed his hand on my bare thigh and squeezed, his touch offering some comfort.

“I understand you’re frustrated. I just hate seeing you upset about anything.

You’ll figure it out, Layla. You still have time. ”

“And I feel like you said that same thing to me a year ago, and I’m no closer now than I was then to figuring it out.”

“You will. A lot of people don’t know what they want to do at this point in their lives. And if you don’t figure it out immediately, it’s okay. You’ll still be fine. We’ll be fine.”

His hand moved along my thigh, but there was nothing sexual about it. Liam seemed to always want to offer me reassurance whenever I was feeling upset or frustrated. He excelled at it. Maybe that was what made this so difficult for me.

Liam loved me. There was no question about that.

But my dad had loved my mom, too.

“I want to work.” His brows pulled together.

“I’m not just talking about having a job at the consignment shop.

I want a real career. I want to be able to treat you to dinner from time to time.

I want to know that I can one day splurge on a tremendous birthday or Christmas gift for you, or take us both on some spectacular vacation. ”

He squeezed my leg. “I don’t need any crazy gifts, Layla. I’m happy just having you. And we’ll take vacations together. I promise I’ll make that happen.”

I didn’t doubt him for one second.

The problem was that he didn’t seem to understand the issue I had with it.

It appeared that my lack of direction in my life wasn’t anywhere close to being as big a problem for him as it was for me. He’d be content to take care of me, of us.

Maybe that should have left me feeling thrilled. I could admit I was tremendously lucky to have Liam love me like he did.

But I wanted more. I needed more. For myself. To prove that I was capable and worthy and deserving of not only his love but also success.

“I’m still not sure Landing is the land of opportunity,” I mumbled. “If only we lived somewhere with more options.”

He chuckled, swung his legs up onto the lounger again, and reached for my hand. “You said that before, and it’s just like I said then. Everything we could ever need is here, Layla. I promise it’s going to be fine.”

What could I do or say in response to that?

Liam was so sure, so convinced, that everything was going to work out the way it should. I just couldn’t see how that was possible when I felt so discouraged about my future.

I guess I couldn’t blame him. It’s not like he had to look at his mom every day and know that she’d lost the man who promised to love her forever.

He couldn’t understand the desperation I felt to give myself something better, something my dad hadn’t given us.

And it was that which worried me the most.

Because Liam truly believed everything we could need was here. Would he even support me leaving for a short time to find what I needed?

Despite my frustration, Liam’s mood didn’t shift. He got up from the chair and grinned at me. “Come on. We should be celebrating today.”

“I thought we were relaxing by the pool.”

He arched a brow, mischief in his eyes. “We were. Now, we’re going in the pool.”

“But—”

“No, buts, Layla.” He was laughing as he bent down and lifted me in his arms.

I yelped and clung to him. “It’s going to be too chilly.”

Liam stopped at the edge of the pool, pinned his stare on me, and promised, “I’ll keep you warm. ”

A moment later, he hopped off that ledge and into the water, the sound of my shrieks and his laughter filling the air around us.

And because I loved him so much and he always made everything fun, it was no surprise that my worries about my future floated away for the next few hours.

LIAM - SEVEN MONTHS LATER

“You look lost.”

I glanced to my right and saw Cooper had sat down to relax. Shaking my head, I insisted, “I’m not lost at all.”

He rolled his eyes. “Lost in thought, then?”

I shrugged. I could give him that.

“What’s on your mind?” he pressed.

Tearing my attention away from him, it went to the kitchen where Layla had her head tossed back as she laughed at something Jules had said. The two of them had been baking for the last hour.

I could have easily sat there and watched her like that all day long, never tiring of it. Layla was breathtaking.

“She fits.”

“What?”

Layla leaned close to Jules, whispered something to her, and the two of them burst into another fit of laughter .

Begrudgingly, I looked away and focused my attention on my brother. “Layla. She fits.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Here. With us. With this family. She fits with us.”

Cooper dipped his chin with understanding. “I know we gave you a hard time about it in the beginning, but I have to admit, you aren’t wrong. I don’t know how you did it.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “I don’t know. But I know I’m not going to take any chances with her. I’m going to marry her, Coop.”

“What?”

“You probably think I’m making this up the same way you all thought I was making her up, but I’m not,” I told him. “I’m going to marry Layla.”

He allowed himself a moment to consider that, his eyes darting between the kitchen and me. “She makes you happy, and it seems like you do the same for her. Again, I’ll say I don’t know how you did it, but you found a catch.”

I puffed up my chest proudly. None of my brothers had experienced the same level of success in a relationship as I had with Layla. I felt extraordinarily lucky. “I’m going to do it after we graduate.”

Cooper’s eyes nearly fell out of his head. “What? That’s insane.”

“Is it? Why?” I countered.

“You’re so young.”

“And? She’s the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with. Everything has been so much fun with her, and I feel good when I’m around her. It’s been on my mind for a while, but ever since we’ve been here, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

We were on our winter break from school, and I’d invited Layla to join my family this year at Keystone Mountain for our ski trip. She was so excited; she’d practically tackled me to the ground when I’d asked.

And we’d been having a blast since we arrived.

Layla hadn’t ever gone skiing or snowboarding, so I’d spent the last two days giving her lessons.

Despite repeated failed attempts at snowboarding and only marginally better success at skiing, Layla had been such a good sport.

She kept trying, no matter how many times she fell.

But I expected nothing less from her. If Layla set her mind to something, she didn’t back down from it, no matter how hard it was.

“But…don’t you think it’d be better to wait?”

“No. What would I be waiting for? We’ve already been together for over three years at this point.

She gets along great with our sisters. She’s especially close with Jules.

Mom and Dad like her. I haven’t heard any complaints from you, Wyatt, or Tate about her.

And I love her. There’s nobody else for me. Why would I prolong this?”

“Have you told Mom and Dad?”

“Not yet. But I will.”

Cooper still seemed so concerned. “Are you planning to do this on the day you graduate?”

I laughed. “Relax. I’m not that crazy. I haven’t settled on an exact date, but I’m going to wait until after her birthday in June.”

The sounds of more laughter floated into the room, and both Cooper and I looked out to where it was coming from. Ivy and Ava had joined the mix.

Something warm hit the center of my chest as Layla talked animatedly with my sisters and Ava. For the rest of my life, I was going to have her by my side. Nothing would ever top that.

When I looked back at Cooper, he admitted, “Alright, I see your point. Congratulations, Liam.”

“Thanks, Cooper.”

I was so confident about it all, I never asked him to wish me luck.

Maybe I should have.

Because six months later, I got the shock of a lifetime.