Page 19 of Rejected Heart (The Westwoods #5)

From that point forward, we spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating with Cooper. Skye brought out a monitor, so we could all keep an eye on the baby while playing games in the pool and having a good time with one another.

All throughout the afternoon, I got odd glances from just about everyone in the family. I had a feeling they were all concerned about the same thing.

No doubt they were worried about whether I’d always just be the favorite uncle, because having kids of my own was never going to happen.

I tried to pretend I didn’t notice the way they were looking at me, instead focusing on whatever was happening in the moment. It had worked for a while.

But as the evening began to wind down, I got to the point where I couldn’t ignore what was happening.

All day long I’d noticed bits of uneasiness and hesitancy around me.

There had been instances throughout the years when they’d done that.

Sometimes, I think they believed I couldn’t handle the things that were happening in their lives, and they never wanted to rub their happiness in my face.

While I couldn’t say it never brought up feelings of sadness for me, it didn’t mean I wasn’t genuinely happy for every one of them.

I loved that Wyatt had found Rhea and Cooper had met Skye.

I was even relieved that Tate and Ava had stopped dancing around their feelings for one another and that Ivy and Marco finally realized how much they meant to one another.

Had I hoped to have that for myself? Of course.

Was that an option? Not anymore.

And I’d never want them to think they couldn’t celebrate—or that I wouldn’t want to celebrate with them—simply because my life hadn’t turned out the way I’d hoped.

I often expressed this all to them. But it still seemed they were always looking out for how things might impact me.

So, now that I’d had a full day of being with my family and observing how they were reacting around me, I knew something was up. This was more than them simply worrying about me only ever being the fun uncle for the rest of my life.

There had been those odd looks throughout the day from just about everyone, but it was the way I’d caught Jules looking at me several times that had left me feeling the most unsettled .

Had she found someone?

I’d be happy for her. Of course, I would.

But even though I’d been preparing myself for the day when all my siblings would fall in love and get their happy endings, there was the small part of me that still felt a sense of longing.

I thought I was the lucky one. Years ago, I thought I’d found the woman I’d spend the rest of my life with.

I was wrong.

Unable to stand it any longer, and believing my sister deserved to share the happy moment in her life, I decided to make it easy.

We were all sitting outside, having just celebrated with some cake, and while there were soft murmurings around the group—it was difficult not to have that with so many of us there—it was rather quiet.

“Alright, so who’s going to tell me?”

In an instant, everyone shot their attention in my direction. “Tell you?” Wyatt asked. “Tell you what?”

“There’s something going on, and I feel like everyone knows about it but me.”

The moment I got the words out, it seemed that nobody was able to look at me. They dropped their gazes to the ground or to each other, but they refused to look at me.

Until they did.

One by one, they looked at me.

And I could see the worry in their eyes.

Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure I was going to hear that my baby sister had found someone who made her happy .

But I settled my gaze on her anyway. “Tell me what’s going on, Jules.”

I watched as her throat moved with the deep swallow she took. “I saw Layla.”

Three words.

Three words, and my world turned on its axis.

“What?”

“I saw Layla yesterday,” she shared. “I was in downtown Landing, and I happened to be near the consignment shop. Layla was letting herself into the store.”

If I hadn’t been sitting down, I would have been pacing. My body was filled with this undeniable need to move. To run. To get away.

From the hurt, the pain. The destruction.

While clenching my jaw, my fingers ran back and forth along the arm of the chair.

Eight years.

It had been eight years since I saw her, since I’d spoken to her. Eight years since she’d ripped my heart out without any explanation.

And she never came back.

She never called. She’d only ever given me those three letters, and that wasn’t close to being enough.

“Did you—” I stopped to clear my throat. “Did you talk to her?”

Jules nodded. “I did.”

“And?”

For just a few seconds, my sister hesitated.

“She’s here because her mom was in a really bad car wreck the day before yesterday.

Meredith suffered some extensive injuries, a compound fracture to her femur being the worst of it.

So, Layla’s here. And because her mom is going to need help over the next several weeks and months, Layla isn’t leaving. ”

My hand was at my throat, attempting to massage away the pain I felt there. At the same time, I inclined my head with understanding. “Is that it?”

“Yes. Well, except for…” Jules trailed off.

“Except for what?”

She shook her head, the apology written all over her features. “I’m so sorry, Liam. I… I was so caught off guard by the whole thing, I didn’t think. I invited her to come to Westwood’s, so I could show her my bakery.”

Pain hit the center of my chest. “And?”

Jules shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t say whether she’d stop by. But I thought you should know it’s a possibility.”

I didn’t know what to think.

I wasn’t sure if I’d want to see her.

She was here. She was in Landing.

After being gone for eight long years without any contact for most of them, she was here.

I needed to face reality.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Jules.”

“But what if Layla shows up? I wasn’t thinking.”

I stood from my chair. “She won’t.”

“How do you know? She might.”

Layla wouldn’t.

It took a tragedy to get her to return to Landing.

My eyes moved through the faces surrounding me, and I was confident not a single one of them was breathing.

“It’s been eight years. Trust me when I tell you, she won’t show up.”

With that, I gave my family one last look and walked away.