Page 43 of Rejected Heart (The Westwoods #5)

I couldn’t believe it. Marco had been like an honorary member of the Westwood family for so long. He was Cooper’s best friend way back in the day, but he’d had that brotherly relationship with all the Westwood boys, Liam included.

“Congratulations.” I hugged her again. When I let go of her, I moved to do the same with Marco. “I’m so happy for the both of you. How wonderful that you two wound up together.”

“Thanks, Layla,” Marco returned.

“Speaking of people winding up together,” Ava said, all but pushing her way to the front.

My eyes narrowed as I attempted to work it out on my own. Ava was Ivy’s best friend, and she’d always been rather flirtatious with… My eyes shifted to Tate and rounded. When my jaw fell open, I pointed between the two of them. “You and Tate are together.”

Ava held up her left hand as well as Tate’s. “Married.”

I moved to congratulate and hug them both before Wyatt stepped forward. “Layla, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Rhea.”

Wyatt was married, too. I couldn’t believe it.

Extending my hand to Rhea, I said, “It’s wonderful to meet you. ”

“Likewise. And for what it’s worth, Tate wasn’t kidding. I’ve got plenty of stories to share about Wyatt.”

Laughter spilled out of me as Wyatt added, “I’ll probably make a few more mistakes as a dad, too.”

“Dad? Are you…”

“Rhea’s pregnant.” Wyatt stood so tall and proud.

I’d always looked at him as being that way because he was the oldest, but I guess there was more to it.

Wyatt felt no shame in being confident about the things he did.

If he messed up, he rolled with it. And it seemed to have paid off for him, because he was going to be a dad.

“Congratulations. That’s wonderful news.”

“Thank you. We’re very excited.”

Before I could respond, Malcolm stepped forward and put his arm around me. “And I’m just excited to see you here with us.”

I felt a flush creep over my skin, and I tipped my chin down as a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “I’m happy to be here, too. It wouldn’t have happened if Cooper hadn’t talked some sense into me.”

“Cooper?” Jules gasped.

I nodded, but Cooper spoke before I could explain. “Don’t sound so surprised, Jules.”

“I know I shouldn’t be, but I am.”

Other than when we first rejoined his family and Liam answered his dad’s question about everything being okay, Liam hadn’t spoken. He’d given his family time to talk to me without interrupting, but it seemed he was done with remaining silent.

“And I’m grateful,” Liam said, taking a few steps forward and coming to a stop by my side. “Thank you, Cooper.”

Cooper shook his head. “It was nothing. I didn’t really do anything.”

“You did,” I insisted. “You made me see that I had to do something different than what I’d already done. I wouldn’t be here now if it hadn’t been for you.”

“Who knew that Cooper was the romantic one?” Marco teased from behind us.

“I did.”

If I hadn’t been standing so close, I wouldn’t have heard those two words. They came from a gorgeous woman, who was standing beside Cooper, holding Rosie in her arms. I could only assume she was Cooper’s wife.

All eyes went to her, and she added, “You’ve all always told me that Cooper was a grouch, but I never saw that side of him.

He’s always been sweet and romantic.” She shifted her attention to me.

“Hi, Layla. I’m so happy to finally meet you.

I’m Skye. Cooper’s my husband, and I’m told you already met my daughter, Roselle. ”

I smiled at her. “I did. Kind of. It’s nice to meet you.” I reached my hand out and touched Rosie’s hand. “Hi, pretty girl. I hear you’re your uncle’s favorite.”

Skye laughed. “Oh, he’s her favorite, too.”

My eyes met Liam’s. He was grinning as he shrugged it off like him being Rosie’s favorite was to be expected.

Larry and Wendy Westwood—Liam’s grandparents—had stayed back as the initial introduction and reunion took place, but at that point, they came forward and welcomed me back just the same .

It was safe to say I was overwhelmed in the best way possible.

I loved this family.

I always had.

And they’d given me such a warm welcome that I wasn’t quite sure I deserved, but was going to happily take anyway. I didn’t want to consider or imagine the alternative any longer.

After getting the chance to greet everyone—Liam’s aunt, uncle, and cousins had arrived, too—Wendy and Evelyn urged everyone to fill up their plates and bellies.

I stayed by Liam’s side throughout, but the family didn’t hesitate to treat me as if I’d been there all along.

There was no awkwardness or tension, and the conversation was beyond entertaining.

I’d learned about Wyatt and Rhea’s road to their happy ending, followed by Cooper’s and Skye’s. Then I got the story on Tate and Ava, as well as Ivy and Marco.

Once everyone had finished eating, we moved on to cake. Rosie was put in a highchair, given a birthday hat, and her very own smash cake. We sang to her, and I took the opportunity to glance around at everyone in attendance. The family was head over heels for this little girl, especially Liam.

I leaned my weight into him as we sang to her, noted the way his eyes were lit up, and felt a twinge of regret.

If I hadn’t left, I would never have missed any of this.

Not the marriages, the arrival of the first baby in the family, or the opportunity to give Liam children of his own.

The last thing I wanted was to focus on anything that would kill my mood, so I shoved the thoughts of regret away for the time being.

I could think about all of it later, when I was alone in my bed.

After cake, Rosie opened some of her presents.

Suffice it to say, she was spoiled. But it was so much fun to watch her excitement as she opened each gift.

I was thrilled when, after she’d lost interest in presents and had approached her uncle, I got the opportunity to hold her for a bit.

Next to receiving such a warm welcome from the entire family, holding her might have been my favorite part of the entire event.

I’d had such a good time, and I was so relieved that I’d decided to take the risk and come to the party. It was possible it’d end up being the best decision I ever made.

When the party started to wind down, I looked at Liam and said, “I should probably head home. My mom’s been alone for quite a few hours now.”

“Okay. I’ll walk you out to your car.”

Before doing that, I made my rounds and said goodbye to everyone that was still there, thanking them for their hospitality. And the next thing I knew, Liam and I were alone beside my car.

For several seconds, we stood there, simply staring at one another. “Did you have a good time?” he finally asked.

“I did. Rosie’s my favorite little girl now, too.”

Liam laughed. “She’s the best, isn’t she?”

“She is.”

Another heavy pause. “Thank you for coming here today, Layla. Thank you for putting in the effort to fix this. I don’t know if you know, but it means the world to me.”

I reached my arms out and slid them around his waist, stepping close and pressing my body tight to his.

“I should be the one thanking you,” I murmured.

“You’ve been more than gracious with me, and I feel very lucky to have that.

I don’t want to step on your toes or make you change any plans you might have, but I would love it if you and I could find some time to get together soon.

I think there’s a lot of catching up we need to do. ”

I watched as the tension eased its way out of Liam’s body. His shoulders relaxed, and his features softened. I hadn’t realized there was something bothering him. Had he been worried I wouldn’t want to spend time with him?

“I’d love that, too. When are you free?”

“I don’t exactly have any plans beyond working at my mom’s store during the week and taking her to her appointments when she needs to go to them.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday. Are you free?” he asked.

I licked my lips, feeling the excitement seep in. I hadn’t wanted to place any expectations on him when it came to making plans, but I was thrilled he seemed just as eager as I was to make it happen.

“I am.”

Liam grinned. “After eight years apart, I don’t think we should waste any more time. I have so many questions, and I’m sure you’ve got a few of your own.”

I smiled back at him. “I do. Would you like to get together for lunch or dinner? ”

“I’d love it if we could do both. Will your mom be okay if she’s on her own for a good chunk of the day?”

If my mom found out that Liam wanted to spend all that time with me and I turned him down, using her as an excuse, she’d be so angry.

Plus, I wanted Liam to know just how serious I was about making things right, so the last thing I was going to do was reject his offer.

“She’ll be okay. I can reach out to Carmen to let her know my mom’s going to be on her own for quite a few hours. If I ask, she’ll be happy to stop in.”

His arms tightened around me. “Good. I’ll pick you up around noon tomorrow. Does that work?”

“That works for me.”

Liam lifted his hand to the side of my face and stroked his knuckles down my cheek. “I can’t believe I’m standing here with you in my arms.”

I leaned into the tender touch. “I wish I didn’t have to leave.”

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that.” His thumb drifted across my lower lip. “I love you, Layla.”

“I love you, too, Liam.”

He dipped his head down and touched his lips to mine, kissing me once more like it had been years instead of a few hours since he’d had the opportunity to kiss me like this. It made my knees weak.

When he pulled back, his voice was just a touch over a whisper. “I miss you already.”

“I feel the same.”

Liam reached around me and opened my door. After kissing me one more time, he said, “Drive safe, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I will. I can’t wait.”

With that, he closed my door. Then he opened it, bent down, and kissed me one last time. “Okay, now you can go.”

So, that’s what I did. But it was only so I could go home, fill my mom in on the day I’d had, and tell her about my plans for tomorrow.

Naturally, she was thrilled to hear things had gone well, and she called Carmen herself to ensure nothing would put a damper on the day I had planned with Liam.

By the time I crawled into bed, I was excited to replay my day with Liam and his family over and over in my head. And for the first time in years, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.