Page 50 of Rejected Heart (The Westwoods #5)

LAYLA

SIX MONTHS LATER

I’d been buzzing with energy from the moment I woke up. In fact, I was awake before my alarm even went off this morning.

I wasn’t surprised.

The last week or so had left me feeling like a big ball of energy as I counted down the days until today.

It was day one.

Day one of my brand-new job.

Walking down the hall to my office, my insides trembled with excitement. When I stepped inside it and took in the space, warmth and a sense of pride washed over me.

As I ran my fingertips along the flat surface of my new desk, I never could have imagined, not in a million years, that this was where I’d wind up. Not in the big city. Not in some corporate job somewhere across the country .

Right here in Landing.

At the very place that had always felt like a home to me.

A gentle but unexpected knock on the open door had me spinning around and clutching my chest as my other hand gripped the desk behind me to steady me. One look at the man standing there quickly calmed my racing heart.

Leaning against the door frame, Liam’s mouth curved into a smile. “Are you ready?”

I bit the corner of my lip. “I’m so excited about this.”

His eyes were shining. “I had a feeling.”

“But I’m nervous.”

He tipped his head to the side. “Why?”

I shrugged, resting my hips against the desk. “I want to do a good job. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m not qualified to be in this position.”

Liam pushed off the door frame and crossed the room. With each step he took in my direction, I felt the warmth move through me as my breath quickened. I didn’t think there’d ever come a day when he didn’t make me feel this way.

Coming to a stop in front of me, Liam leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk on either side of me.

“Nobody is going to think anything like that. You are the most qualified person to be in this position, and I’m not just saying that because I’m head over heels in love with you.

You have the experience and the skills to do this job better than anyone else. ”

I tipped my chin down and smiled, Liam touching his lips to my cheek. “You always say all the right things.”

He shifted his mouth to my lips, smiled against them, and kissed me.

I’d never get used to the way Liam always found ways to reassure me, using just his words. It was a shame it had taken me so long to realize I could trust him to do that in any situation.

But I was getting better. Liam and I had worked really hard together over the last ten months or so to help erase so many of the preconceived ideas I had about what made me worthy of being with him.

It wasn’t easy, but it had been worth it. And I no longer felt the urge to run and hide whenever it got difficult.

Fortunately, those trying moments were few and far between. We’d been able to spend most of our time over these months living in the moment and enjoying one another.

And now we were here—excited and celebrating my first day of my new job.

My error in judgment years ago had at least put me in the position to acquire the experience and skills Liam was referring to me needing for this job.

Unsurprisingly, Westwood’s had expanded. What I hadn’t anticipated was that they were expanding the company the way they had.

While there was still a huge part of this expansion that hadn’t been completed, the first phase of it had been.

Liam and I were now standing in my office at The Westwood Theater, where I was the new venue manager.

For now, I’d be responsible for just the theater, but once the second phase of the project was complete, I’d be adding the Westwood Arena to my list of responsibilities.

I couldn’t wait.

I felt so honored to be chosen to be part of something so tremendous. It was a huge responsibility, but it was something I was more than prepared to take on.

Tearing my mouth from Liam’s, I scooted back slightly on the desk. “So, as much as I love that you came here to see how prepared I am for my day today, I’m not sure I should be kissing you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, it’d probably be considered very unprofessional and highly frowned upon.”

He stepped closer, nudging my thighs apart, and dropped his mouth to my neck.

He bit down lightly on the skin where my neck met my shoulder before soothing it with a kiss.

Then his mouth trailed up the side of my throat and toward my ear.

“I don’t care. I’ve spent far too many years with my head down, working my tail off.

I think I’m entitled to a little bit of unprofessionalism, in this case. ”

“What about me?”

Liam nipped at my ear, sending a shiver down my spine and forcing me to drop my head back to expose my throat. His hand cupped the back of my head to hold me in place. “What about you? You’re benefiting from this, aren’t you?”

His tongue ran along my throat, forcing a guttural moan to escape.

“Hey, Layla, I was— Oh, sorry.”

I gasped at the sound of the voice coming from the entrance to my office and attempted to scoot back even further. Liam held me right where I was and only barely twisted his neck to look behind him.

“Did you need something, Wyatt?”

Wyatt?

Great.

“Oh, no,” I murmured, burying my face in my hands. I could feel the heat of my embarrassment spreading across my skin. “I knew this was going to happen. I’m so mortified.”

Liam tugged on my hair and urged me to look at him. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

I shoved my hand out to the side and noted, “Your brother just walked in while I moaned in your ear.”

Wyatt’s laughter pulled our attention from one another and to him. Liam took a step back, pushed my thighs together, and turned fully to face Wyatt. “What’s so funny?”

He shook his head in disbelief, the smile still playing on his lips. “This keeps happening to me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know what it is, but it seems that every time one of my siblings gets things sorted out in their personal life, I happen to walk into a room at the most inopportune time. This has got to stop. ”

I let out a small sigh of relief. At least I hadn’t been the only one. “Hey, at least Jules is the only one left.”

A look of horror washed over Wyatt’s expression. “No. No, I can’t see that. Please, it was bad enough to hear Ivy saying things to Marco that I never want to repeat. Jules is still a baby to me. I can’t witness anything like that.”

Seemingly amused, Liam chuckled. “Well, Jules isn’t exactly a rebel, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“Let’s hope.”

“Was there something you needed from Layla?” Liam questioned his brother.

“No. No, not really.” Wyatt shifted his attention to me.

“I just wanted to stop by and wish you well on your first day and let you know that you’re more than welcome to reach out to me if there’s anything you need.

I’m happy to help you settle into this new position and will do whatever I can to make it a smooth transition. ”

Something warm hit the center of my chest. “Thank you, Wyatt. That means a lot to me.”

“Of course. Although it seems Liam’s doing a great job of giving you all the encouragement you need,” he teased.

I blushed, my hands coming up to cover my cheeks. “I told him this was a bad idea. I told him I was going to get into trouble.”

Wyatt waved his hand in the air, clearly just as amused as Liam was. “It’s nothing. At least you’re in your own office. I won’t tell you what I saw in the conference room once.”

A curious look washed over Liam’s expression before understanding dawned. “That has to be Tate.”

Holding his hands up in surrender, Wyatt declared, “I’ve said nothing of the sort. I’m going to get out of here, unless there’s anything either of you needs.”

I shook my head, but Liam answered, “We’re good, Wyatt. Thanks for checking in on her.”

Wyatt smiled proudly at his brother and dipped his chin. Then he walked out.

Liam looked back at me, a hint of mischievousness in his stare.

I got the sense he wanted to really help me get my day off to a great start. “No. No, you’re not going to look at me like that. You have to work. And I have to work.”

“We can be quick. We can try out your desk.”

I bit my lip. That could be fun.

It might be even more fun if I added a bit of playfulness of my own. “Okay.”

Surprise washed over him. “Yeah?”

I nodded. “Come back at lunchtime. You can eat and try out my desk with me.”

The twinkle in his eyes at the prospect of a little afternoon delight made my belly flip. Liam helped me off the desk, kissed me, and said, “I’ll be back to have lunch with you.”

“Just make sure you lock the door when you come in next time.”

He let out a laugh and kissed me once more. “I can’t wait to hear all about your morning. Enjoy your first few hours of your new job.”

“Thanks, Liam.”

With that, he said goodbye and walked out.

I took a moment to replay his visit in my head. Then I sat down and got to work.

But by the time he came back a few hours later, I was more than ready to check out just how sturdy my new desk was.

I was beyond in love with this new life I was building with Liam, and I wasn’t about to miss out on any opportunity to make the most of it.

LIAM - FOUR MONTHS LATER

My heart was racing.

But that was nothing new.

Not when it came to Layla.

And if ever there was a moment when my heart should have been racing, this was it. Because I was getting it.

Finally. After all these years, I was getting the one thing that mattered most to me. I was getting the one thing that would lead to a lifetime of all the things I ever wanted .

Her.

Layla as my wife.

Layla as the mother to my future children.

Layla as the woman I’d grow old and get gray hair and wrinkles with.

Even if this was where I’d wanted to be all along, it was a wonder we’d made it here. Because getting to our wedding day meant needing to get down on one knee to propose to her again. And if I’d said that the thought hadn’t terrified me, I’d have been lying.

No matter how badly I’d wanted this, I didn’t want to risk doing anything that might send her running. So, it took me a while to work up the courage.

I’d been so nervous that day. More than I’d ever been about anything.

As for Layla, she’d broken down in tears.

After giving me the resounding yes that I so desperately needed, she’d confessed that she’d been worried I wasn’t ever going to propose, that I’d never want to risk asking her again for fear that I’d wind up with a rejected heart all over again.

But I’d done it.

And now she was here—walking down that aisle toward me, so we could commit ourselves to one another for the rest of our lives—doing it on a day that had been so monumental in our relationship.

It was the same day our school had visited Westwood’s for a field trip. The day that had started it all.

Despite being surrounded by our family and friends, the moment she appeared at the end of the aisle, Layla was the only one who existed for me. Everything and everyone else faded away.

My eyes remained on hers as she walked toward me, and my emotions got the best of me. After having spent so many years believing I’d never have this, it felt so surreal to be standing there, my brothers at my side, waiting for my bride.

I lifted my hand to my chest, rubbing back and forth to ease the ache. Tears clouded my vision.

She was exquisite.

Utter perfection.

And in a matter of minutes, she was going to be all mine.

Layla finally made it to me, allowing me to take her by the hand to lead her those remaining steps to the front of the aisle. My gorgeous bride didn’t stop smiling as she took me in, and the tears were shining in her eyes, too.

The music stopped, we faced one another, and all I could do was let it all sink in.

“Dearly beloved…”

I was vaguely aware of the words being said, but my focus was solely on Layla. On how beautiful she looked and how happy she made me. On the life I intended to build with her and how lucky I felt that she’d decided to work things out.

Maybe I should have paid better attention to what was happening around me, but I didn’t think this was so bad. Years from now, when I looked back on this day, all I wanted to remember was the way I felt and how Layla looked .

That was it.

That was all.

Well, that and slipping the ring on her finger as we said our vows to one another.

Of course, that also meant that it would have been impossible to ignore the one final thing that sealed the deal.

“I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Liam Westwood. Liam, you may kiss your bride.”

The corner of my mouth twitched with a smile.

Layla grinned excitedly at me.

And a moment later, to the cheers and whistles from the family and friends around us, I kissed my wife.