Page 24 of The Playboy’s Playbook

Chapter Twenty

LAILA

I woke up to a sudden chill hitting my bare spine, Nola on top of my head, and Matt missing. I don’t remember what time I fell asleep. All I know is that I was perfectly content in Matt’s arms as he held me close to his chest.

I scanned my room and saw that his jeans and boots were gone. I pull his shirt tighter around my body, letting his woodsy cologne invade my senses. After experiencing him whispering in my ear as I came undone, I now understand the girls in my romance books.

Last night was perfect.

Matt was perfect.

I finally move from my bed and go to the living room when I notice a note on the kitchen island. I pick it up and read it, a smile on my face as my eyes trace over Matt’s scratchy handwriting.

Lala,

I’m sorry I had to leave you alone this morning.

Luke would’ve flipped his shit if I was late to work today.

Drink plenty of water, baby. I took Nola outside and gave her a little bit of food before I left, but she might be hungry depending on the time you wake up and read this. I’ll call you when I go to lunch today.

Matty

“Come on, Nola. Let’s get you a little bit more breakfast,” I say after setting the note down. Nola turns and takes off running toward my room, more than likely to dig in her toy box for one of her many stuffed animals.

A few seconds later, she returns with the toy Matt bought her last night and drops it at my feet. She sits patiently as she waits for my signal. Her tiny tail wags excitedly, quickly swiping behind her.

I nod and she practically dives into her bowl. I smile and walk to sit on the couch in the living room, soon getting lost in my thoughts.

I’m so glad that I gave Matt a second chance because getting to know him has been like becoming friends all over again. I was wrong to dismiss him early on, but we live and we learn.

“What does Clay want for his birthday?” I ask Matt during our daily lunch call.

“You just met him like a month ago, baby. I don’t think he’ll be upset if you don’t get him a gift,” Matt says, earning an eye roll from me.

“I don’t care if I met him yesterday. He’s turning seven and the fact that he gave me a birthday invitation means that he likes me and that’s important to me, Matty,” I say, my voice falling off at the end.

Clay took a liking to me the moment we met, and I value the bond we’ve created. Instead of mailing out his birthday invitations like he did for everyone else, he made Matt drive him to my house just to hand me mine.

“Then get him shoes. Luke talks about how Clay is burning through his shoes right now because he’s so rough on them.”

I nod and smile. “Shoes I can do. I’ll see you at the party tomorrow.” I move to hang up the phone when Matt stops me.

“Woah!” he shouts. “You know I always call you when I get home from work. Why did you say that like I wouldn’t speak to you between now and the party tomorrow?”

I smile and set my phone down. “Because it’s Friday and you’ve been talking about this boys’ night with Luke all week.”

I see the cogs turn in Matt’s mind as he remembers that he’s hanging out with his best friend tonight.

He nods his head. “Right. Boys’ night. You know, I can cancel and we can hang out instead. You’re nicer to me than Luke is.”

“He told you he’d string you up by your front teeth if you took his Stetson without asking, so I think it’s safe to say he won’t let you out of boys’ night so easily. You’ll see me tomorrow, and then I’m yours for the rest of the weekend.”

He smirks at me and his blue eyes blaze into me through the phone’s screen. “Damn right you’re all mine. I’ll let you know when I’m home from hanging out with Luke.”

“Don’t miss me too much,” I chuckle.

“Yeah, that’ll be impossible.”

“Happy birthday to you!” Everyone sings as Clay moves to blow out his candles. He stops and turns to pull Jen up next to him and they blow the candles out together.

They have the cutest relationship as siblings and take being each other’s built-in best friend seriously. Luke’s done a great job raising his boys. I still haven’t asked about their mother and I don’t plan on it. Luke will tell me when he’s ready.

After the candles are blown, Luke moves to take the candles out of the cake and starts cutting it to hand out to the thirty excitable kids he invited to invade his house.

I beat Matt here, so I helped Luke get things set up last minute and got a few Clay and Jen snuggles in before they were whisked off by their friends to the backyard.

Matt walks over to me and falls into the empty chair next to me. “I’m so tired, baby.”

I laugh and push his wet hair off of his forehead. “Well, you were the one who decided to rent the boys a water slide for the day and then proceeded to promise them and all of their friends a game of water basketball.”

Matt takes a deep breath before taking the water bottle out of my hand and bringing it to his lips. “Well, now I know better. Why are you here in the corner by yourself?”

I shrug. “I’m perfectly fine manning the gift table and making sure Jen doesn’t sneak over to try and see what his brother got.”

“Good point. That’s honestly the most important job of the day. What did you get Clay? You wouldn’t tell me over the phone.” Matt looks at me skeptically.

I shrug my shoulders again. “I guess you’ll have to wait and find out when he opens his gifts.”

Fifteen minutes later, Luke’s patio is completely covered in wrapping paper and blue tissue paper. Luke pulled the ultimate dad move and got a trash bag and sat next to Clay while he opened his gifts so the paper could immediately go in the bag.

“Who got you that one, Clay?” Jen asks his older brother as he sits next to him on the ground, wrapped in a shark towel.

Jen’s been on his best behavior and only cried once today when he missed a shot during a game of water basketball – he quickly hopped out of the pool and sulked over to me where I hugged him tightly until he felt better.

“This is from Uncle Matty,” Clay says and smiles over at Matt. Matt returns the smile as Clay rips into the bag and pulls out a towel adorned with seashells, water goggles, and new beach toys.

“Daddy, look!” Clay shows the towel to Luke who is subtly trying to pick up the tissue paper while still giving his son all of his attention.

“Oh, wow! That’s nice, bud! Tell Uncle Matty thank you.”

Clay jumps up from his chair and runs over to where Matt and I are posted in the corner. He wraps his arms around Matt’s legs and looks up at him with wide, blue eyes. “Thank you, Uncle Matty!”

Matt ruffles Clay’s hair and presses a kiss to the top of his head. “You’re welcome, bud.”

Instead of sitting in his chair to open the final gift – my gift – Clay picks up the bag and walks over to me. “Auntie Lala, can I sit with you while I open your gift?”

Auntie Lala.

I’m thrown off but honored at the same time. I try my best to fight back tears as I nod and scoot over so he can sit next to me. Jen makes his way over and climbs onto my lap. Luke walks over and stands next to Matt, trash bag still in hand.

Clay begins opening his gift much slower than the other gifts. He finally pulls out the first part of his gift, a small tabletop frame filled with white sand and various seashells. He turns to show his dad and Luke smiles happily at Clay.

Clay passes the frame gently to Matt so it won’t break before continuing to the second gift, my favorite gift I got him. He pulls out the box and opens it, revealing a pair of black cowboy boots, sturdy enough to withstand anything a seven-year-old boy throws at it.

Luke’s shown me videos of baby Clay crawling to Matt’s boots, trying to stand in them. It was the cutest thing, so when I saw boots just like Matt’s while shopping, I knew I had to get them for Clay.

“Oh, I love them, Auntie Lala! Thank you, thank you!” He turns to me and wraps his arms tightly around my neck. I hold him close with one hand, careful to keep my other on Jen so he won’t slide off of my lap.

“You’re welcome, Boots,” I say, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Can you call me Boots forever?” Clay asks, his eyes wide with wonder.

I nod and smile, the tears threatening to spill once again. “Of course.”

Jen shifts in my lap. “I want a cool name. Daddy, when’s my birthday so I can get a cool name?”

Everyone bursts into laughter, but Matt looks at me like we’re the only people here. We may not have spoken about what we are, but it’s very clear that we feel the same way about each other.

I don’t want to hang the summer over our heads, but come the end of August, I’m heading back to my life in D.C. and Matt will stay here because this is where he belongs.

I didn’t plan on any of this happening this summer.

I planned my entire life around my career.

I was going to prove to everyone on Capitol Hill that I’m more than the average southern belle.

I was going to go to the top law school in the country, work at a major firm representing people who have been left to fend for themselves, and then run for Congress.

I was going to be one of Alabama’s greatest senators and make actual change. I was going to marry a good guy – a doctor or even a lawyer. My plan was fool proof until Matt entered my life again.

Now, I’m not so sure if I want to stick to my plan at all.