Chapter 24
HEART CONDITION
We’d debated the best place to go, but I figured we’d have the most privacy at my house. When I pulled in the driveway, however, my father’s car was there. I could only hope against hope that he was already passed out.
“Shit. They’re home.”
“So?”
“So, I brought us here for some privacy. We’re not gonna have that if my whole family is here. You want to hit the diner instead?”
We got out of the truck and headed up the front walk as Layla teased a look over her shoulder. “I’m sure we could find one empty room in this place, Chester.”
“You really need to stop calling me that.”
She was in the process of trying to stifle her giggles as I unlocked the front door and ushered her inside. The whole house was dark. Good sign.
Layla’s mouth gaped open as she swiveled her head around the space. I got it. The first sight of this house pretty much stunned me speechless, too.
“This place is a real shithole, huh?” she asked, causing me to snicker. I could tell by her face that she was impressed. Money can’t buy love, but it improves your bargaining position.
Just then, the hall light flicked on upstairs and my old man’s voice echoed through the foyer. “Terrence? Is that you?”
It was imperceptible to most, but I heard the fucking slur in his voice. I shuffled Layla into the sitting room off the foyer, blowing him off with, “Yeah, Dad. Just me and Layla.”
Lay shot me a guilty look as Dad boomed, “Kate Warren’s girl? What are you doing bringing that whore’s daughter into my house?”
I don’t know how long we stood frozen in that foyer, Layla’s jaw dropped wide open and my eyes practically bugging out of my head, but it felt like an eternity. It felt like shit. I turned toward her, embarrassed and empathetic, but before I could even attempt to apologize, she darted out of the house and bolted down the driveway. I was torn between wanting to run after her and wanting to run upstairs to beat the shit out of my father. I chose the former.
I booked down the length of the driveway assuming she was already halfway down the street, but I spotted her sitting on the curb near our entrance gate. She had her face in her hands and her shoulders were shaking.
Seeing her like that infuriated me. My hands clenched at my sides, fighting the urge to go back in that house and give the old man what he had coming to him. But doing so wouldn’t help Layla, and right now, helping her was more important.
I never knew how to deal with a crying girl. I didn’t know what to say, so I just avoided saying anything as I sat down on the grass next to her and let her cry.
“It’s true,” she said.
Her pronouncement startled me. “What is?”
“What your father said. About my mother. That she’s... that she’s a...”
“Layla, stop it.” It ripped my heart out to hear her talking like that.
“No. I told you that my mother wasn’t around, but I didn’t tell you the whole story. She left us, Trip! She was cheating on my father with some loser before she just up and left us for the guy. I haven’t seen her since. And everyone knows about it. Including your father.”
Bullshit. What the hell did my father know anyway? What did anyone know?
“My father is an asshole.”
“At least he’s here!”
“Oh you think that’s better?”
“Better than being left behind? Better than watching my father overcompensate every single day because he’s trying to make up for whatever part he thinks he played in her leaving? Better than being left to deal with the fallout of my mother’s stellar reputation? Yeah. I think that’s better.”
She took a huge shaky breath before continuing. “You just don’t know what it’s like to be a girl without a mother! Having to do things like go on a first date or get ready for the prom, knowing she won’t be there. You don’t know what it’s like to stare down a random woman on the street, thinking that this time, it might really be her. You don’t know how completely fucking impossible it is to try and make sense of any of it, every single day of your life, constantly wondering WHY?” She took another breath, coming down, swiping at her eyes. “I can’t expect you to know what I’m talking about. I mean, your mom is so great.”
“Yeah, Lay, you’re right. She is. But I look at it like she’s the saving grace for the fact that my father’s a total dick.”
She finally turned to face me, blinking a few times in confusion. “He doesn’t strike me as being a dick. Before tonight, I always thought he was...”
“Nice?”
“Yeah. The way he smiles and jokes around and stuff.”
“Well, he is. Nice, I mean. When he’s not drinking.”
“Drinking...?” I could see the gears turning in her head, understanding what I was trying to tell her.
“He’s an alcoholic, Lay.” I was definitely embarrassed about the situation, but at the same time I was relieved to finally admit it out loud. Even Claudia and I had never talked in such blatant terms before. We’d spent a lifetime dancing around the word “alcoholic.” But now that I’d said it, there was no turning back. “He’s like schizo or something. One minute, he’s my dad, the guy who comes to my hockey matches and is able to run a successful company. The next, he’s got a few scotches in him and he turns into the meanest, snarliest bastard you’d ever want to meet. I never know which guy is waiting for me when I get home.”
Lay went mute after my confession, but what could I have expected her to say? We were both dealing with our own bullshit.
We were quiet as we sat on the cool lawn, picking at the grass. We launched into an unofficial competition, clamping the occasional blade between our thumbs and blowing into our hands to make them whistle, causing a few neighborhood dogs to start barking.
Broke the mood, at least.
Lay nudged into me and asked, “So, whaddya say we get out of here? I vote for fries and gravy at The King Neptune. You up for it, Chester?”
I smirked and shook my head. Always with the damned middle name. “I don’t know. I’m not really hungry.”
“Wellll, I guess we could just stay here and make out instead.... Ya wanna?” She waggled her brows at me, clearly only kidding around.
But screw it. I was done kidding around.
My hand slid up her neck on its own, under her hair, my thumb sweeping against her jaw. Her eyes went wide and she let out with a slight gasp, but I couldn’t register anything other than the fact that my heart was beating out of my goddamned chest.
“Yes,” I whispered, before pulling her face to mine.
I brushed my lips against hers, softly, trying like all hell to restrain myself. But it was only a split second before I raised my other hand to her face and opened my mouth, almost leaping out of my skin as she knotted her fingers into the back of my hair and slid her tongue against mine.
I couldn’t believe this was finally happening. Kissing Layla was everything I hoped it would be and more. A possessiveness overtook me as I wrapped my arms around her, trying to brand myself onto her skin. I’d wanted her so bad for so long, and finally, she was here. She was mine.
I pulled back to catch my breath, stunned into near-speechlessness as I pressed my forehead to hers. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do that?”
Her eyes lazed over my lips and her mouth twitched on a smile she couldn’t contain as she tightened her fists in my hair and pulled my face back to hers. I was already hard, but her enthusiasm almost had me coming right there in my jeans. I laid us both down on the grass and pressed myself against her, letting her feel what she was doing to me.
A slight groan creaked from her chest and I was gone.
I opened my mouth against hers, our panting breaths exchanging in frantic need, the sweet scent of her consuming every fiber of my being as the salty remnants of her tears danced on the tip of my tongue. I slid a hand up her side, wanting to feel every inch of her, but I didn’t want to take things too far too fast. I was happy enough just to finally have her in my arms.
I pulled the strap of her white dress down her shoulder and peppered her skin with soft kisses before making my way to her neck. Her giggles vibrated against my lips, and as turned on as I was, I couldn’t seem to stop chuckling either. I propped myself up on my elbows, caging her body underneath mine and grinning like a total dork.
“I hope I’m not ruining your dress.”
“Trip,” she said, smiling into my eyes. “You keep kissing me like that and I’ll let you burn it.”
We were still laughing as I lowered my lips back to hers.