by Addison Cole
“Well, son. You’ve always known when things were right in your life. I remember when you were home on a college break and I asked you what business you wanted to go into. You had no idea. You looked at me like I look at Max when she talks about that darn interweb.”
“Internet.”
“Whatever,” his father said. “So I asked you what brought you happiness no matter when you did it.”
“And I told you that I loved racing more than anything even though it was supposed to just be a hobby that I did on weekends and in my spare time. Then you told me to do it. I remember.”
“I raised you and your brothers and sister to love with your whole hearts. Heaven only knows why it took each of you so long to realize that, or to allow yourselves to love. That’s probably my fault, too. But you, Hugh, you love completely. So all you have to do is ask yourself if Brianna is the woman who makes you happy no matter what. And then you need to think hard about that little girl, because there will be times when she’s a teenager and she sneaks out of the house or brings home some crappy guy who only wants to get in her pants, and you gotta know in your heart that even when she lies or when she goes against your words, you’ll love her through it. No matter what.”
Hugh pictured his father looking over the horses in the fields and replaying memories of the trying times from Savannah’s teenage years. And smiling.
His father continued. “You asked me if it was wacked that Layla fell into the love zone before you spent much time with her, and, son, love has no zones. Love is whatever it is, and trying to fit it into a box all neat and tidy will never do anything but drive a man crazy. Love isn’t neat and tidy. Love’s messy and, in some ways, indefinable. I don’t think what you’re feeling is wacked at all. You’re an all-or-nothing guy. Always have been. If you’ve made up your mind with Brianna, and Layla is part of her life and part of her heart, then of course you’ve embraced her. That’s love, Hugh.”
An unexpected feeling of peace washed through Hugh, followed by a rush of adrenaline.
“Thanks, Dad. This is all so new to me that I wondered if I was losing my mind.” Hugh looked at his watch. “Hey, Dad. I’ve got to run. I’m taking Brianna and Layla on a date and I’m late, but your advice means the world to me. Thank you.”
“I look forward to meeting your ladies, son. And do me a favor, will ya?”
“Anything, Dad.”
“Let Treat in on your feelings. That man worries about you as if he were your father, and heaven knows you’ve still got me for that.”
Hugh laughed. “Sure. I’ll call him tonight. I love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too, son, and I’m so proud of you. You had me worried for a while there. I wondered if I had somehow turned you off toward love. That would have broken my heart.”
“No, Dad. You’re the one who made me realize how important love is and how much I should treasure it.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“I’LL GET IT!” Layla pulled the door open. “It’s Prince Hugh!” She jumped up and down in her new pink dress. Her brown hair tumbled past her shoulders.
Brianna smoothed her black knee-length dress over her hips, and when she looked up, her breath caught in her throat. Hugh stood before them wearing a black tuxedo, looking as if he’d just walked out of Esquire magazine. She’d been nervous before he showed up; now she breathed a little harder, her legs became wobbly, and her heart beat a little faster. Definitely more nervous than on their first date and maybe even more nervous than the morning she’d seduced him before work. Would the butterflies in her stomach ever get used to him? Brianna wasn’t sure if she hoped they did or didn’t.
“I’ve missed you.” Hugh kissed her cheek. “You look gorgeous.” Before she could respond, he bent down and said to Layla, “And I’ve never seen a more beautiful almost-six-year old than you.”
Layla’s eyes widened, and her smile spread even farther across her pink cheeks. She put her hands behind her back and twisted from side to side, swinging the skirt of the pink dress Hugh had given her. Brianna’s hand settled on Layla’s shoulder, more for her own stability than for Layla’s benefit.
“I brought you something.” Hugh brought one hand out from behind his back and presented Layla with a wrist corsage.
“What a beautiful corsage,” Brianna said.
“Mommy, put it on me!” Layla jumped up and down.
“May I do the honors?” Hugh asked.
“Yes!”
Hugh put the wrist corsage on Layla’s wiry arm. Then he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small, flat box. “And this is for you.” He handed it to Brianna. His dimples appeared when his smile reached his eyes, stealing nearly all of the remaining strength from Brianna’s legs.
“Hugh, you didn’t have to do this.” Her voice was just above a whisper, and as he came into the apartment with Layla holding his hand, she realized her hands were trembling. She lifted the top of the box and sucked in a breath.
“Show me, Mommy! Show me!” Layla stood on her tiptoes.
Hugh lifted her into his arms so she could see. Her eyes danced with delight. “Oh, Mommy. That’s beautiful!”
Brianna lifted the necklace from the box and ran her fingers around the diamonds that framed the round pendant, which was about a quarter of an inch thick with tiny charms between the glass front and the gold-plated back.
“It’s a locket,” Hugh said.
“Lemme see!” Layla pleaded.
Brianna read a tag that hung from the gold chain beside the locket. “Loved.”
“Because you are,” Hugh said softly.
She inhaled deeply and read the inscription on the gold plate inside the glass locket. Strength. Truth. Courage. She looked up at Hugh.
“You’re the strongest and bravest woman I know. You’re my truth, Bree, and you’re Layla’s truth, too.” He drew his dark eyebrows together, and she touched his cleanly shaven cheek.
Thank you, she mouthed. Her voice was trapped by her swollen heart.
Layla wiggled in Hugh’s arms. “What are those things floating in it?”
Brianna drew her eyes back to the little charms inside the locket.
“The heart that says family is for you and your mommy and your grandma.” He leaned forward and kissed Brianna’s cheek.
Brianna inhaled his scent, lost in the feel of his freshly shaven cheek and the thoughtfulness of his gift.
He whispered for only her to hear, “And I hope one day, for us.”
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Brianna tried to force her trembling lips into a smile, but she knew she failed miserably. Her chin was shaking too much.
Hugh looked down at Layla and continued. “The tiny camera—can you see that, Layla?” He held her closer to the locket.
“Mm-hmm.”
“That’s for your mom’s passion for photography. And do you see the little heart that has the pink baby feet?”
“Is that for me?” Layla asked.
“Yes. And it has your birth date on the back,” Hugh answered. He held Brianna’s gaze while he spoke. “Since it’s a locket, we can add to it anytime.”
“What’s the other thing?” Layla pointed to a little gold car with number thirty-two inscribed in it.
“That’s for Hugh,” Brianna said. Tears streamed down Brianna’s cheeks, but she couldn’t reach up and wipe them away.
“Mommy, why are you sad?” Layla asked.
She was frozen in place, staring at the man who’d waltzed into her life unannounced and broken down her walls, then stolen her heart while she was busy worrying. With Layla cushioned against him, holding on to his muscular arm like a security blanket, the heart she thought had room only for her daughter expanded and opened—accepting Hugh completely. It’s not what you say. It’s how you say it. He couldn’t have made his love for her any more clear.
“I’m not sad, baby girl. These are tears of happiness.”
Hugh put the necklace on Brianna and pulled her close. He kissed her
forehead, and then he did the same to Layla. “Are my two leading ladies ready for a big night?”
Brianna wondered how she’d make it through the night on rubber legs and without a voice.
“Yes!” Layla squealed. She threw her arms around Hugh’s neck and kissed his cheek.
Luckily, with Layla around, she wouldn’t need her voice, and as Hugh guided her out the apartment door, she knew he’d provide all the strength she’d need.
Chapter Thirty-Three
THE CENTERSTAGE THEATER marquee was lit up like old-time Hollywood with white letters on a black background and illuminated in hundreds of small yellow bulbs. The theater was built on a corner, and the sign wrapped elegantly around the curve of the building.
“Oh my goodness, Layla. Look at that.” Brianna read the marquee aloud. “Special Showing. Sassy and the Bird, by Layla Heart.” Brianna glanced at Hugh, who was giving nothing away as he trained his eyes on Layla.
Layla jumped up and down. “That’s my story!” She took her mother’s hand, then situated herself between Brianna and Hugh before reaching for Hugh’s hand too. “How did my story get up there?” She looked from her mother to Hugh.
Hugh shrugged. “We’ll have to go inside and see.”
“Her story?” Brianna asked.
He winked, and her heart threatened to burst right through her chest.
They walked beneath the marquee and across the red carpet that covered the floor of the elegant theater. The seats were empty. Every seat.
“Hugh?”
Layla ran ahead of them down the aisle. Hugh put his arm around Brianna and whispered, “I wanted her to have a night she’d never forget…minus a hurtful morning after.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, and it took all of Brianna’s willpower not to deepen the kiss. “Is it okay? I know it’s extravagant, but look at how happy she is.”
Layla stood at the railing above the orchestra pit wiggling back and forth.
“It’s okay, but she’ll learn to expect these things, and that worries me,” she said honestly.
“We can make sure she doesn’t.” He ran his knuckles down her cheek. “I know how much the afternoon with your father meant to you, and I wanted her to have something equally as special.”
“Okay, but please, no more for a while, okay?”
Hugh shifted his eyes to the ceiling.
“Feigning innocence doesn’t work with me.” She looked at Layla heading back up the aisle toward them.
“I might have a little something else planned. Well, maybe a few little things.”
She poked his side. “I work really hard to make sure she has what she needs, and now she’s going to think she needs so much more.” Ugh! I sound so ungrateful. Layla stopped short of them and ran into a row of seats.
“You’re right. I should have run it by you first. I’m sorry, Bree. I’ve never done this before, and I guess I got a little overzealous.”
Oh my gosh. I’m a terrible girlfriend. What am I doing? He was doing something for Layla that she might never have the opportunity to do again. Maybe being romantic and thoughtful was simply who Hugh was, even if he was over-the-top. She touched her necklace and held on to his hand.
“It’s okay. I’m sorry,” she relented.
Layla stood in the center of the aisle again, beckoning them with one hand while smelling the corsage on the other.
“I promise, from now on I’ll run everything by you.” They took two steps and he stopped again. “I’d better amend that.” His voice deepened with a serious tone. “I promise that I’ll try to run everything by you, but honestly, I know myself, and there will be times that I forget, or I’m excited, or I want to surprise you both.” He wrinkled his forehead and curled his lips into a sweet, tentative smile.
How could she deny those dimples and such a kind heart? “You kill me with honesty,” she teased. “Okay. Deal.”
LAYLA SAT BETWEEN Hugh and Brianna. She bounced her feet as Tami, Mack’s wife, entered the stage wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and in her arms she carried a large fake tree. She set the tree beside a chair and stood at the front of the stage. Tami?
Layla gasped. “It’s Tami! Tami’s here!” Layla jumped up to her feet and held on to the seat in front of her.
Brianna whispered to Hugh, “You brought Tami here? What story?”
“Layla wrote a story at the tavern. Remember?” Hugh winked.
Brianna knitted her brows. “What?”
Hugh took her hand in his, then put his finger to his lips and nodded toward the stage. “Watch. You’ll see.”
“This is the story of Sassy and the Bird, written by Layla Heart,” Tami began. “Once upon a time, there was a yellow cat named Sassy. She had a bell on her collar that she got from her owner, and she loved the bell.”
Kat crawled onto the stage on all fours. She wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt, yellow sweatpants, and a headband with two cat ears poking up from the top of her head. Tami shook a bell and the tinkle, tinkle sound followed Kat across the stage.
Oh my gosh.
“Kat! Mom, it’s Kat!” Layla laughed.
Brianna’s throat tightened. She squeezed Hugh’s hand, and he moved into Layla’s seat and put his arm around Brianna.
Tami continued. “Every morning Sassy followed her owner outside.”
Jean walked across the stage wearing a pretty blue dress. She picked up a purse from a table and pretended to open the door to leave. Kat crawled behind her, scooting out the door alongside her.
“It’s Grandma!” Layla climbed into Hugh’s lap, and Brianna felt all the pieces of her world coming together.
“Sassy climbed a big tree where she could watch two baby birds play in their nest.”
Kat climbed on top of the chair next to the tree and perched like a cat on all fours.
Mack and his daughter, Karen, entered the stage with big painted wings strapped to their arms. They sat in a big wicker basket that looked a lot like an enormous nest.
Layla laughed. “Look, Mom. Mack and Karen are birds!”
Brianna couldn’t believe that Hugh had orchestrated the entire production without her knowing—and all for Layla.
Tami continued. “One day when Sassy was in the tree, one of the baby birds fell out.
Oh my gosh. Hugh pulled Brianna closer and kissed the side of her head.
Karen climbed over the side of the basket and yelled, “Ouch!” She held one wing up in the air.
“Sassy climbed down the tree as fast as she could.” Tami rang the bell as Kat climbed off the chair.
Layla yelled, “I wrote that!”
Hugh put his arm around her and whispered, “You sure did.”
Kat walked across the stage in silence and stopped by Karen. She touched her neck and curved her mouth into a frown.
Tami began again. “Sassy lost the bell she loved in the tree, but she saved the bird.”
Karen climbed on Kat’s back and, Brianna, Hugh, and Layla all laughed as Kat transported her into the pretend door to the house alongside Jean.
Jean picked up Karen and set her in a gigantic cage that seemed to appear from nowhere, but Brianna realized Mack had also disappeared. She’d been so busy watching Karen and Kat that he must have slipped out the other side of the stage.
“For lots of days,” Tami continued, “the bird was in the cage getting better. Sassy was sad that she couldn’t be with the bird inside the cage, so she watched from beside the cage.”
Kat wiped her eyes and frowned, staring longingly at Karen through the bars of the cage.
“One day, the lock on the cage broke, and the owner had to leave it open when she went to work.”
Jean opened the cage and walked out of the pretend door again.
“Look at Grandma.” Layla laughed.
Brianna looked at Hugh. He squeezed her hand and nodded toward the stage.
Tami continued. “Sassy climbed into the cage and snuggled with the bird
until its wing felt better.”
Kat climbed into the cage on all fours and rubbed her body against Karen’s side.
Jean came back onto the stage.
“When the bird’s wing was better, the owner took the bird outside and set it free,” Tami said in a solemn voice.
Jean held Karen’s hand and guided her out the door. Then Karen pretended to flap around the stage, and she climbed onto the chair beside the tree. Karen used her nose to poke at the tree.
“The bird had a surprise for Sassy,” Tami said.
Layla jumped off of Hugh’s lap. “Can I go to the front?” she asked.
Brianna agreed and watched Layla run down the aisle to the railing again, where she waved at their friends on the stage.
She forced her brain to work and hoped her voice would follow. “I can’t believe…” She blinked her damp eyes and swallowed to gain control of her shaky voice. “You did all of this.”
He touched her chin. “I’d do anything for you and Layla. She was so excited about this story, and I wanted to support her interest in the arts.”
Brianna touched the locket he’d given her and wondered how she’d gotten so lucky to have been working the night he came into the tavern for the first time.
Tami smoothed her shirt, then continued. “That afternoon, the bird flew into the house when the owner came home.”
Karen flapped her arms and ran into the door beside Jean.
Layla laughed hard and loud.