And hearing about the people in James’s life made her feel giddy. She was excited to meet James’s family. They sounded normal, and right now, that was exactly what she needed.
“Thanks,” she said before she could stop herself.
James furrowed his brow. “For what?”
She shrugged as she picked some nonexistent fuzz from her shorts. “For helping me. Bringing me along. You didn’t have to do that.” She peeked over at him to see him studying her.
His expression had softened, and when her gaze met his, her heart began to beat faster. She could see something there, but she wasn’t prepared to dissect what it was.
Then he blinked and turned his attention back to the road. “It was really no problem. Like I said, I owe Juan. I’m here until the storm blows over.” He gave her a soft smile, and Layla couldn’t help but feel completely safe.
That was a strange feeling. There had never been a time with Juan when she’d felt like that. Maybe it was because Juan had been actively trying to hide things from her. James, well his secrets seemed to be eating him alive. And even though he was fighting to keep them to himself, she could tell they were killing him.
They drove in silence until James pointed out a two-story white house with a wraparound porch. He grinned over at Layla like a kid in a candy store. “We’re here,” he said as he pulled up to the curb and turned off the car.
Layla nodded as she swallowed her nerves. She could do this. She was fine.
James didn’t seem to have any reservations. The keys were out of the ignition and his door was open before Layla could even blink. She watched as he rounded the hood and, instead of making his way toward his house, reached for her door.
Her stomach lightened as he opened the door and held out his hand. He grinned down at her. “Ready?”
She smiled, hoping it would look genuine, and slipped her hand into his. His skin was warm and sent pulses of electricity down her arm. She glanced up at him, wondering if he felt the same.
If he did, he didn’t look it. Instead, he helped her out and then extended his hand toward the front door. “After you,” he said.
Layla felt confused about her reaction to his touch, but she couldn’t dwell on it. She nodded and headed up the front walk. They climbed the porch steps together, and when they got to the door, James ushered her in.
Deep voices could be heard inside the house. A few deep yells sounded, and Layla glanced over at James.
He shrugged. “Dad’s watching the game,” he said as he turned to shut the door.
Layla nodded as nerves built up inside of her. She felt completely out of place here. Sure, it had been fun hearing about James’s family in the car, but now she was going to have to meet them. Talk to them.
She felt completely unprepared for any of this.
“Hello?” James called out.
A squeal sounded from the other room, and in a few seconds, a plump woman appeared with her greying hair pulled up into a bun. Her gaze roamed over Layla before landing on James. She slipped her glasses off her nose and rushed over, wrapping James into a hug.
“My baby’s home,” she exclaimed, burying her face in his shoulder.
James chuckled as he leaned down and wrapped his arms around his mother.
“Hey, Ma,” he said, giving her a big squeeze.
His mom pulled back. She had tears in her eyes as she reached out and cradled his cheek with her hand. “I’m so glad you came back,” she said, her voice wavering from emotion.
James swallowed, and Layla could see his jaw muscles flinch. Something had happened here, and Layla had a sinking feeling it had to do with the secret he was keeping.
“How was your trip?” she asked as she pulled away and ran her gaze over James once more. “Are you eating well in New York?”
James shoved his hand through his hair as his gaze flicked over to Layla. She gave him a small supportive smile.
“It’s been great. Did Jonathan tell you about Layla?” he asked.
His mom turned, and a huge smile spread across her lips. “He did. Something about this not being anything serious?” She turned to James and tsked. “Why aren’t you with her? She’s beautiful.”
Layla’s whole body heated up, and she hoped no one noticed. There was no reason to reveal her budding feelings for James. His mom focused in on her, reaching out to grab both of Layla’s hands.
Layla let out a soft laugh as she saw James’s cheeks flush. He gave her an apologetic look, and she just shook it off. “Name’s Layla,” she said and then was taken off guard as his mom pulled her into a hug.
“It’s nice to meet you, Layla. You’ll have to excuse me, honey. I’m a hugger.” She pulled back and studied Layla.
“It’s okay…”
“Sondra.”
Layla smiled. “Sondra.”
Sondra wrapped her arm around Layla’s shoulders and began leading her to the kitchen. “Come on, you two. I’ve got food on the table.”
Layla’s stomach growled at Sondra’s words, and before she knew it, she was sitting next to James with a plate of pot roast and mashed potatoes in front of her. She glanced over at James as Sondra rushed around the kitchen, buttering rolls and pouring milk.
He shrugged as he smiled at her. “Mom’s never been one to sit idly,” he said, nodding toward Sondra as she set glasses of milk in front of them.
“You kids kept me on my toes for so long; I guess old habits die hard,” she said as she grabbed a mug and filled it with some coffee. Just as she finished pouring, a larger man with salt-and-pepper hair walked in. He looked like an older version of James.
His skin was tan and wrinkled around the corners of his eyes. When he glanced at James, a slow smile spread across his lips. “You’re home, boy,” he said as he walked over. James stood and the two men embraced.
“This is James Braxton, Senior,” Sondra said as she glanced over at Layla. “James is his mini-me.”
Layla nodded. They had the same deep brown eyes and soulful look. She reached out and Mr. Braxton shook her hand.
“You can call me Jimmy, though,” he said as he pulled out a chair and sat. Mrs. Braxton stood and filled another mug with coffee, which she then set in front of Mr. Braxton.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Layla said, giving him a warm smile.
Mrs. Braxton returned to her seat and lifted her mug to her lips. Layla could feel her stare from over the cup.
“Mom.” James’s voice came out low, like he was anticipating what she was going to say.
Mrs. Braxton feigned a surprised look as she glanced over at James. “What?”
Jimmy chuckled. “You’re circling.”
Confused, Layla furrowed her brow as she glanced over at Mr. Braxton. He had a loving expression on his face as he stared, exasperated, at Mrs. Braxton.
“Well, I can’t help myself. One of my boys brings home this beautiful girl but tells me there’s nothing there. I can’t help but wonder why.”
Layla coughed. Sondra’s words had startled her, and she’d choked on a half-chewed piece of pot roast.
Jimmy and James spoke in unison. “Mom.”
“Sondra.”
Layla didn’t want to disappoint anyone—much less James’s mom—so she lifted her hand as she shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m, um…well, I’m recently single.”
Mrs. Braxton pinched her lips together as if she were holding in more questions. Layla figured it was probably best to elaborate.
“Juan was James’s friend. He got into some trouble, and I needed a break from the city. James was gracious enough to let me come with him.” She gave everyone at the table a small smile.
The room fell silent, and Layla wondered if she was going to have to explain more. James was staring pretty hard at the plate in front of him. As if he were willing something to happen.
Mrs. Braxton gently wrapped her fingers around Layla’s arm. “We’re happy you’re here, sweetie. And you can stay as long as you need to.”
Jimmy grunted and that seemed to signal everyone to start eating. Thankfully, the rest of dinner was filled with light conversation and the clanking of silverware on porcelain.
Layla found herself relaxing as she listened to the three of them talk. For a moment, she imagined that her life was normal. For a moment, she didn’t have worries.
She wanted that moment to last.
Chapter Nine
James helped his mom clear the table after dinner. Partly because old habits die hard and partly because he needed to talk to her privately.
If he and Layla were going to stay here, he needed to set some ground rules. His overly anxious mother meant well, but boundaries weren’t Sondra’s specialty.
Layla stood up from the table and reached down to grab her plate at the same time James moved to get it. Their fingers brushed, and warmth spread across his skin. Out of instinct, he glanced over to her, his eyes widening.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed how close he was standing to Layla. He could smell her coconut shampoo and feel her warmth cascading across his skin. He wanted to lean in. To soak in every part of her.
Just as he moved to lean closer, he realized what he was doing and snapped back. That was the last thing he needed.
Layla shook her head. “It’s fine.”
“I’ll take care of this,” he said, smiling down at her.
Layla chewed her lip as she pulled her hands away and clasped them together in front of her. “Sure.”
James took it from her, making sure he was very aware of where he placed his hands. He wasn’t sure how she felt when they touched, and he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.
He needed to keep his ridiculous thoughts in check if he was going to get through the weekend.
He gathered a few more dishes and stacked them on top of each other in an attempt to look busy. “I’ve got this covered. If you want, you could go lay down or something. I’m sure you’re tired.”
Layla’s expression softened as she nodded. “Actually, I was hoping to take a bath. Do you think that would be okay?”
James nodded. “Ma, Layla would like to take a bath.”
Sondra looked over at them. “Of course. Upstairs and to the left. Feel free to use my bath salts,” she said as she wiped her hands on a dishrag.
James felt warmth begin to rise up inside of him. Maybe it was because Layla seemed to fit so easily into his life here. Worried he’d blush for what felt like the millionth time, he gave Layla a wide smile. “I’m pretty sure you can find your way.”
The sides of Layla’s mouth tipped upwards as she nodded. “I’m sure I can.” She moved to walk past him but then paused as she glanced up to study him. She looked as if she was going to say something but then changed her mind. “Thanks,” she said.
James watched her as she made her way up the stairs. It was strange. Even though he’d only known her for less than forty-eight hours, he was beginning to recognize her habits. The slight downward turn of her shoulders. How her hair fell forward, hiding her face. He could tell something was bothering her, but he didn’t know what.
He wanted to, though. He wanted to learn all there was to learn about Layla.
“James,” his mom’s voice cut through his thoughts.
Embarrassment coursed through him. “Yeah?” he asked. He looked over to find his mom grinning at him.
Great. When she got that look in her eye, it only meant trouble.
“Is everything okay?” Sondra asked as she leaned one elbow against the counter.
James gathered more dishes—anything to distract himself from the questions his mom was about to ask him. With both arms full, he made his way to the sink, pausing only once to glance down at her.
“Everything’s great,” he said with an exaggerated smile.
Sondra clearly didn’t believe him. That was the problem with knowing someone for their entire life, his mom always knew when he was lying.
“Child—”
“Mom, don’t,” he said as he dumped the dishes into the sudsy water. He watched as they sunk below the surface. He wasn’t ready to analyze his feelings on his own, and he certainly wasn’t ready to dissect them with his mom.
Sondra didn’t say anything as James placed his hands on the lip of the sink and leaned in. Maybe he wanted to push down his feelings as easily as he could everything else in his world. He’d gotten so used to not caring that this sudden urge to know Layla had him completely discombobulated.
The sound of his mother clearing her throat brought his gaze over to her. She was studying him. James shot her a not right now look and shoved his hands into the warm, soapy water to find the rag. He pulled it out and began scrubbing the food off of the plates.
Sondra took the dishes from him once they were washed. She rinsed, dried, and put them away. They worked in silence for a few minutes before she sighed.
“I’m sorry I pushed you,” she said. Her voice was low, and James could tell she was worried about something.
He didn’t like that. This was his mother. He wanted her to be happy.
He stopped washing the dish in his hand so he could turn to study her. “I know you love me, Ma, but sometimes…” His chest constricted as memories of his life before he joined the military flooded his mind.
Truth be told, he’d never had the greatest relationship with his parents. Even though he looked like Jimmy, he took after Sondra in temper. Perhaps that was why he’d always struggled with coming home.
“When we got the call about what happened, we weren’t sure what to do,” Sondra said, her voice cracking from the pain she had been carrying around.
James often forgot that he wasn’t the only one affected by the bombing in Afghanistan. Sometimes, he closed in on himself so much that he forgot a world existed outside his pain.
Feeling like the worst son ever, he turned, pulling his hands from the water so he could focus on his mom. “I know,” he said.
Sondra looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. James hated seeing his mom hurting. She glanced down at his hands and handed over the towel she’d been holding. James wiped the suds from his skin and set the towel down on the counter so he could hug his mom.
There wasn’t a good explanation for why he stayed away from his family after the accident. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was too painful to go on living his life when Clarisa couldn’t. To give himself to his family when so many other soldiers didn’t make it back.
Moving on with his life—building something better—felt wrong.
Why did he get to move on, to live a life, when they couldn’t?
“I’m sorry, Mom,” he said as he rested his chin on the top of her head.
Sondra buried her face in his shoulder as she held him tight. “I know things happened when you went over there. I know you want to keep it locked away. But I hate how it’s keeping you from us.” She pulled back to study him. Her weathered skin was wet from tears. She reached up and rested her hand on his cheek. “You deserve so much happiness.”
James nodded despite the doubt that rose up inside of him. He wanted to believe that was true, but he knew it was a lie. He didn’t deserve anything. Not when his actions had hurt so many others.
Sondra steadied her gaze. “I know it’s hard for you to believe right now, but I’ll keep the candle lit for the both of us, okay? Just until you build your faith.”
James swallowed despite the emotions that coated his throat. He missed his family, but they didn’t really understand what he went through. He hated the way they loved him no matter what. If they found out what really happened, he knew their view on him would change.
Desperate to move the conversation forward, he nodded and turned his attention back to the dishes. Sondra hesitated, and from the corner of his eye, he could see her blot her tears with the hem of her apron as she cleared her throat.
They worked in silence. James wished that his mind was sil
ent, but it was anything but. The first impulse he had was to run. Pack up, get the heck out of here, and not stop until he was holed up in some dingy hotel where no one knew who he was. Where no one would tell him he was a good person. Because that was a lie, no matter how much his mom wanted him to believe otherwise.
But he knew that him leaving would only break his mother’s heart more, and he couldn’t do that to her or to Layla. He needed to stay. At least until he saw things through for Layla and Juan. Then he’d leave. Run and never look back. The pain here was too much to bear.
James was rinsing out the sink when movement by the stairs drew his attention. He glanced over to see Layla standing at the bottom step, leaning one shoulder on the wall. Her hair was damp and there was a soft, satisfied look on her face.
His heart took off in a gallop as he studied her. Layla raised her gaze up to meet his, a small smile playing on her lips.
“How was your bath, sweetheart?” Sondra asked.
James jumped as he turned to see his mom glancing between them with her eyebrows raised. Embarrassed that she might be reading his thoughts, James grabbed the dishrag and began to wipe off the counters.
“It was just what I needed,” Layla said, her voice sending waves of pleasure through James.
“Perfect,” Sondra said, tucking the dish towel through the handle on the stove. She brushed her hands off as she sighed. “I think I’ll head to bed.”
James nodded, and Layla said good night. Sondra patted each of them on the shoulder as she headed into her room and shut the door.
Now alone, James glanced over to see Layla twirling her hair around her finger. She was staring off into the distance. Not sure what to say, James headed over to the coffee pot.
“Coffee?” he asked.
Layla glanced over then shook her head. “No, thank you.”
James felt like an idiot as he set the pot back down.
“Tea would be nice though.”
Grateful for a task, James moved around the kitchen, locating the mugs and tea bags and filling a kettle with water. He set it on the stove and turned on the burner.
Her Protector: A Braxton Brothers Romance Page 8