by Nina Levine
“His name’s Brett. Brett Moody,” she shared, a smile on her face. Oh god, I knew that look. She was all-in already.
Donovan interrupted. “My Brett?”
“Huh? Your Brett?” I asked, confused.
Annie nodded, ignoring me. “Yes, Brett from work.”
Stunned, I looked to Donovan, hoping he would give me some indication of what this man was like.
He smiled. “Brett’s a good guy,” he murmured thoughtfully. “He’ll do right by you, Annie.”
Relief coursed through me.
Thank fuck.
Her phone rang, and a moment later, her face lit up when she heard the voice on the other end. “I’ll be down in a second,” she said before hanging up.
As she stood, I said, “Don’t forget we’ve got your appointment with the psychologist this afternoon.”
She smiled at me again. “I think I’m ready to go on my own now, Layla.”
She’d stunned me again. “Oh, okay. Are you sure?” I struggled to let her go, and I imagined this must be kind of what it was like for a parent not wanting to let their child out into the big, wide world. Fuck, the anxiety her statement had caused in me was enough to make me reconsider ever having kids. I doubted I could cope with it repeatedly like parents must.
Nodding, she said, “Yes.” She grabbed her bag and started walking away from the table. As she got closer to the stairs, she turned and said, “I’ll see you tonight. Brett will bring me home.”
And then she was gone.
I turned to Donovan. He was watching me with a mixture of concern and amusement.
“What?” I demanded.
“I love how you love Annie, but it’s time to let her fly, sweetheart.”
Shit.
I knew he was right, but fuck it was hard. I sighed. “Yeah, I know.”
“She’s doing well at work, and she’s found a good guy. Hopefully, those things will help her find herself.”
I leant towards him and whispered, “Some days I wonder what I ever did before I found you.”
My words affected him, and as he took a deep breath, he said, “Me, too.”
We stayed in that moment for a couple of beats, and then he pushed his chair back and stood up. He bent his face to kiss me. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
I nodded. “Sounds good,” I said softly and watched as he left.
He’d been a little better this morning, but I knew it would take time for him to work through his thoughts and feelings about his father’s death.
I’d be there for him however he needed me.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Blade
I ended the call with my mother and placed my phone back in my pocket. She seemed to be okay which caused me great relief. I hadn’t been sure how she’d take Marcus’s death but I was fairly sure that while she was upset about it, she wasn’t devastated by it. I had every reason to believe she’d continue moving forward in her life like she’d planned.
“Blade, we got word on the Hurley job,” Merrick said as he strode into my office.
“What’s the verdict?”
“We got it,” he said, his words laced with the victory he deserved to feel. He’d worked damn hard on this one.
“Good.”
He raised his brows. “Is that all you’ve got? Good?”
I grinned at him. “Fucking good?”
“Jesus Christ, Blade cracks a fucking joke,” he muttered.
“Fuck you.”
He chuckled and turned to leave, but he’d only taken a couple of steps when he turned back to me. “Forgot to tell you, Ben located Layla’s business partner.”
“And?” If that fucker came back here, I’d take care of him for her.
Fuck, she’d take care of him herself.
“He’s long gone. Ben doesn’t think he’ll be back anytime soon.”
“What makes him think that?”
“The asshole has shacked up with some rich bitch in Western Australia, and she’s funding his new lifestyle.”
I was annoyed and relieved at the same time. Relief won out in the end. “Good.”
Merrick raised his brows at me again.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. “Fucking good, asshole,” I muttered before waving him away. “Fuck off and let me do some work.”
He gave me one last grin and then left me to it. The heaviness I’d been feeling last night had shifted. It hadn’t completely left, but I knew it was easing.
Layla and Merrick did that.
I had people in my life who cared for me.
I’d always known it, but now I let myself feel it.
It felt fucking good.
***
“Scott,” I said as I answered his call.
“I’m just keeping you up-to-date with where Storm is at,” he said, his tired voice telling me a lot about how he was doing. “I was voted in as President yesterday, but only just. Griff is still VP.”
I waited for him to say more, and when he didn’t, I prompted him. “And?”
I heard him push out a breath. “The club’s in fucking chaos. Marcus trashed my name with a lot of members so there’s no trust or loyalty there. I don’t know how the fuck this is all gonna end up.”
“Anything from Ricky yet?”
“No, nothing, which is fucking odd.”
“Not for Ricky, it isn’t,” I muttered.
“What does that mean?”
“You remember I said he likes to play with you a bit before he screws you over? Well, this is Ricky playing with you.”
“Fuck. If I wasn’t trying to deal with shit here, I’d already be putting plans together to take him out.”
“What else are you dealing with?” I asked, confused.
“Turns out Nash and J are pissed off about our plan with Griff so there’s tension there. And then I’ve got some of the club members convinced our Sydney chapter are to blame for Marcus’s death and are planning retribution on them. It’s a fucking shit-fight over here, brother.”
And on top of that, he’s dealing with Harlow.
“Do you want me to help with the Ricky issue?”
He remained silent for moment. “No, Storm needs to do it. Maybe it will be the thing to unite us again.”
He was right. “Okay, well, yell out if you need something.”
“Thanks. Will do,” he said and then ended the call.
It felt like a chain of events they would struggle to recover from had been unleashed.
Where Storm would end up, no one fucking knew.
***
That night, I took Layla back to my house. We hadn’t spent much time there, and I needed to be here at the moment. Needed that secure familiarity, which she seemed to understand.
After we’d finished the dinner she’d cooked for us, I asked her if she wanted to watch a movie.
She gave me an odd look but agreed.
“What was that look?” I asked, puzzled.
“You surprised me, that’s all.”
“Why?”
She moved into my space and wrapped her arms around me. Looking up into my eyes, she said, “I’m surprised you’re choosing a movie over taking me to bed. It’s good, though.”
Her arms around me felt so good.
Loving.
Caring.
Safe.
I put mine around her and let them settle on her ass. “Trust me, sweetheart, I’ll be taking you to bed later, but for now, I want to watch a movie with you. I want to just be with you.”
Her eyes softened. “I’d like that,” she whispered.
I kissed her, and then said, “I don’t think you have any idea how much being with you helps me.”
She smiled and held me tighter. “I think I might, Donovan, because it’s the same for me.”
Fuck.
My luck really had changed.
I bent to kiss her again. Quicker this time, because I had something else to say to her. “I’m taking you to meet my mother tomorrow.”
Fuck.
The smile that spread across her face lit my whole fucking world.
Chapter Thirty
Blade
I sat back and smiled while I watched my mother and Layla talk. We’d arrived at Mum’s house half an hour ago and she’d promptly monopolised Layla’s attention. I’d hardly gotten a word in. Hell, I wasn’t complaining, though. I fucking loved watching the two women in my life getting on this well.
“What are you grinning at?” Layla asked, a smile on her face.
“Was I?” I hadn’t realised I had been.
“Yeah, you were, baby.”
The affection in her voice fucking did things to me, and I felt the familiar tightening in my gut. Fuck, I wanted her, which was not exactly a good thing at this very moment, seeing as we were sitting in my mother’s lounge room and about to have lunch.
Layla didn’t miss it, and her smile turned into a grin. She placed her hand on my leg and squeezed it. “You were definitely grinning at something.”
I pushed her hand off my leg and sat up straighter. Changing the subject, I asked, “Do you need help getting lunch ready, Mum?”
She stood up and said, “No, it’s all ready. You two stay there while I get it out.” The look of pure happiness she gave me caused my heart to constrict. My mother had missed out on so much in her life. Seeing me happy with someone had been one of those things. To be able to give her that now made me even more determined to make this relationship with Layla work.
As she left us to go to get lunch, Layla leaned into me and said, “I like your Mum.”
I smiled at her. “I can tell.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
I frowned. “What for, sweetheart?”
“For this . . . For letting me into your family. I know I’ve only just met your Mum today, but I can already tell she’s special and different to my family. And because I’ve never had that, it means even more to me. It’s the best gift you could ever give me.”
Fuck.
I curled my hand around her neck and pulled her to me. Pressing my lips to hers, I whispered, “I love you.” As the words left my lips, calmness descended on me.
Peace.
Fuck, that elusive fucking feeling I’d been searching years for.
It was right here.
It was Layla’s gift to me.
“I love you, too,” she said, and fuck if that didn’t hit me right in the chest.
We sat staring at each other for a while before I finally said, “You know I’m fucking kicking myself for wasting a year, don’t you?”
She smiled that smile of hers that pressed all my buttons. “Yeah, baby, but maybe we both needed that extra year. Life happens in her own good time. Our job is just to be open to it so that when it happens, we can catch it and not let it pass us by.”
Fuck.
She amazed me.
I was going to crack myself wide fucking open so I didn’t miss a damn thing this woman was offering me. Life wasn’t going to pass me by anymore. And although I had a lot of demons still to put to bed, I knew she’d be there right by my side, helping me.
I brushed my lips over hers again. Tightening my grip on her neck, I said, “Thank you for the gift you’ve given me.”
Confusion flickered on her face. “What gift?”
“You accepted me for who I am. Unconditionally. And you’ve stuck by me, even when most women wouldn’t.”
She placed her hand against my cheek and whispered, “I love you, flaws and all, Donovan Brookes, and don’t you ever forget it.”
THE END
Epilogue
Blade
“Blade!” Ashley called out to me.
I turned to see her running towards me with a smile on her face.
I stopped and waited for her to catch up to me.
She held something out to me and said, “You forgot this.”
I looked down at what was in her hand. A key. “What is it for?”
As she put it in my hand, she whispered, “It’s the key to your heart.”
I had no idea what she meant so I waited for her to explain.
She pressed her hand to my chest. “You locked your heart and threw the key away when I died. You’ve found someone to love you now, but you need to open your heart to her completely.” She nodded at the key in my hand. “You’ll need that.”
Fuck.
Stepping closer to me, she brought her hands to my face and held it. Her lips lightly dusted mine, and then she said, “I’ll always love you, Blade, and I know you’ll always love me, but you need her now.” She let my face go and took a step backwards. “Goodbye.”
I watched as she disappeared right in front of me.
I waited for the pain to slice through me.
It never came.
I sat bolt upright in bed and turned to the bedside clock.
Seven am.
Layla’s arm reached for me. “Baby, what’s wrong?” she asked, sitting up next to me.
I looked at her.
Fuck, she was beautiful. Even with messy hair and that first-thing-in-the-morning look.
“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart,” I murmured. “Go back to sleep.”
Everything was right.
She shook her head. “No, we’ve got a huge day today and I want to be ready for it.”
I chuckled. “It’s hardly a huge day.”
She gave me a dirty look and rubbed her eyes. “Don’t you give me grief, Donovan Brookes. If I say it’s a huge day, it’s a huge fucking day.” She pushed the bed sheet back and got out of bed.
As she padded into the bathroom, I said, “Okay, you win, it’s a huge fucking day.”
Stopping, she turned back to look at me. This time she hit me with a grin. “Baby, when will you understand that I always win?”
I shook my head and muttered, “Oh, I fucking understand that, don’t you worry.”
Her grin grew, if that was possible, and she left me alone.
Today we were going to lunch at Madison’s house.
My mother was also coming.
Madison had pushed for it, and Layla had encouraged me to agree.
It had been nearly a month since Marcus’s death, and we were all moving forward, leaving the past behind us. Bringing my mother and half-sister together seemed like it could be a mistake, but everyone was looking forward to it.
Everyone except me. I still felt apprehension.
Layla came back to the bedroom and threw a t-shirt at me. I looked at it and chuckled when I realised it was a new one. “Have you been shopping again, baby?”
“I’m ignoring that,” she said as she began rummaging in her drawer for clothes. Once she’d found what she was looking for, she looked back at me and said, “I’m going to have a shower. Don’t come in there and disturb me. I need time today to get ready.”
I raised my brows. “When have I ever disturbed you?”
Her eyes widened. “When the fuck have you not disturbed me? You can’t keep your hands to yourself.”
I moved fast, and a moment later I had her in my arms. Bending my mouth to her ear, I growled, “That’s not disturbing you, sweetheart. That’s giving you what you want. If you’d like me to show you what disturbing you is, I’d be happy to do that at any time.”
Her breathing picked up and she attempted to push out of my hold, but I tightened it instead.
“Are you going to keep me trapped or can I go have a shower?” she asked, feigning annoyance.
“I’m going to let you go, but I need your answer first.”
“My answer to what?”
“Your answer to whether or not you’d like me to show you what disturbing you is.”
Her eyes widened again, but in a completely different way than before. This time, they flashed her desire for me. Her desire for me to disturb her. “Yes,” she whispered, clearly affected.
“Yes what?” I demanded, moving my hand to her neck, gripping her firmly there.
“Yes, I
want you to disturb me,” she said, her voice all breathy.
I let her neck go, trailing my hand down her chest and over one of her breasts. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and when my hand slipped down the front of her top to take hold of her breast, she let out a whimper. “Good, baby. Tonight,” I promised, and then let her go. I smacked her lightly on the ass and said, “Now go and get ready. I promise to leave you alone.”
As she walked out of the bedroom, I thought about everything we’d been through over the past month.
Layla had remained patient with me while I got my shit together concerning my father’s death. I was still dealing with it, and I knew I would be for a long time still, but I’d moved past those initial hollow feelings. Since then, I’d reconciled the events of that day in my mind and was okay with Marcus’s death. My only regret was that it had affected Storm. They were still dealing with the fallout of his death, and fuck knew how that was all going to play out.
“Donovan!”
I turned to look at Layla standing in the doorway. “What?” I asked.
“I was calling you,” she said, clearly frustrated.
“What’s up?”
Her face softened a little. “I changed my mind. You can come and disturb me now.”
Fuck.
I strode to where she stood, grabbed her hand and led her to the bathroom. “Clothes off,” I ordered as I began peeling mine off.
The look on her face gave her thoughts away. Layla fucking loved being bossed around, and I had no doubt she was going to fucking love being disturbed by me.
Four hours later, we collected my mother from her house on the way to Madison and J’s home. I sensed her nerves, and Layla and I did our best to put her at ease before we got there. As I listened to Layla talk to Mum, I realised she could talk her way into anything. She never failed to convince me of anything, and she singlehandedly convinced my mother that she had nothing to worry about where Madison was concerned.
When Madison threw her front door open and greeted us with a warm smile, I figured things might go smoothly. And when she reached for my mother’s hand and welcomed her into her house, I watched my mother’s worry fall away, and I knew everything was going to be okay.