by Solveig Yrsa
“Okay,” he sighed. “Look I’m not a good person, Lay, and I will never claim to be one. And when it came to dating, I knew one thing, girls liked to have expensive things. So, when I dated a girl, we always went to the same expensive restaurants, I always bought them the same bracelets, the same purses, it was just easier because I knew they would be gone soon.”
“Is that what you think about me?”
“Huh? No! Look, I will admit that I fell into old habits and bought you that bag because I had no idea what to get you for your birthday and every girl that I ever gave one to liked it. I then decided to dedicate my book to you, which was your real gift, but the bag was already bought so I figured I would give it to you anyways.”
“But now you’re buying me art classes…”
“And I can honestly say I have never done that for anyone else. I can also say that I’ve never tried to glue a picture frame back together for someone. All the things I did for those other women, I’ll be honest, it was for sex. But with you… it’s different. We haven’t had sex so, I’m obviously not doing these things for that. I’m just doing it to make you happy.”
Layla gave him a small smile. “The class would make me really happy.”
Spencer nodded. “Then do it! I didn’t even know you liked to draw! I’ve never seen any of your work.”
She blushed and shrugged. “I’m not that good, it was just something I used to do to make a little extra money, but better artists came along, so that didn’t last.”
He walked over and sat on the bed beside her. “Well, I would like to see your art, if you feel comfortable showing me.”
She blushed. “Yeah, when I draw something, I could show you.”
They were both quiet for a minute and then Layla looked at him. “Thank you for letting me take these classes.”
He smiled. “Layla, I want you to be happy, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re a prisoner here. I just, I got scared that something bad might happen to you or you wanted to leave.”
Layla looked at his red cheeks, he refused to stare at anything besides the carpet. His large hands were gripping the blanket tightly. Is talking to me like this really that hard for him? She felt bad that he was so scared of rejection that it made him impossible to open up. She noticed that he kept moving his one hand up to his chest.
“Are you okay?”
Spencer jumped, obviously startled by her voice after the silence. “Yeah, I just think you should probably go take that nap now.” His voice was shaky and he still didn’t look at her.
Layla frowned. “Spencer, I forgive you, can’t we just talk?” she watched as his left leg began bouncing.
“I really think I need to be alone, Layla.”
She stood up and kneeled in front of him, placing both her hands on his knees. “Spencer, please, tell me what’s wrong.”
Spencer sighed, “I’m having a panic attack, alright, and this is really embarrassing, so please, let me be alone.”
She raised a brow but stood up and took a step back. “I will leave you alone if you really want me to, but you don’t have to be embarrassed, I don’t see you any differently, and all I want is to help you like you did when I had one.”
He looked up at her and nodded. “I…I don’t want to be alone.”
She smiled. “You’re not alone, now tell me how to help.”
Spencer pointed to his nightstand and asked for his pill bottle. After taking his medication he laid back in his bed with his hand over his heart.
Layla removed her boots and crawled into the bed next to him. She gently removed his hand and put hers in its place.
Spencer looked down at her, as she curled up next to him and ran her fingers over his chest. “No one has ever seen me like this… not even my mom, I try to hide it so that no one worries.”
Layla looked up at him. “You don’t have to hide it from me, I just want to help you.”
He leaned down and kissed her softly, she smiled against his lips and moved her hand up to the side of his face. He pulled back and looked into her crystal eyes.
“What did I do to deserve you?” he whispered.
Layla chuckled and kissed him again. “I was thinking the same thing about you,” she whispered before resting her head on his chest. “Try to sleep,” she said while running her hand over his chest. “If you need something, I’m right here. I won’t leave you alone.”
As he closed his eyes and waited for the medication to relax his body, her words hit him in a way that he hadn’t expected.
“I won’t leave you alone.”
Spencer opened an eye and looked down at her. Say it you idiot. I. Love. You. He sighed and looked at the ceiling. Why was he so afraid to admit it? Why was he so afraid to let anyone that close?
“No sighing, stop thinking about your panic attack.”
Spencer chuckled at her muffled voice. “Thanks, sweetheart.” Layla giggled into his chest. “What’s so funny?”
She shrugged. “Not funny, just you calling me sweetheart is weird still, I guess.”
“Do you not like it?”
She shook her head. “I love it, it’s just… I was remembering the other names you used to call me.”
Spencer sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t remember that. In fact, if you could forget everything until you walked into my house, that would be perfect.” Layla laughed and looked at him.
“Then I would forget the night you bought me food, the money you gave me, when you took me to the hospital, when you saved me not only from that truck, but also from Jackson. There was bad in between, but those good things outweigh the bad, and I never want to lose those memories.”
“You got a mouth on you that surprises me more and more every day.”
Layla cocked a brow. “What do that mean?”
Spencer shrugged and closed his eyes. “The way you talk, you wouldn’t think that you couldn’t read or write earlier this year.”
She laid her head back down. “Talking was something that was needed on the streets, sometimes convincing people to give you food or money wasn’t easy.” She smiled softly as she felt him squeeze her.
“I’m sorry your life hasn’t been what you deserved. You’re a really good person and deserve everything you want out of life.”
She didn’t move, she just laid there and listened to his heartbeat. It wasn’t long before he was asleep.
I’m a really good person… yeah right. There are people in jail for things I’ve done. She looked up at his slumbering face. Would he… would he still want to be with me, if he knew the truth about my past? Probably not, I don’t want to be with me either.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Samantha rubbed her temples as she stared at her glowing computer screen. “I swear I work with the most incompetent bunch of mother—”
“Miss Williams,”
Samantha jumped as she saw the brunette man open the glass door of her small office. “Jim, I’ve told you to call me Sam.” She sighed as she looked back at her screen before sending off the email and turning back to the man. The very slim man gave her a nervous crooked smile when she made eye contact with him.
“What can I do for you, Jim?” Samantha was not known around the office for her charismatic demeanor. She didn’t go out for after work cocktails, she didn’t talk to others during meals. She mainly stayed in her very bare office until it was time to go, and most knew better than to talk to her physically. She preferred everything through email. Jim was the only one that seemed to not get scolded when going into her office, and she honestly didn’t know why but something about him made her calmer. He was the most laid-back person she had ever met. He was always cracking jokes and smiling that goofy grin that she found endearing and contagious.
“Yeah, Sam.” He cleared his throat before stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Please don’t kill the messenger, but Mr. Williams wants you to call him.”
There were too many ‘Mr. Williams’, but the pit in her stomach told her which
one. “My uncle?” her breath caught in her throat when he nodded.
“Sorry,” he said before turning to leave.
Samantha watched the door close and banged her head on her desk. If her uncle wanted to talk to her, it couldn’t mean anything good. “I knew I shouldn’t have had Mexican for lunch. Now I feel like barfing,” she muttered, rifling through her desk drawer to find her phone headset. She turned her headset on and dialed her uncle’s number. With every ring of the call, her heart rate increased that much more.
After what felt like an eternity, a male voice on the other end answered the call. “Samantha, how are you today?” She was too nervous to sit down, so she stood up before responding.
“Hello Uncle Matthew. Jim Anderson said that you wished to speak with me.”
“Yes,” Matthew cleared his throat before continuing. “As you know, after relieving Landon of his position here in London, I took over and have been trying to get all the operations running smoothly over here. Well, it has come to my attention that the board here wants us to start up some sort of charity. It’s absolutely nonsense, but some of the members don’t like the fact that all we are doing is writing cheques, they feel we need to be more involved. So, I want to offer you the position to get this project up and running.”
“Uh… from here?” Samantha was completely confused. Her job was stressful enough, but now he wanted her to manage people and a project that was in a different country?
“No, I want you to come out here and work. The project should only take about a year and then you could go back to California, it would actually work well because I will need another charity project there so you will already be experienced with it.”
“Uncle Matthew, I don’t know. I mean, I thought you discussed this with Layla months ago?” She heard her uncle sigh, she knew he was not a patient man, but he was asking a lot of her. To up and move her who life, to leave her brother, it was a lot to process.
“I like Layla, and I wanted her to help with the project there because I figured that would give her more time with learning basic reading and writing. I don’t need her making myself or my company look ridiculous because she is uneducated.”
“Sir, with all due respect, Layla is not someone you need to worry about embarrassing your company. Layla is quick, compassionate, and very intelligent. And honestly, the story alone would give you amazing publicity. Homeless girl turned head of multi-million-dollar charity project? Are you kidding me, it would be all over the media.”
There was silence on the other line then Matthew spoke. “I never thought of it that way. It’s a very good point. Well, do you think she would come out with you, and you two could be equal partners?”
It was Samantha’s turn to sigh. “No sir, I don’t think she would leave Spencer for a year.”
“Of course not… my son always has to make things difficult for me. Well, I am disappointed, but I can still count on you to be out here, correct? And then when you get back, maybe you and her can go at the California project.”
Samantha looked out the small window in her office at the darkening sky. “Yes sir, I’ll be there.”
The call ended shortly after and Samantha sat back down in her chair. What on earth was she thinking? How could she agree to leave her family for a year without talking to anyone? She ran her hands through her long hair and sighed. “I need to talk to Layla.”
***
Layla smiled as she watched Spencer sit up against his pillow. “You feel better?” she asked softly as she stretched and sat up as well.
Spencer gave her a small smile. “I do, thank you.” He reached his large hand out and cupped the side of her small face, bringing her closer to him. She placed a hand on his bare chest and leaned in as his lips met hers, instantly opening her lips, welcoming Spencer’s tongue to explore her mouth. She moaned against his kiss as his tongue twisted with hers.
Spencer grabbed Layla by the waist and with ease, lifted her on top of his lap. She straddled either side of him before breaking the kiss and looking at him with hunger in her eyes. She removed her sweater, leaving her in a pale pink bra and her leggings.
Spencer looked wide-eyed. “Layla, are you…”
She didn’t let him finish; she crashed her lips against his and pressed her breasts against his chest. Spencer let out a moan as he felt her grind her hips against him. He ran his hands up her smooth back, and once he got to her bra strap, he slipped it off her shoulder as he began to lick and kiss her collar and shoulder. Layla rolled her head back and moaned softly. She ran her fingers through Spencer’s hair and gripped it as he continued to move his mouth further south. Her breathing began to quicken as he reached the top of her breasts.
Spencer stopped, his hands on the clasp of her bra, all he wanted to do was flip her over and kiss every part of her body, but he knew he had to be patient. He was about to speak up when suddenly her phone went off.
Layla jumped and her head whipped to the nightstand where she saw Samantha’s name pop up on her. “It’s Sammy,” she breathed.
Spencer groaned and dropped his face against her chest. “Ignore it and maybe she’ll take a hint,” he muttered.
She rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t call if it’s not important.” Layla kissed her now pouting boyfriend before answering the phone.
“Hey Sammy. Huh? Slow down, yeah I’m not doing anything just hanging out with Spence.”
Spencer rolled his eyes at the comment and got off the bed. Nah not doing anything, just making your boyfriend blue as fuck. He grabbed his shirt off his desk chair before grabbing her sweater and throwing it on the bed.
“Yeah, I can hang out with you, I’ll be downstairs in a minute. Okay bye.” Layla hung up her phone and grabbed her sweater. “Sammy seemed upset about something, but she wouldn’t say what it was. She just said she needed to talk to me alone.”
Spencer raised a brow. “Yeah, that isn’t like her, she’s usually the collected one, but if she wants to talk to you, maybe she found a guy she likes or something and wants to gossip or whatever.”
Layla nodded as she stood up and fixed her messy hair before turning back to Spencer. “Thanks… for that.” She stood up on her toes and kissed his lips.
Spencer instantly grabbed the back of her head and held her there for a moment.
She broke the kiss and smiled. “You need to let me go,” she whispered.
“You have no idea, how hard that is for me,” he whined, but let her walk out of his bedroom.
Layla couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she walked down the stairs, and was met with a nervous-looking Samantha, who grabbed Layla and dragged her into her bedroom. Once there, Layla sat on the girl’s blue and gold bedspread.
“Sammy, what’s going on?” she asked.
Samantha rubbed her hands together nervously. “Uncle Matthew talked to me while I was at work, he wants me to move to London and help him with a project. I would be gone for a year.”
Layla looked at her friend while she tried to process the information. “Well, w…what did you say?”
Samantha bit her lip and shrugged while trying not to cry. “I…I said yes. It’s a huge opportunity for me, and I would get to travel and it would help my career. And it’s only for a year. Did…did I make the wrong decision?”
Layla gave her a reassuring smile. “I don’t think so. I mean, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t sad. Not seeing you for a year, it makes me want to cry, but this is important for you, so I will support you.”
Samantha smiled and hugged Layla tightly as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I wish you were going as well,” she sniffled and broke the hug. “Uncle Matthew was interested in you going too.”
Layla blinked and looked away. Her? Go to London? She hadn’t even been out of this part of the state since she was a child. Plus, how could she leave? “I can’t leave Spencer for a year,” Layla whispered softly.
Samantha patted her friend’s knee. “I know, that’s what I told him. He was dis
appointed but said that when I come back, you and I could work on a project at this branch.”
Layla smiled and nodded. “When do you leave?”
Samantha sighed and stood up. “A couple of weeks, I’ve got to get packed, find a place to rent there, oh my God, I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
Layla held Samantha’s shaking hands. “You’ll be great, I’m going to miss you so much though.”
Samantha choked back a sob. “Same, but hey, we will talk every day, and I can always fly back here for a visit or maybe you could fly out to visit me!”
Layla chuckled. “Yeah, of course!” Sure she could, after all, it wasn’t like her and Spencer had just gotten into a huge fight because she went shopping without him. He’d have no problem with her going to a different country.
***
“So did your sister say why she wanted us all over for dinner?” Jensen asked as they pulled into the lavish driveway.
Liam shook his head. “No, she’s being really weird, she just said that she had news and wanted us all to come over.”
“Maybe she got a boyfriend,” Jensen said as he turned the engine off.
Liam rolled his eyes. “Fat chance, Samantha is not the dating type anymore.” The couple walked up the steps and into the house where Catherine greeted them.
“Hello, my boys! The food was just placed on the table, come on, let’s go eat.” They followed Catherine down the hall to the lavish dining room. The long room held a massive wood table that sat no less that sixteen people. They walked down to the end where Layla, Samantha, and Spencer were seated.
“This is a change from the usual living room meals,” Liam laughed as they took their seats.
“Yeah,” Samantha laughed nervously. “I just wanted us to all have a nice family meal together, and well… I have some big news.”
Liam raised a brow, his sister was terrified, and he could feel it. He noticed she kept wiping her palms on her jeans, he knew they must’ve been drenched in sweat.
“So, what’s going on, Sammy?” he asked his sister.
Samantha looked at Liam and held back the tears. She knew what was coming, and she was dreading his inevitable reaction more than anything. She took a deep breath before looking at everyone smiling.