Mandy sighed. “Let’s sit for a second before you fall down.” She guided Layla onto a small tan-and-black bench. Mandy had gotten up early after another glorious night with her soon-to-be husband and spent some much-needed time with her daughter. It was nice to be so wrapped up in her relationship with Julien again after so many months of worrying about the pregnancy and the early months of Sophie’s life.
But the real world would be crashing down on them very soon, and she would have to get better at balancing motherhood, teaching, and an active sex life. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Julien until she was able to devote her whole attention to him.
“Look, Layla, here’s the thing. You have to make a choice. Are you going to hold your mother’s behavior toward you when you were young against her now that you’re an adult? If you do, that’s fine. It’s your decision. But you can’t hold on to that kind of resentment and try to have a real adult relationship with her.”
“But—”
“But nothing, girlfriend. You either let it go, or you let it ruin whatever relationship you planned on having from here on out. Past is the past. Let it stay there.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Take a minute, think, relax. And really consider the options and the consequences of each path.”
Man, she almost felt like her old self, dishing out advice, telling someone else what to do, and showing them their true selves. It was clear Layla was in need of a serious reality check. And a good friend. There wouldn’t be a better time this week to have this conversation. If Tyler wasn’t going to be tough enough on his girlfriend, then maybe Mandy could be.
“What happens if you don’t forgive her? Do you want her to leave you alone? Not be a part of your life?” Mandy asked the hard questions, knowing the answers were important for Layla. She’d send her brother the bill. He’d told her he was working on helping Layla fix her relationship with her mom, but trying to let her make up her own mind. Mandy wasn’t that nice. Or that willing to be in the middle of the drama.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m sure Ty’s talked to you about what it’s like growing up with only one parent. You have both of yours, yes?”
Layla nodded.
“That’s something you want to be real sure about before you give it up.”
“It’s just that for so many years I let her control me. I never want to go back to that. I never want to feel like that little girl who isn’t good enough again.”
“You’re not her, Layla. You’re an adult, and a pretty kick-ass one at that. Look at what you’ve done for me and Julien this week. Could I just tell you the sex has been amazing! I feel like a new woman, or my old self again. I can’t decide which. Maybe a bit of both. We never could have had this without you. And Ty says you’re pretty kick-ass in the courtroom too. You can’t keep giving her that power. Take it back.”
“You sound like your brother. Well, except for the new-woman part. If he starts feeling like a new woman, I’m gonna be in the market for a new man.”
They laughed, and the worry lines on Layla’s face relaxed into smooth mocha skin.
“So do you think you can forgive the past issues, set some adult boundaries for you and your mom, and move on from here?” Mandy tried not to sound like she was preaching, but more like she was suggesting a plan of action.
Layla bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know.”
“Then let’s take today as a trial run. Try it and see how it goes. Wipe the slate clean right now. We’re going to the spa, and we’re gonna be pampered as hell. It’ll be pretty easy to feel forgiving in that environment.”
Layla took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “Okay. You’re right. I think I can do that.”
“Good, ’cause we’re late. Let’s go.” Mandy pulled Layla to her feet, and they walked to the elevator hand in hand.
“You know, you’re going to make a great sister-in-law one day.”
Mandy grinned. “Yeah, one day.” If Ty ever got off his ass and popped the question.
They met the rest of their party down on the second floor where the spa was located. Mandy quickly introduced her Theta girls to Estelle. She pulled Layla aside just as they headed into the spa and whispered, “Blank slate, remember?”
Layla nodded, but she still looked like she might toss her cookies any second. Glancing at the serene environment, Mandy thought it would be a real shame to ruin it. Flush greenery climbed the walls, lending a soft, natural scent to the air that reminded her of standing in the middle of Central Park. As they descended the steps into the main area of the space, the walls curved up and over their heads in beautiful light-colored wood.
While the girls chose their massages from a large selection, Addison turned to Mandy. “So that Julien of yours is quite the hunk!”
“Oh, shut it,” Mandy said. “And bitch, he’s mine. All mine!”
“Well, then. Somebody got laid last night,” Diedre said, cackling.
“Don’t hate ’cause you’re jealous,” Mandy said.
The girls laughed and followed the receptionist down the hall full of doorways. Warm, moist air surrounded them, along with the heavenly aromas of vanilla, coconut, and cinnamon.
“Mesdames.” The receptionist spread his arm out to the left and led Diedre into one room and Addison into the one beside it. As Mandy continued down the hall with the receptionist, her party grew smaller and smaller.
“Enjoy your massages, everyone,” she called as Layla and Estelle were brought into separate rooms. She couldn’t believe the hotel had this many masseurs on staff. It boggled the mind.
Once she was closed in a small deep-purple room, Mandy undressed and climbed onto the massage table. She spent the next hour in a warm, relaxed bubble as her masseuse pushed every last ounce of tension from her body. Her mom and Estelle hadn’t gotten much of a chance to say more than hello, for which Mandy was grateful.
Layla had seemed to take Mandy’s advice and given her mom the benefit of the doubt. At least for today. After wrapping up in the plush white robe her new friend with magical fingers had given her, Mandy joined the rest of her party in the salon.
“So, ladies, pick your colors for your nails,” Layla said.
The employees lined them all up in the massage chairs for their pedicures. Mandy sank back into the softly vibrating chair and set her feet in the bubbling hot water. She couldn’t help the way her mind momentarily wandered back to her romp with Julien in the hot tub, but she quickly pulled her focus back to the soothing room around her. The sound of the running waterfall off to the right, coupled with the scent of lavender lotion and the feel of the mechanical fists now pressing into her back, made Mandy sigh in contentment. A girl could get used to this life.
“Are we having a good time?” Estelle asked them.
“Absolutely,” Diedre said. “So these are your hotels, huh? Layla was telling us a bit about the chain and you.”
“Really?” Estelle asked.
Mandy watched Layla’s face closely.
“Yes, Mom. I was telling everyone how you’ve worked at Marietta for years and that I kind of grew up in the hotels. They all think this place is gorgeous. Because, well, it is.” Layla turned to the rest of the girls. “Like I was saying, this one and New York are my favorites. Spent the most time in them. And Mom’s really taken a special interest in this one since she started here as the manager, even before I was born. It’s her baby.” A hint of sadness colored Layla’s words.
“Yes, the hotels were always important to me. They gave me a sense of purpose. But you were always my baby, Layla.”
Mandy didn’t think she’d ever seen a more shocked expression than the one on Layla’s face. Estelle reached toward Layla with the hand that wasn’t being painted. After a moment of hesitation, Layla took the offered hand. The distinct shine of tears in Layla’s eyes was apparent even from across the room.
“Right, well.” Layla cleared her throat. Mandy knew she must
have wanted to say something more, but the room was full of people Layla had just met, herself included.
“So, Angela, this son of yours seems like a good man.” Estelle released her daughter’s hand, turning toward Mandy’s mom, and Mandy held her breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
“He is. One of the best. Some days I’m not sure how it happened.”
Mandy smiled. She knew how it had happened. Ty was raised right, just like she’d been, by the most amazing woman in the world. Angela had been run ragged by her two kids for years, giving everything for them and never worrying what happened to herself. It was a beautiful, selfless life. Mandy didn’t know if she was good enough to follow in her footsteps, though a lot of times as a kid it seemed inevitable. Would it really be so bad to turn into her mother?
“What do you mean?” Estelle seemed to pounce on the small allusion Mom had made to Tyler’s difficulties as a kid.
“He was a good boy. But growing up without his dad was hard on him. On both of them.” Mom looked right at Mandy. Her family didn’t talk much about what it had been like without Dad. They hadn’t been rich, but both Mandy and Tyler had gotten jobs while in high school and done well since graduation. She smiled, remembering her time working in the flower shop for Mrs. Jones.
Mrs. Jones had left Mandy both the flower shop and a large sum of money after she’d passed. It was the reason Mandy had finally come to Paris after her college graduation. The silly old bat had told her to sell the shop and go off to follow her dreams. And she had.
After she and Ty were out of the house, they’d helped Mom slow down and find one job she loved doing instead of the three she’d worked until Mandy was nineteen and already away at school. The past ten years had been good for Angela. Mandy couldn’t remember seeing her mom so happy.
“Ah, yes, of course. Layla’s told me a bit about your husband’s false imprisonment. Says she and Tyler are working on clearing his name even now.”
Uh-oh.
Mandy did her best not to look guilty, and Layla avoided eye contact with Angela.
“What?” Her mother’s shrill voice cut through the other chatter in the room. Her Theta girls had been whooping it up on the other end of the salon, but Angela’s exclamation instantly silenced them.
“I’m gonna kill that boy. How long have you known about this, Mandy Amber Lachlan?”
Mandy cringed at the use of her full name. Only a mother could wield three little words in such an effective and cutting manner. “It’s not like it was before, Mom. Honest. He’s being smart about it, not letting it overwhelm his life. And Lay’s been helping him. They’re doing it on the side.” Mandy felt terrible throwing Layla under the bus, but she needed her mother to see that Ty was doing the right thing for the right reasons this time. He wasn’t going to let their father’s case ruin his life like he had before.
“I’m so sorry. I thought you knew. I imagined you’d be happy they were working to prove his innocence,” Estelle said.
Addy and Diedre glanced at Mandy. She shook her head, and they turned back to their conversation in hushed tones.
“His perceived guilt was never a problem, not after he was killed and we could no longer fight for his release,” Mom said. “But Ty didn’t want to let it go. Working that case almost ruined his career before it started. He dropped out of law school when it consumed him. I can’t believe he’s gone back to it again after all these years.” Mandy didn’t think she’d ever heard her mom sound so defeated and yet scared at the same time.
“That’s my fault,” Layla said. “I used my position in the DA’s office to pull the file. I’ve been working on it about a year, looking into whatever we could find. We’re close to overturning the conviction. I know what happened when Tyler tried to do it on his own, and we’re careful about it. I have a detective friend in the department. He’s agreed to look back into the case files for us and interview some of the witnesses and the lead detective who was on the case back then.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about it, Angela,” Estelle said. “If Layla says she’s going to overturn the conviction, she will. I’ve been watching her work in the DA’s office. She’s good. Very good.”
Layla smiled. “It’ll be okay. I told him we should let you know we were working on it, but he wanted to wait until we had something concrete. Guess the cat’s out of the bag now, huh?”
“Sorry,” Estelle said, and she did actually look sheepish.
Fortunately the rest of the day at the spa passed without much incident, letting Mandy relax into the idea of her impending nuptials. Tomorrow she and Julien had a date at the mayor’s office. And she would be married. It was time to grow up and put on her big-girl panties. Julien wanted this. Needed it in a way she didn’t. But she did need him.
She was smart enough to know that he’d crawled inside her heart and wound himself up so tightly there that losing him would be like ripping out the organ and throwing it in the Seine. It was too late to do anything about that now, much as she’d tried to protect herself from such a fate. For him, she would be his bride.
Tomorrow.
Chapter Eighteen
Layla couldn’t believe Tyler had done this. She smiled like a fool across the small, round table they were sharing for dinner. He’d even brought along a bouquet of yellow roses and lavender. Just like the first dinner they’d had through their windows overlooking Times Square. Only this time they were surrounded by delightful music and the lights of Paris.
As the boat cruised down the Seine, they had dined and laughed. All the years she’d been coming to Paris, and never once had she taken a cruise like this. It was beautiful.
“Do you have any idea how happy you’ve made me?” Tyler asked, sitting across from her and taking her hand in his.
“Just about as happy as you’ve made me.” She had no idea what she’d done to get so lucky. This last year had been amazing. She’d tried her fifth case in the courtroom just before flying to Paris with the love of her life. With each appearance before the judge, she became more comfortable. But she didn’t want to think about her work now. Or the way her mother seemed determined to win her over. Right now, she wanted to focus on Tyler.
They’d just passed the baby Statue of Liberty on the Seine when the waiter brought out their dessert. “That’s not what I ordered,” she told him in French.
“Yes, it is,” Tyler said.
She knew what she’d ordered, damn it.
At her glare, Tyler rolled his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that.”
The waiter set the plates down in front of them, and she gazed at the dessert. Molten lava cake. Of course. She smiled at her wonderful man. This hadn’t been on the menu; he must have ordered it special, just for her. She took a deep breath as memories assaulted her. She remembered their first dinner together when she was locked away in her hotel room like a princess in a tower, and Tyler sat across the expanse of Times Square in his office, beaming at her. Recalling their first encounters made her skin tingle with awareness. She thought of how she’d used this very dessert to seduce him. And how he’d licked it off her body the second time they’d shared it.
“One year ago today, I was more stressed out than I’d ever been, working on that Paulson case. And then I caught a glimpse through the window of a wanton goddess who rocked my world. Happy anniversary.” He raised a glass of champagne, and she clinked hers against his in a toast that brought tears to her eyes. Tyler glanced behind her. “Dig in,” he said, lifting his spoon.
She grabbed her own and pushed it into the gooey center. With her gaze locked on his, she brought the spoon to her mouth and slipped it inside. She knew he was remembering the unconventional start to their relationship. Setting down her spoon, she savored the taste of the chocolate.
“Fuck,” he whispered with force when the Eiffel Tower came into view on their side of the boat.
“What?” she asked.
“Well, we were supposed to be done with dessert by now. But
that’s okay.” He got to his feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere. That’s the point.” He took her hand.
What the hell? Tyler knelt before her, an open red velvet box in his hand.
“Oh, my God!”
The ring was perfect—a white-gold band encrusted with two rectangular sapphires on either side of a round-cut diamond in the center.
“Marry me, Layla. Please make me the happiest man in the world.”
“Yes.” She could barely push the word from her mouth. Tyler pulled the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. It felt so right. He stood, bringing her with him and wrapping his arms around her.
“I love you,” he said, lowering his head and claiming her lips.
TYLER’S HEART THREATENED to pound right through his breastbone. She’d said yes. He parted Layla’s lips with his tongue, crushing her body against his and kissing her deeply. After a moment, he remembered they were still in public and pulled back from her. She gazed up at him with tears swimming in her beautiful chocolate eyes. He captured a tear with his thumb and kissed her cheek.
“Engaged…at the base of the Eiffel Tower.” Her voice held such a note of wonder his throat constricted, tears springing to his eyes. He wouldn’t be embarrassed to cry. Not here, in front of her. But if he started, he might put a damper on the rest of the evening. And his plans weren’t fully accomplished yet.
“Sit, sit,” he said, releasing Layla. She’d never looked more beautiful to him than she did in that moment. She inspected the ring as she reclaimed her seat.
“This is gorgeous. It’s perfect.” Layla looked around as the boat slowed to dock right beside the Eiffel Tower. He was delighted Mandy was getting married, so happy that her wedding had brought him to the City of Light. He now understood why it was the most romantic city in the world. When he’d told Mom his plans to ask Layla to marry him, she’d told him flat out to wait until they were in Paris. And boy, was she right. Doing it on the anniversary of their first meeting made it even more special.
Marietta Hotels 2: An Engagement in Paris Page 11