As they did all too often, his thoughts drifted to Layla. He wondered what she was doing right now. It’d been so hard to leave them at the airport. Tiffany and Sean had hung on to him, begging him not to leave. When the plane took off, he left a part…a big part…of his heart in California.
Layla had made the circuit of talk shows, news programs and late night programming. He’d taped them all. One of her first gigs had been a live performance in Rockefeller Center…the place where they’d first met. She sang one of the songs she’d written during her year on the run. He’d been floored as he listened to the words. The song was called Running Into You, and it was about a chance encounter with a stranger and falling in love at first sight, not knowing who the other person was or how to find them, and leaving your hopes to chance. The chorus of ‘Fate brought us together but love will bind us forever’ was so poignant, he choked back a lump when he heard it. It’d shot to the top of the charts and stayed there for the past four weeks.
He'd been overwhelmed and so incredibly honored to realize the song she’d written was about them.
He tossed the pen he’d been holding to the desk. He was a colossal idiot. Sleeping with a client was a major error. Falling in love with her was inexcusable.
“Go after her.”
He jerked his head up, surprised to see Logan relaxing in the chair in front of his desk. He hadn’t even heard the former SEAL enter his office. He scoffed, “Yeah, cause that’s exactly what you’d do.” He rolled his eyes. When Logan had been in his position, hopelessly in love with a movie star, he’d stayed home and brooded. It was the movie star who came to him.
Logan held up his hands. “Hey, I readily admit, I was a colossal idiot. Thankfully Jade was smart enough for both of us.” He propped his feet on Luke’s desk and clasped his hands behind his head. “Besides, if she hadn’t come to me, I’d have gone to her.”
“It’s easy to say now, after the fact.”
Logan’s feet dropped to the ground and he pushed to his feet, his smile vanishing. “Actually, you’re probably right.” He slid his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. “I may not have done so and I’d have missed out on the best thing that ever happened to me after Isabella. I was a stubborn idiot, Luke. Don’t make my mistakes. Don’t let pride get in your way.”
Logan’s words hit home. He was taking the coward’s way out by not going after her. Yes, she was famous and maybe that intimidated him, but if he wanted a shot of a life with her and her siblings, he had to overcome his fear of rejection.
“I mean it. Don’t put it off,” Logan warned.
“In case you hadn’t realized it, we’re a bit slammed with work.”
“I’ve noticed, believe me. I’m talking on the phone in my dreams.” He slapped Luke on the back as they left the office. “We can handle it while you’re gone.”
They each hopped in their golf carts and motored to their houses at the end of the compound, waved as they parted. Logan would be going home to a wife who loved him, a daughter who thought he hung the moon, a precious newborn son and an adorable ball of fluff in the form of Isabella’s poodle who adored him. Luke’s house was silent and empty.
He navigated up his drive and pulled into the garage. The sound hit him as soon as he closed the garage door. He almost ran into a rake in his hurry to get inside. If sneaking inside his house and playing Layla’s music was one of his friend’s idea of a joke, he’d be pounding some flesh.
The music was louder when he opened the door and stepped inside. Almost afraid to hope, he moved forward, all the air leaving his lungs at the sight in front of him. Tiffany and Sean were playing the piano. Layla was standing in front, singing ‘Fate brought us together but love will bind us forever’.
She spotted him then and her face lit with a smile. He didn’t even realize he was moving until he was standing in front of her. He lifted a hand, wanting to cup her face but afraid he would touch air if he did. This had to be a dream, didn’t it?
The music had stopped but the pounding of his heartbeat had long ago drowned it out. “Layla?” he whispered.
She threw her arms around him. Two small bodies joined in the embrace. Family. His family. They were home.
###
Notes
I hope you enjoyed the ninth book in the COBRA Securities series. Several characters from previous books made appearances in Face the Music. If you would like to read their stories, you can find them here:
Logan, Jade and Isabella Bradley from The Fan
Ben Colton and Peter Dennis from Committed
Dorian and Kendall Demarchis from Trust No One
Maggie and Carter McQueen from Saving Santa
Dante, Taylor and Kai Costa and Sawyer Oldham from Hide and Seek
Dan Bradley and Kaitlyn Colton from Killer Cuisine
Alex Mylonas and Olivia Larrson from Vigilante
About the Author
Velvet Vaughn is the author of The List, The Fan, Committed, Violets are Blue, Trust No One, Hide and Seek, Killer Cuisine, and Vigilante, the first eight books in the COBRA Securities series, as well as Saving Santa, a COBRA Securities Short Story. In addition, two novellas: A Christmas Miracle and Flying High Christmas are available as stand-alone books or in the anthologies All I Want For Christmas and Yuletide Treasures, respectively. The tenth book in the COBRA Securities series, Tough as Nails, will be published soon.
Connect With Velvet
Website: www.velvetvaughn.com
Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/authorvelvetvaughn
Blog: http://www.velvetvaughn.com/blog.html
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/velvetvaughn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/velvetvaughn/
Email: [email protected]
From Velvet
Thanks so much for purchasing Face the Music. I hope you enjoyed Luke and Layla’s story. If you did, I would appreciate you leaving feedback at Amazon.com or Goodreads. Thank you!
The tenth book in the COBRA Securities series will be out in early Summer. Tough as Nails is Hillary Billings story. You might remember Hillary from Trust No One, where she was shot protecting Dorian Demarchis’ sister, Daphne. When she meets renovation expert, Reed Steele, sparks fly.
If you would like to read the story of one of the characters from my books, let me know. You can reach me through the contact page on my website or my Facebook Fanpage. I'd love to hear from you. And be sure to like my Fanpage so you can take part in giveaways.
Thank you again for your support!
Face the Music (COBRA Securities Book 9) Page 25