Page 45 of Rebound

With that, the grin is wiped off my face. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he didn’t actually believe me.

Chapter 26

Layla

“Why didn’t you come to me for the money?” Jeannie snaps. She’s never snapped at me before, and I almost take a step back.

“You’ve done so much for me already,” I say in my defense.

“What? What the hell have I done for you, Layla?”

“You hired me at the hotel when I had no experience. You made me a bridesmaid at your wedding and paid for all those expenses. You took me with you when you went to corporate. You—”

She holds her hand up, and I stop talking. “I interviewed you, and I hired you. You got yourself hired. You’re my friend, so of course I put you in my wedding. As for those expenses, Aiden’s family paid for every single thing pertaining to our wedding. They even paid for our honeymoon. As for corporate, you’re doing a great job. You would have ended up there anyway. I would have helped you with Gaga. You didn’t have to sell yourself to Wakowski.” She throws her hands up in defeat, and I hang my head. Not in shame, but because I’ve upset my best friend.

“Calm down,” I say. She’s six months pregnant, and the last thing she needs is to get upset for any reason. “It’s a decision I made. It will be fine.”

“It will be fine,” she mocks. “You’re a mother now, Layla. That’s serious. Jasmine already depends on you. She’s already had so much loss in her life. You’re not a babysitter. You’re amother. Do you understand that? Amother. Are you ready for that? And what about love? You deserve that and so much more.” Her tone and eyes soften with the last question. She opens her arms and I go in. We’re about the same height, and she’s like the older sister I’ve always wanted. She hugs me tight, and I close my eyes and feel her embrace. “That’s all you’ve talked about.”

I feel a lump in my throat. Everything she says is true, but I’m willing to do it for my grandma. She’s always been a part of my life. She helped raise me and has kept me out of trouble. If the situation was reversed, she would do the same for me with no second thoughts.

“It’s okay,” I say, trying to reassure my friend. “We’ll be fine, and I’m not going to turn my back on Jasmine. I know it’s a big responsibility, but I’ve only stayed out of trouble because of the women who raised me. I can do this for her. She’s a doll. And Wakowski is not so bad. Maybe I judged him a little too harshly.”

I pull away and look into Jeannie’s eyes. She doesn’t look more convinced than when we first started this conversation, but she looks away and nods. I’m pretty sure it’s a nod of defeat, but I’ll take it.

“You had sex with Wakowski?” she whispers. I blush but nod. “I thought you hated him.”

“I was wrong about him,” I admit. “And the sex is great,” I whisper. She widens her eyes in shock. “It’s huge. About as big as the biggest ones I’ve seen in porn videos.”

“Layla!” she says, but she laughs.

“And he was gentle the first time. The next morning, he made me breakfast and kissed me at the kitchen island.” I blush at the thought. “And the man can cook,” I add.

“Okay,” she says. “I won’t tell you how crazy this is, and how I wish you had called me first.” I arch an eyebrow at her. “I’m sure your mother’s already told you, but I’m here for you. You’re my little sister, do you hear me?” I feel tears in the back of my eyes. My vision becomes blurry, and all I can do is nod. “Come to me with anything, but don’t ever talk to me about the size of Seth’s dong again, you hear?”

We both burst into laughter at her last order. While we hug, Jasmine runs into the office and wraps herself around my leg. Aiden and Seth follow.

“How about we celebrate with some dinner?” Aiden says. “You feel up to going out?” He puts a hand on Jeannie’s protruding belly. “Let’s order in,” he says before she can answer. “It was a long flight. Relax, and I’ll take care of it. I’ll order from that Cuban place you love.” He kisses her temple, and I swoon at the scene.

Seth comes to me, intertwines our fingers, and kisses the back of my hand. The movement takes me by surprise, but I find that I like it. He kisses the back of my hand again.

Aiden catches us, and he slowly shakes his head.

“I’m going to throw you guys a reception,” Jeannie announces. “We can have it here. All you two have to do is give me a list of who you want me to invite.”

I look into Seth’s face and something changes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was emotional. He lets go of my hand and pulls Jeannie into a hug. When he lifts her off her feet, she lets out a little shriek.

I never thought I’d be inside the Walsh private plane. I’ve heard all about it from Jeannie. She’s even sent me pictures, but being in it doesn’t compare. The only downside is that the trip from Teterboro, a hub for private planes, and into Buffalo, where Seth is from, takes less than an hour.

“I don’t know how I can ever go back to commercial flights,” I whisper to Seth. I hiccup, and he shakes his head at me. I’ve had about four glasses of champagne in the short flight. It’s the good champagne. Not the cheap stuff my family buys for special occasions and New Year’s Eve.

We’re ushered off the plane and into a waiting car while someone puts our bags in the trunk. Jasmine happily kicks her legs as she looks out the window while babbling nonstop.

Seth, who is usually in a happy mood is stoic. We sit with Jasmine between us, but something is different. It’s like a switch went off when we stepped out of the plane. Just a few minutes ago, he was playful and light, now he’s looking out the window as if it’s the most fascinating thing on earth.

I reach past Jasmine’s car seat and put my hand on his knee. He puts his hand on mine, looks my way, and smiles. It’s the same smile Jasmine has, and I see some of his mischievousness in that moment.

We don’t speak, but he keeps his hand on mine. It’s a hot and humid day as it’s the first week of August. Despite his hand being warm, it’s nice and comforting.

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