Page 9 of In the Lonely Hour

Stepping to the side, Layla allowed Andres entrance.

“You look beautiful,” he complimented, taking his round glasses off and placing them in the pocket of his button-down shirt. The first three buttons were undone, exposing enough of his chest for her to want to kiss it. Its light blue sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing large veins across his forearms.

“Thank you,” Layla replied, looking down at the simple, orange jumpsuit she had on. There wasn’t anything special to her about it, but if he liked it she loved it. “Dior’s in her room, and her father is in the living room.”

Andres’s brows bunched but he nodded silently. “Cool. I’ll speak with the man of the house first.”

Layla chuckled but remained silent as she led him down the entry hallway. At the sight of them, Carlos tossed the remote onto the cream leather sofa and stood. Andres extended his arm and they shook hands. For whatever reason, Carlos’s eyes were locked on Layla.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet me,” Andres spoke. “I wanted to meet you so you’d know who was working with your wife and daughter. I have a three-person team that will be helping at the center as well, but I’m the one that will be making house visits. That’s why I wanted you here for my first trip.”

Carlos nodded. “We’re separated, but I appreciate that. You got a card or something on you?”

With a nod, Andres pulled a business card out of his wallet. “Do you have any questions about my program? I’m sure Layla shared the details with you.”

“Nah, she didn’t. I hadn’t asked.” Carlos grabbed his phone from the couch and stuffed it into his back pocket. “Look, just help my baby girl out. I don’t need the details of how. How much is this going to cost? I’ll cover any fees you have.”

Andres chuckled softly before licking his lips. Layla’s heart picked up pace, hoping Carlos’s dismissive attitude didn’t have Andres reconsidering working with them. It took a lot for Layla to even want to agree to help, but now that she had, she was looking forward to it—for both her and Dior.

“As I told your wi—Layla, I’m taking care of the fees.” Andres shifted closer to Layla. “If you don’t have any questions for me, you can go.”

Layla’s brows lifted and mouth twisted to the side as she pulled her arms behind her back. She wasn’t expecting Andres to give off an alpha presence in her home, but she also couldn’t deny enjoying it.

“I’ll leave whenever the fuck I damn well please.”

Stepping between the two men, Layla reminded Carlos, “You said you were ready to get home, so you can go. I don’t want to keep you any longer than I have to.”

Carlos’s eyes shifted from one to the other.

“Cool.”

“Are you going to at least say goodbye to your daughter since you didn’t speak when you arrived?”

“For what?” Carlos headed out of the living room. “She don’t give a fuck about me being here. If she did, she would have come out to say hello.” He looked back, locking eyes with Andres briefly to say, “You need to teach that girl some manners while you at it.”

“I could, but I shouldn’t have to,” Andres countered, causing Carlos to stop walking. “There’s no reason you, an adult, sat here for any length of time without going to speak to your daughter. Whether she has difficulty communicating with people or not, that’s rude as hell. And the fact that shedoeshave socialization issues is all the more reason for you to have taken the initiative. If I teach her to greet people, it will be because she wants to take that first step, not to appease lazy adults like you.”

“Who the fuck you think you talking to?” Carlos asked, charging back over to them.

Andres smiled softly, not bothering to move an inch as he neared. Layla stepped between them, pressing both hands into Carlos’s chest.

“Will you just leave? Please?”

“Nah. I’m not about to let no nigga disrespect me in my own home.”

“This isn’t your home,” Layla reminded. “You just said that, remember?”

The frown that covered Carlos’s face slowly began to fade the longer he looked at her.

“I’m paying the bills in here, so it is my home.”

“Does Jasmine know that?”

Carlos chuckled and pinched his chin. “I’m not about to do this shit with you, Layla. You got it.”

Layla didn’t realize she was standing there, frozen, until Andres took her hand into his.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his normally deep voice light.

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