Page 70 of The Playboy's Playbook

“Laila,” I breathe, not fully believing that she’s called me on her own free will.

“Isaac didn’t kill you. Good,” she chuckles.

“No, he was very kind. You’d be proud of him.” I smile, wishing I could see her in person.

“I didn’t say thank you,” Laila says, her voice low.

I furrow my brows in confusion. “Why do you need to thank me?”

“For punching Jason. I know I yelled at you for it at the park, but thank you.”

I shift in the chair and place the phone on speaker. “You don’t need to thank me, Laila. Jason has a punchable face.”

We both laugh at that statement and then sit in silence. We’re sitting for so long, I have to tap my phone’s screen to make sure she didn’t hang up.

“Luke will be home for a few days and is gonna spend time with the boys. If you’re free, we could go to the rodeo tomorrow,” I offer, praying she accepts.

“Matthew…” I can hear the hesitation in her voice and it makes me uneasy. She’s second guessing things, so she’s probably second guessing the kiss from earlier.

“I’ll respect your decision and completely understand if you don’t want to go.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to go.”

“Then say yes, Laila. Please,” I beg. I sound like a lovestruck boy, but I can’t help it when it comes to her.

“Okay,” she says after a long pause.

“I’ll come by and get you once Luke’s made it in, which should be around five.” I stand up and begin pacing the room, my nerves getting the best of me.

“Don’t be late, Matthew,” Laila says sternly.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow. Good night, Matthew.”

“Good night, Laila.”

As soon as the line goes dead, I fall onto my bed. I can’t believe I have a date with Laila. I didn’t think this would ever happen again, but here we are. I don’t know how tomorrow night is going to go, but I know one thing for sure.

I’ve been given another chance and this time, I won’t fuck it up.

Chapter Thirty-Four

LAILA

All rodeos are different – some are indoor and some are outdoor. Some have stadium chairs and others have metal bleachers. Will we be doing a lot of walking? How did I even get in this position in the first place?

I should’ve said no and spared my heart, but I didn’t. And that kiss…that was definitely a big mistake on my part.

It was just that he was there, sweaty and breathing heavily. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have flashbacks to a few other moments where he looked like that, only slightly less dirty.

I let out a loud groan and face plant on my bed, Nola hopping next to me and sniffing my ear. I look up at her and she tilts her head to the right curiously.

“Do you wanna go to the rodeo in my place, Nola? At least you have an outfit for it.” I face plant again and let out a frustrated scream into my comforter.

Nola whines and nudges the side of my face with her paw, making me look at her again. She sits and tilts her head to the left this time. I reach over and pet her, kissing her on the head, before getting up and walking back to my closet.

“Okay, Laila. Think,” I say to myself, studying the bevy of clothes around me. Nola follows me for moral support and plops down on her bed in the corner of the closet. “Start from the bottom and work your way up.”

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