Page 67 of Rejected Heart

Then again, the way I’d treated her might have had something to do with that.

Even though I felt tremendous guilt about how I’d handled her and that situation, I hadn’t been able to bring myself to seek her out again since I walked out of that store.

It was mostly self-preservation at this point, though. Because if I went after her, if I made another attempt to see and talk to her, I didn’t trust that I’d be able to walk away from her again. That pull to her was much too strong. And considering Layla clearly wanted nothing to do with me, I refused to make a fool of myself for the second time.

I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip, savoring the burn of the liquid as it went down my throat.

Anything.

I’d take anything I could get to distract me from thepain of feeling like I’d lost Layla all over again, of knowing she was so close, and I still couldn’t have her.

I could only hope the suffering would end soon. Because I wasn’t sure this was an excellent long-term solution.

Whether by pure luck or through some divine intervention, I didn’t know, but it seemed that my wish was about to be answered.

“Is this seat taken?”

Maybe the alcohol was getting to me, because it sounded like Layla had walked up and asked that question. Maybe that was going to be my punishment—I’d have to hear her voice whenever someone spoke to me.

I twisted my neck to the side, prepared to offer an answer to whomever had approached me, and couldn’t say a single word.

It was her.

Standing there, with uncertainty marring her beautiful features, was Layla. She was wearing a soft cotton dress, perfect for being in the hot summer sun. It might have been after dinner, but the sun was still out, and the evenings were warm.

Damn, she was pretty. Even if I wanted to lay into her for doing what she’d done to us, even if I hated how she’d ended things, I could still admit there’d never been anyone who could hold a candle to her looks. Not for me, anyway.

What was she doing here?

Suddenly, I noticed the weakness I felt in my legs.Was that a result of the drinks I’d had, or was it seeing her?

My heart was racing, which was something I’d grown accustomed to when it came to her. She’d always made my heart beat faster.

I hated this.

I hated feeling like I was still so caught up in her and how I felt for her while being reasonably confident that none of it was reciprocated. And it was those emotions that left a hint of bitterness coursing through me. I had to clench my jaw to stop myself from saying something I might regret later.

For her part, Layla seemed to be lacking just a touch of confidence about whether approaching me had been a wise decision. She was running her fingers through a lock of her hair that had fallen over the front of her shoulder, and I couldn’t miss how she was biting the edge of her lip.

“May I sit down, Liam?”

Her voice was so soft and sweet. God, I’d missed hearing her say my name.

I needed a moment to get myself together before I could speak, so I merely gave her a nod in response.

“Thank you,” she whispered with relief.

The scent of her surrounded me, and it was all I could do not reach out and drag her into my lap. As I fought that battle, I was grateful the bartender had walked up and asked what he could get her to drink.

After he’d placed her drink down in front of her, I looked up at him. “I’ll take another, Steve.”

“You’ve got it, Liam.”

Once I had my third drink in hand, I dared to look at Layla again. Her remorseful eyes were on me. “I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she confessed. “Jules had invited me to come see her bakery, and after visiting with her, she mentioned I should come by to see Ivy. I was just at the front desk, and they told me your sister was in the ballroom but would be down here to meet me soon.”

“And here I thought I got lucky for once. How stupid am I to believe you came looking for me?” The harsh words and cutting tone spilled out of me before I had a chance to contain them.

Layla winced, her shoulders rounding in a way that made it seem as though she’d been socked in the abdomen. When she recovered, she shared, “I know it may not seem this way to you, but I’m sorry about how things went down between us the other day. I was caught off guard when you walked into the store, and after not seeing you for the last eight years, it was a lot to take in.”

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