Page 25 of Forgotten Desires

“Where is Layla?”

He doesn’t even get an answer because we can hear Layla wailing. Crew barges in, with me behind him.

“Layla? Daddy’s here!” he calls and a little girl rushes to him from the hallway.

His arms open, and like a scene from a movie, he cradles her in his embrace. Her little arms wrap around his neck, head tucked, and he protects her.

So many times in my life that was how it was with Asher, Grady, or Rowan. They’d hold me close, keeping all my worries away, while I could pretend that with them, I was safe. Howie couldn’t hurt me when my brothers were shielding me.

Crew holds her, rubbing her back, murmuring soothing words as her cries quiet in the arms of her daddy.

She sniffles and then looks up at him. “Daddy, I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Why were you crying, my love?”

Layla sniffles a few times and wipes at her tears with the back of her hand. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Didn’t mean what, Ladybug?”

“I sorry, Daddy,” she says, and her lip trembles.

“For what?” Crew asks patiently.

“Mommy was so mad.”

“Did you do something wrong?” His voice is tempered, but I can hear the undercurrent of anger.

She shakes her head. “I just wanted a story.”

He looks over at the nanny. “Were you present?”

“No, sir. I was downstairs and when I came up, she was huddled on the floor and Ms. Knight was screaming and leaving the home.”

Layla wipes her nose with the back of her wrist. “I sorry! I didn’t need a story. I sorry!”

“Baby, no,” Crew says quickly. “You did nothing wrong.”

“Mommy was so mad.”

My hand covers my mouth and my heart breaks for this little girl. The first time Howie got in my face and screamed until I cried, my mother came in asking me what happened. I made up a story to protect him.

I don’t know why I lied.

I just did.

I didn’t want my mom to know he terrified me. I was maybe six, and even then, I had an instinct to protect him.

Sometimes I think children are born that way. To protect their parents because we’re wired to need them, even when they can be horrible.

“Well, I’m here now.”

He needs to be recording this. I reach into my purse to grab my phone and Layla notices me, her blue eyes get wide. “Who is that?”

Crew’s eyes turn to me and he smiles. “That’s my friend, Brynn.”

I crouch down and wave. “Hi, Layla.”

She waves back tentatively.

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