Restrained (Sterling Family #3)

10. Lola

10

LOLA

I pull into my garage and take a moment to sit behind the wheel, laying my forehead against it with my hands still gripping it.

Who the hell is Hayden West?

He screams entitled brat, but then when he speaks, and I look directly into his eyes, taking time to actually study him,... it just doesn’t fit.

He’s a mystery. And like Hayden, I don’t like mysteries.

I tried to answer his questions without giving too much away because I just want to get the work done and be finished with him. If he needs questions answered, then so be it, but I can’t shake the way he makes me feel.

Vulnerable. Exposed. Terrified.

Not of him hurting me. At least not physically, but of the unknown. Of thinking about him long after I leave him. I haven’t ever experienced that in my life.

I take a few deep breaths and then climb out of my car, walking into the house and finding Viv and Baz outside swimming in the pool. They’re both laughing and seem carefree even though I know Vivienne has a million things on her mind.

She’s a damn good mother who can seem perfectly fine on the outside while she aches inside.

Which is tricky for a friend like me who’s worried about her. Listening to Sebastian’s sweet little laugh makes my heart soar but also squeeze in agony. It mirrors Colt’s to a T. He had such a distinct laugh, one I never thought could be copied. But Baz has it.

Somehow, he left his laughter for us.

I close my eyes and listen for a moment, going back to a time when I had three brothers on this earth with me. Brothers I took for granted. Love I took for granted.

I was driven from a young age. My father demonstrated his disappointment quickly that his oldest was, in fact, female. I wanted to prove to him I could be strong and powerful, a force to be reckoned with.

I didn’t date. I didn’t hang out with friends often. I worked hard.

I didn’t pay attention to what was happening around me, and I know I failed my younger brothers.

“Aunt Lola!” I open my eyes just in time to be mauled by my sweet nephew and nearly knocked down as he bear hugs me. “You’re home!”

I know he misses Asher. They were buddies, and I’m well aware that Asher may never forgive me for their time apart. But hopefully, he’ll join us soon.

I smile at Vivienne as she exits the pool and walks to where Baz and I are still hugging. She wraps a towel around his little shoulders, and I laugh when he pulls away from me, leaving a huge wet mark on my clothing. “Did you have fun while I was gone?”

He nods exuberantly. “I did. We went to the zoo and went swimming!”

“That’s great. Are you hungry?” He nods again, and we go inside.

Vivienne gestures to Sebastian with a smile I swear is permanently on her face when she looks at her son. “Go change into your clothes, buddy, and I'll start dinner.”

He nods, and Viv walks to the fridge still in her swimsuit, gathering some ingredients.

I lean my butt against the counter. “I can maybe figure out how to start making it if you want to go change.”

She smiles and grabs a large pan, filling it with water and then placing it on the burner. “I’m just going to get the water started for the pasta, and then I’ll go change.” She turns the burner on and then turns to me. “Did you have a good day?”

No. “It was work.” I smile with a slight shrug.

“You love your work though, right? I mean, that’s why you recruited me, isn’t it?”

I laugh and pop one of the cherry tomatoes she took out of the fridge into my mouth. I don’t want to scare her away. She’s taking a couple of design classes, and then she’ll start working with us soon. “I do. The clients aren’t always great.”

She nods her head, wrapping her arms around her bare stomach. “Penelope said the man that just hired you is something else.”

“That he is.”

“Is he cute?”

I nearly laugh at the conversation that has turned almost juvenile. “Cute?”

“You asked about Sawyer. I thought I’d continue the girl talk.”

I have to admit I don’t have a lot of female friends, or friends in general. The person I'm closest to is Penelope. “I definitely wouldn’t call him cute.” She looks disappointed, and I shake my head, smiling in her direction. “He’s gorgeous. Stubborn. Frustrating. Spoiled and entitled. Domineering.”

She shrugs. “Sounds like a few men I know.”

I cringe, knowing she’s talking about my brothers and probably Sawyer. “He’s hiding something.”

Now she looks slightly concerned. “How do you know?”

“I don’t.” I push off the counter and sigh. “I can’t describe it, but I feel it. I know he’s hiding something. He’s interested in Penelope.”

She seems to think that over and then jerks her shoulder in a shrugging motion again. “Well then, problem solved. Linc will kill him for you.”

I laugh, liking Vivienne’s playful side. “He better not before I get paid.”

We giggle for a minute, and then she goes upstairs to change while I tackle making the salad. A menial task I can handle.

My phone rings and despite seeing Hayden’s number, I answer it. “Hello?”

His deep voice comes through the phone, feeling familiar to me already. “I liked your notes today. Go ahead and send the final orders over to Gretchen so we can get started. Just the things we talked about today. Every new idea needs to come to me first.”

And I thought I was a control freak. “Absolutely.”

“I’d like to meet in a few days at hotel number two.”

“Aren’t they all to be the same?”

That was my understanding anyway. His irritation is palpable even if I can’t see his face. “Yes, but it’s still a different location. I want you to be inside of every one of them to get the correct feel.”

His intensity is unmatched and somehow thrilling to me. “Alright.”

“Goodbye, Lola.” That’s all before he hangs up the phone.

Who are you, Hayden West?