Chapter 11
Eleven
Laila stood within the doorway of her modest childhood home, her hand wrapped around Whitney’s and the air outside already cooler. Not that a temperate evening mattered all that much, not when this house emanated warmth and love, and her childhood memories of bounding up and down the stairs with her little sister. Sometimes those memories lessened the sting of just how often she left Whitney here. That her little girl would create her own memories of this place and her grandparents.
Laila slipped the duffle bag filled with Whitney’s things off her shoulder and strolled deeper into the living area, her mom standing behind the kitchen counter, while old Aggie smiled from above her teacup at the kitchen table.
“Working late again?” Aggie raised an eyebrow and sipped at her tea, the word “again” bringing a familiar pang to Laila’s heart.
She nodded and gave a tight chuckle. “When don’t I?”
“Oh, now”—her mother strode over and lifted Whitney for a quick kiss—“it won’t be forever.”
She booped Whit’s nose and then released her. Whitney, as always, was quick to race upstairs to claim free rein over Laila’s old bedroom. A room now strewn with way more toys than Laila ever had.
Even in Whit’s excitement, Laila’s reluctance to leave her daughter tied its usual knots within her tummy—a permanent, whispering warning that one day her greatest fear might come true, where something might happen, and Laila would be working far from Harlow in her daughter’s hour of need.
Now, her mom drew in and landed a kiss to Laila’s cheek, her familiar concerned frown taking over as she pulled away. “How are you doing, honey?”
“I have an assignment worth fifty percent of my summer school grade due the day after tomorrow, and of course as usual, no time to work on it.” Laila fiddled with her car keys and shrugged. “I guess I’ll study through my break tonight, then try to eke out more time tomorrow evening.”
She wanted to lift her gaze to her mother but failed, certain her earlier worried look hadn’t improved.
“Oh, honey. If I didn’t have work tomorrow, I’d keep Whit here longer, but you’re welcome to bring her back in the afternoon for an extra sleep over. That should give you at least a few uninterrupted hours to turn in that assignment.”
Her insides churned that she’d once again be sacrificing more of her time with Whitney, but her mother’s offer was a generous one, and as her Ma said, with any luck, this would all be over one day soon. So, she gave a hurried nod and lifted her focus back to her mom, only to glimpse Aggie padding over and her stare stuck to Laila.
“So, I’m about to head off too”—an unsettling glint spread through her blue-green eyes—“but not until Miss Laila here fills us in on that man from the wedding. A good deal of sparks were flying between these two, dontcha think, Vel?”
While Aggie turned her attention to Laila’s mom—her actual name Velma—Laila bit her lower lip and held back the urge to groan, her suspicions on Aggie’s glint all-too-correct.
“We just talked a bit at the reception, that’s all.” Laila mumbled through her rapid heartbeat, that beat a little faster due to having to lie as well as discuss Ramos.
Aggie’s eyes narrowed, that glint of hers flaring brighter. “So, you two didn’t have a date at the playground?”
Damnit! Harlow’s rumor mill strikes again.
Laila curled her hands into tight fists to keep from slapping a palm to her forehead. She should have known Maureen Cooper, Harlow’s very own walking-talking social media manager, would share the gossip soon enough.
And just to add to the discomfort of Laila’s roiling insides, her mom’s brows drew together, intensifying the depths of her concern. “You let Adrian meet Whitney already?”
“I mean, technically he already met her at the wedding, and he is our neighbor, so...” Laila went back to fidgeting with her keys, the metal clinking a fortunate distraction, though not enough to distract from the hot flush of her cheeks. “And yes, there was a playground date, but Whitney was only introduced to him as our potential friend, so I hope that everyone will be kind enough to leave the story there where it concerns her.”
She lifted her gaze to her ma’s huge smile. “But not where this man concerns you?”
“Ma, no—”
“Oh, my baby’s dating again.” Her mother clapped her hands together, a joyful rosiness coloring her cheeks. “That’s so wonderful to hear.”
Even though a smile tugged at Laila’s lips, she made a point of holding a frown, not wanting to get her or her mom’s hopes up. “It’s been a long while since I was a baby.”
Her mother shook her head and extended her hands to Laila’s face. “Well, you’ll always be my baby.”
“I know, Ma.” She leaned her head forward and tapped her forehead to her mom’s. “Just don’t get too excited, okay? It’s still early days and I haven’t decided what I think of this man.”
“I know. I know.” Her mother pulled back with a hurried series of fluttery hand movements that suggested she didn’t heed much of Laila warning. “But aren’t you glad I intervened with Whit at the wedding? With you so close to finishing your studies, and now this... Laila, you’ve come so far and have so much to look forward to.”
But Laila’s natural instinct was to tuck her mother’s encouragement away where it couldn’t hurt her. She hadn’t forgotten the tension in Ramos’s rich brown eyes as she’d told him about Mike, or the gentle way he’d handled that first kiss. Oh, and his open surprise when she’d chased him down for another…
With her past, and the current danger of a looming syndicate, so much of that date seemed too good to be true. She could hardly remember ever feeling so lighthearted. So impulsive. That she even knew how to flit between vulnerable and having a little plain old fun, and in such a short space in time. Even if she never saw Ramos again, he’d succeeded in awakening parts of her she’d thought long gone. For that alone she could be thankful.
“Anyway.” She cleared her throat and shook her head, bringing her focus back to her mom’s openly optimistic smile. “Whit and I are a two-for-one package and that’s a lot to expect some out-of-towner to take on. Especially since he has no children of his own. So, Ma, don’t get all crushed if things don’t pan out, okay?”
Aggie raised a brow on a look of total skepticism. “That warning really for your mom or is it more for yourself, Dear?”
Laila shrugged, a familiar swell of emotion taking up space in her throat because, in all honesty, she had thought through that same doubtful reasoning about a thousand times since her date with Ramos.
And as much as Aggie liked to cut to the core of most issues, just like always, her stark observations came with a sense of care over idle gossip.
“Yah know, you’re right Aggie. I’ve been holding things together for Whit and I for years and sometimes I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on.” She dropped her attention to the beige carpet at her feet and tried not to gnaw at her lower lip again. “Sometimes it feels like the smallest nudge might make me let go. I like Adrian. I like him a lot . But I can’t afford the disappointment, yah know? So, as tempting as it is to jump all in with him, that wouldn’t be fair on anyone.”
“Yah, I do know.” Aggie gave a steady nod. “Whitney was so young when Mike dipped out, and she had no idea what was happening when he left, but that wouldn’t be the case this time around.”
A dull ache burrowed deeper into her chest and Laila dropped her gaze away from Aggie again, the sincerity in her eyes only adding to the pain. “Not that I see Ramos as any replacement daddy for Whit, but the risk of getting too attached to anyone, then having my heart crushed… while having to parent Whitney… I’m not sure I want to put us both through that again.”
“Well, maybe it’s time to look at things a li’l different, dear.” Aggie’s rough and aged hand landed on Laila’s shoulder with a gentle squeeze, a light smile crinkling the paper-thin skin of her cheeks. “You’re a strong woman, Miss Egan. A great mom, too. But you’re allowed to cut loose and have a little fun, yah know?”
Aggie pressed one eye shut into an exaggerated wink, and Laila gave a small and spluttering kind of laugh. Yes, she felt lighter for Aggie’s cheeky suggestive advice, but perhaps this woman could have delivered it without Laila’s mom standing right at her side.
But even then. Even as she twisted her gaze from Aggie to her mom, and back to Aggie again, the ache in her chest receded by a great degree. As much as Aggie called her a strong woman, as much as she’d carried countless burdens alone, she’d never been truly alone. She’d had other strong women surrounding her with good examples and moral support.
“Thank you.” She leaned in and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek, followed by her mother, before backing away because she really did need to leave for work now. “Let’s just adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach when it comes to all things relating to Adrian Ramos.”