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“Better late than never, right?” I wink, kissing her before leaning back to look at Zoey who makes a gagging sound. “Whatcha say, Zoey bug? Want to go for a sleepover and I’ll take Layla out?”
“Sounds perfect!” she replies, beaming.
Well then, it’s decided.
Tonight, I’m going to wine and dine my girl until she falls madly in love with me.
Like the way I am with her.
CHAPTER18
Layla
“You’re angry with me. Why?” Alaric asks, placing his wine glass on the table.
“Because I want to learn more about the man I’m sharing my life with and you’re being evasive.” I huff.
“Evasive?” He arches a brow.
“Yes!” I blurt out then seal my lips shut when I feel eyes from the other diners on me. I straighten my spine, plant a fake smile on my lips, and lower my voice. “Anytime I ask you something personal, Alaric, you evade the question.”
“You asked me about my job. That isn’t personal. It’s boring,” he retorts evenly.
“All I asked was how your day at work went.”
“Like I said, boring.”
“Fine,” I concede. “Then tell me about your childhood.”
“Tell me about yours.”
“I asked you first, Alaric,” I growl, starting to lose my patience with this infuriating man. “Or don’t you care that I’m trying to make this marriage work?”
“I thought it was,” he replies, sounding hurt, and the sudden pang in my chest has me losing steam.
“Not if I feel like I’m married to a stranger,” I whisper, stretching my hand over the table to cover his.
Alaric’s brows pull together in thought as he gives my hand a tight squeeze.
“What do you want to know?” he inquires, finally relenting.
“Everything. Anything. Just start from the beginning. Did you have a happy childhood?” I rush out, taking the opening.
“As happy as it could be. My father moved a lot for work, so I was always the new kid at school. We never stayed long enough in the same place for me to make friends.” He shrugs, but there’s a tinge of sadness in his voice I think he’s unaware of.
“Sounds lonely.”
“In the beginning, it was. I acted out because of it. I got myself into trouble just to get my father’s attention, since he was basically the only one around. Mom passed away soon after I was born, so Pops was all I had, and I did anything to grab his attention.”
“Did that work?” I ask, tilting my head.
“Eventually. When I turned eleven, I got busted for taking one of our neighbor’s cars for a joy ride. Dad was pissed.” He laughs.
“What did he do?”
“He told me if I had all this free time to act like an idiot, then I had enough of it for him to teach me to be a man. That’s when he started teaching me the family business.” His expression closes down, but I still ask.
“Security?” I arch a suspicious brow.
