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They weave across the restaurant. Staff members hover in the balcony doorway, looking at me as if I’m going to start flipping tables. As I watch them go, the violence in me rages as though part of me wants it to come to blows. I turn to find Layla gazing wide-eyed at me. People are still watching us.
“We should go,” Layla whispers, “so we can talk.”
Yeah, about what I said. I called her my future wife. I told the truth and said she would have my children one day.
Taking cash from my pocket, I lay it on the table, then offer her my hand.
* * *
“What the hell was that?” she says, pacing in front of my car.
We’re alone in this corner of the lot. It’s not like I parked down here intending to keep everybody else away from us, but that’s my instinct always guiding me.
“The truth,” I say.
I can’t lie to her now.
“Those bastards had no right to insult my woman.”
“Yourwoman?” She stops, looking around. “Where is she? Who are we talking about here?”
I smirk, walking right up to her and grabbing her hips. I hold them hard so she knows who she belongs to.
“Don’t play games with me. I didn’t plan on telling you this. I’ve tried to fight it and be the good uncle, but I can’t anymore. The truth is, Layla, you’re mine—your body, soul, talent, womb, and future. Everything you are belongs to me. Youaregoing to be my wife. Youaregoing to have my children.”
She leans back in my embrace, both hands propped on my chest.
“Why are you saying this?” she whispers.
“Because it’s the truth.”
She pushes away from me, pacing again. “You can’t just say things like that. It’s not fair to get my hopes up.”
I grab her hand and stop her pacing. “Your hopes up? Does that mean you feel the same?”
Her answer is to throw herself at me. I catch her, captivated, as she leans up to kiss me.
“Is that a yes?” I say in between kisses.
She pushes her lips against mine again as if buying time to answer. It’s not like I’m going to complain, though, especially when she wraps her arms around my body, spreading her hands over my back.
“Do you mean it?” she finally says, moving her hands to my face, holding me so we can stare into each other’s eyes.
“I’ve never meant anything more.”
“But it’s impossible,” she whispers. “You know that, right?”
She says this with the air ofhavingto say it. I can tell she doesn’t mean it. She’s not really trying to push me away, and hell, I’m not letting her go even if she was. I’m never going to stop obsessing over her and needing her.
“Iknowyou belong to me. I know every inch of your young, excitable virgin body is mine. I know every single perfect curve is mine. Everything, Layla,you… I thought you would say you never wanted to talk to me again.”
“I’ve thought about it so much,” she murmurs. “Our future together. So in the car, on the ride here, all that baby talk… Was that about us?”
“Yes.”
Her smile is bright with relief. “Iknewit. Well, I didn’t know it, but I thought it might be.”
I smooth my hand from her hip around to her belly, gently cradling it. “You’ll have a bump soon, and we’ll start planning our future: a house and a good neighborhood. I’ll contract your dream kitchen. Anything you want.”
