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The familiar sound of the call being answered has the dormant butterflies in my tummy jumping for joy.
"Mister Lee!" Layla's up and walking circles around the kitchen, allowing me to see Leo's face every pass she makes in front of me.
His smile is so big when he realizes it's my daughter on the phone, and damn if that doesn't make him sexier. "Hi, little one!"
Don't swoon.
"Where's your pretty momma?"
I'm swooning.
Twirling back around, she shoves the front of the camera toward me. "Here she is!" I barely get to wave at him before she's back to pacing. "Can you come over?"
"Layla—" My scold is cut off by her rushed reasoning.
"I just miss you and want to hang out. Maybe you can bring pizza!"
I have no words. My child is a genius. Not only did she use her sweet voice to say something so nice, but she also asked for food.
"Oh! Bring, Judey, Marc, and JJ!"
Well, shit.
LAYLA
Mommy is... different. Sometimes it's good, but she cries a lot here. She doesn't want me to know. But her eyes are puffy and red, and I see her wipe her cheeks a lot.
"Are we staying here?" My chest thumps, and I rock back and forth. Maybe that will relieve the jitters.
A weird feeling in my tummy makes me uncomfortable when her eyebrows try to touch. "We can't, Bug."
I don't want to look at her. The burning in my eyes is making my throat heavy. "Daddy's coming?"
"Hopefully not—"
A knock on the door makes Mommy stop talking. She glances down at her phone, eyebrows pulling on her skin again. "Stay here, little Bug."
A bubbling in my chest and toes has me ignoring Mom and running to the door myself. "It's Lee!"
"Layla, don't!" I already have the door cracked, and I can hardly hear her over my excitement. "Bug, stop!"
Mommy's voice is closer, and just as I see the man on our doorstep, I'm swung up and onto Mom's hip.
The blonde man’s eyes widen in shock. He's kind of pale, too, but maybe some soup could help him. "Rylee?" He sounds sad.
A square car pulls into the driveway, and I can't help but wiggle in Mommy's arms. Jackson jumps out of the car first, but he doesn't come closer.
"Layla, listen to me," Mom whispers in my ear. "When I set you down, I need you to run to JJ, okay?" I nod. I don't like the way this man is looking at us, and I really want my friends.
My feet touch the ground, and my eyes are burning again. I feel strange leaving my momma behind, like I want to bring her with me.
"Go, Layla." Her heavy hand on my shoulder nudges me forward, and she even takes a few steps with me around the tall man. I feel cold and scared when she lets go and turns her back to me.
Mommy's voice wobbles like mine does when I'm scared or sad. "Hello, Tate."
ChapterTwenty-Four
TATE
