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“Where are you?” Mom asks.
“Haven Wood.” I slap sand off my butt. “We took Ruby to the beach.”
Then mom laughs—the laughter she laughs when she’s angry. I recognize it. I heard it a lot growing up.
“Mom—”
“Get the evidence we need and get it fast. I don’t care about your plan to get close to him. We need the evidence before he finishes the construction project and leaves New Brooks. So, do whatever you have to do to get him to drink or fuck up and get the family what we need.”
“I under—”
She clicks the phone off before I can say anything. I stand there for a little while, my hands in my pocket, watching the sun dip into the sea.
When I return to Tristan, Ruby is on the mat with him, and the other people on the beach are gone.
“Layla, where did you go?” Ruby asks, a piece of chocolate cake in her hand. “Want some? I saved it for you.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.” I take a bite off her hand.
“Are you my new mom, Layla?” Ruby asks with a bright smile.
My eyes fly to Tristan, who looks just as surprised as I am. He has a red plastic cup with apple juice in his hand.
“What do you mean, cookie?” Tristan asks Ruby, who comes to sit on his lap.
“I saw the two of you kissing!” She beams. “Shawna said Layla will be my new mummy.”
“Who’s Shawna?” I ask, joining them on the mat.
“The lady that helped build my castle, silly.” She shrugs and takes a bite of her cake.
Tristan doesn’t give her a response, and Ruby seems too busy with her cake to care, so we just sit quietly and watch the waves as the moon starts to lighten up the night. My mind is in turmoil as I sit there, but one thing I know is I’ve never been happier than I am at this moment.
Ruby puts a hand in mine and squeezes gently without looking away from the beach.
Chapter twenty
Tristan
The treadmill’s rhythmic hum fills my bedroom air as I pound away on the machine. Sweat glistens on my naked chest and stomach as I push myself harder with each stride. An hour ago, I escorted Layla to her car after we put Ruby to sleep. We kissed in her car again, and it's taken all the willpower in my bones not to ask her to stay the night.
Today isn’t over, but it’s one of the few perfect days I’ve had since Deanna died. So, why do I feel so conflicted? I wipe away my face with a towel on the mill. My knees and thighs are burning with pain, but I keep at it, hoping the pain will keep my thoughts at bay.
Layla is hiding something—that much I can tell. The way she left us to answer the call at the beach and how her mood changed when she returned makes it pretty obvious that something is bothering her that she isn’t forthcoming about.
It shouldn’t bother me, but it does. My sneakers hit the metal faster, and my hair fall across my eyes. I close my eyes and try to lose myself in the intensity of the workout.
My phone buzzes, interrupting my thoughts. I slow down and reach for it, the screen lighting up with Luke’s name. With a quick swipe, I answer the call. The thought that he has something to tell me about Layla crosses my mind, and I hope he doesn’t.
I don’t want anything to taint how I see her. I just don’t.
“Hey man,” I greet him, my breath coming quickly.
“Don’t tell me you and the nanny got to the fucking stage already?” He laughs. “Isn’t this whole thing supposed to be pretend?”
“I’m working out, asshole.” I strip my shorts off, grab a towel, and head to the bathroom. “Well, I was.”
“Sure?” I visualize Luke’s cocked brow as he asks. “Working out.” He repeats with a chuckle.
