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“Oh, God, I’m coming.”
We both grunt and moan simultaneously as we start to orgasm. We hold onto each other, my arms hugging her from behind as she grinds against me, her butt rubbing and quivering against my pelvis.
When we finally regain some composure, I shift back, removing my flaccid member. It’s covered in her wetness as she turns and hugs me. I breathe in her smell and wrap my arms tightly around her.
My phone buzzes on the desk, and my foreman’s name appears on the screen.
“I have to go, Layla,” I whisper into her hair. “I’m needed at the site.”
“I’ll go pick up Ruby from school,” She whispers back. “I’ll be here when you get back. I’ll always be here.”
Neither of us moves as we stay in each other’s arms, happy, loved, and comfortable for the first time in a long time. I look out the window and see a yellow butterfly tapping against the window. Deanna used to love butterflies.
I take it as a sign that she wants me to start forgiving myself. I hold Layla tighter.
Chapter twenty-three
Layla
“Where’s Daddy?” Ruby asks as she enters the car. “He said he will come!”
I catch a glimpse of Ruby in the rear mirror. She’s wearing a red cardigan and jeans. Her schoolbag is beside her on the seat. I notice she looks a little pale, but I think nothing of it as I start the car.
“Daddy had to work, sweetie.” I start the car, and the seat vibrates from the engine.
I twitch in my seat, my depths still tingling from what happened in the study a few minutes ago. Tristan told me what happened with Deanna, and I believed him. He looked tortured, and I knew there was no way he was lying.
My parents believe he gave Deanna the prescription pills on purpose to kill my sister, but with all I’ve seen when around him, Tristan isn’t capable of murder. He might have fallen out of love with Deanna, but he still cared about her. That much is clear. There’s no way he killed her.
Tristan is flawed, but who isn’t? My hands grip the wheel as I think about us and everything that has happened. The whole thing is built on a lie and not just the arranged engagement; I am not who he thinks I am.
You need to tell him, Erin.
Calling myself my first name seems weird to me now. I’m Layla, not Erin anymore. I’m not the scared kid looking for her parent’s approval. I want more than that. I want to be my own person and love those who love me.
I want to be with Tristan, I admit to myself. It scares me, but I know it's true. When I wrung the whiskey out of his hand, it was because I couldn't bear to see him lose Ruby. My alliance has changed, and I see things clearly for the first time since Deanna died.
The town flashes by as I drive. I don’t want to have to beg for love. I deserve better than that. I deserve better than being used. The sunlight filters through the windows, casting a warm glow over the car’s interior. I glance in the rearview mirror; my heart skips a beat at the sight of Ruby’s labored breathing.
“Ruby, are you okay?” I ask, fear in my voice.
Ruby nods weakly, her face pale and drawn. “I…I think so,” She gasps, her words punctuated by a rasping cough.
Shit. Asthma attack.
The panic rises within me like a tidal wave. With trembling hands, I reach for her bag, praying that her inhaler will relieve her. I glance up, and she’s clutching at her throat.
“Ruby!” My voice goes high as I fumble for the inhaler and keep one eye on the road.
When I find it, I stop the car and wiggle into the backseat to give her the medication. I hold my breath as I wait for it to take effect. Ruby coughs, her eyes red.
Please, work. Please, work.
Her breathing worsens as her face goes redder like an albino in a salt mine.
“Ruby, hang in there!” I urge, my voice trembling with fear as I get back into the driver’s seat and press down on the gas pedal.
The town’s clinic!
