Riding the Storm (63 page)

His
destination
was
the
woman
he
loved.

Jayla’s
breath
caught
in
her
throat
when
she
saw
Storm

heading
toward
her.
She
couldn’t
tell
from
his
expression
whether
he
was
glad
to
see
her
or
not,
but
one
thing
was
certain—he
wasn’t
going
to
avoid
her.
But
maybe
she
was
jumping
to
conclusions.
Although
he
was
headed
to
where
she
was
standing,
he
might
be
coming
over
to
say
hello
to
his
sister
and
sisters-in-law
since
they
were
standing
next
to
her.

“Here
comes
Storm
Westmoreland,”
she
overheard
one
of
the
women
from
the
“hottie
duo”
say.
“And
I
think
he’s
seen
my
interest
and
is
coming
over
to
talk
to
me.”

“Fat
chance
of
that
happening,”
Tara
whispered.
Jayla

couldn’t
help
but
smile
and
hoped
Tara
was
right.
As
Storm
got
closer,
her
hope
went
up
a
notch
when
she
saw
he
was
still
holding
her
gaze.
She
sighed
deeply
when
he
stopped
in
front
of
her.

“Hi,
Jayla.”

She
smiled
up
at
him
and
tried
to
keep
her
heart
from
pounding
erratically
in
her
chest.
“Hi,
Storm.”

It
was
only
then
that
he
released
her
gaze
and
glanced
at

his
sister
and
sisters-in-law.
“Good
evening,
ladies,
and,
as

usual,
all
of
you
look
beautiful
and
bestow
much
pride
upon
the
Westmoreland
name.”

He
glanced
back
at
Jayla.
“And
you
look
beautiful,
as
well,
Jayla.”

“Thanks.”
And
before
she
lost
her
nerve,
she
asked,
“Is
there
a
chance
I
might
speak
with
you
privately
for
a

moment?”
The
man
standing
before
her
looked
so

irresistibly
handsome,
so
utterly
gorgeous
that
it
almost
took
her
breath
away.

Her
pulse
quickened
when
he
stared
into
her
eyes
with
an
intensity
that
made
her
shiver.
He
nodded,
then
said,

“Sure.”
He
shifted
his
gaze
from
her
to
the
others
and
said,
“Please
excuse
us
for
a
minute.”
After
taking
her
hand
in
his,
Storm
led
her
through
the
doors
and
outside
into
the

lobby.

“There’re
a
lot
of
people
here
tonight,”
Storm
said,
as
they
continued
walking
down
the
elegant
and
immaculate

hallway.

“Yes,
there
are,”
Jayla
replied.
The
benefit
was
being
held
in
the
ballroom
of
the
Atlanta
Civic
Center
and
the
facility

was
the
perfect
place
to
host
such
an
event.
She
wondered
where
Storm
was
taking
her.
It
was
obvious
that
wherever
it
was,
he
wanted
them
to
have
privacy.

They
stopped
walking
when
they
came
to
a
beautiful
atrium.
All
the
greenery,
flowering
plants
and
the
huge
waterfall

added
warmth
and
even
more
grace
and
style
to
their

surroundings.
Jayla
suddenly
felt
nervous,
not
sure
of

herself,
but
then
she
knew
she
had
to
say
her
piece.
No

matter
what,
he
deserved
to
know
about
their
baby,
but
she
couldn’t
tell
him
that
now.
If
he
wanted
her
back,
it
had
to
be
because
he
still
loved
her
and
not
because
he
would
feel

obligated
because
she
was
carrying
his
child.

She
cleared
her
throat.
“Storm.”

“Jayla.”

She
smiled
when
they
had
spoken
at
the
same
time.
She
glanced
at
him
and
his
features
were
expressionless
and
she
had
no
idea
what
he
was
thinking.

“Ladies
first,”
he
said,
meeting
her
gaze.

Jayla
swallowed.
She
knew
that
a
lot
was
at
stake
here,
but
she
remembered
the
words
her
father
would
often
say

—nothing
ventured,
nothing
gained.
She
cleared
her
throat.
“I
kept
my
appointment
at
the
clinic
this
morning.”

He
contemplated
her
silently
for
a
moment,
and
then
asked,
“Did
you?”

She
expelled
a
soft
breath,
still
unable
to
read
him.
“Yes,

but
I’ve
decided
not
to
go
through
with
the
procedure.”
She
thought
she
saw
relief
flash
through
his
gaze
but
wasn’t

sure.

He
held
her
gaze
steadily,
studied
her
for
a
moment.
“Why
did
you
change
your
mind?”
he
asked.

Jayla
swallowed
again
as
she
lifted
her
chin.
“Because
I
realized
that
you
were
right
and
that
I
did
have
blinders
on.
So
I
took
them
off
and
when
I
did,
I
could
see
things
a
lot
clearer.”

Tension
hummed
between
them;
she
felt
it.
“And
what
do
you
see,
Jayla?”
he
asked
softly.

She
breathed
deeply
and
decided
to
tell
him
just
what
she
saw.
“I
see
a
tall
man
who
is
so
strikingly
handsome
I
can
barely
think
straight,
who
has
eyes
so
dark
they
remind
me
of
chocolate
chips
and
a
voice
so
sexy
it
sends
shivers

down
my
spine.
But
most
importantly,
since
taking
my

blinders
off,
I
can
see
my
Mr.
Right
standing
right
in
front
of
me.
Now.
At
this
very
minute.
And
I
pray
that
I
haven’t
ruined
things,
and
there’s
a
possibility
that
he
still
wants
me,

because,
since
taking
off
my
blinders,
I’ve
also
discovered
just
how
much
I
love
him
and
just
how
much
I
want
him
in
my
life.”

Jayla
held
her
breath,
not
knowing
what
he
would
say,
not
knowing
if
he
would
accept
her
words.
Then,
she
saw
a