You Belong With Me (22 page)

              Layla glared at her sisters and started the car. “You know, you’re not funny. And
no
, I’m not going to Michael’s house. Ashley would answer the door and just throw our evil carbs in our face anyways.”

              Kit and Jane let it go and they headed home. She glanced at the two loaves of bread, hating the idea of wasting food when there were so many people who would appreciate the gift. They pulled into the driveway and saw a man and a little girl peeking in the front door. Layla drove up the driveway to park behind the house grumbling under her breath.

              “Can’t they see the CLOSED sign?” Kit asked, hopping out of the car.

              Layla and Jane followed more slowly, knowing Kit would get rid of them. Jane carried the bread while Layla dug for the key to the front door. As they walked around the corner, Layla heard a little girl’s laughter and felt her heart stutter.

              “Layla!”

              Layla looked up to the front porch to see Stella waving at her energetically from between the wood railing. Layla couldn’t help smiling and waved back.

              “What a surprise,” Layla said, as Jane laughed softly behind her back.

              Michael walked over to the railing to look down at her as she walked up the stairs. “We were out for a walk and wanted to stop in and say hi. Kit says you were just at my house on a bread delivery,” he said, raising his eyebrow at her questioningly with a look of hope on his face.

              Layla looked at Kit and raised her right brow. “Oh
really.
Well, we were delivering bread. Stella, we have two loaves left over. Would you like a loaf of the best Sour Dough bread in Fircrest? It makes the best French Toast,” she said grabbing a loaf from Jane and presenting the loaf to Stella as if she were handing her a chest of jewels. Stella’s eyes went wide with wonder and her mouth fell open.

              “
Really
? You’re giving me the best bread in Fircrest? Daddy, look what Layla gave me,” she whispered holding her bread in both arms up high.

              Michael grinned at Stella and ran his hand over her hair. “Layla is very kind and you are very lucky.”

              Kit laughed and Jane picked up Stella in her arms. “If you don’t mind Michael, I’m going to steal Stella away for a few minutes. We’ve got some honey butter in the kitchen that goes perfectly with the best bread in Fircrest,” she said and walked through the door with a smiling little girl. Kit followed with a pointed look at Layla leaving her alone on the porch with Michael.

              “Can we talk?” Michael asked, gesturing to the rocking chairs.

              Layla sighed but sat down. “The last time you said that to me, I got dumped,” she said bluntly.

              Michael rubbed a hand over his chin and shook his head. “Actually, there’s a huge difference between
, we need to talk
, and
can we talk
. We
need
to talk always means something bad.
Can
we talk, means, I’m about to beg you for forgiveness,” he said softly, taking her hand in his.

              Layla looked down at his large hand holding hers and felt a sharp pain in her heart. She tried to pull her hand away, but Michael held on. “No, please don’t pull away from me. Will you listen?”

              Layla knew the only way to get rid of him was to agree, so she nodded her head. “Shoot.”

              Michael winced and lowered his head. “I’ve known it almost from the start. Layla, I can’t be with Ashley anymore. There’s no going back for me. After church, my parents took Stella to their house for lunch so I could have a talk with Ashley. I told her that although I used to lover her, that I don’t anymore. My heart belongs to someone else now. I told her that I want her back in our lives as Stella’s mom, but not as anything more.”

              Layla’s eyes widened in surprise. “
Whoa
. How did Ashley take the news?” she asked softly, now staring intently into Michael’s sad eyes.

              Michael grimaced and looked away for a moment. “
Not well
. She seems to think that you’re to blame for everything. I tried to explain to her that even if I hadn’t met you that we still wouldn’t be getting back together.”

              Layla frowned and studied the long strong hand covering hers. “But is that really true? If I wasn’t here, you’d be giving this new chance with Ashley your whole attention and all of your effort.”

              Michael nodded. “Maybe, but I’m not a dumb college kid anymore. I’ve grown up over the past few years. A lot. And I know what I know. I have eyes Layla. I can see the way she treats Stella. Stella is just a means to an end for her. She doesn’t like to hold Stella and she’s very uncomfortable around her. Stella can tell too. Kids know instinctively when they’re liked and when they’re loved. It’s just not there.”

              Layla frowned and rubbed her hand over her heart. “Maybe not
yet.
But if Ashley agreed to counseling, maybe whatever emotional block is there, can be removed.”

              Michael nodded. “I suggested family counseling to Ashley and she was pretty offended. She didn’t see anything wrong with her relationship with Stella and said that whatever Stella had said about her was a lie. The sad thing is, Stella hasn’t said anything. It’s just Ashley. Anyone with eyes can see how she is.”

              Layla bit her lip. “And how is she with you Michael? Any emotional blocks there?”

              Michael looked straight into her eyes. “She’s the same girl. Fun and exciting at times, but when it comes to real life, real emotion, deep connections and hard decisions, she steps away. I think she just wants a superficial relationship with me until she figures out something else she wants to do with her life. She’d walk away again. I know it. And she knows it too. She took off right after our little talk today and didn’t even bother to say good bye to Stella. I got an angry text from her father a half an hour ago, asking what I had done that had upset his daughter so much.”

              Layla wrinkled her nose at the blame Ashley’s father was sending Michael’s way. “And how did Stella handle her mother leaving without a good bye?”

              Michael leaned forward, his face close to hers, still holding her hand. “All I had to say was that we were going to see Layla and she was smiling and running for her shoes. She knows when she’s liked. She knows when she’s loved. She’s disappointed, but she’s not heart broken.”

              Layla swallowed and moved back. “But that still makes me second choice Michael. I swore that night you dumped me that I’d never give you another chance. I locked up my heart. I won’t let you hurt me again,” she whispered, scooting further back on the rocker.

              Michael closed his eyes in pain and shook his head. “I had to give Ashley a chance so that someday if Stella ever asks me if I tried everything, I can say
yes,
I tried everything. And I did. And now it’s over. Layla, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to insist that you forgive me and that you allow me to love you,” he said kissing her knuckles one by one.

              Layla felt a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth. “You’re
insisting
? What exactly gives you the right to insist where I’m concerned?” she asked wanting to reach out and smooth his tousled hair back.

              Michael looked up and caressed her cheek before answering. “Because you love me. I know you do. As the man you’ve given your heart to, I have the right to insist that you forgive me and let me back into your life.”

              Layla laughed and shook her head. “That’s a little presumptuous. What makes you think I uh . . .,
love
you?” she asked, trying to joke about it, but ending up whispering the words and closing her eyes.

              Michael sighed and rested his forehead against hers. “I guess I’m a lot like a little kid. I can sense when someone likes me. I can tell when someone loves me. And when I look into your eyes, no matter what you say or what you do, I can see you. We’re connected in a way that I can’t explain. But it’s there Layla.”

              Layla was mortified to find that she was very close to tears. She pulled away from Michael and covered her mouth with her hand, turning her head away, as tears crawled their way up her throat. She pulled her legs up on the chair and curled herself into a ball, hiding her face in her arms, right before Michael lifted her up and sat down with her on his lap. He held her silently and before she knew it, she had thrown her arms around his neck.

              Michael kissed her hair and rubbed her back, not saying anything as she fought for composure. After a few moments, she lay quietly in his arms, warm and comforted. She sniffed and wiped her damp eyes with her hands.

              “This doesn’t mean anything Michael. We’re not back together,” she said, her voice sounding husky and low.

              Michael laughed and grazed her forehead with his lips as she continued to sit in his lap, her arms wrapped tightly around him. “Not yet. You just have to forgive me first.”

              Layla smiled and sighed happily before remembering to frown. “Like that’s possible,” she said with a sniff.

              Michael sighed and rubbed his hand down her back. “Nothing’s impossible Layla. By the way, I’m considering a fall wedding, so make sure you’re done forgiving me by then, okay?”

              Layla gave up and laughed, leaning back against his arm so she could look up at his grinning face. “You are crazy Michael. Honestly if you show up with an engagement ring anytime soon I’m taking it to the nearest pawn shop and taking a vacation to Hawaii.
By myself
,” she said trying to sound mean.

              Michael leaned his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking. Layla sat up and glared at him until he stopped and opened his eyes, looking at her the same way he had the first time they’d met.

              “You are such a liar Miss Kendall. But fine, I can wait. Besides, when I buy your ring, I want you to help me pick it out. It’s the only wedding ring you’ll ever have so I want to make sure it’s perfect for you.”

              Layla gave up, shaking her head at Michael. She moved to get off his lap, but he held his arms around her firmly. “I think you should give me a kiss, just to prove that you have good intentions and that you’ll work at forgiving me in the very near future.”

              “You’re putting words in my mouth. And
no
,” she said, pushing his arms away and standing.

              Michael stood too, with a half-smile. “Look, I would feel the same way you do. If some guy showed up from your past and you decided to push me aside to see if there was anything worth saving, I’d be devastated. I’d be furious and I’d want to kill the guy. I know you were hurt, but you never struck out at Ashley or took it out on Stella. You handled it with grace and kindness.”

              Layla leaned back against the railing and glared at him. “You think I’d take out my anger at you on a little girl?”

              Michael held up his hands. “There are many people who would. You didn’t, which just goes to show what good taste I have. Listen, you don’t have to give me another chance. You have every right not to. I just . . .
want you to
,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at her with his heart in his eyes.

              Layla bit her lip and turned around to stare at the water instead. “I’ll think about it. If you give me a little space it would help. I can’t think logically when you’re around me for some reason,” she said, feeling him come up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

              Michael leaned down and kissed her cheek and then pulled away. “As you wish,” he said wryly.

              Layla leaned her head against the porch railing and groaned loudly. A man who could quote
The Princess Bride
and do so perfectly and under the right context was a man not to underestimate. She turned and looked at him with a small smile playing around her lips. “Don’t push your luck Prince Charming.”

              Michael looked at her in confusion. “You’ve got your movies mixed up. I’m the farm boy slash pirate.”

              Layla stared at him as she actually felt herself fall all the rest of the way in love.
Darn him
. She stared at him, totally snagged for the first time in her life as he took a step closer, grinning down into her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her very lightly on the lips.

              “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring out the big guns just yet but I couldn’t help myself,” he murmured just as the front door opened and his daughter ran out.

              “Daddy, why didn’t you come in? I just had chocolate milk and bread with honey butter.”

              Michael turned around to smile at his daughter, his whole face creased in smiles. He picked up Stella in one arm and looked at Jane and Kit who were looking back and forth between him and their sister, with hopeful smiles on their faces.

              “We better get going Stella. Can you tell these beautiful ladies thank you for the bread?” he instructed.

              Stella thanked everyone not once but twice and then blinked in surprise, wide eyed as Michael bent over and kissed Layla on the cheek before walking down the stairs.

              Layla bit her lip as Stella’s bright and surprisingly loud voice carried back to them. “Daddy! You kissed Layla! Daddy
kissed
Layla, daddy
kissed
Layla . . .” she sang happily.

              Kit and Jane joined Layla at the railing, bumping their hips into hers. “So daddy did kiss Layla. What does that mean Kit?” Jane asked in a very serious voice.

              Kit leaned her chin on her hands. “It means Jane that daddy really likes our little Layla and since Layla didn’t punch him in the nose, it means that Layla
really
likes daddy.”