You Belong With Me (29 page)

              “You are taking a few sentences and running with them Michael. Now stop being childish and walk me to the door. I have to get up early in the morning,” she said in a low serious voice she reserved for Bubba when he was overzealous for a walk.

              Michael made a tutting sound with his mouth and slung his arm over her shoulders as they walked back into the house and toward the front door. “Layla, I belong with you, you belong with me, in my sweet heart,” he said, his eyes gleaming down at her.

              Layla paused, her eyes shining up at him. “You like the Lumineers too?” she asked.

              Michael pulled two tickets out of his pocket and handed them to her. They were for a month away, but they were two tickets to the Lumineers in concert. Layla covered her mouth with her hand and jumped up and down in a good simulation of Stella on Christmas morning. She jumped in Michaels arms and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

              “I love you,” she said so loudly and so sure right before she gasped in horror and pulled back to stare into Michael’s eyes.

              Michael looked shocked for a moment too, but then shook his head silently back and forth. “Oh you did it now,” he said in a low husky voice.

              Layla squeaked and pushed out of his arms. “Crap!” she muttered and ran for the door. Michael must have still been in shock because he allowed her to get out the front door and down the steps before he caught up to her, grabbing her in his arms from behind.

              “You said it. Now say it again,” he ordered, turning her gently around.

              Layla groaned and closed her eyes. Now there would be no stopping Michael.
Ever
.

              “Fine. Michael, I love you. I’ve never said it to another man before. You’re the first. I don’t even know how it happened, but it did and I can’t seem to stop it,” she said softly, finally allowing all the soft yet strong feelings swirling around inside of her out in the open.

              Michael must have seen it in her eyes because he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her neck, breathing in and out slowly as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.

              “I’m the last too,” he finally muttered before pulling away and kissing her senseless. When he finally pulled away, her knees were actually weak and she finally understood what all those Victorian romance books she used to read were talking about. No lie, this man could make her knees go weak.

              “You are my first and my last,” she said before kissing him on the cheek. “But I gotta go. Now tell me you love me one last time so I can get to bed,” she said, pulling her keys out of her purse.

              Michael pushed her hair back from her face and tilted her face up to his slowly. “I never knew I could have this much love in my heart. Life is now perfectly imperfect. I love you Layla. More than anything, I love you,” he said and kissed her gently but with so much tenderness, she felt moisture behind her eyelids.

              She pulled away and walked slowly to her car, looking back to wave as he continued to stand in front of his house, staring at her with his hands shoved in his pocket. She glanced at Michael in her rear view mirror and smiled at the beautiful picture he made in the fading sunlight with his big shoulders and wavy hair. She sighed and then caught herself. “Layla girl, you have it so bad,” she muttered to herself before turning right and heading back home.

Chapter 23 – Space

              The next day as she brought out grilled chicken, sun dried tomato and pesto croissant sandwiches for the lunch crowd. Kit followed her with a large tureen of chicken enchilada soup. Jane put a large sign in the front window that said,
Now Serving Lunch.

              Jane turned around and grinned at her two sisters. “Today is going to be a great day, I can feel it,” she said, putting her hands in her apron pockets.

              Layla smiled back at her as she set out bowls, spoons and sandwich plates. “If you say it, I’ll believe it,” she promised.

              Kit rang up their first croissant sandwich sale and gave her a thumb’s up. Later that evening while they sat around the table going over their receipts Jane pushed her lap top away and blinked in surprise. “Our profits went up fifteen percent!”

              Kit stood up and did an impromptu Harlem Shake, making Layla and Jane burst out laughing. Kit pulled her sisters by the hands until they were all doing the Harlem Shake. They finally sat down, tired and grinning.

              “Hey guys, did you get a chance to look at the photo albums I set out on the couch yesterday?” she asked, looking between Kit and Jane.

              Jane nodded. “I did. It kind of gave me the impression that mom is the one who cut the ties between us and grandma, not the other way around.”

              Kit nodded her head. “I looked through them too. She was at my very first art show down in Belleview. She drove all that way to see me and I didn’t even know her,” she said sadly, running her hand through her red hair.

              Layla nodded. “Yeah, I think there’s more to this story. I still have some paperwork to go through between her and her lawyer, but the files I went through yesterday kind of painted a picture of a poor fatherless kid who kept heading down the wrong path year after year. He was arrested over and over for drugs and petty theft. He straightened out in the army and him and mom had about five good years before he was sucked back into drugs. It makes me wonder what life would have been like for us if he’d never said yes that first time.”

              Jane closed her eyes sadly and leaned her head back. “I feel so bad for him Layla. What if we offer to put him in rehab? We might have to get a loan or something. It’ll stretch us thin for a while, but I’d feel better knowing that we did something to help him.”

              Layla looked at Kit, knowing her heart still hurt every day from the rejection of being abandoned. Kit surprised her though and looked thoughtful.

              “That’s a good idea Jane. There was a picture in one of the books of him holding me on my second birthday. It kind of looked like he loved me,” she said quietly.

              Layla reached out and gripped her sister’s hand tightly. “I know he loved you Kit. He loved us. He’s just forgotten. That’s what addiction does, it kills every healthy and good emotion and replaces it with misery and cravings. That’s all he’s had for the last two decades. I say we do it. Let’s hunt Landon Kendall down and throw him a rope, because if he’s not careful, he’s going to end up in jail again. And soon.”

              As they were getting ready to make a light salad for dinner, Layla heard a loud pounding on the front door. Jane heard it too and they ran down the stairs. It was seven o’clock, long past closing time.

              “It’s Michael!” Jane said, reaching the door first and pushing the door open.

              Layla moved past Jane and smiled up into his face before she realized how upset he was. She frowned and ushered him inside.

              Jane frowned worriedly. “I’ll just finish up dinner,” she said softly and disappeared.

              Michael stared at her sadly and then motioned for her to follow him out onto her front porch. “Come sit with me for a moment,” he said motioning for one of the large old rocking chairs.

              Layla felt cold and uneasy at the shuttered look on Michael’s face. She’d never seen him so hard and distant before. She sat in the chair and looked up into Michael’s furious eyes.

              “Layla, I’ve received some bad news today that affects the both of us. It turns out that Ashley and her parents were at the lawyers yesterday because they were going over the Divorce decree. It turns out that my divorce isn’t valid because the Judge never signed the paperwork. My lawyer has been going over it all afternoon, but they’re right. It was a clerical error, an oversight. But that means that Ashley and I are still legally married. She’ll divorce me and then sign the paperwork, but I have to agree to give her half of my assets and half of the sale of my home. She wants half of my business too along with alimony.”

              Layla gasped and covered her mouth in horror. “You’re kidding me,” she whispered, knowing he wasn’t, but wishing with all of her heart that he was.

              Michael shook his head jerkily and turned to stand by the railing, gripping the wood until his knuckles turned white.

              “I know it’s wrong to hate another person, but right now, I just can’t help it. She says if I don’t agree to half of everything this week, then she’ll go for joint custody next week. The week after that, she’ll go for full custody.”

              Layla closed her eyes at the viciousness of another human being. “Oh Michael, I’m so sorry. I feel sick about this. What are you going to do?” she asked softly, standing up to go to him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head against his back.

              Michael’s whole body felt tense and hard, but as the minutes passed, his shoulders slumped and his head fell. “I’m going to give her everything she wants. I might go bankrupt buying her out of the business and I’ll be sad to sell my home. I’ve spent so many hours fixing it up and working in the yard that it feels like a part of me now. But it’s worth it to make sure Ashley is gone for good,” he said in a low voice.

              Layla sighed and let go as Michael turned around. “You’re a good dad Michael. The best. Someday Stella will realize how lucky she is to have you.”

              Michael shook his head and looked down at his feet. “
And you?
Will you like me so much when I don’t have any money and I have to ask you to pay for dinner?”

              Layla laughed and looked up into his eyes until he looked at her. “Sweetie, you have to know that I would love the idea of turning the tables on you. I can’t wait,” she said with a grin.

              Michael gave her a crooked smile and hugged her tightly. “It might be fun for a year, but after a while, I promise it’ll get old.”

              Layla frowned up at Michael and touched his face. “Michael, I wasn’t interested in you because of your money. I’m interested in
you
. This is a hard blow but you’re a strong, determined, smart man. You’ll just figure out a new way to make it on your terms. I mean look at you. When you had to quit school to take care of Stella, you started a real estate company and became one of the most successful realtors south of Seattle. You’re going to be just fine.
We’re
going to be just fine.”

              Michael closed his eyes for a moment before smiling. When he opened his eyes, his face lit up in that way it did when he looked at her. “For a woman who just proposed to me yesterday, you’re taking the news of my attempted bigamy very well.”

              Layla’s eyes opened wide before she burst out laughing. “I know. It’s pretty sad isn’t it? I keep asking you to marry me and begging you to just give up and love me and somehow you find new and creative ways to thwart me. Now you’ve come up with a wife you’re still married to. Well played Michael, well played.”

              Michael tilted his head back and laughed hard; letting her go so he could collapse into a rocking chair, his whole chest shaking.

              Layla stood in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest and shook her head. “You know one of these days, I might just get sick of waiting around for you.”

              Michael stopped laughing and smiled up at her, his teeth showing. “You know, my lawyer told me that my divorce can be final in two weeks if everything goes smoothly,” he said calculatingly.

              Layla winced and turned around quickly.
Crap
. She’d just been teasing him to make him smile but knowing him, he was going to take this and run with it. She felt his arms go around her shoulders and a soft kiss on her cheek.

              “Let’s go ring shopping tomorrow after work,” he said sounding very satisfied and pleased with himself.

              Layla frowned and pulled away from him, walking to the door. “Sorry Michael, I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but I don’t date married men,” she said and twisted the nob. Michael’s large hand covered hers before she could finish pushing the door open.

              “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked silkily.

              Layla smiled innocently. “Oh, we’re just getting ready to eat dinner. I’m starving and it’s kind of inappropriate to be seen spending so much time with a married man. I don’t want to get a bad reputation,” she said, biting her lip to keep from smiling.

              Michael glared down at her. “Oh you’re going to regret that one Miss Kendall. No more blue carnations for you,” he said and turned away from her, walking down the steps.

              She turned and leaned up against the door as she watched him walk to his car. When he had his hand on the handle, she said, “I love you Michael Bender.”

              Michael paused and looked back at her, a slow grin lifting his face. He nodded his head at her silently and got in his car, disappearing within seconds.

              She walked back into the bakery, locking up tightly and headed upstairs to her sisters. Life just kept throwing them curve balls. Michael was still legally married to Ashley. She winced at the thought that she’d been kissing a legally married man but pushed it aside. They’d both had no idea. She walked into their small kitchen and grabbed a plate of salad before joining her sisters at the table. At their curious looks, she didn’t hesitate and told them everything.

              She went to bed, listening to their continuous and virulent opinions about Ashley and felt a little better. Now whether she wanted it or not, she had some time on her hands and the space she had asked Michael for. But now that she had it, she wished it far, far away.

Chapter 24 – Good Things