She watched Hugh drawing with Layla at the bar. His dimples deepened and his eyes smiled…at her daughter. Brianna melted beneath Mack’s grip. “Oh, Mack. I’m in so much trouble.”
“Things could be worse.” Mack nodded at Tracie, who was headed directly for Hugh.
Brianna groaned. “I got this.”
Kat cut her off. “No. This one’s on me.”
Tracie pressed her body against Hugh’s back and whispered in his ear, “Are you back here looking for a date?”
Hugh cringed and shifted his body like a protective shield in front of Layla.
Kat narrowed her eyes and slammed her order pad on the bar. Hugh drew his eyebrows together, and before she could utter a word, Hugh said, “Actually, my date nights are filled up for the foreseeable future. And if you’ll excuse me, Layla and I would like to finish our game of tic-tac-toe.”
Tracie pursed her lips, glanced over at Layla, and then shot a scalding stare at Brianna.
“That’s right, Red. He is taken with a capital T,” Kat said with a shake of her head.
Tracie stomped off through the restaurant doors. Hugh nodded at Kat. “Thank you, Kat.”
“My pleasure.” Kat leaned down and whispered, “I’ve been wanting to do something like that for months.” She tapped the napkin in front of Layla. “Hey, beautiful. You’ve got the most handsome date in the place.”
Brianna put her hand on Layla’s shoulder. She watched her daughter look from Hugh to Kat, then back again. “He’s not my date.” Layla giggled. “He’s my handsome prince.”
Brianna didn’t know it was possible for a heart to break apart and reassemble so quickly.
Hugh caught her eye and winked. “I can entertain Layla while you work.” He looked at Layla and smiled. “We’ll be just fine, won’t we?”
Layla nodded. “Yes, Mommy. Please?”
I think he just might be my handsome prince, too.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“I DIDN’T MEAN to force myself into Layla’s life. She was there, and you seemed upset, and you said not to hold back. I just let my instincts take over.” Hugh stood beside Brianna while she wiped down a booth. Mack had already closed the bar, and Layla was at another booth half awake, drawing pictures.
“That’s okay. I’m glad you did. It kind of makes things easier. I wasn’t sure how or when to introduce you. Now I don’t have to worry about it.” She let out a sigh and looked at Layla. “She just sort of goes with the flow, doesn’t she?”
“She’s pretty remarkable. I was the scribe to her muse. She sure does love princes and princesses.”
Brianna laughed. “She’s in a princess stage right now.”
“You’re going to think this is a frivolous waste, but would it be terrible if she got some dress-up stuff for her birthday? A Disney princess dress or something like that? Little girls love that stuff.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m not sure what I think about her believing in all this fairy tale stuff. It’s not real life, and it sets her up to be hurt by the harsh realities of life.”
Hugh’s eyes narrowed and his voice grew serious. “Dreaming is all you have as a kid. It’s what pulls you through the difficult times and inspires you to work harder.”
“My childhood wasn’t exactly filled with dreams. It was filled with worries. Hopes maybe, but not really dreams,” she admitted.
“Then don’t you want something more for Layla?” He wrinkled his forehead.
“Is this what I have to look forward to? She’ll wrap you around her little finger and you’ll spoil her rotten and then I’ll have a monster on my hands? She’ll expect life to be one big fairy tale.”
Hugh wrapped his arms around her waist. “Look at that face.” He looked at Layla sitting sleepily in the booth across the bar. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Does she look like she could ever be a monster?” He kissed Brianna and felt her stiffen within his arms. “Bree? I thought you told me not to hold back.”
She pried herself from his arms. “I did, and I meant it. But…” She nodded at Layla. “I need to explain to her that we’re seeing each other or she’s gonna be mighty confused.”
“Of course.” Shit. He’d been so wrapped up in Brianna’s desire for him not to hold back his emotions that he wasn’t thinking straight. “Do you want me to be there when you tell her?”
Brianna looked at her daughter and sighed. “I think I’d better talk with her first.” She leaned against the booth, fidgeting with the towel. “Hugh, before I talk to her, I think we need to talk. Can we talk after she goes to bed?”
“Sure. Should I be worried?”
“No. It’s just that telling her is a huge step, and I want to be sure we’ve thought things through before we do that.” She touched Hugh’s arm, but her eyes remained trained on Layla.
“Do you want me to wait and walk you to your car, or would you rather I didn’t?”
“Yes, please. I want you to.”
Hugh breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll go wait with Layla.”
BY THE TIME Brianna finished cleaning up, Layla had fallen asleep across Hugh’s lap. He sat with his head back and one arm protectively around her.
“I’m sorry.” Brianna slid in across the booth from him. “The night ran much later than I expected.”
Hugh spoke softly. “My only plans for the night were to work out and think about you.” He reached across the table and held her hand. “I got to meet Layla and I was near you. Double bonus.”
“It seems like you’re always rescuing me, and before I met you, I never seemed to need rescuing.” Brianna had been protective of Layla for so long, and with Hugh the introduction came so easily. Naturally. She’d anticipated Layla being confused or at the least upset when she met Hugh, but he’d woven his way into their lives seamlessly. And from the look of Layla sleeping peacefully on his lap and Hugh looking perfectly content as her pillow, she realized it was because it was him. Everything about Hugh felt right. Even this.
“Sometimes it’s the people who don’t know they need rescuing that need it the most. But the truth is, you didn’t need rescuing at all. I have no doubt that you would have figured out your car situation, and you would have figured out tonight, when Layla showed up, too. But it never hurts to have someone to help share the burden of these little snags as they arise. Come on. Let’s get this little princess home.” Hugh gathered Layla’s stories and put them in his pocket; then he picked up Layla and covered her with his coat. She snuggled against his shoulder. With one arm around Brianna’s shoulder and the other safely holding her daughter, they left the bar.
Brianna wished she had a working camera. Layla’s cheek rested beside Hugh’s, and the moonlight cast a romantic glow across them both. She imagined the angles she’d shoot and envisioned the finished photograph hanging on the wall above his fireplace. I’m getting way too far ahead of myself.
He settled Layla into her booster seat and hooked the seat belt, then covered her with his jacket. “She’s out like a light.” He closed the car door softly. “Did you decide if I can do something princessy for her?”
He looked so hopeful that she couldn’t say no. “One princessy thing. Deal?”
“Deal. Every little girl should have one princessy dream to hold on to. Why don’t I follow you home and carry her upstairs?”
The image of Hugh carrying Layla to her apartment incited thoughts of a future together, and Brianna’s stomach fluttered again. “I can do it. I’ve been carrying her since before she was born.”
“I know you can. Let me ask you another way. Is it okay if I come with you and carry her upstairs? That’s kind of what boyfriends do.”
“You’re so…chivalrous.”
“You’re so…beautiful.” He stepped closer to her. “Smart.” He kissed her lips. “Sweet.” Hugh kissed her neck. “Loving,” he whispered against her ear.
Brianna’s fingers grazed his stomach. “Hugh,” she whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers again, pressing his body to hers. Her back met the cold metal of the car. His arms enveloped her, stealing the cold and replacing it with excruciating heat that radiated from his body right through hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his body, the taste of his lips, the passionate swipe of his tongue. His hands roved over her back to her hips, her ass, and back up again. Every caress pulled at her most sensitive areas. He had to feel the way her legs lost their strength as she clung to him for support. When he settled his mouth around her neck again and buried his hands in her hair, tugging her head back, she could barely contain the begging moan that welled within her. His hips gyrated against hers, and another rush of heat settled between her legs. With a final—Oh God—hot stroke of his tongue, he pulled back from her.
Come back. Brianna’s eyes fluttered open, and when he whispered in her ear, Should I follow you home? It took all her focus to manage a nod.