Hugh pictured his father looking over the horses in the fields and replaying memories of the trying times from Savannah’s teenage years. And smiling.
His father continued. “You asked me if it was wacked that Layla fell into the love zone before you spent much time with her, and, son, love has no zones. Love is whatever it is, and trying to fit it into a box all neat and tidy will never do anything but drive a man crazy. Love isn’t neat and tidy. Love’s messy and, in some ways, indefinable. I don’t think what you’re feeling is wacked at all. You’re an all-or-nothing guy. Always have been. If you’ve made up your mind with Brianna, and Layla is part of her life and part of her heart, then of course you’ve embraced her. That’s love, Hugh.”
An unexpected feeling of peace washed through Hugh, followed by a rush of adrenaline.
“Thanks, Dad. This is all so new to me that I wondered if I was losing my mind.” Hugh looked at his watch. “Hey, Dad. I gotta run. I’m taking Brianna and Layla on a date and I’m late, but your advice means the world to me. Thank you.”
“I look forward to meeting your ladies, son. And do me a favor, will ya?”
“Anything, Dad.”
“Let Treat in on your feelings. That man worries about you as if he were your father, and Lord knows you’ve still got me for that.”
Hugh laughed. “Sure. I’ll call him tonight. I love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too, son, and I’m damn proud of you. You had me worried for a while there. I wondered if I had somehow turned you off toward love. That would have broken my heart.”
“No, Dad. You’re the one who made me realize how important love is and how much I should treasure it.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“I’LL GET IT!” Layla pulled the door open. “It’s Prince Hugh!” She jumped up and down in her new pink dress. Her brown hair tumbled past her shoulders.
Brianna smoothed her black knee-length dress over her hips, and when she looked up, her breath caught in her throat. Hugh stood before them wearing a black tuxedo, looking as if he’d just walked out of Esquire magazine. She’d been nervous before he showed up; now she breathed a little harder, her legs became wobbly, and her heart beat a little faster. Definitely more nervous than on their first date and maybe even more nervous than the morning she’d seduced him before work. Would the butterflies in her stomach ever get used to him? Brianna wasn’t sure if she hoped they did or didn’t.
“I’ve missed you.” Hugh kissed her cheek. “You look gorgeous.” Before she could respond, he bent down and said to Layla, “And I’ve never seen a more beautiful almost-six-year old than you.”
Layla’s eyes widened, and her smile spread even farther across her pink cheeks. She put her hands behind her back and twisted from side to side, swinging the skirt of the pink dress Hugh had given her. Brianna’s hand settled on Layla’s shoulder, more for her own stability than for Layla’s benefit.
“I brought you something.” Hugh brought one hand out from behind his back and presented Layla with a wrist corsage.
“What a beautiful corsage,” Brianna said.
“Mommy, put it on me!” Layla jumped up and down.
“May I do the honors?” Hugh asked.
“Yes!”
Hugh put the wrist corsage on Layla’s wiry arm. Then he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small, flat box. “And this is for you.” He handed it to Brianna. His dimples appeared when his smile reached his eyes, stealing nearly all of the remaining strength from Brianna’s legs.
“Hugh, you didn’t have to do this.” Her voice was just above a whisper, and as he came into the apartment with Layla holding his hand, she realized her hands were trembling. She lifted the top of the box and sucked in a breath.
“Show me, Mommy! Show me!” Layla stood on her tiptoes.
Hugh lifted her into his arms so she could see. Her eyes danced with delight. “Oh, Mommy. That’s beautiful!”
Brianna lifted the necklace from the box and ran her fingers around the diamonds that framed the round pendant, which was about a quarter of an inch thick with tiny charms between the glass front and the gold-plated back.
“It’s a locket,” Hugh said.
“Lemme see!” Layla pleaded.
Brianna read a tag that hung from the gold chain beside the locket. “Loved.”
“Because you are,” Hugh said softly.
She inhaled deeply and read the inscription on the gold plate inside the glass locket. Strength. Truth. Courage. She looked up at Hugh.
“You’re the strongest and bravest woman I know. You’re my truth, Bree, and you’re Layla’s truth, too.” He drew his dark eyebrows together, and she touched his cleanly shaven cheek.
Thank you, she mouthed. Her voice was trapped by her swollen heart.
Layla wiggled in Hugh’s arms. “What are those things floating in it?”
Brianna drew her eyes back to the little charms inside the locket.
“The heart that says family is for you and your mommy and your grandma.” He leaned forward and kissed Brianna’s cheek.
Brianna inhaled his scent, lost in the feel of his freshly shaven cheek and the thoughtfulness of his gift.
He whispered for only her to hear, “And I hope one day, for us.”
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Brianna tried to force her trembling lips into a smile, but she knew she failed miserably. Her chin was shaking too much.
Hugh looked down at Layla and continued. “The tiny camera—can you see that, Layla?” He held her closer to the locket.
“Mm-hmm.”
“That’s for your mom’s passion for photography. And do you see the little heart that has the pink baby feet?”
“Is that for me?” Layla asked.
“Yes. And it has your birth date on the back,” Hugh answered. He held Brianna’s gaze while he spoke. “Since it’s a locket, we can add to it anytime.”
“What’s the other thing?” Layla pointed to a little gold car with number thirty-two inscribed in it.
“That’s for Hugh,” Brianna said. Tears streamed down Brianna’s cheeks, but she couldn’t reach up and wipe them away.
“Mommy, why are you sad?” Layla asked.
She was frozen in place, staring at the man who’d waltzed into her life unannounced and broken down her walls, then stolen her heart while she was busy worrying. With Layla cushioned against him, holding on to his muscular arm like a security blanket, the heart she thought had room only for her daughter expanded and opened—accepting Hugh completely. It’s not what you say. It’s how you say it. He couldn’t have made his love for her any more clear.
“I’m not sad, baby girl. These are tears of happiness.”
Hugh put the necklace on Brianna and pulled her close. He kissed her forehead, and then he did the same to Layla. “Are my two leading ladies ready for a big night?”
Brianna wondered how she’d make it through the night on rubber legs and without a voice.
“Yes!” Layla squealed. She threw her arms around Hugh’s neck and kissed his cheek.
Luckily, with Layla around, she wouldn’t need her voice, and as Hugh guided her out the apartment door, she knew he’d provide all the strength she’d need.
Chapter Thirty-Four
THE CENTERSTAGE THEATER marquis was lit up like old-time Hollywood with white letters on a black background and illuminated in hundreds of small yellow bulbs. The theater was built on a corner, and the sign wrapped elegantly around the curve of the building.
“Oh my goodness, Layla. Look at that.” Brianna read the marquis aloud. “Special Showing. Sassy and the Bird, by Layla Heart.” Brianna glanced at Hugh, who was giving nothing away as he trained his eyes on Layla.
Layla jumped up and down. “That’s my story!” She took her mother’s hand, then situated herself between Brianna and Hugh before reaching for Hugh’s hand too. “How did my story get up there?” She looked from her mother to Hugh.
Hugh shrugged. “We’ll have to go inside and see.”
“Her story?” Brianna asked.
He winked, and her heart threatened to burst right through her chest.
They walked beneath the marquis and across the red carpet that covered the floor of the elegant theater. The seats were empty. Every seat.
“Hugh?”
Layla ran ahead of them down the aisle. Hugh put his arm around Brianna and whispered, “I wanted her to have a night she’d never forget…minus a hurtful morning after.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, and it took all of Brianna’s willpower not to deepen the kiss. “Is it okay? I know it’s extravagant, but look at how happy she is.”
Layla stood at the railing above the orchestra pit wiggling back and forth.
“It’s okay, but she’ll learn to expect these things, and that worries me,” she said honestly.
“We can make sure she doesn’t.” He ran his knuckles down her cheek. “I know how much the afternoon with your father meant to you, and I wanted her to have something equally as special.”
“Okay, but please, no more for a while, okay?”
Hugh shifted his eyes to the ceiling.
“Feigning innocence doesn’t work with me.” She looked at Layla heading back up the aisle toward them.