Now and Again

by Rothert, Brenda

  “No . . . This is Ben. He’s my friend.”

  Ben stood and offered his hand to Layla’s father, who looked up with surprise at Ben’s height while standing.

  “Nice to meet you, sir,” Ben said solemnly.

  “You, too.”

  Layla’s mother smiled and stood, offering her hand. “I’m Eliza, Ben. Nice to meet you.”

  “Yes, ma’am. You too.”

  She sat back down, the worry returning to her face. “Are you hurt anywhere else? Do you need anything?”

  A man in a doctor’s white coat with dark hair and a friendly grin opened the curtain and greeted them. Layla was relieved. She wanted to get this exam over so she could get back home. Well, maybe not home, but somewhere she felt safe. She wasn’t ready to sleep in her bedroom just yet.

  ***

  Her phone buzzed with an incoming text while Layla was being pushed down the hospital hallway in a wheelchair. She let out a breath as she read it, relaying Emma’s message to Ben and her parents.

  “Prince’s leg is broken. They sedated him so they can put a cast on it. But Emma says he’s gonna be okay. He has to stay there for now.” She sighed with relief.

  “Okay, you’re all set,” the nurse said when they arrived at the exit door.

  “I’ll go get the car,” Layla’s dad said.

  “Actually,” Layla got up from the chair as she spoke, “I think Ben can give me a ride.”

  “You’re not going back home!” her mom said. “You’re coming home with us.”

  “No, I’m not going back home. But Ben can give me a ride. I’ll be there later, okay?”

  Her parents both looked at Ben before they looked at each other, seeming to decide it was okay.

  “Have you had dinner?” Layla’s mom asked. “I can make something for when you get there.”

  “I’m fine, Mom. I’d hug you guys but I’m sore. Thanks for coming.”

  Ben pulled up to the door in his work-issued sedan and helped Layla lower herself into the passenger seat, and they both said goodbye to her parents.

  “They seem really nice,” he said as they pulled away from the hospital parking lot.

  “Yeah, they are.”

  “I figured they’d hate me after . . .”

  “I never said anything to them about you.”

  “Oh.” He sounded disappointed, and Layla bit back a comment about irony.

  “Are you planning on taking me to your place?” she asked, looking over at him. “Because that may not be the best place to just . . . talk.”

  “No, we’re not going there.”

  Ben drove toward the city, and Layla wanted to ask him how he’d been, what he’d been doing, whether he’d missed her. But she stared out the window instead, thinking about the loss of Ben’s image as the man who would never disappoint her.

  When he pulled the car to a stop, she looked out the windshield and saw a rundown building divided into several shabby apartments. Garbage littered the yard and boards were nailed over one of the front windows. The roof was sagging in on one side and siding was missing from the building in several places. It looked abandoned, with graffiti scattered on doors and the siding that was still there.

  She looked over at Ben, who sighed deeply, his gaze focused on the steering wheel.

  “This is where I grew up,” he said, his jaw set tensely.

  “Oh. It looks like no one lives here now.”

  “I imagine people still do. It’s always been like this.”

  “This is what you wanted to show me?” she asked gently.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry, Ben, but I still don’t understand why you didn’t want to meet my parents.”

  He turned to look out his window. “Because I’m not like you, Layla. I don’t belong at your parents’ house in the suburbs for a barbeque. What would I say when they asked where I grew up? In a broken down shack full of rats? And when they ask what my mother does, what would I say? That she doesn’t do shit, she just collects welfare and smokes and drinks beer all day? And my father? I don’t even know who he is. No one does. Bree and I were the product of a drunken one-night stand.” His voice was tight with tension.

  “I wish I knew what to say. My heart is breaking right now.” A new wave of tears hit, and she let them fall.

  Ben shook his head, still not looking at her. “That night we were at the house with those two kids . . . That was my life. I’ve been hungry and neglected. It’s why Bree and I are so close. We survived that shit together.”

  Layla reached her hand toward him but stopped before her fingers reached his back. “Ben.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve never met a woman’s parents, Layla. I’m too ashamed of . . .” He gestured toward the building. “This.”

  “You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Layla said. “Look at me, Ben.” He turned and the pain in his eyes wrenched her heart. “Nothing. I admire you more than I did before now that I know what you overcame. You’re strong and resilient and probably way better than I even deserve.”

  “Bullshit, Layla. I’m not what your parents want for you.”

  “What the hell do you mean by that? You’re everything they want for me. I’ve never felt this way with anyone, Ben. You make me feel special and important. That night we—” She dropped her face into her hands, unable to continue.

  “What?” Ben asked, resting his palm on her thigh.

  “I can’t say it.” Her voice broke with emotion.

  “I’m putting everything on the table here, and I want you to do the same thing. I’ve never shared this with anyone. No one but Bree knows this about me.”

  She took a deep breath and dropped her hands, staring at them in her lap. “The night we had sex I knew I was in love with you. There was a moment where I felt like we were connected so deeply, and I just . . . decided to risk it and put myself out there.”

  “Layla,” Ben said softly. She met his eyes and felt the warmth they always sent shooting through her. “I love you, too. I do. I want to be with you. I want to share the ups and downs with you. I know I screwed up bad, but if you’ll let me try again . . . I’ll do better.”

  His eyes implored her, and she couldn’t help smiling.

  “Say it again,” she said.

  “I love you.” He pulled her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “When I didn’t know whether you were okay, I was out of my mind. I did 90 the whole way to the hospital and wished like hell I’d had the balls to be honest with you before. I hate that I hurt you. I wanted to be your everything, the one who never let you down.”

  “I want to be that for you, too,” she said. “I just want to be sure you really want me. Do you know how promiscuous I was before? That I’ve been a bitch to people who really didn’t deserve it? That I’m moody and selfish?”

  “I don’t care about before,” Ben said. “I know who you are now. Neither one of us is perfect, but is it possible we’re perfect together, Cupcake?”

  “Maybe,” she said, smiling. “I think you should kiss me to help me decide.”

  “Where do you want me to kiss you?” Ben asked, arching his brows suggestively.

  “On the lips, Sergeant.”

  “Which ones?”

  Layla threw back her head and laughed, touching her fingertips to her mouth. “Just these. For now.”

  ***

  2 months later

  She’d been staring at the platter of chocolate cream filled pastries for nearly an hour, and Layla couldn’t resist them any longer. She put one of the bite-size delicacies in her mouth and closed her eyes with satisfaction as the rich taste of chocolate filled her mouth. This was her open house, dammit, and she wasn’t skipping out on the food.

  “Like it?” Emma asked from next to her.

  “I about had an orgasm. Those are fucking amazing.”

  “Thanks. I just started making them last week, and they’ve been selling well.”

  “You can’t let me eat stuff like this every day whe
n I come to the bakery for lunch.” Layla leveled a serious look at her sister. “I mean it.”

  “I love that our offices are so close now!” Emma’s eyes were bright with enthusiasm. Layla had a moment of panic as the realization set in that she’d left her job to open her own practice. Was she crazy? She’d left security and stability for the unknown.

  A cluster of people parted as Roz Meyer made her way to Layla and Emma. The closer her mentor came, the more Layla wanted to back up.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Roz demanded. “I still can’t believe you went through with this.”

  Roz was tenacious, accomplished and she didn’t take shit from anyone. She was everything Layla thought she wanted to be just a few months ago. But she remembered Roz missing her son’s playoff baseball game and all her daughter’s dance recitals because of work. She met Ben’s eyes across the room that was the foyer of her new office and smiled at Roz.

  “I may be out of my mind,” she said, reaching for another pastry. “But I wanted something more.”

  Roz scoffed and her eyes widened. “More? You worked for one of the best firms in the city. And you had a promising future.”

  Ben approached and wrapped an arm around her waist, and Layla relaxed considerably. “More from life, Roz. I don’t want to be chained to an office doing mind-numbing corporate bullshit 80 hours a week.”

  Roz gave a tight nod and Layla saw understanding, and maybe a hint of regret, on her face. “Well, it’s a beautiful office, and I wish you the best. You know you’ve always got a friend in me.”

  “Likewise,” Layla said. “Have you met my boyfriend Ben?”

  Roz was shaking his hand when Cole approached, his gaze focused on Emma, and a shot of anxiety ran through Layla when she saw another attorney from Cole’s firm at his side. She was surprised how many colleagues were dropping by the open house to wish her well with her new practice.

  “Andrew Golden,” she said, trying to push their last encounter from her mind.

  “Hey, Layla.” He smiled and nodded at her. Was he thinking about last New Year’s Eve? Was he picturing her naked? God, she hoped he wouldn’t bring it up in front of Ben.

  “The office looks good, Layla,” Cole said, glancing around the small suite that was furnished with modern style.

  “So you’re on your own now?” Andrew raised his brows at her.

  “Well, on my own here—”

  “She’s with me,” Ben said, pulling her a little closer.

  Andrew looked up at him and nodded. “That’s great, man. Someone finally caught Layla Carson. Many have tried. At least that’s what I hear.”

  “She didn’t make it easy,” Ben said, grinning. “But she’s worth it.”

  Layla warmed and looked up at him, grinning sweetly. “I keep him on his toes, he keeps me on my knees and we’re both happy.”

  Ben laughed and pulled her against his chest. “Happier than I’ve ever been,” he said.

  “Me too.” She’d become half of one of those cheesy couples she used to make fun of, Layla thought, smiling to herself. Letting go of her list had helped her find what she’d been missing. Hopefully this was just the beginning for her and Ben.

  Author’s Note

  Thanks for reading Now and Again! I hope you enjoyed Book Two of the Now Series. If you enjoyed it, I’d sincerely appreciate your review on Amazon and Goodreads.

  Whether your favorite Carson sister is Emma or Layla, you’ll get to read about her again in Book Three, Now and Forever. The final book in the series is about both of them, and it’s scheduled for release in January 2014.

  I love connecting with readers on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter. You can also follow my future projects through my website at www.brendarothert.com. But do the Facebook thing because then we can talk and that’s more fun, right?

  Acknowledgements

  My foray into book writing has brought some amazing new people into my life and reconnected me with others I’ve known for a while.

  This book was shaped with guidance from my critique partner, Magan Vernon. It’s hard to imagine my life without her wit and wisdom, and I know my writing is better for it.

  Beta readers Jane Koscielak and Carrie Jones have become indispensable. They always give suggestions that improve my work, and I breathe easier once something has their approval. You guys, thank you for believing in my work enough to invest your time in it.

  Book bloggers are some of the most committed, resourceful and generous people you’ll ever meet. I’ve met a lot of fantastic ones, but a few have been especially supportive. At the top of my list, now and always, is Brenda Wright from Twinsie Talk Book Reviews. She was the first to take a chance on me, and has since provided me boundless support and encouragement. Jenee from Jenee’s Book Blog and Marissa from I’ll Be Reading Book Blog have also been amazing. If you’re looking for a good read, follow these ladies -- you’ll be glad you did!

  My friend and photographer Ted Connolly convinced me shooting my own covers was worth all the work. And as usual, he was right. Designer Tracy Snowman also worked her magic once again.

  Editor Melinda Fulton strengthened this book with her eagle eye and her talent for helping me find a more active voice. I got so lucky when I found her.

  The members of my local RWA group, Heart and Scroll, also provided me with great support and guidance. They inspire me in ways they don’t even realize, and I’m grateful to know them.

  As always, the biggest thanks go to my husband and three boys for your support. All my love.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgements