by Kaylee Ryan
“What the fu—” I glance at Mom as she gives me the side-eye. “—heck are you going on about?” I ask.
“Layla, you’re apparently breaking hearts all over Nashville,” Marshall speaks up.
“Explain,” I say, my voice quiet and low.
“This.” Conrad passes me what appears to be this week's paper.
“What’s that?” Layla asks.
“You two made the paper,” Grant explains.
“Is that a bad thing?” Layla asks.
“No, sweetheart,” Dad assures her. “In fact, it’s good for business.”
Grabbing the paper from the table, I open it, and sure enough, there we are on the front page.
Hearts are breaking all over Nashville
It appears Royce Riggins isn’t the only Riggins bachelor who’s off the market. Pictured above is his younger brother by two years, Owen, and his date. Sources tell us that Owen didn’t let the beauty out of his sight the entire night, and when they left, it was to a room upstairs. I know, I know, the Riggins brothers of Nashville’s Riggins Enterprises are dropping fast, but don’t worry, ladies. There are three more brothers, and our sources tell us that they are indeed single and ready to mingle.
The article goes on to talk about the gala and the support it receives every year from Riggins Enterprises and is accompanied by the picture taken of Layla and me as we were leaving the gala. Her hand is on my chest, and my arm is around her waist, holding her close to me. The picture is intimate in the way we’re standing, but what takes it to another level is the way I’m looking down at her. I’m not surprised. I couldn’t take my eyes off her all night long. I do know for a fact the photographer also got a shot of me looking at the camera. I guess the paper thought romance would sell. I wonder if I can get a copy of that picture? I make a mental note to call the paper and find out.
“Well?” Grant asks.
“They’re not wrong. Well, I don’t know about the hearts breaking across Nashville part, but I am indeed off the market, and you jokers are as single as they come.”
“The final three stand-strong brothers,” Conrad says, puffing out his chest.
“Just wait,” Dad tells him. “You can’t stop the magic.”
“Here we go,” Marshall whines. “More of the magic. I get it, you and Mom had a connection. That’s not going to happen for all of us.”
Dad gives him a pointed look. “Ask your brothers.”
“Royce?”
“Like pulling rabbits out of a hat.” Royce grins. “The old man knows what he’s talking about.”
“Owen?” Marshall asks me. “Come on. You’ve always been the sensible one.”
“Abracadabra, little brother.”
The room erupts in laughter.
“All right, it’s time to eat.” Mom expertly herds us into the large dining room.
Layla takes her seat next to me as we all fill our plates. Conversation flows easily, as it always does. I take a minute to look around the table. Royce will be married in a few months, and hopefully, Layla and I will be not far behind him and Sawyer.
My three younger brothers claim they want nothing to do with commitment, but I can see the envy in their eyes when they watch Royce or me with our ladies. When Royce fell for Sawyer, it was different. He was coming off a bad divorce, and his heart was shattered from deceit. When he met Sawyer, it had nothing to do with him not wanting to settle down, but his fear of trusting. She smashed those fears and brought my brother back to life.
The younger three, I can’t wait to watch them fall.
The magic, whether it’s a Riggins thing, or a love thing, is fierce when you find the right woman to share your life with. Mine is sitting next to me, and her ring, the one I picked up from the jeweler yesterday while she was shopping with Sawyer, is hidden in my safe in my home office. Now I just need to find the right time to ask her for her forever.
* * *
“Have a good day, Lay.” I kiss her quickly before making my way down the hall to my office. I never thought I would enjoy working with my significant other. To me, it always seemed like it was too suffocating, but now Layla is in my life, I know I was wrong. Again, it all goes back to finding the right woman to change your view on life and relationships.
Firing up my laptop, I get lost in spreadsheets and numbers. My job has always come easy to me, and I’m proud to know my role here at Riggins is important. It’s pretty cool to think about how all five of us found our niche within the business. It was all our doing. Mom and Dad never pressured us to work for the company. They gave us the freedom to follow our own path; it just so happens all five of our paths lead back to family, and Riggins Enterprises.
My eyes are blurry from staring at the screen all morning. Glancing at the clock, I see it’s lunchtime just as my stomach growls.
“Knock, knock,” Layla says, stepping into my office.
“How did you know my tired eyes needed to see you?” I ask her.
“I didn’t, but I did know that you were lost in your work and would be getting hungry.” She holds up a bag from the deli across the street. “Wanna have lunch with me?”
“I heard wanna have me for lunch,” I say, sliding my chair back from my desk and patting my lap.
“You’re incorrigible, Owen Riggins.” She laughs, taking the seat across from my desk. I watch as she unpacks two club wraps, two bags of chips, and two bottles of water. “How’s your day going?” she asks, passing me my food.
“Good. Just working on the budget. We’re still deciding on whether adding that new location in Wisconsin is a good idea, so I’m crunching numbers and listing the pros and cons from the finance side. How about yours?”
“Good. I got a text from Linda today. It was a picture of her and Ronnie on the beach. They actually both took time off from the restaurant together.”
“Good for them. Did you invite them up?”
“No. I know you had said that I could. I wanted to check with you again before I extended the invitation.”’
“Layla, it’s our—” I start, but she cuts me off.
“Our home. I know. It’s just… still hard for me to grasp the idea at times. I’m glad you don’t know where I came from. I mean, you know, but you didn’t see it. Saying that times were rough… that’s an understatement. Any money we did manage to get, paid the rent and went to drugs. There was hardly ever food in the house, and more times than not, I was locked away hiding in my room.”
We’ve talked about her life before Florida, but it still gets my blood boiling anytime I think about her having to suffer through that. Being scared to fall asleep in her own home, going to bed hungry. If I ever have the chance to meet her dead-beat mother, I’m not going to be able to control my anger or my hatred toward her.
“I can see you stewing, Owen. Trust me when I tell you she’s not worth it. I got out, and it could have been much worse than it was. There are many who were in my exact same situation and had to deal with sexual and physical assault. For all of her wrongs, my mother never hit me. She just didn’t care.”
“I’m not a fan,” I say, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.
“I’m not either.” She takes a bite of her wrap and places it back on the wrapper. I do the same, needing to give myself some time to cool off. I’m not mad at her, but I’m sure as fuck mad for her. “When I was at the deli, I heard there’s a new bakery opening up just around the corner. It should be nice for grabbing pastries for meetings.”
“Is there any way to not tell Grant that? He has a sweet tooth. We’ll never keep him in the office.” I laugh.
“Sorry, don’t think I’ll be able to hide a bakery.” She shakes her head.
“Trust me, that boy can eat the hell out of some donuts.”
“How does he stay so fit?”
I shrug. “We all work out or run, not religiously, but we do. I guess it’s just good genes. Look at Dad. He’s in his sixties and still looks slim and trim.”
“They say
that if you want to know what your partner will look like in thirty years, you need to look at their parents.”
“You crushing on my dad, babe?” I tease. Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.
“No. But I will admit he looks great and doesn’t look his age at all.”
“Well, I know for a fact you are not going to be like your mother.”
“She was pretty. She used to be. When I left Indiana, she was hardened by all of the drug use and drinking. She looked closer to seventy than her thirty-six years of age.”
“She’s young.”
“Yeah, she got pregnant with me right out of high school. I never met my grandparents, and she claims to not know who my father was. I guess at least she kept me.”
“Lay, you’re breaking my heart here,” I tell her honestly.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to be a downer. I guess it’s just seeing how amazing your family is. After spending the day with them yesterday, it’s in the forefront of my mind on what I missed out on, and what I had to live through to be where I am today.”
“You are exactly where you are supposed to be.” This time when I push away from my desk and pat my lap, she comes to me, sitting sideways and wrapping her arms around my neck.
“This is going to sound crazy, but I can breathe easier when you’re close to me.”
“Not crazy,” she says, running her fingers through my hair. “I feel the same way. Like when we’re close, or when you’re touching me, nothing else can. Everything is right in my world.”
“Come on, guys,” Conrad says from the doorway. “This is a professional establishment,” he says, walking in and taking the seat Layla was just sitting in.
“What happens in my office, stays in my office,” I fire back at him. “What’s up?” I ask, tightening my hold around Layla’s waist when she tries to move.
“I smelled lunch,” he says, eyeing the table.
“Didn’t you have a lunch meeting?” Layla asks him.
“Yeah, but it was at some stuffy restaurant where the portion size is smaller than half of the palm of your hand, and five times the cost.”
“Want me to order you something? I can run across the street to the deli and grab you a sandwich or a wrap,” she offers.
“Thanks, Lay, but I’ll run over there and get something.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”
“I’m sure. Besides, I don’t want this guy in my ass because you’re buying me lunch.” He winks.
“He’s just a big teddy bear,” she says, resting her palm against my cheek. Her thumb traces over my beard that I happen to know that she loves when my face is buried between her thighs. “I need to get back to work.” She leans in for a kiss, before standing and gathering my trash, and wrapping up the rest of hers and placing it in the bag.
“You didn’t finish eating.”
“Did you see the size of that thing?” she asks.
“Wow, I didn’t think you shared, O” comes from the doorway.
“Oh my gosh! I’ll be at my desk.” Layla laughs and scurries from the room.
“Gotta admit, bro, that blush of hers is damn cute,” Marshall says, leaning against my desk.
“Yeah,” I agree. Then again, everything about Layla is cute and sexy in my eyes.
Another look at the clock tells me we have just four, short more hours until I can get her home and in our bed where I can lose myself inside her. It’s without a doubt, my favorite place to be.
Chapter 24
Layla
“Wow, look at you,” I say to Sawyer as she approaches my desk. “Did Royce see this outfit?”
“No,” she says with a laugh. “He had to be here earlier than me. I got to sleep in.”
“He’s going to flip,” I tell her.
“Meh, he’ll be fine.”
“I loved it when you bought it, but I love it even more now. It looks great on you,” I tell her honestly.
“Thanks.”
“What the fuck are you wearing?” Royce’s deep voice echoes throughout the lobby area.
“Uh-oh, broody Royce,” I whisper, making Sawyer laugh.
“Sawyer,” Royce says, now standing next to her.
“Hey, babe.” She smiles up at him.
His eyes soften, which tells me that although he may be brooding over her outfit, the love he has for her outshines it all. “What is this?” he asks. His hand disappears where I can’t see it, and her body moves closer to his.
“It’s a new skirt. I bought it a couple of weeks ago when Layla and I went shopping.”
“Where’s the rest of it?” he asks.
The elevator dings and I turn to watch Conrad walk off. “Damn,” he says, fisting his hand and placing it in front of his mouth.
“Keep walking, Con,” Royce bites.
“Looking good, sis.” Conrad chuckles as he walks past us to head toward his office.
“You have to go home and change,” Royce tells her.
“What? I’m not going home to change.”
“Yes, you are. Sawyer, I can’t work knowing my brothers and every other man, hell, probably some women are ogling you.”
“They are not.” Sawyer shakes her head. “Conrad is just trying to get you worked up.”
“Well, he succeeded.”
“What did I miss?” Owen asks. “Conrad just walked past my office, laughing like a hyena.”
Sawyer loses control as a giggle escapes her lips. She quickly places her hand over her mouth when Royce glares at her. “You’re trying to kill me. That’s the only explanation.”
“What did you do, sis?” Owen asks her.
“He doesn’t like my skirt,” Sawyer explains.
“Fuck, babe. It’s not that I don’t like it. I fucking love it, and your ass and your legs look fucking edible. That’s what I don’t like. That other men get to see you like this.”
“Yeah, but I’m coming home with you.” She holds her hand up and wiggles her fingers, making her engagement ring sparkle in the light.
“Fuck,” Royce mutters. He rests his forehead against hers, and I force myself to look away, giving them their moment.
“I should be back here in time to take you home,” Owen says from beside me.
“If not, it’s fine. Sawyer already said that she would give me a ride home.”
“I hope this meeting doesn’t take all damn day.”
“Either way, I’ll see you when you get home.”
“I love that I get to come home to you.” He leans down and presses his lips to mine.
“Yeah, well, I love you,” I tell him.
“You ready?” Royce asks Owen.
“Yeah. Let’s get this day over with.”
“Exactly. We’ve met with this guy more times than I can count. He needs to either shit or get off the pot,” Royce grumbles.
“What is it for?” I ask. I’m still learning the ins and outs of the business.
“He’s the competition. His company is headed for bankruptcy. We’ve offered to buy him out, but he’s dragging his feet. The further he goes into the hole, the less our number for purchase is,” Owen explains.
“Today’s it,” Royce adds. “I’m done dealing with him. We were trying to be nice and give him a buyout. His only other option is to find someone else to do what we’ve been offering for months, or file bankruptcy.”
“Yikes.”
“Yep.” Owen leans down and kisses me again. “Have a good day, baby.”
“You too.” Sawyer and I watch them as they walk away.
“Damn, we are lucky,” Sawyer says, turning to face me.
“That we are. He took that well.”
She waves her hand in the air. “He’s a big softie. They all are.”
“I’m starting to see that.” The truth is, they all try to be hard, but spend five minutes with any of the Riggins brothers, and you’ll see that they are indeed soft-hearted and loving men.
“I better get to work. Lunch today?” she asks as the
phone rings.
“Yes,” I say, waving to her. “Riggins Enterprises, this is Layla,” I answer. I hear nothing but hard breathing, louder this time than the previous calls. “Hello? Riggins Enterprises, this is Layla,” I say again. Nothing but more breathing greets me. I don’t have time to deal with these kids today. I have two reports for Grant to get done today, so I hang up. Putting the call out of my mind, I get to work. The office is quiet today with both Royce and Owen gone. Then again, maybe it’s just because I know Owen’s not just down the hall in his office. It’s really distracting at times knowing he’s so close, while I’m craving to be near him, but knowing it’s inappropriate at the office.
With the phones now quiet and two of the five brothers out of the office, I’m able to get lost in the reports I’m doing for Grant. I don’t even realize what time it is until I see Sawyer’s shadow fall over my desk.
“Ready for lunch?”
“Is it that time already?”
“Yep. The deli across the street is calling our name.”
Reaching into my desk drawer, I grab my purse and phone and switch the phones to the out-to-lunch message. “Did I tell you that a new bakery is coming in down the street?” I ask her as we enter the elevator.
“Oh, God, my hips don’t need to hear that.” She laughs.
“Stop, you’re gorgeous. It will be convenient when needing breakfast for those early morning meetings. Hopefully, we can work with them, and they’ll deliver. Making our lives easier.”
“Good call. When are they opening?”
“I’m not sure. I heard them talking about it the other day when I stopped in at the deli to grab Owen and me some lunch.”
“We’ll have to keep an eye on it. That’s the perfect excuse for us to check it out and introduce ourselves,” she says as we exit the building.
Lunch is good as always; this little deli is on point with their food. The company’s even better. With each day, Sawyer and I get closer, and I value that friendship. I know she has a best friend in Hadley, but she’s quickly becoming mine.
