When You're Mine - Layla Hagen Page 0,34
and we’re going to have a problem,” I said calmly, even though all I wanted to do was punch him. I clenched my fists in my pockets.
“Here is all the stuff,” Mel shouted. It took me a few seconds to realize she was on the balcony. She dropped a bag over the railing. It hit the concrete with a thump.
The jackass swore as he picked it up.
“You’re a—” he was saying, but I interrupted him.
“Shut up or you’ll regret it,” I said.
He narrowed his eyes, looking from me up to the balcony.
“Whatever,” he mumbled before turning around and walking away quickly.
I watched him until he disappeared around the corner before hurrying to Mel, taking the stairs two at a time. The door was ajar. I went inside and closed it, heading to the balcony. Mel was sitting on the lounger, red in the face. I was so angry I could barely breathe, but I needed to calm down. This wasn’t what she needed.
“Mel, are you okay?” I asked, sitting next to her.
She fiddled with her thumbs, shaking her head. “I don’t know. Every time I think he can’t upset me anymore, he proves me wrong.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She shrugged. “Not much to say. I had a small nest egg. After graduating high school, I started working full-time as a waitress while I completed my degree. When I quit my job as a receptionist, I took up waitressing again while also working as a fitness instructor. Anyway, most of the money went to making Dad’s house wheelchair friendly and getting him the treatment he needed, but the rest... Elliot asked me to invest it in his business.”
“Fuck.” I had a hunch I knew where this was going.
“Yeah... so, when he screwed up and was about to lose the business, he wanted even more money, but I didn’t have any more, and he started saying shit like I’m spending too much on Dad.”
“Damn. I should have punched him. Does this happen often?”
“No, I haven’t seen him at all since we broke up, and that was more than a year ago. He did text me a couple weeks ago, but I ignored it then. Douchebag.”
I kissed her forehead, rubbing her back. “I told him we’re going to have a problem if he shows up here again.”
She pulled back, looking up at me. “You did? Wow. I’m sorry this relaxing evening turned into a shit show.”
I cupped her face, touching her lower lip. “Hey, the evening isn’t over yet. Where were we?”
“You tricked me into straddling you.”
“That’s right.”
I immediately lay back down, and she climbed on me like before. She was smiling again, and her body language was more relaxed. I wanted to do everything in my power to make her forget about that moron. I couldn’t believe he had the guts to show up here. She was feeling raw—that much was evident—and I wanted to make it better, or at least take her mind off it. Placing my hands on her waist, I shifted her lower, aligning our hips. She laughed, bracing her hands on my chest.
“This is even better than sitting out here listening to steamy audiobooks,” she said.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was.”
“By the way, I still can’t believe you were listening to that.”
She grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. “Am I outrageous enough for you, Mr. Gallagher?”
I kissed the side of her neck, enjoying the sound of her gasp mixed with laughter. “Hell yes. Now, let’s see if I can turn this evening around.”
“We have cheesecake and wine, so I’d say things are looking up.”
“Cheesecake and wine. So I’m not even a factor?”
She shimmied on top of me. “You still have to prove yourself.”
“It’ll be my pleasure.”
Chapter Thirteen
Mel
Dad was over the moon when I brought him the medicine the next day. I stopped by his place after my last session at the gym.
“Who is this Dylan again?” Dad asked.
I smiled, always feeling a bit awkward when I spoke to Dad about someone I was dating. Not that Dylan and I were dating. I wasn’t exactly sure what to call what we were, but I didn’t want to keep anything from Dad.
Growing up without my mom, one would think I got used to these awkward conversations. After all, Daddy was the one who gave me the talk about the birds and the bees in middle school, explained about getting my period, and everything else. But I still felt like a teenager on occasions like this one.
“We’re spending some time