a lot to think about. Thank you for your generosity.”
“Call me if you want to talk about the job,” Sawyer tells her as her eyes flash to me. “Or Owen. I know a little bit about handling the Riggins brothers. Owen, give her my number, will you?” she asks sweetly.
“Yeah.” I chuckle. “I’ll give her your number.”
“You coming home soon?” Royce asks.
“Yeah, day after tomorrow.” He nods.
“It was so nice to meet you, Layla. I hope you’ll be working with us,” Sawyer says, waving at the camera.
“You as well. Thank you again,” Layla replies.
“I’ll see you two soon,” I say with a wave, ending the call, and tossing my phone on the bed.
“They seem really nice,” Layla comments.
“They are. So, what do you say, Lay? You coming home with me?”
“Can I think about it?”
“You can. I leave the day after tomorrow. I hope that you’re on the plane with me. Hell, we can rent a car and drive back so that we can bring your stuff with us, or we can ship it, whatever you feel like you want to do. I don’t care as long as I know you’re coming home with me.”
“What about Ronnie and Linda? They gave me a job and their time and friendship when I had no one.”
“We can come back and visit them as often as you want. They can even come and stay with us in Tennessee. I have five bedrooms in my house. There’s plenty of room.”
“Five?” She gasps. “Why do you have five bedrooms when you live alone?”
I brush her hair back out of her eyes. “Because I want a family one day. I had almost given up hope that I would find someone I’d want to spend all of my days with, then I found you.”
“Those are strong words, Owen Riggins.”
I place her hand over my heart. “I know they are. I’m not a man who says things he doesn’t mean.” Leaning in, I kiss the corner of her mouth and her breath hitches. No matter how badly I want to devour her and have her taste on my tongue, I need to remember to take things slowly. Without a doubt, Layla is worth it.
“I just need to think.”
“Can you think while we lounge around in bed all day?”
“We can’t stay in bed all day,” she scoffs.
“Why the hell not? You’re off, and I’m here for you. My job at the hotel is complete until I get the final numbers. I say we order room service all day, and just spend the day together.”
“I— Can we really do that?” There’s a hint of hope in her voice.
“We can do whatever we want.” I kiss her cheek, move her off my lap, and set her on the bed before going to the windows and pulling the curtains.
“What are you doing?”
“Movies are better in the dark.”
“We’re watching movies?”
“Unless you had something else in mind?” I ask her, raising my eyebrows.
“No. Movies are good. It’s been ages since I’ve watched one.”
“How long is ages?”
I can tell she’s thinking from the look on her face. “Two years ago. Ronnie and Linda had me over for dinner and invited me to stay for a movie.”
“What do you watch when you’re at home?”
“Nothing. I have a few books I’ve read more times than I can count. I don’t pay for TV or the internet for streaming. Besides, I work a lot.”
“That—” I point at her. “—that is why you should accept my offer. I want you to be able to enjoy life, not working yourself to the point of exhaustion for a small wage and nothing to show for it.”
“I’ll think about it.”
I nod, accepting that answer for now.
Grabbing the remote, I climb into bed next to her and scroll through the movies. I choose a chick flick. It’s not one I’ve seen before, and I’m positive she’s not seen it either. Putting my arm around her shoulders, I pull her into my side as we settle in to watch the movie. I’ve never done this before either, and I’m looking forward to it. Anytime I can spend with her is a win in my book.
Chapter 10
Layla
I’ve been here for three hours of my twelve-hour shift, and I couldn’t tell you the first thing that’s happened. I’m going through the motions as I think about Owen, and our day together yesterday. We watched movies, ate way too much over-priced room service, talked for hours, and stole a lot of kisses. Technically, they’re not stolen when given