Piece by Piece (The Riggins Brothers #2) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,69
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