Rocking Kin (Lucy & Harris, #3) - Terri Anne Browning Page 0,91

every time she said it. She was trying to reassure him even though her own worry and stress was so evident on her beautiful face. “It’s going to be okay, babe. I promise.”

He would only nod and then push down harder on the gas.

As soon as the SUV pulled into the driveway, I was rushing to get out and follow behind Lana. She didn’t bother to knock, but walked right in to her sister and brother-in-law’s home. I could feel the tension in the house as soon as I stepped inside, but things seemed quiet. If Jesse and Layla had been arguing they had stopped. For the moment at least.

“She doesn’t want to go!”

My head snapped around at Jesse’s bellow and Lana and I looked at each other before hurrying toward where his voice had come from. Upstairs. Lana moved faster than I would have thought a heavily pregnant woman could have and reached the second floor landing just as Drake was coming through the front door.

“Be careful, Angel.”

“She needs to go. It will be good for her. Staying here will only make things harder for her,” Layla’s voice raged back. “Some time away from all this shit will give her some breathing space.”

“I-I won’t go,” I heard Lucy sob. “You can’t make me!’

What the hell was going on?

Lana paused long enough to open the door where all three voices were coming from and I stopped when I saw the scene inside Lucy’s room. She was lying on her bed, her face buried in her pillows as she sobbed over and over again, her body shaking from the force of each one. Jesse stood on one side of his daughter’s bed while Layla was on the other, both of them glaring at each other as they yelled back and forth at each other.

“I won’t let you send her away. She needs us more than anything right now. If she’s across the country how will we help her? Huh, Layla? How?” His voice shook with the force of his emotions as he pointed his finger out the window. “I won’t let you and Emmie send her away, godsdamn it. My little girl needs me.”

“Lana!” Lucy had lifted her head and spotted her sister. “Lana, don’t let Mom send me away. Don’t let her.”

Lana moved toward the bed, going straight to Layla. “What’s going on?” she demanded, her gaze going from one person to the other, lingering on her upset baby sister before landing on her oldest sister who was openly crying just as hard as Lucy was right then, but the determination in her brown eyes told me she wasn’t going to give up the fight.

“I told Emmie to get Lucy’s paperwork ready. She’s going to Georgetown on Monday.” Layla wrapped her arms around herself, her body shivering as if she were physically sick.

“What?” Lana exclaimed, her honey-brown eyes widening. “Layla… Do you think that’s a good idea right now? Look at Lucy. She’s a mess.”

“Weren’t you a mess after what happened with Drake?” her older sister demanded and Lana’s mouth tightened just as the man in question walked through the bedroom door. “How wrecked were you, Lana? And how much did it help to put distance between you and here?”

With a hand that noticeably trembled, Lana pushed her hair back from her face and turned away from them all. Her eyes on the carpet, she seemed to take in what Layla had said and consider it.

Drake moved to stand beside Jesse. He must have heard what Layla had told his wife and was choosing his brother-in-law’s side. “Leaving doesn’t solve anything, Layla,” he growled. “You’re just showing her she can run from her problems and it will make everything okay.”

“No, I’m showing her that sometimes you have to walk away and put yourself first,” Layla snapped.

“That’s bullshit.” Jesse yelled so loud I was sure the Armstrongs heard him two houses over.

“I don’t want to leave,” Lucy cried. “I can fix this with Harris if you would just give me time.”

“The boy’s head isn’t on straight and neither is yours,” Layla told her daughter in a tone that was full of pain. “You can’t fix this when you don’t even know how you feel right now, baby.”

“I do know. I love him. That’s all that matters.”

Lana finally turned around and sat down on the edge of her sister’s bed. With a watery smile she pushed Lucy’s tangled hair back away from her face. “Lucy, Layla’s right. You need time to clear