His Sweet Revenge

Chapter 48.

I wipe the cream Kade smeared onto my cheek off in the washroom downstairs. My makeup has melted from the summer heat today, and a sheen of sweat coats my face, making it glisten.

When I step out into the hallway, Mom is waiting for me there, still in her wedding dress, her eyes dried but stained with mascara smudges.

"I hope you're happy," she says.

I cross my arms. "Don't blame me for what you kept from Hale."

She sighs then, almost as if she's disappointed in herself. "Hale was thinking of adopting Grayson, did you know that?" She raises her eyebrows at me, her voice weak.

"No," I say, shaking my head. As if this is any moment to bring that up.

She leans into the wall behind her. "I was so worried that he wouldn't marry me because of what was going on between you and Grayson."

My eyes widen with surprise. "That's what you were worried about? Not the lie that would eventually come out?"

A tear slides down her cheek. Normally it would hurt to see my mom cry, but right now I don't feel a thing. "It wasn't a lie."

I almost want to roll my eyes. "You kept something major from him and would have let him marry you without telling him. In my books, that's certainly a lie."

Her one tear turns into two, then three, then four. She swallows before she speaks again. "It's enough to lose the man you love once. I couldn't bear to have that happen a second time."

A twinge of sadness travels to my heart. And maybe some pity. Because I know it now. I know exactly how she feels. Liam made me love him. Sure, it was all some sick game to him. But what I felt was real.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

She shakes her head, wiping her tears. "He doesn't want that right now."

"Give him some time."

Mom sighs loudly, nodding. She doesn't seem to be crying anymore. "Layla ... I love you and Nate so much. I just didn't want to lose you."

"Is that an apology?"

She shrugs then. "I'm not going to apologize for wanting to keep you safe."

I nod. "Okay then. But I hope you know I love Grayson. There isn't anything in this world that could change that." I turn and leave my mom in the silence of the hallway, the dim light flickering as I walk off.

Today has been a roller coaster to say the least. My emotions are all over the place and it doesn't help when I get up to my room and Grayson is waiting there, dressed in that same suit, looking more delicate than ever.

His eyes are soft, his lips pursed as if in thought. He stands there in the centre of my room with his hands in his pockets.

"Hi," I say, the door clicking shut behind me.

"Hey."

The silence engulfs the room like a large blanket putting out a fire. Only the fire remains, deep beneath the surface of my skin. The memory of his soft kisses on my neck rises to the forefront of my brain, unbidden.

The feel of his warm mouth on that delicate spot between my legs makes me want to shudder, replacing itself with an ache all for him.

And, as if he can see these thoughts flashing behind my eyes, he clears his throat and says, "So, earlier. We almost..."

I quickly nod. "Yeah."

He steps toward me, his eyes changing. "Layla, I wanted you from the first day I officially met you."