Page 42 of In the Lonely Hour

Chuckling, Layla tossed her arms around his neck and pulled him between her legs. “No. If something were to happen to you or you went to jail because of us, I’d never forgive myself. He doesn’t know where we live, and he won’t be able to contact me anymore. It’s over, baby.”

Andres stared into her eyes as he rolled his tongue over his cheek. “I’ma let it ride for now, but if he causes you or my daughter any further dis-ease, there will be nothing you can say to stop me. Y’all are my family, and I will protect you always in all ways—and that includes mentally and emotionally. His ass better find something safe to do other than trying to reconnect with you.”

His daughter.

Even with them discussing adoption, that was the first time Layla actually heard Andres address Dior as his daughter.

Twiddling her thumbs, she swallowed back her tears.

Done with the conversation, Andres turned and headed back to the living room.

Layla sat there for a moment, amused and aroused by the man who’d come into her heart and healed it with his love. When she made her way back into the living room, Dior was leaning on his left side as she ate popcorn, completely engrossed in the movie. Layla sat on his right, snuggling against him as he placed a kiss on her temple. Her eyes closed as a content sigh escaped her. She had no doubt Andres would do anything to protect her and her daughter,theirdaughter, and that thought alone filled her with enough peace for her tired soul to finally… rest.

Four Years Later

Layla’s arms wrapped around her in pride. Dior was just a couple of months away from starting her freshman year of college. As a compromise, Layla and Andres agreed to getting her a tiny home in the backyard. That way, she’d have her space, privacy, and freedom, but be close enough to them in case she needed anything. They’d decorated the tiny home just as she wanted it, keeping the same theme of her favorite items over the years—art, a room for reading, and several stuffed animals. She had a dining room for entertaining her guests, including her five best friends, and a living room area. There was a bedroom and bathroom plus a half bathroom as well. The kitchenette was big enough for her to make small meals, but that was a form of creating that Dior didn’t care for.

“What do you think, Dior?” Layla asked as Dior made her way outside with a grin.

Though she’d been a part of the process, that day was the first one she’d spend inside alone. All the décor had been arranged to her liking… after changing the furniture layout three times.

“I think it’s perfect! I love it. Thank you, Mommy!”

“You’re welcome, baby girl. Anything for you.”

“Can my friends come over tonight for pizza?”

“Of course. Wait. Are you asking because you want us to pay for it?”

Dior giggled and nodded. “Yes.”

Laughing herself, Layla rolled her eyes playfully. Andres gave Dior a weekly stipend just like he gave Layla to ensure they could buy whatever they wanted without having to ask him. Though Layla had gotten her degree, she still hadn’t gone back to work. Andres took care of everything financially, which Layla appreciated.

“Yes, we will. Just let us know thirty minutes before your friends are supposed to arrive and Daddy will take care of it."

Daddy.

It only took six months once Andres returned to their lives for Dior to start calling Andres Daddy. And the first time she did, it made him shed a few tears. While he wouldn’t say it, Layla believed Andres took more pride in winning Dior over than herself. That only made her love and appreciate him more.

"Yay, thank you!"

Dior gave her a brief hug before returning to her home. Layla stood there for a while with teary eyes before releasing a shaky breath and heading inside of hers. She couldn’t believe the progress Dior had made while in high school, and it was all thanks to Andres and his family. Speaking of family, Layla was back close with hers. With Carlos being out of the picture, theshame that had kept Layla hidden was a darkness true love and partnership had pulled Layla out of.

Rubbing her protruding belly, she hummed under her breath as she headed toward the kitchen, where her husband was fixing them lunch.

“Baby,” she called, gaining Andres’s attention. “Dior wants us to buy pizza for her and her friends tonight.”

“I’ll take care of it. What do you and my baby have a taste for, for dinner?”

“Hmm…” A smile spread Layla’s lips as Andres wrapped his arms around her waist. “Mama has a taste for you, but if you meant food, anything will do. We can just get a pizza with theirs.”

“Mm, I love the sound of that, and I’ll make sure you have both.”

Andres’s lips against hers as he kissed her sweetly made it difficult for her to smile. That was a problem Layla loved having. For the past four years, she had the healthy love and partnership she’d always wanted, her daughter was thriving, and her personal life was too. Layla had been able to make her own friends and find a role outside of being a mother and wife… though being both was still her highest honor and priority.

And now, with her second child on the way, there was nothing else Layla wanted in life. Their son was due to make his arrival in three months, and Layla was convinced he would be the missing piece of fulfillment that made her life complete.

There were still times she couldn’t believe the changes that had transpired in her and Dior’s lives over the years and how those changes came from releasing a relationship, a man, who no longer wanted to be held.

What Marilyn, Andres’s mother, had said was true… when you knew the heaviness of loss… there was a power, a force, that pushed you toward what you could gain. After all of the silentsuffering she’d undergone over the years, Layla was happy to have gained a true partner. Even if it was within her loneliest hour.

The End!