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It should be me, kissing you, touching you, inside you But instead, it’s him, getting you, every fuckin’ piece of you Those pieces should be mine - Camden Blackwood, Raging Chaos
“He doesn’t deserve you.” Nobody does… but if she would ever give me a chance, I’d do everything in my power to be worthy of her love.
“For the record, your mom isn’t the only one who missed you, Shutterbug. I’ve missed you too.”
“That boy… David… he hurt her, and I imagine her wall will be really high, but I have no doubt you’ll be able to knock it down.” She winks playfully. “And once you do, I bet your love will be just as beautiful.”
“Didn’t you just hear me? You have a wall to take down, and you can’t do that from across the country.” Another yawn. “I’m feeling a little tired. It’s been a helluva day. I think I’m going to rest my eyes for a few minutes.” She closes her eyes. “I’ll see you when I wake up, and we can come up with a plan of attack to tear down that wall and woo the hell out of your woman.”
Those guys care about her almost as much as I do. She became a part of us, and even though we had to walk away, we never stopped thinking about her. We just couldn’t be with her. We had to let her go. And fuck if it wasn’t the hardest thing we’d ever done.
I’ve never been the type of person to believe in fate. But right now, while I would give anything to have Nanna back, I’m wondering if maybe, as her last gift to me, she brought Layla and me together. Because had she not passed away, I’d still be across the country instead of sitting right here holding hands with the only woman I’ve ever loved.
“Camden doesn’t,” Gage says, speaking for the first time. “Camden never had his shot. When shit went down”—he swallows thickly—“he got on that plane for us. Now, regardless of how much we hate this city, it’s our turn to stay for him.”
Dad laughs. “Nothing with women is ever that easy.” He puts his arm around my mom and kisses her temple. “I had to work hard to get this woman to be with me.” He glances at me. “But the best women are usually the hardest to rein in.”
“It says absolutely nothing about you and everything about them.” Camden twirls me around so we’re facing each other, our chests almost touching. “You’re perfect, Layla. You’re smart and sweet, and those assholes cheating on you is their issue, not yours.”
“When we spoke in the hospital, she mentioned you got divorced,” he admits. “We were supposed to come up with a plan of attack.” “For what?” “To break down your wall and get you to fall in love with me.”
“This is my second chance,” he says, shocking me. “I let you go once, but I can’t do it again without telling you how I feel. I’m in love with you. I probably have been since the day I saw you crying on your front steps. I know you need time to get over David, and I’m going to give you that time.” “Cam,” I gasp. “I don’t know—” “You don’t need to know anything right now except that I’ll be waiting for you to be ready, and once you are, I want my chance with you.”
“I’m Camden Rocco Blackwood, lead singer of Raging Chaos. It’s nice to meet you.” I snort out a laugh at his introduction and accept his hand. “I’m Layla Isabella Kessler. Can I have your autograph?” I flip my hair playfully, making him laugh. “Oh, Shutterbug, you can have way more than that.” “Oh, yeah?” I play along. “Like what?” “Me,” he says, using my hand to tug me toward him. “You can have me.”
“Sex is sex, Layles. Guys can get off with anyone. Give them a warm hole to sink into, and they’re good to go. But what a guy can’t get just anywhere is a good woman. Someone who supports and loves him. Who is there, day in and day out, making sure their family is taken care of. And all of those things are found in the home, not outside of it. David made the same mistake many men make. He was too busy looking outside to pay attention to what was inside.”
“I hate that he hurt you. I hate that he ruined your family, and Felix will be affected. But selfishly, I’m so fucking thankful he showed his true colors, and because of his stupidity, I was able to tell you how I feel. I missed my chance all those years ago, but I’ll be damned if I let you slip through my fingers again.”
“No,” she says in a stern voice. “This is not what you wanted. You wanted a husband who would love and cherish you, who would treat you with respect and honor the vows he made. Unfortunately, David turned out to be a rapist asshole. Now, you’re doing what you have to do, not what you wanted to do, and if it means you cry, then fucking cry, and I’ll sit on the phone with you while you do.”
Normally, a brother would be worried about his friends hooking up with his sister, but in my case, if Kendall ever gave in to Declan, I’d be more concerned about him. Because Declan is a hopeless romantic. He’s the sweet to Braxton’s jaded. The light to Gage’s dark. And the optimistic to my—until recently—pessimistic ass. He keeps us all grounded. Never allowing the scales to tip too much one way.
“I’m not taking any chances this time. I’ve wanted you for eight years. When you got pregnant and then married David, I thought I’d lost my shot. I’m not gonna lie, a part of me kept holding on to hope, which makes me sound like a dick because that means I was banking on you eventually getting a divorce, and I shouldn’t have wanted that for you. You deserve to be happy, even if it’s not with me. But still, here we are, and as I said before, I’m not taking this second chance lightly. If we don’t end up together, it’s because you don’t want to be with me. And if that’s the case, it is what it
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“Of course, now every time I hear a song, I wonder if you’re singing about me.” I chuckle at that, glancing at the tattoo of the camera peeking out of the top of her shirt. “If they were written by me, and they’re about love, they’re about you.”
I already knew I wanted her, but by the time we’re climbing back into the helicopter, I can say with certainty that I’m still in love with her. She might be a few years older and a mom, but she’s still the same person I fell in love with on the steps of her family’s home all those years ago.
Gage kisses my temple, then leans in and whispers, “Go easy on our boy, yeah? He’s been waiting for you for a long-ass time.”
“How about we leave that song the way it is and instead write our own song?”
“Our pace… not fast or slow. We do what we want, and tonight, I want to be with you. Some would say it’s too fast since we’ve only just decided to give this thing between us a go. And some, our friends and probably you, would say this has been a long time coming.” She laughs softly. “So we do what we want because I want this. I want you.”
“This isn’t a one-time thing or just two friends reconnecting. I want you in every way that matters. I want all of your days and your nights. Your happiness and your sadness. I want your tears and your laughter. I want your body…and your heart.”
“You’re all real, and no man wants fake over real.”
“I didn’t want fake. I went for fake because it was easy. Brax’s heart is fucked, and Gage…” He shakes his head. “In their own time, they’ll come around. They’ll find someone real, like you, and it will be a game changer, just like you are for me, but right now, the fake is what’s getting them through each day. Not having to think too hard, not having to feel. The fake is how those who can’t have the real survive.”
“I hope one day Brax and Gage find the real because the fake really sucks.”
“Well, that’s good,” he murmurs. “Because my hope is that you’ll want me for the rest of our lives.”
“Don’t worry, Layles. I’m not proposing… yet. But yes, I want you forever.”
“So fucking polite. Begging me to fuck your ass.”
