He turns his gaze towards me and our eyes lock. The tension between us is thick with electricity. His green eyes flicker down to my mouth, and I unconsciously dart my tongue out to wet my lips. Teagan inhales deeply through his nose and shuts his eyes, breaking the hold he had on me.
“Well, I better let you get on, then,” he says gruffly.
“Right.” I clear my throat. “Well, have a good night, Teagan.”
Grinning at me, he says, “You too, Lovely. Drive safe.”
He gets out of the car, shuts the door, and saunters toward the apartment complex. I release the breath I’d been holding and stare after him. Teagan O’Brien is definitely trouble.
Chapter Four
Layla
“Mami, I can’t come home for ThanksgivingandChristmas. You know that.”
Didn’t we just have this conversation a few weeks ago?
“I know, baby, but we miss you so much,” Mami whines.
“Well, believe it or not,” I tell her sarcastically, “there are these things called cars and airplanes that actually can go from TexastoNorth Carolina. Not just North Carolina to Texas. The road goes both ways.”
“Don’t you take a tone with me, young lady. It’s harder for six people to travel than it is for one person. It just makes sense for you to come here. Plus, you know the holidays are more than just us. Abuelo and Abuela, the whole family…” Mami reminds me.
I roll my eyes so hard, I’m afraid they might just get stuck. She’s being sounreasonable.
“Listen, I can come home for one or the other but not both. And I really want you guys to come here sometime soon. Can we please compromise on this?” I’m practically begging at this point.
“I hear you, mija.” She sighs. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long week with your sisters. I don’t remember you being this much trouble at thirteen.”
“That’s because Marcos and Rafael paved the way for me. They were so awful at thirteen that anything I did was practically angelic.” I grin thinking about Teagan claiming to be an angel.
“You’re funny.” She snorts. “Okay, listen, I have to get off of here. Let me know which holiday you want to come home for, and we’ll buy your ticket, okay?”
“Well, I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” I tell her. “Thanks.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you!” Mami says suddenly. “Marcos and Rafael might be bringing their girlfriends to Christmas. Maybe you’ll have a plus one this year?”
“Ugh. Mami. Please stop.” I groan.
It’s never going to end. Resisting the urge to bang my head against the wall, I flop onto my couch and stare at the ceiling. What would it take for Mami to understand that my worth doesn’t depend on having a significant other? Sure, I’d love to find someone to share life with, but my goal in life isn’t to marry and have a litter of kids. I love children and hope I’ll be a mother someday, but I’m not in any rush. I’m twenty-three for crying out loud. I would have been finished with college already, but like Norah, I took some time off after high school to figure out exactly what I wanted to pursue. Why on earth would I want to add marriage and babies to the mix? Classes and day-to-day living are hard enough without extra mouths to feed.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop. For now.” Mamá sighs heavily. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“Yep,” I say blandly. “Love you, Mami.”
“Love you too, mija.”
Growling loudly into the air, I rub the heels of my hands into my eyes. I’m exhausted. This last week of classes really took it out of me, and workhas been getting busier with the holidays around the corner. I actually have tonight off and don’t plan on doing anything. My sweats and wine sound pretty good right now. Rising from the couch, I saunter into my small galley kitchen and take a wine glass from the cabinet. Before I can even open the bottle, my phone dings from the couch. I’m fully expecting it to be a message from my mother badgering me some more, but it’s a group text.
Norah:Hey, who’s up for a slumber partyat my house tonight? Wine and junk food? Girl talk?
Amelia:You KNOW I’m in! I’ll bring beer!
Charlie:Yeah, girl, I’m down. I’ll bring chips and dip!
That actually sounds like a good time. And I won’t have to change or worry about driving, since Norah lives right next door.
Layla:Holy shit, I’m actually free tonight!
