Page 23 of Rejected Heart
“Do you want to put it on?”
She nodded. “Yes. And I want to show my mom. She’s out in the kitchen.”
“Lead the way.”
With that, Layla and I made our way to the kitchen, where she gushed over the necklace with her mom.
And since there were plenty of them for now and later and Layla didn’t want to wait until after dinner, all three of us each had a cupcake. Suffice it to say, Layla thoroughly enjoyed her birthday. I was grateful to be a part of it.
LAYLA - TEN MONTHS LATER
“This is the best.”
I sighed with a smile on my face as I reached for Liam’s hand. It was a Saturday on the last weekend in April. Liam and I were at the park, laying on a picnic blanket, our attention focused on the tree branches above us.
As my pinky touched his, my guy quickly linked his fingers with mine. “Having a picnic is the best?”
“Well, yes, I guess that’s the best, too. But I was referring to you driving us here. You’re officially a licensed driver, and now we can do things like this withoutneeding to ask our parents or your siblings to drop us off.”
Liam rolled his head in my direction, so I did the same. “I refused to drive home from the testing center today, because I told my dad that you were the first person I was going to take for a drive as a licensed driver.”
I beamed at him. “I’m honored, Captain.”
His brows shot up. “Captain?”
Still smiling, I explained, “You’re a natural born leader. You take charge, and you do it with confidence. When it comes to us, this has all been new to me. But I trust you to lead me through these uncharted waters. You’re my captain.”
He chuckled.
“And now that you can drive, too, I figure the name is even more fitting,” I added. “So, thank you for allowing me to be the first person you took out on the road.”
“It was all my pleasure.”
“I can’t believe how much things have changed since we first got together. You’re driving now.”
Liam nodded. “Yep. And in a few months, you’ll be able to get your permit.”
“Time is flying, don’t you think?”
His thumb stroked along mine. “In all fairness, they do say that time flies when you’re having fun. And I’ve been having a blast ever since you came into my life. But you’re right. The days are passing us by. Before you know it, we’re going to be graduating.”
Although I knew it was the case—I’d been thinking about it for as long as I could remember—somethingabout hearing him say it now hit me differently. “We only have two years of school left. That’s crazy.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Really?”
Liam lifted our clasped hands to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. I loved the sweet gestures he did, always doing them without even seeming to think about them first. “Yes. If it wasn’t for being able to see you there every day, school would just feel like it’s in the way right now. I’m ready to start my life.”
He was ready to move on.
Sure, he hadn’t given any indication that he didn’t want me around for that, but I wished I had as much clarity about my life as he had about his.
“You’re lucky.”
“Lucky? Why?”
I sighed. “You have it all figured out. I don’t have the slightest clue what I want to do with myself after we graduate.”
