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Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

B rian knew he was a lucky bastard as he quietly gazed across the room. The universe had gifted him another chance, and he planned to take full advantage. Life would be perfect if he could just get his business on track.

A corner of his mouth edged up as he admired the woman lying in his bed. Damn, she was beautiful.

It had been a little over a year since Brian and Lila rekindled their romance, and he still couldn’t believe she had chosen him... again . He was the man Lila wanted to spend her time with and the one she made love to. They weren’t officially exclusive, but Brian wasn’t seeing anyone else, and he was fairly certain neither was she. At some point, when Lockwood was finally in a good position and he was more established, Brian would make Lila his. Until then, he'd work his ass off to get to that point. He hoped sooner rather than later.

Lila lay sprawled out on her stomach with her head resting on her arm. The sheets were bunched up around her waist while the rest of her body was completely exposed. The contrast between the white sheets and her silky-smooth dark skin left Brian rethinking his early morning meeting. His dumb ass should never have scheduled it, but Lila coming over was a spur- of-the-moment decision that went against her rules—no two-night overnight stays in a row. Dumbest rule ever.

Lila stretched and shifted positions.

Damn, those legs. They were dangerous and conjured a memory from a few hours earlier. It played vividly in Brian’s mind. He could still feel her luscious breasts pressed firmly against his chest while her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist as he thrust wildly into her.

Lila moaned.

Brian bit his lower lip. That sound was melodic. It was official; he was obsessed and couldn’t resist one last kiss. He walked over to Lila’s side of the bed and kneeled low.

As she slept, Lila flipped onto her back and reached out to Brian’s side of the bed, only to find it empty and cold.

Her eyes fluttered open, disappointed not to find him lying beside her.

Brian swept Lila’s hair away from her forehead and whispered, “I’m here.”

She turned at the sound of his voice and smiled. Her tone was husky from sleep. “Morning.”

Brian grinned too. “Morning.”

A slight frown formed between her brows as she glanced at the clock on the table next to the bed. “Where are you going this early?”

“Remember I have that breakfast meeting with Glenmore Motors.”

It took a second for her to recall this appointment before she finally remembered. “What possessed you to schedule it so early?”

“Poor planning on my part. I forgot my girlfriend likes to sleep in.”

Lila ignored the title Brian had just given her, even though she loved the sound of it. Instead, she reached for his tie and wrapped it around her hand, pulling him close. “I do love to snuggle. Sure you can’t push it back an hour or two.”

Irritated at himself, Brian moaned as if in pain. “I wish. Not after losing Levenson.”

Reality hit her like a cold bucket of ice. Lila sighed. “Got it. Well, I’ll forgive you this time because I know how important this meeting is.”

Brian pressed his lips against the curve of her neck and slowly breathed her in. “Yeah. Even with all Colby’s success, and after last month’s penalty and point loss, it’s like pulling teeth getting businesses to sponsor her. It’s the strangest shit ever.”

“Disappointing but not surprising.” Lila sat up, pulling the sheets with her. “It amazes me how people don’t want to make money. Colby’s face is all over everything! She’s the full package. She’s beautiful and a hell of an athlete, but more importantly, she wins except for when they cheat. It’s maddening.”

“If it were only about skills, I would still be in bed with you. Instead, I’m up at the butt crack of dawn trying to close a deal.”

“Is Liam and Colby going to be there?”

“No.” Brian’s body tensed. “This is my company. Liam doesn’t need to be there.”

“Understood,” Lila spoke softly. “Still, he’s your brother and, more importantly, Colby’s boyfriend. I’m sure he would do whatever he could to make sure you both succeed.”

Brian’s voice held a hint of irritation. “I can stand on my own two feet.”

Lila’s face softened as she cupped the side of his cheek. “Of course, you can, and that’s how I know you’re going to rock this meeting. Glenmore is as good as a done deal.” Her smile widened. “I’ll even bake a cake to celebrate.”

Her last remark knocked some of the tension out of the air as Brian laughed out loud. He couldn’t even imagine it. “You? Bake a cake? You’re allergic to the kitchen.”

“True.” Lila looked at him saucily. “Which is why you should know I wasn’t talking about that kind of cake.”

Lila was sitting cross-legged with her computer on her lap. She figured she might as well review her emails and online coursework while Brian was out when her cell phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was Colby. “Hey, lady.”

“Hey, there.”

Colby’s voice lacked its usual positive energy. Lila hoped it wasn’t about Glenmore. “What’s up?”

“I don’t want you to be alarmed, but...” Colby’s voice trailed off.

Nervously, Lila moved her laptop onto the sofa. “If you want the opposite effect, you should never start a conversation like that.”

“True.” Colby seemed hesitant as she released a nervous laugh. “You’ll never guess who showed up at Daddy’s this morning.”

Lila had no idea where this conversation was going or why Colby would be nervous about telling her about an unannounced guest. “You’re right since I stayed over at Brian’s. Who?”

The pitch in Colby’s voice went up. “Just know that I had no choice!”

Lila unfolded her legs and planted her feet firmly on the floor as she sat straighter. A tingling of dread went down her spine. “Who?”

“Aunt Faye.”

Lila’s eyes closed. Damn. “Are you trying to tell me that my mother is at Uncle Cyrus’s?!”

“Yes. Well, no.”

Lila was frustrated. “Is she there or not?” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the doorbell to Brian’s condo rang.

Lila ducked down and whisper-yelled into the phone as if her mother could see her. “You gave her Brian’s address?!”

“I know we are grown women, but you know how Aunt Faye is.” Colby continued to explain. “In all fairness, I didn’t give her the address, but your mom can really be resourceful!”

The doorbell rang again.

“Ugh!” Lila groaned as she hopped up from the couch, still crouching down while speaking low. “You could have made something up.”

“Lie to Aunt Faye? Girl, are you crazy? I’d rather lie to the IRS.”

“Lila, darling.” Jasmine Faye James was calling out to her. She began to knock louder. Lila was sure all of Brian’s neighbors could hear her. “I know you’re in there!”

“I’m sorry,” Colby said. “Call me after she leaves.”

Pissed, Lila disconnected the call and stood up straight. She tilted her head from side to side like a boxer before entering the ring while dancing on the balls of her feet. She whispered to herself, “I’ve got this. I can handle my mother.”

Lila took one more deep breath, walked over to the door, and opened it. Her mom’s hand was frozen in midair.

“I thought I was going to have to get the doorman up here.” Faye breezed into Brian’s condo like she owned the place. She had an undeniable elegance reminiscent of Diahann Carroll’s timeless beauty. Rich, dark, luminous skin like Lupita Nyong’o complemented her striking full lips and large brown eyes. Lila was the spitting image of her mother, just younger.

Faye gave her daughter a disapproving once-over before speaking. “Hello, Lila.”

“Hello, Faye.” Lila’s mother had always hated when she called her mom or mother, so Lila referred to her by her middle name.

Good Lord. I’m not at all ready for this. It was too early in the day to start drinking, but if Colby had given her a heads-up, she would have had a shot of something or at least a gummy. Something to take the edge off.

Faye handed Lila her Chanel wrap. “Oh, dear. You’re never going to get that man to marry you looking like that.”

Subconsciously, Lila touched her hair, now pulled back into a long, bone-straight ponytail that hung well past her waist. Of course, her mother would catch her wearing socks, one of Brian’s oversized T-shirts, and nothing else.

“Where is that handsome man? I think it is past time we met.”

Up to this point, Faye had been having a one-woman conversation. And, if her mother hadn’t been traipsing all over the world in search of her next benefactor, she would have met Brian by now. “Well, you have been busy. I haven’t seen you since before the Brickyard 400. That was at least a year ago.”

Faye clapped her hands together. “Isn’t it wonderful seeing our little Colby grace the cover of magazines for driving those silly old cars?”

Lila nodded as she followed her mother into the living room. “Not sure I would categorize breaking barriers and glass ceilings by becoming a champion NASCAR driver as silly, but yes. I am very proud of her.”

Faye took a seat. “You know what I mean.”

Lila plastered on the biggest faux smile. “Of course I do.” You meant exactly what you said.

Faye glanced around Brian’s apartment. “Your guy has good taste. Did he hire a decorator?”

Lila’s smile morphed into something more genuine. “No. He let me decorate the place. Brian couldn’t care less abou?—”

Faye didn’t give Lila a chance to finish. “Well, that would explain why you’ve mixed and matched designers all willy-nilly.”

I thought you said he had good taste. Her mother always had a way of making Lila feel small. Today wasn’t any different. She was also starting to sound like a parrot. “So, where is Brian?”

“Did you come all the way to East Moline, Illinois, in search of Brian?”

“Of course I did, darling. I need to make sure this man is worth my daughter’s time. You can’t waste your precious youth on someone who doesn’t plan on securing your future. Let’s face it; you’re not getting any younger, and unlike Colby, you don’t have a career to fall back on.”

If Lila felt small before, she felt whatever size was smaller than that. “Actually, Faye, I’m working on finishing my degree. I’ve been attending the University of Illinois. Their online program.”

Faye stared at her long and hard before speaking. “In what and why exactly?”

Her mother’s reaction caused Lila to feel less sure of her decision. “I’ve always been good at math and science. I’m majoring in business with a minor in chemistry.”

“No offense, Lila, but you are too beautiful to waste time and energy on a silly degree. Time is not on your side. What are you doing to get that ring from Brian?”

When did getting a degree become silly? It wasn’t surprising to hear this take from Faye, but it was still disappointing. Some things never changed. Lila sighed. “I’m not sure if he ever plans to propose, but it’s okay if we don’t have everything figured out yet.”

“You young girls kill me. Colby is still living at home with Cyrus while dating a billionaire, and you haven’t figured out how to lock Brian down. I taught you better than that.”

Lila was doing her level best to stay cool and not be disrespectful. Her mother had never been married. She’d had more benefactors than Lila could count and was still broke. She didn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Lila wanted more. “Well, I’ve been down the road of depending on a man, and I’m okay if I don’t end up married. I’ll be fine just having a wonderful partner.”

“That’s crazy talk! I mean, be serious. How much money can you make with a business degree? Beauty is currency. Get what you can now because you won’t always have the benefits of youth forever.”

Lila remembered the Saturday morning cartoons she and Colby watched as kids and imagined smoke coming from her ears. She was fuming and couldn’t hold back her words. “Is it so wrong to want something of my own and stand on my own two feet?”

Faye waved her off. “It’s overrated.”

Lila touched her palm against her forehead. There was no talking to her mother. “How long are you in town for?”

Eyes flittering around the room, Faye said, “Oh, I don’t know. Until my next adventure.”

“Mmm. Okaaaay.” Shouldn’t be too long then . Lila’s tone was clipped. "Where will you be staying?”

“Here, of course.”

Lila almost choked.

“I’m kidding. I’ll be staying with Cyrus.”

“You,” Lila said in disbelief, “will be sleeping overnight at Uncle Cyrus’s?”

“Yes. What’s wrong with that?”

“N-nothing. It’s just...you hate Uncle Cyrus’s house. You said it’s too small and lacks taste.”

“It is, and it does, but I feel like I need to be closer to you and Colby to help guide your success.”

Lila wasn’t going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. “But room is tight. Where are you going to sleep? I’m in Colby’s old room. She moved into Rodney’s room, and that only leaves Uncle Cyrus’s room. He doesn’t have a guest bedroom. Will you be sleeping in the living room on the sofa?”

Faye didn’t seem too concerned. “We’ll figure something out. Maybe I can bunk with you. It’ll be like it was when you were small.”

Lila didn’t remember that, and the mere thought of sharing that much space with her mom freaked her out. She was afraid to even blink, worried her frozen smile would melt. She and Colby were going to have to devise a plan and figure something else out. There was no way her mother could stay with them.

Lila’s Stepford-wife-like smile widened. “Great! Sounds like . . . fun.”

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