32. Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

Layla

"What are you doing?" I ask Charlotte as she walks straight into my house with no phone call or warning.

"Just coming to say hi to my best friend."

Asher walks in behind her with Brie in his arms. She smiles brightly. "Hi, Auntie Lay-lay."

"Hi, sweetie pie. It's so good to see you," I kiss her on the cheek than turn back to Charlotte.

"What's going on? This is an unexpected visit."

Charlotte shrugs. "We just thought we'd take you out for a drink."

She's acting strange, looking around the room, down at her toes. Basically, anywhere but at me. I glance at Asher who is avoiding eye contact too.

"Something's going on. Why are you two acting so weird? And why on earth are you bringing me out for a drink on a Thursday night with your four-year-old while one of you is carrying a baby and can't even have a drink?"

"That's it," Charlotte declares while she grabs my hand. "No more questions."

"Where are we going?" I ask as she heads towards the hallway.

"We are going to go change. You are going to put on a cute summer dress, and we are going out for a drink. If you ask one more question, I will not let you visit me in the hospital after I have the baby."

My jaw hits the floor. That's quite the threat coming out of her mouth. I can't believe she would resort to keeping me from her baby if I don't follow her ridiculous demands. But she arches her eyebrows at me, hand on her hip, as if challenging me to disobey.

My shoulders slump. "Fine," I agree.

I'm only agreeing now because I'm curious as to what's got her acting like this. It better be good if I have to get dressed up.

She pulls out my black sundress and some gold jewelry. I'm forced to change right in front of her, like I'll climb out the window if I go into the bathroom. Next thing I know, we are in my bathroom together while she fixes my hair and puts a little makeup on me.

Is she setting me up on a blind date? Oh my god! Does she know something about Josh that I don't? My heart starts to race as the temperature of the room feels like it instantly raised twenty degrees.

I don't even have the courage to ask her. I'd rather live in denial until we get wherever the hell we're going .

Asher and Brie have started the car and are waiting patiently for us when we hop into their SUV.

"So, do I at least get to know where we are going for drinks?" I ask in the backseat, sitting next to Brie who seems to be amused with her fake phone.

"I mean, we've made it this far. Why not add some further mystery to it?" Asher says with a grin on his face.

Right. Why not add a little mystery to it? That's exactly what my gut needs right now. It's already in knots over this whole situation with Josh.

We start to drive away from all the restaurants and bars that I know of. The longer he drives, the further away we get from all bars in the vicinity, when I notice he's looking down at his phone. Is he following directions? What the hell kind of bar is this?

Then we pull into some fancy neighborhood. It has beautiful homes that no doubt have incredible views of the water in their backyard.

"Okay, this is weird. There's clearly not a bar in this neighborhood. What is going on?" I demand.

"We're just about there. I promise everything will make sense soon," Charlotte says, but I swear I hear hesitation in her voice.

Then we pull up to the last house on the street. It's a lavish country style home with massive stairs that lead up to an even bigger wrap around porch. The white house looks pristine, like it's just been painted .

But we don't park in the driveway. Asher parks at the end of the street, where there's nothing but woods leading up to an old dock on the water.

"Ok." Charlotte turns around and looks at me. "We are under strict orders to send you off to that dock over there."

"Are you two having me whacked?" I ask.

I'd love to say I'm kidding, but what other explanation is there?

Charlotte and Asher smirk at each other. Have they been planning my demise for a while? Did I do something to upset them, and this is the revenge they've been secretly plotting?

"We thought the same thing," Charlotte giggles, as if that's going to make me feel any better about this whole situation. "But no, you are not about to be whacked. Quite the opposite, actually."

"What the hell is the opposite of being whacked?"

Asher tries to hold in his laugh, so it ends up coming out as a weird snort. "Just go out there, Layla. I'm your big brother. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

I look between both of them, and decide I'd rather end this charade. So, I agree to walk to the dock just to get this over with. What's the worst that can happen? They can't really be plotting my murder. What kind of psychopaths would make me get all fancy just to be killed? And would they really do it with my niece in the car?

Okay, I'm definitely being ridiculous. They wouldn't bring Brie along to kill her aunt in front of her.

I walk through an old stone path in the woods towards the dock. The large stones show their wear and tear as green moss and dirt cover most of them.

My hands grip my dress and lift it up a couple of inches. I'm trying to avoid the dirt along the path as well as not tripping and falling on my face.

I step onto the old wooden dock, the splintered wood evidence of its age. It's starting to get dark; the sun having set a little while ago.

The view is beautiful though. The homes are stunning, but it's the surrounding woods that I love the most. I don't understand why this property is sitting here vacantly.

Then I hear something crinkling in the woods behind me. I turn around, but there's nothing there. This is getting really creepy. I'm about to walk back to the car when a jingling by my feet distracts me.

It's a puppy.

I don't know where it came from, but he is wearing a blue collar and licking my feet.

I giggle as I squat down to pet him. His tail is going crazy with excitement as I scratch his head. I think he's a golden retriever.

"Hey there, buddy. Aren't you just the cutest?"

His tongue hangs out of the side of his mouth like a goofball, but he smiles up at me while I continue to scratch his head.

"Why did you run away from home? Let's look at your tags," I say gently as I pick him up .

I grab his collar and twist it around until I find a gold dog tag. My breath catches in my throat when I read his name.

Biscuit.

I look up to see if I can spot anyone, and that's when I see him. Josh is leaning against a tree looking devastatingly handsome in his jeans and black button down.

"He's cute, isn't he?" he says as he pushes off the tree and starts walking towards me.

When he reaches the dock, standing next to me, he scratches Biscuits head.

"His name is Biscuit," I tell him, like maybe he doesn't know this dog. Maybe it's all a weird coincidence.

His face breaks out in a wide grin. "Indeed. I thought Biscuit had a good ring to it. Don't you think?"

"You mean, this is your dog?"

He kisses the top of Biscuit's head. Tell me there's anything sexier than a strong, masculine man giving affectionate kisses to a puppy? Trust me, there's not.

"He's not my dog. He is our dog."

"Our dog?" I ask, stuck between disbelief and overwhelming joy.

A strange sensation starts in my chest, spreading like wildfire through my veins. Doubts and fears swarm my body, warning me not to get too excited.

He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. "Yes, Freckles. Our dog. "

"I don't understand," I say on a breath.

"Well, there was a story you told me recently, and I guess it inspired me. There was once a seventeen-year-old girl who used to picture her happy ending with her prince charming. She wanted a house on the water in the town she grew up in, and a dog named Biscuit to keep them company."

Tears prick my eyes as I snuggle Biscuit. He continues. "But you see, her prince charming was an insecure idiot who had some lessons to learn in life. Even when he finally won the girl over ten years later, he fucked up again."

My lips curve into a faint smile as I let out a low chuckle. His eyes crinkle at the corners, sparkling with amusement. "He fucked up, huh? What did he do?"

"Oh, he fucked up big time. He let those insecurities rear their ugly head, and stormed off one night, leaving her stranded."

"Wow," I say, biting my lip. "What a dick."

"Oh, he didn't stop there. Then he decided he was done letting anything get in the way of his love for her. He got so into devising a plan to woo her, that he didn't realize he was ignoring her and making her feel that same way he made her feel a long time ago. So, he decided to accelerate the plan."

I raise my eyebrows. "The plan?"

"Yes, the plan to woo her. Keep up, Freckles," he says with a wink.

"Ah, yes. The plan. And what exactly does this plan entail?"

He extends his arms out and looks around. "Our happily ever after," he laughs lightly .

My heart skips a beat. The world suddenly seems brighter. The sound of his laugh carries a hint of mischief and joy, effortlessly infectious, making it impossible not to smile in response. "So, what does this happily-ever-after consist of?"

"I'm glad you asked." He looks around us. "This land. It's ours. I'm buying it off the owners over there. It's been vacant since this development went up. The original owner of the home wanted to build a large guest house, but never got around to it. With a little convincing, they agreed to sell it to me."

"You bought this land?" I whisper, shivers rippling through my body.

"I did. It will take some time, but I'm going to build our home right here. Our happily ever after is the dreams that my seventeen-year-old soulmate had. She was right all along. This is where we are meant to be." He wraps his hand around my waist and pulls me in along with Biscuit. "I may not be able to afford all the mansions on the water around here, but I can still figure out how to make all of your dreams come true. That is if you'll forgive me."

My heart feels like it might burst with the sheer intensity of its happiness. I feel a powerful, all-encompassing sense of joy that fills me with energy. I feel more alive than ever. Tears are streaming down my cheeks, but I don't even bother to wipe them.

"Of course, I forgive you. Josh," I say as I look around. "You didn't have to do all of this. A simple apology would have been enough."

He leans down and kisses me. A kiss that feels like we're sealing the deal on our love. "I didn't want you or anyone to ever doubt what we have ever again. But…" he starts as he looks around, "we technically don't own this property yet. The papers are being drafted by our lawyers right now. So, we should probably head back to my car."

"What? We're standing on someone else's property right now. Oh my god, Josh."

I start to take large strides back to the car with Biscuit curled into my chest. Josh is laughing behind me.

"I don't think they're going to get their gun out and shoot us, Freckles."

When I get to the top of the woods, I notice Asher and Charlotte are gone. Before I can turn around, Josh grabs my hand and leads me to his truck.

"Did Charlotte and Asher go home?" I ask after we close our doors.

Biscuit snuggles in my lap, and I scratch his head. I can't believe this is all happening right now. I don't even know how to process everything. And I have a million questions.

"Yep, I sent them back home. Man," he sighs while he drives us out of the neighborhood, "it's been a crazy day. I didn't know if Biscuit was going to take off and run when I put him down or walk up to you like he was supposed to do. I was considering telling Charlotte to rub some peanut butter on you to bait him in."

I erupt in a fit of laughter. "It's a good thing she didn't. If I caught Charlotte trying to lure me out into the woods while smothering me in peanut butter, I would have officially thought she was plotting to have me killed."

"You thought she was going to have you killed?" he laughs .

"Well, what was I supposed to think? She picks me up on a Thursday night for a drink, even though she's pregnant, with her four-year-old, tells me to look nice, then proceeds to tell me there's actually no drink but to walk out into the middle of the woods by myself."

Josh is now laughing so hard he has tears flooding his eyes. "You're right," he croaks. "That sounds exactly like a messed-up murder plot. I'm so sorry, Freckles. I told you I suck at this. I can't be romantic for shit."

My laughter dies, because that is so far from the truth. "Josh, this is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. Like you said, you made my dreams come true. I couldn't be happier, even if I did briefly think Charlotte was going to kill me."

"Your dreams are my dreams now." He grabs my hand and squeezes it. "I really am sorry for how I behaved Saturday. It was awful, and I'm humiliated."

"Just don't do that again. We work things out together from now on."

"Deal, baby."

"I do have some questions," I ask as he seems to be driving a path to my house.

"Shoot."

"So, you're building a home on that land…for you and me to live in together?"

He smiles. "That was the plan."

"How long do you think it will take? "

He thinks for a second. "Well, we still need to deal with a loan and then I have to put a schedule together and hire the guys to start. It'll be about eighteen months."

"In the meantime, we live in our own homes? And who gets Biscuit until then?"

I realize I've lifted Biscuit to my face and am clutching him, daring Josh to tell me Biscuit isn't staying with me.

He winks at me. "Baby, I don't want to live a day apart from you. We can talk about the details later. One of us can put our houses up for sale. Until then, Biscuit can stay at your house."

I smile for what feels like the millionth time in the last half-hour.

All those years that I spent hating Josh, all that time wasted. If only we got it right the first time. Going back in time isn't possible, but second chances are. We didn't get it right the first time, but we spread our wings and grew. Luckily, life brought us back together. And sometimes, the second time is even better than the first.

I look over at the man next to me and smile to myself. We are definitely getting it right this time.