He took my chin between his fingers and raised my face. His voice cracked as he spoke.

“Open your eyes, Lala, so I can see you.”

I couldn’t. My lids felt impossibly heavy, like theystuck together with superglue.

“Please, baby,” he whispered.

Oh My God. Baby? Why would he still call me that?

The tears I’d been fighting so hard spilled from my under my closed eyelids and rolled down my cheeks.

“Fuck. What have I done to you? Please forgive me, Layla.” Both hands cupped my cheeks. I pressed my face into his touch, relishing every second. His thumbs brushed over my cheeks, wiping the tears away. My throat burned with unspoken words.

“I wish I could undo last night so badly you have no idea. I’m so fucking sorry.”

He regretted last night.

I want to die.

I wanted to tell him how much I loved him. I wanted to beg him to love me back. I wanted him to hold me and never let go.

Instead I sat there leaning against the headboard, my head pounding and my heart splintering into a million pieces.

Grayson pulled the covers back and I felt his weight as he settled onto the bed.

“Don’t say anything, just lie down. I’m going to hold you until you fall asleep, okay?”

I nodded and slid down until my head hit the pillow. Grayson settled down and spooned me, holding me close to his chest. An avalanche of tears feel from my eyes being this close yet so far away from him.

He stroked my arm and kissed my hair.

“Shhhh, Lala, shhhh. Be a good girl and go to sleep.”

What was in those tablets he gave me? Drowsiness overtook me and my body sank heavily into the mattress. I clutched his hand and laced my fingers through his, pressing them to my heart. A few minutes later my breathing evened out and I drifted into a deep sleep.

6: Layla

When I woke what felt like hours later, I felt so much better. The headache had lifted and I could think clearly again. Grayson must have left as soon as I’d fallen asleep, but I could still smell him on my pillow and sheets. I inhaled deeply, savoring it so I could recall it at will later when I knew I’d need it.

I slipped out of bed and pulled my messy hair into a ponytail. The princess from last night was well and truly gone and I was back to practical old me. Yet I felt different. Older.

Making my way down the stairs, my stomach rumbled. The clock in the hallway chimed three times. No wonder I was starving, I’d slept the best part of the day away.

Noticing Milton’s car in the driveway through the large windows, I wondered if he was getting ready for a business trip. Usually he only came home during the day if he had to pack to fly off somewhere. Quite often he had to jet off to one of his branches to sort out the crisis of the day.

If Milton was going away, I wanted to at least say goodbye. Instead of heading for the kitchen, I made a left turn to his study. As I drew closer, I heard his voice booming down the hallway.

“For the love of God, I can’t understand why you want to be a doctor when you can be my right hand man. Who would turn down the opportunity to run a billion dollar business?”

As I drew closer, Grayson’s voice traveled toward me, sounding uncharacteristically loud.

“Uh . . . that would be me.”

Oh shit. Not this argument again. I didn’t know if there would ever be a happy solution to their ongoing feud. It was hard for me to hear because I really cared for my stepdad, but I completely understood where Grayson was coming from. If I’d been forced into a career I loathed I’d be equally as resentful.

I froze just outside the doorway. It felt rude to just walk in on them and I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help overhearing their conversation. Grayson had already told me parts of the arguments, but they usually didn’t make a scene in front of the family. Their clashes were kept private—even to my mother.

Milton’s grave tone of voice floated toward me.

“Grayson, you have until your twenty-fifth birthday to get your shit together. Then I’m bringing you in, like it or not. The deal I negotiated with your mother during our divorce has taken a heavy toll on our company. You should’ve been on the Board of Directors by now, learning the ropes. I don’t want to keep flying to the mines to sort every damn crisis out. I’m getting too old to deal with this crap.”

There was a long silence before Grayson cleared his throat.

“Obviously Mum understands where my passion lies, that’s why she negotiated the six year reprieve for me.” He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. “Going to London with her was the best thing I have ever done. I’ll never regret it.”

Milton’s voice was ominous. “Well that’s all changing in the next few weeks. And while you’re working on your future, I think it’s time you find yourself a pretty wife and settle down too.  A good wife is crucial to a successful man.”

“Are you being serious right now? First you’re forcing me into a career and now this? I’m not getting married—ever. I decided that a long time ago. Listening to you and Mum fight every night can have a bad effect on kids, you know.” Grayson sounded incredibly pissed off.

I didn’t know if I should be happy or upset about him never wanting to get married. At least I wouldn’t have to get a voodoo doll of his wife. But a part of me also felt sad that he thought like that.

“I really like that Sloane girl. She’s very pretty, intelligent and she comes from a great family. I think she’d be a perfect match.”

“Jesus, Dad, when did you get so bloody jaded? Getting married isn’t like a damn business deal.”

Milton snorted. “You wanna bet? Anyway, I invited Sloane to my birthday party in two weeks. I kind of implied that you’d be her date. I think the two of you’d make a perfect couple and she seems to be smitten with you. You have my blessing to pursue a relationship with her.”

Grayson let out a long hiss. “Dad, you’re taking this way too far. This is the twenty first century, I’ll choose who I date.”

“Stop being a stubborn asshole, Grayson. The girl is perfect marriage material. Don’t let her slip away. Bed her while she still has stars in her eyes.” Milton chuckled. “You don’t need me to teach you how to fuck a woman too, do you?”

“I’m not even answering that question,” Grayson huffed. “And I wish you’d stay the hell out of my personal life. Sometimes I wish I weren’t born a damn Forbes.”

“You don’t mean that—”

“You wanna bet?” Another snort.

I hated when they fought like this. They were two good men—if only they could get on the same page.

“Anyway, I have a damn plane to catch. Hopefully it’s the last time I’ll be doing this . . . next it will be you. But don’t disappoint the girl, bring her to my fiftieth party as your date. The sooner you marry her and produce heirs, the sooner you can settle down and take over Forbes International. I want to retire in five to ten years. I need you ready by then.”

A knife twisted deeper into my already splintered heart.

“If it will make you happy, I’ll bring Sloane because I don’t want to hurt her and you’ve already set this up. I agree that she’s an amazing woman and would be a great wife.”

I stumbled away from the doorway. I couldn’t listen to any more - not that I should’ve heard any of it. Learning that Milton wanted Sloane as his daughter-in-law should be good news, right? She was my best friend after all and Milton was right—she would be perfect as Grayson’s wife, but it hurt.

And then Grayson agreed. My heart ached so damn much that I had to rub at it with the back of my fist. He deserved the best and Sloane could give him everything he could possibly want.

Only, I could never watch the two of them together as man and wife. It would kill me slowly but surely watching Grayson with her and imagining them making love. I just couldn’t do it.