Page 16 of Layla

“Easy there, honey,” Kirk said. “You’ll hurt yourself if you’re not careful.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m just so excited!”

She looked to see her husband’s face lit up with joy, a fact that warmed her heart.

Their brand-new home was amazing. It still smelled of fresh paint. The bedrooms had the scent of newly laid carpet, too.

And it was just for them.

“I can’t wait to set up my kitchen! My mixer will go there. I’ll make you some bread as soon as we get everything setup. Oh, and I’ll put the coffee machine there.” She pointed to a small granite-topped cabinet that was detached from the rest of the kitchen, across from the large island. “We can have a whole coffee bar with different flavors like vanilla and caramel that we and our guests can add. It’s going to be the best!”

“Whoa there, cutie. Just slow down. I’m glad you’re excited but we’ll get to all that. We have plenty of time. Right now, you might need to take it easy. You’ve had a lot of change these past few days. How about a nap?” Kirk grinned as if he knew the answer already.

“A nap? There’s no way I could sleep. I’m too amped up!” Layla said.

She almost added that she would of course take a nap if he told her to but didn’t get the chance as her phone buzzed. She fished it out of her jeans’ pocket and checked the screen. “Ooh. It’s Courtney.”

“Go on,” Kirk said.

He continued to watch her with a proud smile as she accepted the call.

“Hey! Oh my gosh, you’ve got to see the house. Maybe we can FaceTime so I can show you.” She left the kitchen, eager to walk in every room as she described it to her friend.

“Or,” she continued, “better yet, why don’t you just come for a visit?”

“You’re newlyweds,” Courtney said. “I don’t want to crash your place already. You’ve just been married like a day.”

“Oh yeah,” Layla said. “Well, you need to get down here soon. And you should see the mountains. You’d love it.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Courtney said, her voice sounding a bit grim.

“I know, you’re a city girl,” Layla said. “But trust me, it’s beautiful.”

“I’m not talking about the city versus the sticks, either. I’m talking about that whole Domestic Discipline thing.”

There was a moment of silence before Layla simply said, “Oh.”

“Look, I’m excited about your new house and all, but I just wanted to call and make sure you’re okay,” Courtney said.

“What do you mean? Like Kirk would hurt me? You still don’t get this, do you?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. But now that you’ve seen that community, are you sure you still want to live there? You uprooted your life and moved to the desert, Layla. That’s a big deal. And it’s a unique town, to say the least. I’m worried you’ll realize it’s not for you but won’t have the guts to say anything to Kirk.”

Layla gripped the phone more tightly. A flash of anger caused her jaw to tighten.

She wondered if Courtney thought of her as weak. Why ask? It would just create more drama.

“I have to go,” she simply said.

“Wait—”

“I’m busy unpacking.”

She ended the call, feeling guilty for it. She knew, though, that if she’d stayed on the line she would have reacted in anger, even more so than she had, saying something she’d later regret.

And now, just like that, that happy giddiness she’d felt had vanished. A weight settled atop her, pushing down on her shoulders and chest, causing her to take deep breaths.

“You okay?”

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