Page 152 of Love Bleeds Red
I realize if the two of them ever got together the world may not survive the chaos.
When our food arrives—grilled cheese and tomato soup for me, just like I wanted— I take a moment to look around the table. My parents are deep in conversation with Damon about something random. Jasper is making Ashley laugh with some ridiculous Jasper story. Blake and Falin have their heads together, quietly talking. Leon is eating his sandwich but watching me with that careful expression he can’t help but have.
And Layne… she’s studying me over the rim of her coffee cup.
“What is it?” I ask her.
“Nothing, just...” She tilts her head. “I’m so happy you’re okay. Sorry, I know I must look like a sap, but losing you that way…it was hard.”
“I know.” I drop my sandwich and reach for her hand. “I’m okay… or at least I will be. I promise.”
“I’m sorry for leaving you alone,” she says quietly. “That night, at the club. It was my fault.”
“Layne. You know that’s not true.”
She shakes her head and hides her face in her coffee cup. “I can’t stop blaming myself.”
“Hey,” I say, squeezing Layne’s hand tighter. “Look at me.”
She reluctantly meets my eyes, and I can see all the guilt she’s been carrying clear as day.
“What happened to me was not your fault. You were having fun. I chose to leave on my own.” I lean closer, lowering my voice. “The only people responsible for what happened are the monsters who took me. Not you. Never you.”
Her eyes fill with tears again. “But if I left with you?—”
“They would have taken both of us. Or they would have waited for another opportunity. These weren’t random guys, Layne. They were hunting. It was planned.” I take a shaky breath and images of Jasmine in that hotel room flicker in my mind. “If anything, I’m glad you weren’t there. I’m glad you’re safe.”
She swipes at her cheeks with her free hand and nods. My words may not have sunk in yet, but I hope she believes them. I know I do.
Layne dabs her eyes with a napkin and gazes around the table. “Your family’s pretty amazing. I mean, your actual family was always great, but this whole crew...” She nods toward Leon, who’s now deep in some animated conversation with Jasper about motorcycles. “They really love you.”
“Yeah,” I say, feeling warmth spread throughout my limbs. “They do.”
“And Leon,” she adds with a smile, “definitely worships the ground you walk on. Every time you so much as shift in your chair, his eyes track you to make sure you’re okay.”
I glance at him and like clockwork, even while talking to Jasper, he’s keeping half his attention on me. When he catches me looking, he gives me a soft smile that makes me melt.
“He’s pretty great,” I admit.
“Pretty great?” Layne scoffs. “Bailey, that man would burn the world down for you. I can see it in his eyes.”
“He kind of already did,” I whisper.
Layne goes back to eating, getting sucked into conversation with Ashley and Blake. Leon’s hand rests purposefully on my thigh. A gesture to show he’s here even as we chat with other people.
No one brings up the testimony, and for that I’m grateful. I want to put it behind me, as much as I know it’ll always be there like a wound that will never fully heal.
I look around at this weird, wonderful collection of people—my parents who never gave up hope, my brother who searched for me relentlessly, his girlfriend who’s become like a sister, Damon and Blake who risked everything to help find me, Leon who literally saved my life in every way that matters, Lizet who helped me find my voice again, and my college friends who drove hours just to be here for me.
Leon catches my eye. “Everything alright, love?”
I nod and rest my head on his shoulder. “Everything is great.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
BAILEY
So the testimony went well. It helped that everyone was there for me. I felt stronger with their support. And knowing I wasn’t just speaking for myself, but for others still out there. That was huge.
