Page 91 of The Layover

So I won’t leave again.

The thought was brief, but enough to make me wince. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Diego pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around my waist, leaving me facing Raul.

“Now that the frantic need to fuck feeling is faded a little,” Raul said, “we need details. What’s going on? What changed? How’d we get so lucky to keep you?”

I barely remembered what I’d already told them, so I might as well start somewhere near the beginning. “The partners have been talking for a while about opening a European branch. They’ve offered me a position helping to bring it up to speed, and then staying on. I’ll still be doing appraisals all over the world, though not nearly as many, and this will be my new home base.”

“I like the sound of that.” Diego traced a lazy thumb in circles on my hip.

Raul brushed my hair off my forehead. “Same.”

“Me three. Obviously.”

We talked for hours about everything and nothing. It was as if I’d always been here, but the aches inside, the fear that nearly made me surrender this, reminded me not to take it for granted. I was so fucking lucky to have found this.

I woke up the next morning to a distant shout of, “Daddy. Daddy. Carly.”

Eloise was home. I didn’t remember a day I’d ever been happy to wake up to a screaming child, but this morning her happy yells were musical.

Raul groaned and pushed himself upright. “I’ll go take care of her and say hi to Mom.” He gave us both quick kisses, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, pulled on a pair of sweats, and wandered from the room.

Diego brushed his lips over my shoulder. “This is morning at our house. Still up for spending more time with us?”

“You bet your ass I am.”

He sat up and pulled me with him. “You probably need clothes, though.”

Right. That seemed reasonable. “I could put the dress back on. Eloise liked it.”

“Eloise loved it,” Diego said. “But do you want to be wearing that all morning?”

Probably not. “What do you suggest?”

Climbing from the bed, Diego padded to the walk-in closet in the far wall, and vanished inside. A moment later he returned with a pair of boxers, a button-down shirt, and a belt.

His shirt hung halfway down to my knees, making it long enough to cover the boxers. I belted it all in place and checked myself in the full-length mirror. “I’d be a hit on Paris runways, I’m sure of it.”

He gripped my hips from behind. “They can’t have you.”

Fair enough.

Diego dressed as well, and we headed into the living room. Raul’s mother was already gone—he said she’d had places to be.

The instant Eloise saw me, she ran up to me and gave me a tight hug. I squeezed her back, relishing the ping in my chest.

“Hey. I don’t get one of those?” Diego sounded mock-offended.

Eloise rolled her eyes. “I see you every day, Daddy. It’s not a big deal.”

Ouch.

“Don’t feel too bad. I didn’t get one either,” Raul said.

The huff Eloise let out was Oscar worthy. “Fine. Hugs for Daddies.” She was smiling despite the theatrics, and gave each of them a tight hug.

This was such an incredible feeling. I’d had this kind of closeness with my brother and sister, with our parents, when we were younger. The dynamic was different, but the feeling of love in the air was so similar. But we’d all grown up, gone our separate ways…

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