Read Chapter One of Layla and Zac’s story!
“It’s a fast wedding, that’s all I’m saying,” my sister said, picking up our coffees from the window and handing me mine. “They just got engaged.”
“Well, they wanted to do it before he left for deployment,” I replied with a shrug.
“But why, though?”
I pushed the door open and held it for her as we stepped onto Main Street, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the bright afternoon sun. “Why not? It’s not like they just met. Will and Aria have loved each other since they were practically kids.”
“Good point. I hate it when that whole insta-love thing happens in books. It’s so … I don’t know. Unrealistic, I guess.”
“You’re one to talk,” I teased, bumping her elbow.
“What are you talking about?”
“Um, hello? Beau?”
Lyndi’s eyes bulged, and she shook her head. “That is so not the same thing.”
“Why not? You met him and instantly fell in love.”
“Correction: I met him and was instantly attracted to him. Because he’s attractive.”
“I don’t see the difference.”
“Are you kidding? There’s a total difference. I don’t mind instant attraction, but I don’t buy it when the characters meet and instantly know they’ve met the right person. It takes me right out of the book.”
My sister was a total bookworm with a penchant for romance novels, and she equated most things in life to something she’d read. I’d lost count of how many books she’d devoured, but since we were both in our late twenties, it had to be in the thousands by now.
Personally, the last thing I wanted to escape into was a romantic story with a happily ever after. After losing what might have been my one shot at that, I was in no hurry to surround myself with examples of it.
I caught sight of the flower shop down the street and held up a finger as I thought about the sweet couple who owned it. “Ms. Hattie and Thatcher are a cute example of insta-love working out. They said they knew it was love from the first time their eyes met.”
“Yeah, well, there are outliers in everything. But you’re right, their story is really cute. I’d read it.” Lyndi sighed, holding her coffee in both hands as we walked toward Bluffton’s only bridal shop. “So, I wonder what Aria’s going to have us wear.”
“As long as it’s not lime green, I’m good.”
“Well, you pulled that awful dress off better than the other bridesmaids. Must be your dark hair. The poor maid of honor looked like a leprechaun.”
I snorted and shook my head, thinking back to my coworker’s wedding and the way her sister had cried when she’d put on the bright-green dress with her gorgeous red curls. I’d wondered if my coworker had done that on purpose or if she really loved the color so much she didn’t notice how unflattering it was on most of her bridal party.
“I liked the soft gold we wore in Shelby’s wedding,” I said. “But for some reason I see Aria choosing something darker.”
“You think?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why, but I’m picturing royal blue or deep purple.”
“Royal blue would be gorgeous. Especially if the guys wear their dress blues.”
“Yep.” I swallowed and nodded, annoyed by the image that popped into my mind of a certain Marine from my past. One that I’d like to forget. Unfortunately, once the image of Zac in his dress blues entered my mind, it was hard to get rid of it.
“I bet you’re right, though,” Lyndi continued. “You’re the expert in these things. How many weddings have you been in lately?”
“Six. This will be the seventh.”
“It’s like there’s something in the water.”
“No kidding.”
Beside me, Lyndi gasped. I looked up, eyes searching for whatever had caused that reaction. When my gaze landed on a man and a woman walking toward us with a little boy bouncing happily between them, my whole world stopped. My steps faltered slightly, and I gripped the paper cup as it started to fall from my grasp.
As if conjured right from my mind, there was Zac. Not in his dress blues, but no less handsome. I blinked, realizing it wasn’t just Zac walking toward me. There was also a woman. And a kid.
Pain lanced through my chest as our eyes met, his big brown ones wary as he searched mine. I briefly considered turning around and sprinting in the opposite direction, but we were supposed to meet Aria and Shelby at the bridal shop in five minutes. My world might be upside down, but it was Say Yes to the Dress day for one of my best friends, and I wasn’t about to miss it.
Maybe I could simply pass by them without saying anything? This wasn’t a surprise. It was a small town, and I’d known in advance he was going to move to Bluffton. I’d heard it from Ms. Hattie, who’d heard it from their leasing agent since he was renting the apartment above her flower shop. But even though living in the same small town meant we’d be bound to run into each other, that didn’t mean we needed to speak, did it?
“Layla, hey,” he said as he approached, one corner of his mouth lifting into a tentative smile.
Well, there went that idea. Lyndi and I came to a stop in front of the trio, and I took a deep breath. If only we’d gone straight to the shop instead of walking over for coffee first. Then I could have avoided this whole thing. I could have continued living in a dream world where Zac Miller didn’t exist. Zac Miller, my ex, and the very Marine I’d tried to banish from my mind moments before.
“Hi,” I replied stiffly.
I didn’t know where to look. I didn’t want the woman or child to see the turmoil going on within me, but making eye contact with Zac was out, too. It only made the ache in my chest even more pronounced. How was this pull toward him just as intense after three years of radio silence as it had been when he was mine?
Zac did a quick double take at Lyndi. “Oh hey, Lyndi. I didn’t recognize you with the new hair.”
“Ah, yeah,” she said, tucking a strand of her naturally brown hair behind her ear. “I got tired of the upkeep. Turns out fake blondes don’t have as much fun as real ones because they spend all their money at the salon.”
He laughed at her joke, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I knew she was only trying to ease the tension a bit, but I hated the way his familiar laugh sent a shock of warmth right through me.
The little boy next to him waved up at us. “Hi, I’m Grayson.”
Zac stiffened, and I looked closer at the boy for the first time. When his big brown eyes met mine, my heart actually stopped beating. Wait. I’d assumed the woman and child were Zac’s new girlfriend and her kid, which would have been bad enough. But as I studied the boy’s face, the way his nose and the shape of his brow resembled Zac’s so closely, my head spun.
Could this be real? Was this really happening? I turned to the woman, then looked up at Zac, then down at Grayson again. Next to me, Lyndi’s head followed a similar course. She was clearly putting the same thing together. The boy resembled both of them. Not just her. Not just him. And since this kid was definitely older than three, that meant he’d existed before Zac and I had broken up.
Ice flooded my veins as I thought about what that meant, and I bent forward slightly so I was on eye level with the boy. It took every ounce of strength I had, but I smiled. And it was a real smile, too, because I wasn’t a monster. I might hate the man holding his hand because he’d apparently had a whole family I didn’t know about while we were dating, but that wasn’t Grayson’s fault. “Hey, Grayson. I’m Layla.”
I could feel Zac’s eyes on me, but I didn’t look up at him. I was too focused on this adorable little human who smiled brightly at me. And it was a good thing, too, because his genuine innocence and the fact that I had no intention of being rude to a child were the only things keeping me from losing it on Zac.
“We’re going to the market,” Grayson said. “We need provisions.”
“Provisions, huh? What kind of provisions?” I asked.
“Oh, you know, Goldfish, Cheez-Its, fruit snacks, Sour Patch Kids. The usual.” Grayson shrugged, beaming up at Zac. “Right, Dad?”
The woman beside them stifled a laugh, but I couldn’t look at her. It was too much. Sure, it would have been better of me to do anything other than pretend she wasn’t standing there, but unfortunately, I wasn’t that strong.
Zac ruffled Grayson’s hair. “I swear I feed him fruits and vegetables, too.”
“Not many,” Grayson said, wrinkling his nose. “I only like a few fruits and vegetables. My dad says I’m picky.”
“Gray, you’re making me look bad.” Zac let out a nervous laugh and squeezed his son against his side.
I ignored his comment, charmed by the boy, but still annoyed with the man. “How old are you, Grayson?”
He lifted his shoulders and stood taller. “Six.”
“Six, huh?” My gaze flicked up to Zac’s. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but I held up my hand and straightened, smiling down at Grayson again. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Grayson. I hope you have fun at the market.”
“It was nice to meet you, too,” he said with a grin.
“Layla, let me explain—”
I turned to Lyndi, ignoring whatever Zac was about to say. “Ready?”
“Yep.”
Arm in arm, my sister and I walked around them, and dang it if the whiff of his familiar cologne didn’t send my pulse racing as I passed. It made my stomach turn, and the latte in my hand suddenly seemed like a bad idea. I dropped it in a nearby trash can without a second thought.
When we were far enough away, I hissed out a breath. “I have no words.”
“Yep.”
“I mean, can you even believe that?”
“Nope,” Lyndi replied, looking quickly over her shoulder.
“Seriously, the man has a six-year-old son I didn’t know about? How is that possible?”
“And why didn’t he introduce his baby mama?” Lyndi wondered. “She looked just like him. He has to be hers. But it was like Zac forgot she was standing there.”
I frowned, realizing she was right. I was focused on not looking at her because I didn’t want her to see my heart break right before her eyes. I didn’t even notice Zac had completely ignored her, too.
“Maybe he was about to before we walked away,” Lyndi said when I didn’t reply.
“Well then, I guess I’m glad we left.”
We reached the bridal shop, and Lyndi grabbed the door for us. When we stepped inside, Aria and Shelby were already there waiting for us to arrive. Aria stood from the plush leather couch she’d been sitting on and let out a squeal, clapping her hands. Lyndi and I returned her tight hug and rocked back and forth with her, and I did my best to put what had just happened out of my mind. This was Aria’s special moment. I didn’t want to ruin it with my Zac drama.
“Guys,” Lyndi said when we stepped back, eyes wide as she stared between Aria and Shelby. “Guess who we saw outside?”
I sighed. “Lyn.”
“Oh, please, they’d wanna know.”
Shelby came closer, looking concerned. “Know what?”
“Who was it?” Aria asked.
“Zac,” Lyndi said. “And he wasn’t alone. He had a woman and a kid with him.”
All eyes turned to me, and Aria was the first to speak. “Yikes, so I guess he’s really living here, then?”
“Apparently,” I replied. Then I took her hands in mine, giving them a squeeze. “But listen, Aria, this is your day. Let’s not talk about Zac. Let’s focus on fun stuff, like what you want us to wear and finding your own perfect dress. We can talk about Zac later.”
Aria snorted while the other two rolled their eyes. “Uh, fat chance, friend. We’re talking about Zac first. We still have a few minutes until my appointment, and I need to know the details. So, he’s got a new girlfriend, and she’s got a kid? I thought he was adamant about not having kids? At least for a while, anyway.”
“He was,” I said in a small voice. “But maybe that was just with me.”
“The kid is definitely his. You don’t need to take him on Maury to know the results of that paternity test. He was like a little Zac 2.0,” Lyndi said.
“Oh, man.” Aria’s eyes drooped at the edges as she looked at me. “I’m so sorry, friend.”
“But get this. He was also too old for Zac to have had him since they broke up,” Lyndi whispered, looking over her shoulder as if they’d somehow magically appear in the shop to overhear us.
Shelby almost choked on the sip of water she’d taken from her ever-present Hydro Flask. “Whoa. Wait, back up. That would mean he’d been a dad when you knew him? Does that mean—”
I shook my head. “Grayson said he was six, so I guess it would have happened before Zac and I met, if my math is right. But still, how could he not tell me he was a dad? How could he tell me he didn’t want kids when he already had one?”
Biting my lip, I tried to remember any clues about this from when we were dating. Was it really possible that he’d been able to keep his son’s existence from me, given how close we were? Especially if he had any kind of meaningful relationship with the kid or his mom.
Then again, it wasn’t like we spent every waking minute together. He’d been a Marine stationed at the nearby base in Beaufort, and I was a high school English teacher. There was plenty of time during the day for him to have connected with his son over FaceTime or on the phone. In fact, he’d gone away with the military multiple times during our two years together. Any one of those trips could have been a cover for going to see his son.
“Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. What did he actually tell you?” Aria asked.
I looked over at Lyndi, who wrinkled her nose. Turning back to my friends, I heaved out a breath. “Not much. I guess I didn’t really give him a chance to tell me anything. I was too freaked out.”
“Well then, you’ll need to start there,” Aria advised. “You don’t know the story. You only know what you’re putting together on your own.”
She was right. I knew she was right. But that didn’t make me feel any better. The idea of sitting down with Zac so he could confirm all these suspicions made me physically sick.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to respond to that because a bridal consultant in a fitted black pantsuit strode toward us with a wide smile on her face. “Who’s ready to go dress shopping?”
Aria shot me one more apologetic look and then turned to the woman, a megawatt smile on her face as she raised her hand. “Me!”
“Let’s do it,” the consultant said, waving us over.
Shelby followed after Aria, but Lyndi grabbed my arm before I could do the same. “Lay, wait.”
“What?”
“Aria’s right. You should talk to Zac. Get the whole story. At the very least, maybe hearing him say it will give you the closure you haven’t been able to get for the last three years.”
I fought the lump in my throat and gave her a small smile. “We’ll see. Let’s just try to enjoy today first.”
“Layla, Lyndi,” Aria called from the row of colorful bridesmaid dresses. “What do you think of royal blue for the wedding party?” Lyndi and I shared a knowing smile, then I faced the bride and grinned wider. “I think that would be perfect.”
Click here to get your copy of The Bridesmaid! Layla definitely needs the full story…
