AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I feel better now that I’ve settled somewhere. If Marcus hadn’t offered me his place, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“Hold up. Marcus offered his place? The place you’re staying is his house?”
“Yes.”
“You’re living with Marcus?” Lyla looked stunned.
“No, he lives at the casino. He offered me his place since it was a risk to stay with Mom and Marv, and I loved the house.”
“Buttechnicallyyou’re living together.”
“He’s been there once this whole week.”
“But you two have stayed under the same roof?”
“For one night.”
Lyla stared at her for a full minute before she smiled so huge, it must hurt her cheeks. She clapped her hands together and did a little jig. “My day just perked up.”
“Because I’m banging Marcus and staying in his place?”
“I’m happy becauseyou’rehappy to be banging Marcus and living with him. I never would’ve thought … and now you are! I love Marcus. I love that you two are together … I mean, are friends with benefits. I don’t have to worry about you because he’ll take care of you.”
“I don’t need to be taken care of.”
“We all need someone to watch out for us,” Lyla said and took Nora from her. She put the baby on her hip. Mother and daughter stared at her with identical silver blue eyes. If Gavin had more daughters who looked like Lyla, he would definitely become more psycho when they grew up.
A happy yip made her look at the dogs who were running to their heart’s content. “I’ll take them both.”
Lyla stiffened. “Excuse me?”
“I’ll take Beau and Honey.”
“You can’t take Beau. He’s mine.”
“But Honey needs him.”
“ThenIwill take both of them.”
“But I just got her.”
“And she wasn’t happy. You can adopt another dog.”
“You’re gonna take my dog?” she asked, outraged.
Lyla glared at her. “You bring something into my house, they’re fair game. Isn’t that the Pyre way? Claim what I want?”
“Gavin’s not a crime lord anymore.”
“So?”
“Fine. You can have Honey. It’s just … I was hoping I would be the one to help her.”
“You did. You found her the right family. I was thinking about finding Beau a friend anyway, so this is perfect.”
Carmen drove across town as the sun began to set. Honey picked a new home, and it wasn’t with her. Her fantasies of going on the road with Honey in the passenger seat disappeared in a puff of smoke. Lyla was right. It was best for Beau and Honey to be together, but she had been looking forward to having a companion. This was just another thing that didn’t pan out. She parked in the garage, walked in the house, and paused to take it all in.
Her style had always been over the top, bold, and a mishmash of different elements. Nothing had changed. Pops of color meshed with metallic gold or white. Each room made a statement and was filled with knickknacks from her travels, one-of-a-kind art, and love. Marcus didn’t know it, but his house held a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of art. She wasn’t about to tell him that since he would probably freak out. Art wasn’t supposed to be admired but experienced. She was having a painter come by next week to paint a wall mural of the ocean in his office. Maybe if Marcus saw it enough, he’d feel the urge to see it in person.
