Golden Trail (The 'Burg #3)(193)

“You think that, Gabby, you haven’t been payin’ attention,” Layne said quietly as he moved to stand behind Rocky.

Gabby looked at him then her eyes moved to Rocky then down them both then back to Layne.

“Screw you,” she repeated, turned, walked out the door and disappeared down the stairs.

Rocky threw the door to and turned to look up at Layne.

“Last Sunday started a whole lot better,” she noted.

Layne looked into her eyes a beat that led into two.

Then he burst out laughing.

Rocky pressed into him, her hand going over his mouth, hissing, “Layne, she might hear you!”

“Don’t care,” Layne said from under her hand.

“I do, it’s mean!”

One of Layne’s arms went to span her waist, the other hand went to her wrist and he pulled hers away from his mouth and down then he pressed it against his chest.

“Live by the sword, die by the sword,” he muttered.

“She’s mother to your sons.”

“She’s a bitch.”

“Layne!”

“What?”

She stared at him then shook her head but didn’t answer.

It was, again, time to move on.

“All right, sweetcheeks, my guess is, we got about ten minutes before the next trauma. We can brush our teeth, make coffee and barricade the door with your couch or we can go back to bed. Your choice.”

“Can I suggest an alternate scenario where we barricade the door, start the coffee, go back to bed then brush our teeth and have a cup of joe?”

“That’ll take more than ten minutes.”

Her eyebrows went up, her body pressed closer and her arm wound around his waist. “Are you saying you aren’t up for the challenge?”

He dropped his head so his face was close to hers and whispered, “No, I’m sayin’ I’m hungry and I don’t like to be rushed when I eat.”

Her body melted full into his but it did this while she shivered.

“Bed it is, then,” she whispered back.

Layne grinned.

* * * * *

“Uh… Layne?” Rocky called hesitantly. She was sitting next to him while he drove her Mercedes, which, even though Astley got it for her, Layne had to admit was a sweet ride.

“Yeah, sweetcheeks,” Layne answered.

The next trauma hadn’t happened. In fact, he’d enjoyed Rocky, Rocky had enjoyed him, then she’d walked downstairs to start coffee, came back upstairs and joined him in the shower, they both enjoyed that then he sat on the counter in her kitchen while she made poached eggs on toast and hash browns and he kept sitting there, beside Rocky, when they ate poached eggs on toast and hash browns. Then Rocky had taken approximately half a year to blow out her hair and put on makeup while Layne called a variety of people to check on a variety of things and then they headed to his office.

He’d been unable to outfit her with a panic button the day before and he’d learned from Dave that Ernie was on duty listening to the bugs. He figured he should take his turn even though he wanted to do this about as much as he wanted to endure water torture but he might as well do it with Rocky hanging with him part of the time. She was going grocery shopping and had a few places to target for silent auction items for the charity gig but in between times she was going to hit the office. She’d be able to get him Mimi’s and lunch and he was pretty sure he could make out with her on his couch and still pay enough attention to the bugs to hear if anything was going down.

Though, the last part, he was only pretty sure about.

“Um… I’m not entirely certain how to say this,” she cut into his thoughts, still talking hesitantly. “But, I guess we’d get to this point eventually since you do have two sons and it would seem I’m going to be in your life for awhile.”

Layne didn’t know where she was heading with this but he still grinned at the windscreen and muttered, “Yeah, baby, you’re gonna be in my life for awhile.”

She was silent a moment then she said, “Okay, well then, um… she could have chosen a more diplomatic way to make her point but her point was valid.”

Layne was confused, therefore he asked, “Come again?”

“Gabrielle.”

Oh shit.

“Rocky –”

“Okay,” she said swiftly and he knew she’d turned to face him and a glance in her direction proved this true, “I’m in your life and they’re your sons so they’re in my life but that said, most of the time, promise, sweetheart, I won’t wade in unless you want me to but this time, I mean, I’ve seen Gabrielle around a lot over the years, with the boys, and it seems to me she’s a good Mom. Being a good Mom, regardless if Jasper is a boy or not, she probably worried about him last night just as much as Vi and Cal did about Keira. I know you’re a man and he’s your son, a boy, and you know how boys are so you won’t get this but I know she worried and,” she sucked in an audible breath, “you should have phoned her to let her know he was all right.”

“Sorry, were you not there a couple hours ago?” Layne asked.

“Yes, but –”

Layne talked over her. “I try to avoid communication with Gabrielle.”

“Well, I can see that too, but –”