She’s my life.
Now that we live together, I wanted to do more conventional things. Normal couples introduce each other to their families. Unfortunately, my family is atypical. Instead of welcoming her, they behaved like vultures trying to pick the insides of a dying animal in the middle of the desert.
Leyla is feisty, so there was no devouring. They hate her because her hot comebacks made them look like fools.
It shouldn’t surprise me that no one welcomed Leyla. The Bryants are, after all, rich, pompous assholes who think they are above everyone. That’s the way Leyla described them. Unfortunately, she’s not wrong. I’m glad she’ll never meet the Aldridges. They are worse.
Mom…well, I’m disappointed in her. She was just as nasty. So much for trying to show my woman that I’m committed to her. I’m disappointed in Mom. She was rude and offensive. I warned her that the next time she behaved like that with Leyla, we’d have a problem. She suggested not bringing my new toy to any family events if I wanted to avoid another unpleasant situation between them.
Needless to say, I’ve skipped many family gatherings, including my grandparents’ anniversary and my cousin Eddy’s thirty-fifth birthday. Everyone is pissed at me, but I don’t give a shit. It’s not like they miss me. I avoid family reunions most of the time. This new need to have me around is just to push me to break up with Leyla. Good luck with that.
I keep my family and my work separate from my life with Leyla. I love her, but I don’t know how long this is going to last. Is it worth it to try to make my family accept her?
Do I want this to last? Yes, but we Bryants are pretty bad at keeping relationships. Aldridges are even worse. There’s very little hope that this might last long.
Adding the factor that Leyla and I are pretty messed up, our chances to have a stable relationship are slim. My conclusion sounds pitiful. I should try to fix myself instead of gathering excuses to justify my future without her.
Leyla has been going to therapy for years. She practices meditation to help with her anxiety. In other words, she’s trying to put herself together. I admire her determination. If my father had done what her father did, I’d be devastated.
Her fear of being like her parents is familiar, though. I’ve done a lot of things to avoid ending up like my father. I don’t know the first thing about fixing myself. If things continue working well between us, I might try to find a way to be a better person. The past nine months with her have been incredible, but nothing lasts forever. Does it?
At the beginning of May, a big blizzard shuts down the city. Leyla stays at the animal hospital for a couple of days since they can’t close it. She’s the only one who lives relatively close by, and they are an emergency hospital. It’s Saturday morning when my phone rings. I grin when I see her beautiful face on the screen.
I glide my finger along the screen to answer her call. “Ready to come home, babe?”
“Almost,” she confirms. “I heard the transportation department just started cleaning the roads. They are icy and snow packed.”
“I can pick you up,” I offer.
“Actually, I was calling because I have a patient. She’s a puppy only a couple of days old,” she states. “I’m not sure if she’s going to make it.”
“You’ve been working for two straight days. Have you slept at all?” I question.
“A couple of cat naps here and there,” she lies.
“You need to come home, Ley. I’m sorry about the puppy.” I am also worried because it kills her when she has to put an animal down or when they die on her watch.
“Actually,” her voice drops to a whisper.
“No,” I answer. “You’re not bringing a puppy home.”
“Please, I just want to be with her when she… She just needs a little love,” she insists.
“Oh, hell,” I grunt. “I’m going to regret this. I’ll be there within an hour to pick up you and the pup. Be ready.”
“I love you, big guy.”
“Love you more, Ley.”
It takes me almost an hour to arrive at the hospital. The roads are packed with snow, and there are several cars stranded. The first thing I notice when I see Leyla is her swollen eyes. The second is the boxes around her. The third is the bundle she carries.
“What is all that?” I point at the stuff around her.
“The equipment I need,” she simplifies.
Oh fuck! She’s planning on doing more than just care for the pup until she dies. She’s going to try to save her.
Dan comes out and hands her a credit card. “Here. I can’t believe he didn’t give you the employee discount.”
“It’s fine,” Leyla sniffs.
“Did they fire you?” I ask, picking up two of the boxes and wanting to go inside and yell at the asshole who pretends to run this place.
She’s days away from finishing the internship.
“No,” she answers.
“Then what happened?”
“She lost six puppies and the mom,” Dan answers for her, handing me her backpack. “If I were you, I’d buy her those marshmallows covered with chocolate she loves.”
I don’t tell him that she loves everything covered in chocolate and that I have plenty of that stocked in the fridge and the pantry. Some days her dinner consists of yogurt, fruit, and chocolate.
I finish getting everything in the trunk. Once we arrive home, I finally ask, “What is the plan?”
She sighs, setting the pup into a crate filled with blankets, “I want to try to save her, but it might be pointless.”
“We’re nothing but persistent,” I remind her. “We’ll do the best we can, okay?”
She nods.
“But first, you’re going to take a nap,” I suggest. “Then, we’ll make a game plan.”
“Can you watch over her while I’m sleeping?” She yawns.
I grab her to me, pressing my mouth onto hers. My tongue slides easily along the seam of her lips, darting inside her. Her fingers thread through my hair. She’s as hungry as I am. I know she’s bone tired and I have to stop now. When I try to break the kiss she doesn’t allow me to do it. She’s devouring me. Fuck if I don’t want her desperately, but I know we have to stop.
“Love you,” I whisper. “Tell me what to do with the little girl and then you’re going to sleep. We can finish this once you’re rested.”
I won’t lie. I need more of her, but I can wait.
“You’re the best person in the world,” she states, giving me a big hug.
I’m not, but for her, I would do just about anything.
There’s a lot about me that she doesn’t know, and I prefer to keep it that way. I like the version of who I am with her. What’s the point of showing that I can be an asshole who doesn’t give two shits about others?
“Only for you.” I wink at her, bend my head down and kiss the fuck out of her because I’ve missed her so much.
“I promise to make it up to you later,” she says after our long, deep kiss. “Let me tell you what she needs.”
As she explains how to care for the pup, I pray that the little thing doesn’t die before Leyla takes charge.