Ever After Awaits (Layla) novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Cade POV

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I’m waiting with an iced coffee in one hand and a dainty dandelion in the other, as I shift my weight from one foot to the other outside the building that houses the lecture hall of her last class. The

campus courtyard is quieter than usual, with the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the

concrete pathways and tree–lined walkways. Students trickle past me, most of them lost in conversation with others, or listening to something via their earbuds, as they head into the weekend without a clue how heavy some people’s weeks have been.

But I know. I know exactly how heavy hers was. And if I have anything to do with it, she won’t be carrying it into tonight.

The building’s doors finally open, and her classmates begin to spill out. But I spot her almost immediately.

Layla walks out into the sunlight, blinking like she hasn’t seen it in days. Her bag’s slung over her one shoulder, and even though her steps are a little slower than usual, she’s still standing. That alone makes my chest tighten with something fierce and protective. She lifts her head towards the courtyard behind me, not expecting anyone, but then her gaze almost immediately lands on me.

I grin and hold up the dandelion like a peace offering when she gets closer. “Sunshine. You survived your Friday classes. I’m impressed. Now I’m kidnapping you. Again. And you have no say in the

matter.”

She blinks, then chuckles softly and walks the last few feet over to me, her eyes already getting that soft look I live for. When she reaches me, I tuck the flower behind her ear and hand her her drink.

I wait until she takes a sip of her coffee–because priorities–and then motion with my head toward the parking lot.

She raises an eyebrow and then asks with a slight smile, “Where are we going?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know. Now come on, I’ve got plans,” I say, then take her hand, intertwine our fingers, and guide her to my truck. Once we reach it, I hold the passenger door open for her with a dramatic bow. “Milady.”

With a light giggle, she slips into her seat, buckling herself up as I close the door behind her and jog over to the driver’s side door. In the truck, she kicks off her shoes and tucks her legs up underneath her on the seat like she always does. I reach over to adjust the music, and the familiar thrum of something upbeat and nostalgic fills the cab. It’s easy. It’s us.

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Chapter 121: Cade POV

About five minutes into the drive, she pipes up. “Where are you taking me?”

With a mischievous grin, I answer, “It’s somewhere totally illegal. Yet very charming. I promise there’ll be snacks, glitter, and something that might be cotton candy but also might be insulation. foam. We’ll find out together.” I add a wink for good measure.

With an eyeroll so dramatic that it might just have her going blind, she deadpans, “You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet,” I say as I boop her on her cute little nose, “you’re still with me. Fascinating.”

Then I drive us through town, past storefronts and lively sidewalk cafés. Layla asks no further questions as she sips her drink and leans her elbow on the window frame, while the wind blowing in through her open window tangles her hair. I sneak glances at her every chance I get. Not in a creepy way (okay, maybe a little) but she’s too damn beautiful in moments like these. So soft and undone and not carrying the weight of the world for just a second.

Twenty minutes later, I pull into the gravel lot of the pop–up carnival on the edge of town.

Layla sits up straighter, her eyes going wide. “You didn’t.”

I grin, cutting the engine. “I did. It just opened this morning. Rides, fried things, rigged games. It practically screams poor decisions. And I know how much you love those.”

She gives me a look that could melt steel, grabs her door handle, and giddily gets out as she throws over her shoulder at me, “Let’s go, slowpoke.”

The air around us smells like sugar and grease and childhood memories. Bright lights blink against the early evening sky as we walk through the gates. Music is blaring, people are laughing, and somewhere a kid screams in the delighted way that only happens on spinning teacups or Ferris wheels. And Layla? She slides her hand into mine without a word.

And just like that, the week shrinks behind us.

We don’t talk about lawsuits. Or parents. Or court dates. Or legal documents. We just laugh. We try to win goldfish that neither of us can keep. We eat something that might have been a funnel cake once. I get powdered sugar in my scruff, and she makes fun of me until she has it on her nose, too.

She talks me into trying deep–fried Oreos, then immediately regrets it and hands me the rest. I eat them anyway because she’s watching and laughing, and I’d probably eat a shoe if it meant seeing her like this. We split a lemonade so sour it makes her scrunch up her whole face–and I swear I’ll bottle

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Chapter 121: Cade POV

that expression and keep it forever if I could.

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We compete in every booth like something’s on the line. Everything from balloon darts, and ring toss, to knocking down milk bottles. She cheers when I miss by a mile, then gasps like it’s a national victory when she nails a shot. I tell her the games are rigged, and she replies by telling me to aim with my heart. It sounds ridiculous, but for some reason, I try it. And it actually works.

And when we reach the Ferris wheel, I pull two tickets from my back pocket and hand one to her. “End–of–the–night ride?” I ask with a raised brow.

She nods, and for the first time all week, she looks entirely weightless.

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