His Sweet Revenge

Chapter 1.

I bring my knees up to my chest, hugging them. "When does he leave?"

"Next Friday. You can spend a few days with him if you like."

I chew on my cheek. "I'll think about it. Can I go to bed now?"

Grandma and Mom get up, their eyes pitiful and I wish I didn't have to see it. I don't even bother to brush my teeth or wash my face, I just slip under my sheets and let sleep take over.

— — —

Tuesday arrives sooner than I'd like it to. It's going to be odd having people here we're not used to. Well, for now it's only going to be Hale and his nephew, Grayson.

The rest of them will arrive closer to the wedding day.

"The guest room for Grayson is all ready to go," Grandpa tells my mom as she pulls her phone away from her ear. He proceeds to pour himself a cup of coffee. It's almost 8 and I wonder if it's a good idea for him to be drinking caffeine this late.

"Thanks, Dad," my mom smiles, starting to fold napkins. "Hale said they should be here any minute."

Grandma sets a few plates down on the table. It's just going to be us for dinner tonight. Hale, my mom, Grayson, Grandma, and Grandpa. Grandma suggested it be this way so that it's more personal. I think it's going to be nothing but awkward for me.

"You never told us if Liam is coming for the wedding,' Grandma says, setting a pot of rice down.

I shift uncomfortably on my feet. We broke up right before graduation but I told him he could still come if he wanted to. He hasn't gotten back to me yet.

"I don't know. He hasn't got back to me yet." My grandma and mom still hope the wedding will bring us back together.

"Don't worry, Layla, there are plenty of cute boys in Redwood. I'm sure you'll find a date with no problem in these seven weeks."

I roll my eyes and laugh. "I wouldn't count on it." She's not wrong, it is a fairly big town. But at this point I truly am considering flying solo seeing as how my relationship with Liam ended because he cheated on me, although nobody knows that.

I don't think I could go through that again. I should not have even invited him but my kind self does things sometimes I know I shouldn't. He might even pull through with the girl he cheated on me with, Hayley Marshall. That would be just fantastic.

The doorbell rings, my mom rushes excitedly to open it with a fat grin on her face. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever fall in love the way my mom has. It's like she's a giddy teenager all over again even after a whole year and a half of being together.

My grandparents and I follow my mom after allowing her to have a moment alone with her fiancé.

"There he is, our groom!" My grandpa beams, hugging Hale. Grandma follows suit.

"Layla!" Hale shouts, clearly ecstatic, before he sweeps me off the ground and spins me in his arms. I let out a shriek.

"Put her down, Hale," My mom chuckles.

He sets me back down and roughs up my hair, I swat his arm away. "How goes it, Darling?"

I shrug, fixing my hair. "Same old." At the same moment a suit case rolls through the door. Grayson looks slightly different compared to the last time I saw him, carrying two duffel bags in each hand. His hair is grown out longer than it was and when his eyes meet mine I can't help but notice the intensity behind them.

His blank expression tells no signs of any current mood he might be feeling. He doesn't smile when everyone greets him, bringing him in for a hug. His body remains stiff and solid and something tells me smiling is something he doesn't do very often.