Extended Epilogue - Red Flags & Broken Hearts
Red Flags & Broken Hearts
Extended Epilogue
Fifteen years later.
Lexie
My little Layla graduated from high school today, and my house is party central.
I feel like I blinked, and my little precocious ray of sunshine and sweetness is a woman, or at least looks and acts like a woman, and it’s a scary thing as a mom.
She has long blonde wavy hair that cascades almost to her bottom and her daddy’s deep blue eyes. Her smile is as contagious as her personality and she has the body of a woman, the mind, and determination of a woman, but the heart of a child.
She is prepared to be a grownup in so many ways, but her heart is soft, sweet and delicate. Too much pressure and that little heart will fracture and we will be picking up the pieces for a long time.
Layla is beautiful inside and out, attracting attention from everyone. Boys lose all train of thought when she smiles at them and girls flock to be her best friend. She has the men of this family wrapped around her little finger and her younger siblings, Caleb, now fifteen and the baby of the family Olivia, who is teetering closer to her teenage years soon but is presently only twelve, adore their big sister.
Luke is a wreck that his little girl is getting older and I think when she leaves for college at the end of summer, I may have to book the man in for some serious therapy.
She is such a daddy’s girl, but he is quickly learning that certain aspects of her life are off limits to him now. It’s a tough place to be as a daddy and I feel for him.
Layla and I, well, we are super close. Sometimes I wonder if I have blurred the lines between parent and friend too much with Layla as there is no topic off limits and I have to bite my tongue more than I would like but I value her honesty with me and I never want that to change.
Her honesty is why, while others prepare for her party, she and I are in her locked room, and I hold her as she cries.
My little Layla is in love, overwhelming, powerful and all-consuming love, and it’s unrequited, unconventional and a big secret from everyone in the world except for me.
Keeping secrets from my husband is not something I do, and it’s not something I am proud of, but it’s necessary on this occasion and honestly, I am unsure how my family would react if they knew about Layla’s feelings.
The man she is in love with is attending the party and he is bringing his girlfriend, a woman he has been dating for six months and a woman he has hinted that he is getting more serious with. He does not know that Layla has these feelings, and he treats her like a little sister, because that’s what she is.
Yes, that’s right. My almost eighteen-year-old daughter is in love with the boy I brought into our home and became guardian of fifteen years ago. That boy is now a man. He is thirty years old, a VP at Luke’s company and, for all intents and purposes, he is our son and her brother.
“I’m sorry Mom, I am sorry that I am so childish, I’m sorry I am ruining the party,” I just shake my head lightly and run my hands up and down her back
“Layla, sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry for. You can’t control who you have feelings for, and I think you are suffering enough without the guilt of letting anyone down or ruining anything.” She sniffles onto my shoulder and lifts her head to look up at me.
“I don’t know how not to feel this way mom, I wish I could turn it off but I can’t, and it makes me want to run a million miles away so I don’t need to see him, need to see them and watch it all.”
As much as it breaks my heart to admit it, I think as soon as she can, my daughter is going to leave. She is going to pick a college as far away from here as possible and never come home as it’s too hard for her. I only hope that she falls in love with someone else once she is ready and realises that what she feels for Mikey was nothing more than puppy love.
My fear, however, is that this is very real for Layla and she may love no one as much as loves Mikey, which is heartbreaking for all of us as she will leave us all to protect her heart and I will undoubtedly help her.
“You just have to get through today, baby, and then he will go back to the city, back to work and his own apartment. I don’t think he will bring her around too often and you know he only visits once a week now. If it helps, I will make your excuses on the days he visits, with daddy too.”
Her eyes, so big and full of tears, settle on mine.
“Really mom, you would lie to dad and everyone?” I nod at her and smile.
“Layla, I will protect your heart and soul with mine. I am your mother and you have a broken heart. If you had broken your leg, your arm. I would do everything, get you the best care, but I can’t mend your heart with hospital visits and surgeries. Just with love, care, and patience. I will do anything I can to make this easier for you, sweetheart.”
A few hours later, the party is in full swing, and Layla is smiling, albeit there is still pain in her eyes and apprehension throughout her body as she watches the front door every few minutes, waiting for Mikey to appear.
“What’s wrong with Layla?” Luke catches me by surprise with his soft words in my ear as he wraps an arm around my middle and pulls me into him.
“What do you mean? She is fine. She looks so pretty and is having a great time with her friends.”
I hate lying to my husband, but this is one time where I am protecting both him and Layla by keeping the truth from him. He will not understand this and will look for ways to fix it, someone to blame, and there is no blame to be had. Mikey has done nothing but love Layla and be kind to her. He has not encouraged her feelings for him. In truth, he does not know she feels this way and would be utterly devastated if he knew he was in any way responsible for her feeling pain.
“You are lying to me, my angel” his words were harsh, but his tone was not.
Luke has never been angry at me for a day in our lives together. Frustrated, confused, perplexed, even hurt, but anger has ever entered his words, his tone, or his manner as it’s just not who he is.
Even when the kids are acting up, he talks, he lectures, and he disciplines, but he never shouts and never shows anger. It’s just not in him to express himself that way with those that he loves, and I love him even more for it.
“However, if you are keeping something from me, then I know you will have your reasons and I trust that when you can, you will come to me.” I turn to face him and instead of answering him, I just kiss him gently on the lips and nod. He smiles that beautiful smile and I swear butterflies take flight inside me.
This man has been in my life for twenty-four years and still makes me feel everything and more.
His kisses make my toes curl, his words soothe my soul, and his touch still sets my body alight.
We have the kind of love they write about in movies, the kind of love they sing songs about and the kind of love that never fades, never loses hope, and never ends.
“Just tell me she is okay, and I won’t ask anything else.” I wish I could tell him that, but I can’t.
“She is struggling with her feelings and emotions. I have it under control for now though, and we have talked at length over and over about it. I need you to be prepared, though.” The next few words will hurt him, but I hope I am preparing him for the future.
“She won’t stay like Matthew, Luke. She is going to go the minute she can, and I don’t think she will come back. At least, not very often.” I see pain cross his features before he can steal himself, and then he nods gently and leans forward to peck me on the lips.
“She will always come back home, or we will go to her. I will retire early, and we can spend our lives following our children around the world.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me and we both chuckle as there is truth in his words. If he thought he could actually get away with it, he would put trackers on all our children and me.
Thankfully, our lives have been free of danger and sadness for fifteen years and there is no-one out to harm us or cause us pain.
When I ended Jason’s life, I freed us from the fear of him hurting our family and the weight that lifted from Luke and me was immense. Unfortunately, it’s hard to rewire your brain when it has been in protection mode for so long and I think part of Luke will always be afraid.
That part is much smaller now, much healthier, but I see it in moments when we have to spend time apart or I don’t answer his calls. Panic sets in and he takes time to remember that we are all safe. That the threat is gone and is never coming back.
“Well, we have at least the summer to enjoy her, to spoil her and teach her. Then we will have to concentrate all our attention on the littles."
I wasn’t as keen to have a fourth child as Luke was; however, they had all missed out on a lot of the journey when I was pregnant with Caleb and I think I was worried that it would forever be a negative memory. Having little Olivia was like adding icing on your cupcake. We didn’t know we would need the icing and the cupcake would have been edible without the icing, but it was so much better with it. Life was definitely sweeter with our Olivia.
She and Layla could not be more different. Layla is my social butterfly, my wiseass charmer, with enough energy to light the entire street. Olivia is like Matthew and Luke. She is a thinker. She has her head in a book, while Layla has her head in the clouds.
Olivia enjoys rescuing bugs, trees, and plants, anything that is alive Olivia wants to take care of. Layla wants to dance, sing, take a million pictures of sunsets and run in the ocean. Olivia was the calm that we didn’t know we needed and my very own earth child.
Caleb is my turkey, the affectionate name we gave him on his first thanksgiving when he was bigger than the one I had in the oven.
He was a little baby, as he was born almost a month early, but he made up for it in no time at all. He was by far my biggest, hungriest, chubbiest baby and at just fifteen years old, he was towering over me, his sisters, and was already as tall as his father. By next summer, he will be the tallest in the family for sure.
He is my athlete, playing for the school team at football and making us proud every week as we cheer him on from the stands. I love how all my children are so uniquely themselves while being so alike and interwoven with traits and likenesses of their father and me.
Matthew is my responsible, quiet, contemplative leader. He attends NYU, studying law and criminology, and he intends to go into the police force like his uncle Tommy. He is a natural protector and although I wish that my time with Jason had not affected him; I know it was the initial spark that has led him to pursue this as his career.
I am so proud of him for knowing who he is and what he wants, for making decisions that are not only what he wants but ultimately will help other people. Am I scared that he will carry a gun and be in pursuit of criminals for his entire career? Terrified! But I can’t allow my fear to get in his way. I will just have to support him and be thankful when he comes to visit his mama.
I will no doubt worry about all of my children through the rest of my days. Some all at once, some at different times, and some for no reason.
Right now, though, Layla’s heart is my greatest concern. If I can get her through this party and get her through the next few months of summer, then maybe being away at college will be just what she needs to grow into her feelings, her body, and herself.
All I can do in the meantime is dry her tears and be there when she needs me.
For tonight, I need to get through this party with all these teenagers. I think I will need lots of cake.
Layla
I feel him before I see him or hear him.
I always know when he is near me as everything inside me goes tense and I feel like my nerve endings are fraught. I don’t even want to look up, turn around or acknowledge him as I feel like the entire room will see that I love him, like my heart will beat right out of my chest as soon as he looks at me.
I know I am young; I know he is a grown man, and I know it is unfair for me to hate him, to hate his girlfriend and to hope is the ugliest woman ever but I can’t help it, I love him with my whole heart.
I talk and laugh with my friends and family, but all the while, I am aware of him in the room. I feel like I am underwater and all the other sounds in the room are muted, my senses waiting on my eyes seeing him.
I hear his voice here and there and catch a feminine voice giggling softly, and I automatically assume it’s her, his girlfriend. A woman he will have kissed and touched, a woman who he might have confessed he loves and might love him too. Is it possible to hate someone you have never met?
Just when I focus on my surroundings again, an arm wraps around my waist, and I feel his lips as he kisses me on the top of my head. I swear I stop breathing as I try not to drown in the smell of him, the warmth of him.
My eyes fill with emotion and my heart races in my chest as he utters the words that make me want to believe he loves me like I love him, even though I know it’s impossible.
“Happy birthday, trouble.”
If you want to know Layla’s story, then you are in luck…
Loving Layla
Book Three in the Broken Series will be out in Spring 2026
Will she always be in unrequited love with her foster brother Mikey?
Or..
Will she find love? Will she fall hopelessly in love with a man she meets on her travels as a budding photographer?
Will eternal bachelor Mike ever settle down with a woman?
Or…
Will he discover the unrequited feelings that Layla had for him a little too late?
Will the Miller family be eternally happy or will history repeat itself, making them more fractured than they have ever been?
Loving Layla
Red Flags & Broken Dreams
Book 3 in the Broken Series
By J. Thomas
Coming in … 2026