#Review: Numb (Westbrook #2) by Laura Clark | #MUSTREAD

Numb (Westbrook #2)

by Laura Clark

Laila has read that letter a thousand times, and yet she still doesn't believe it. He left too many things unresolved. She desperately wants to find answers, but it's impossible since the one person that can give her those answers is MIA. 

Each day melts into the next. Laila tries to keep herself busy, but it's not enough. No matter how hard she tries to forget, there is always something that reminds her of him. 

At her very best, Laila is numb. 

What happens when Laila is suddenly confronted with her past, and she is forced to make a choice between the boy who owns her heart, and the one that wants to steal it away? 

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DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I know, pretty fast follow-up, but this series is getting me. ♥ Any quotes from the book mentioned are solely used for the purpose of this review. May contain spoilers.

This next installment to the Westbrook series kicks off with some of Laila's memories, leading up to the present day in the final weeks of summer. Sam is back in school, but he is not really making an effort to keep contact with Laila. Sure, some peonies for her seventeenth birthday is cute, but he could have done a little more. But that letter! I think it makes up for the act, but only partially. Possibly because I believe in giving people the chance to explain themselves, but they need to do it fully. 

"Dear Laila,

Writing you this letter is the hardest thing I've had to do. I'm not ashamed to admit I am a coward for writing it in the first place. Call me selfish, but I can't stand the thought of looking into your eyes when you read this.I know the pain I've caused you will haunt me for the rest of my life. I need you to understand why I am doing this. It is because of that future. I'm trying my hardest to preserve something that I know, deep down, is very meaningful. You are important to me, Laila.

When I said earlier that I was falling for you, I lied. I'm not falling for you. I'm already in love with you. I just thought it was too soon to tell you. I didn't want to scare you away. Shit, it scares the hell out of me to feel this way. I've never loved anyone before.

Please understand I see a future with you that will extend way beyond our high school and college days. I see so much more for us, and I hope you will, too. Our problem is that this happened at the wrong time. We're too young for this.

What I am trying to say is . . . I don't want to be your first boyfriend, Laila. I want to be your last boyfriend, your husband, and the father of your children. I want to live in our own perfect, two-story house, with a huge green lawn, and our own big dog (preferably a mutt). I want us to share our lives with each other and grow old together.

I hope this doesn't scare you. I just wanted you to know the truth. So, please just keep in mind, I'm hurting just as much as your are, if not more. I love you with everything that I have, everything I am.

I have no doubt that we will be together when the time is right. I'm not asking you to wait for me. You need to experience high school, your graduation, college, and all that goes along with it. All I am asking is, that one day, you will find me again and allow me the opportunity to be your last boyfriend. I love you, Laila Marie Patterson. Nothing will ever change that.

Love always, Sam."

Ohmigosh! I know; Sam is a total romantic. If I were in Laila shoes, I think I would have gotten in the car and driven over to his fraternity and made him speak to my face. Not that receiving a such a letter would be so bad. Like Laila, I think I read the letter over and over again. Of course, Laila is still pissed with her brother, Kyle. Taking a look from Kyle's perspective; he was only trying to protect his little sister. Sure took him several years to actually begin to be her "brother", but perhaps he did it the wrong way. 

Trevor is away at soccer camp (*hoots*), but he and Laila share a good many texts, almost daily. Laila confides in him to a degree, but it is almost like walking on thin ice with him. One moment, everything can be hunky-Dory, and the next he gets pissed off and stops talking to her. Of course, he did pour out his heart to her, so Trevor always comes back and apologizes to Laila.

Laila gets a job and this is where she meets Blake, who later has a thing for one of Laila's friends, Allie. Laila finds herself confiding with the only other female worker at the diner, and Marge is the classy sixty-something year old woman with a wise head on her shoulders. I would like to have a Marge to talk with about boy troubles (not that I have boy troubles, and I probably never will). 

Avery, Laila's best friend, is away at cheer camp, which means she is kind of all by herself. Laila is a very good friend to Avery, because she doesn't want to "jump Trevor" and end up hurting Avery's feelings. Technically speaking, Avery and Trevor are dating, but the only reason for Trevor is because he was trying to distract himself from Laila. Avery, on the other hand, is hung up on Kyle, who admitted liking her in return, but Avery did not say much about her sentiments.

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars.

Wow, wow, wow! After ending the last book on a bittersweet note, I knew Laila would still be hung up on Sam. I would be too, just saying. I feel so bad for Trevor, I also feel bad for Gavin (and Drew, even though his situation does not involve Laila at all), because they both was so sweet to her, with the exception of Trevor acting like a total jackass. I think he should have known what to expect if he was hoping to get with Laila. Every girl will always still have that special place in her heart for her first love. It's classic Girl 101; not rocket science. This book is another one of those books that just suck me right in and leave my heart aching afterwards. Like Laila, "I don't know how much more my heart can take." But I am super curious to know what happens with Trevor. Its eating me up! I need answers!