Authors: Sophie Lira
“Hi, Mrs. Avery.” I smooth out my sweater again and close the few feet between us. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Honey, please call me June.” She takes my hand and tucks my hair behind my ear as if she’s known me for years. I feel drawn to her so much like I did with Kyle. “You are absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I must be blushing head to toe, which would be a perfect complement to the blazing red dog collar around the puppy’s neck. She steps in, giving me a hug. I tense for a moment but return the friendly gesture.
Kyle picks up the dog and I almost pass out from the sight of him holding the ball of fluff. “When did you get him?”
“Last week. We wanted to surprise you. Talk to your father. One of his clients is a breeder and this one was the runt. Could’ve fooled me with the way he’s growing already. But Dale is fitting in quite nicely … has me wrapped around his little paw already.” June rolls her eyes, running her hand over his fur.
Kyle bursts into laughter and takes my hand, pulling me into a hug. “Wait, you named him Dale? No way.”
“You know your father and NASCAR.” She looks over to me, shrugging.
Kyle hands him to me and pulls out his phone. “Liv, smile!”
“What?” The dog licks my face and the camera flash catches me mid-giggle.
“Chip and Dale! Amazing!” Kyle doubles over, typing something on his phone, and I blanch.
It’s going to be a long weekend.
I walk over the threshold and my eyes go wide as I look around, taking in June’s elaborate decorating skills. My head tilts back, following the windows that go on forever against the high ceilings. A black chain-link mesh fence wraps the giant stone fireplace. The smoldering embers of a fire still linger, tinting the air with freshly charred wood. It smells like the perfect fall day.
Kyle’s entire house should be featured in
Southern Living
magazine. All I want to do is plop my yoga mat in front of the giant bay window and do savasana for hours. There are pictures everywhere, mostly of Kyle playing baseball, but there’s no shortage of family portraits. Kyle looks exactly like his dad, only with a twenty-five year age gap. Tim’s hair is dark brown and his eyes are more hazel, but their height, structure, and facial features are like carbon copies of each other.
“Tim got called into work. Huge development in one of his cases, so he won’t be home until late.” June nods into the kitchen. “Come on, I made some appetizers. I hope you like spinach dip and fresh veggies. I went to the farmer’s market this morning.”
One of my favorites, of course.
Their kitchen is to die for. All-white wood cabinets with frosted glass doors line the walls and are accented by russet granite countertops and industrial appliances. The beige-colored walls complement the flecks of gold in the counter, tying everything together in one neat little package of overwhelming wealth.
Kyle lifts an accordion door in a small cupboard on the counter, revealing a deluxe coffee system. He pulls two mugs out of the cabinet and winks at me, probably sensing I could use the pick-me-up. I talk with June for a while about softball, finding comfort in her effort to get to know me.
Having someone actually care about my life launches me into self-preservation mode. I’ve never had to talk about my life aspirations or what job I want once I eventually graduate from college. Even worse, not having clear answers makes me feel like a nomad, blowing through the wind and doing just enough to get by. I hate this, and it’s the first time I’ve noticed this about myself.
I’m thankful for their help, but I don’t know how to explain what I’m going through to Kyle. I feel like I’m missing something, but I’m not sure what it is.
***
This is not real life. This is not how people live.
I roll under the covers, my head hidden from the sun shining through the small windows. The soft cotton sheets and thick duvet cover slide over my skin as I stretch, basking in the luxurious feel. Reaching over, I’m struck with disappointment because Kyle’s warm body isn’t next to mine anymore. It was mildly awkward when Kyle announced to the world that
we
were going to bed, but his parents brushed it off like it was nothing.
Dale crawls under the covers and I smile, reaching out to pet him. He climbs his little furry body onto my chest, and the moment he snuggles down for a nap, all anxiety leaves me. The suffocating pressure of unease lifts and I can breathe again. I giggle as he licks my face and I know I’m going to be devastated to leave him. I’ve never had a pet before and I adore how much attention he gives me.
I pull myself out of bed, finally, around noon, and my foot crunches against a heap of plastic. I look down and three bags from Lululemon sit on the floor with a giant bow and a tag hooked into one of the handles. I unfold the small sheet of paper and Kyle’s small, chicken-scratch handwriting warms my entire body yet again.
I thought you might like something more comfortable for today. <3 Be back soon.
Folded neatly inside the first bag are two zip-up hoodies. I lift the black one up to find a light green one underneath, the exact one I spilled an entire container of soy sauce on and ruined one of the first times Kyle took me to dinner. I spent two months saving for it and blew it to shreds within a week of owning it.
I’m not aggravated with him over spending money. Like Natasha and Aubrey have reiterated, he wouldn’t do nice things if he didn’t want to. So, I’m adding graciousness to my new outlook on life.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand and I fall off the bed as I scramble from the other side to pick it up. The text from Kyle I was hoping for is replaced by seven consecutive texts from Natasha letting me know she’ll meet me at the office. I’m kind of bummed Cam took her out and ditched us because I could have really used their familiarity last night.
A heavy, melodic strum of footsteps barrels through the air and Kyle shoves the door open before jumping on the bed. Dale turns around and yaps at him, backing up to me.
I have two knights, now.
“Hey, schmoopsie.” I shove my phone in my pocket and slide down the bed.
“Schmoopsie? What the hell kind of name is that?” He laughs, pulling me close.
“What? You call me darling … I feel like I’m a damsel in distress.”
Well, I am, on some level.
“You love it, don’t lie.”
I do.
His warm hand slides up my thigh and around the small of my back, enticing me closer. “How did you sleep last night?”
Wonderfully.
“Well … ” I scoot even closer, linking my legs with his. “I was really counting on some super-hot guy waking me up with kisses. Instead, I got puppy breath.”
Kyle’s tall stature consumes me as he rolls over, hovering above my body and placing light, hot kisses on my lips, neck, and chest. My leg wraps around his thigh as I pull him closer. Dale nudges between us and he climbs on my stomach, curling into a ball.
“Little man with the cock block, I swear.” Kyle kisses my forehead. He scoots over and lies on his side, gently petting Dale.
For this moment, I feel normal. I feel accepted and loved by more than one person. I was able to sleep soundly all night, uninterrupted by horrendous nightmares or a panic attack. I have a loving boyfriend and snuggly puppy at my side, and I’m over the moon. But before I can love them back, I need to be honest. And that’s what I’m going to do.
Chapter Twenty
The Talk
Kyle
“God, I feel so much better.” Olivia hangs her clothes in the closet and shuts the door. “Thank you so much for this, really.”
“You’re welcome.” I fluff the blankets on the bed and laugh as Dale buries under them. “I couldn’t sleep so I ran to the store for my mom, and on the way I got sidetracked imagining your ass in skintight leggings.”
Her face turns a deeper shade of pink. She straddles my lap as I sit on the bed and my hands hone in on her ass, gripping it tight. I lean into her touch, loving her fingers blazing over me. She tilts my head up, pressing her lips to my forehead.
“I need to talk to you.” She sighs, leaning back so she’s sitting on my thighs. “And it’s important. When we got here yesterday, I was pretty shocked at all of this.” Olivia waves her hands around.
“Stop. I know.” I stand, picking her up and bringing her into the den outside the bedroom. Dale hops off the bed and takes off after us. Olivia hasn’t even sat on the couch before he’s pawing at her legs, trying to snuggle in her lap.
“No, you really don’t.” She inhales a deep breath and stares at Dale as he licks her hand. “My whole life, it’s been me and Natasha, and sometimes Tyler. I started buying my own groceries when I was fourteen. Instead of spending the money that Tyler and I earned from giving private baseball lessons to kids, cutting the grass, and walking dogs on clothes, new gear, and going out, we had to spend it on things to survive.”
“Liv—”
She holds up her hand and I know I better let her get this out before she changes her mind. “I had a roof over my head in a neighborhood that wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t
this
. Not to be a bitch, but it would be like you being thrown into the slums after waking up the same morning in Buckingham Palace.”
I sigh and pick at a piece of navy thread sticking out of the quilt she threw over our laps. “I never really thought about it like that.”
“I know you can provide anything and everything for me, and I am so thankful for that. But please, your lifestyle, all of this, is a lot for me to take in. So, I’m letting you know if I get quiet, it’s because it’s very awkward for me to be abundantly appreciative because I have no idea which way is up anymore.”
“What do you mean?” I still have no idea where she is going with this, but I’m ecstatic she’s even talking about her home life.
“I’m … unaccustomed?” She pauses. “That’s not the perfect word, but I think it’s like this. Your life is filled with support and never wanting for anything … and you’ve graciously bestowed everything you have onto me.”
“Go on … ” I wrap my arm around her shoulders as she settles into my side. She still won’t look at me and it’s like she’s fixated counting the speckle of spots on Dale’s fur.
“It’s something that goes hand in hand with how I grew up. Whether it was Braden or my family, generosity always equated expectancy. Nothing was ever done for me out of kindness.”
The single most fucked-up thing I think I’ve heard is that no one did anything nice for her just because. I’m sure Natasha has, but shit. I couldn’t ever begin to understand life as a kid and never receiving the little gifts my parents or grandparents gave me.
I turn her face toward mine, my eyes searing into hers. “I’m never going to leave you and you know I expect nothing of you.”
She settles into my chest. “I know you don’t. I wanted you to see where I was coming from when I get closed-off sometimes.”
“What do you want then?
She needs to learn that not everyone in her life is out to get her.
“Well, aside from all this, not much.” She laughs, scooting closer to me. “Just let me have a moment to process everything. Whether it’s your parents gigantic house, whatever information your dad has for me … just have faith in me that I’m trying my hardest to move forward.”
I nod because it’s all I can do. As I hold her close, I try to wrap my brain around everything she’s telling me. How things for her are probably so much worse than I ever thought. But I’ll never lose faith in her because I love her too much to let her be hurt again.
***
Olivia and I walk off the elevator onto the thirty-fifth floor of the Heritage Plaza where my dad’s firm is located. His office is a stereotypical stuffy law firm in downtown Houston that almost requires a blood sample to get past the reception area. Olivia holds her coffee cup with a death grip so tight I’m waiting for it to crack open.
We continue through the double doors into the area that houses most of the interns. “Are you ready for this? Do you need anything?”
Olivia shakes her head with a smile. She takes my face in her palms and kisses me softly. I pull her close and deepen the kiss, hoping it reminds her that I’m here for her.
When she stops, she rubs my cheek with her thumb. “I need to do this on my own.”
“You must be Olivia!” My dad walks out of his office with a cup of coffee. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to see you for dinner last night. Last-minute client emergency.”
“Hi, Mr. Avery, it’s so nice to meet you.” She smiles and leans into me. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.”
“You’re more than welcome, hun. And call me Tim, please.” He opens his arms.
Olivia laughs and gives him a small hug. “Okay.”
“Natasha is in the conference room filling out some paperwork. I have a stack for you as well.” He nods into his office.
“Okay.” She looks at me, her face red. “I’ll see you when I’m done.”
I pull her into a hug, holding her close. She sighs as I kiss her forehead and buries her face into my shirt. “You’ll be okay.”
He offers her a comforting smile. “I picked you up some coffee. Well, more coffee. Kyle told me you like yours like jet fuel. Skim milk and two sugars?”
“Yes, thank you.” Olivia sighs, giving me another squeeze. “I’ll see you soon.”
I feel like I’m sending her off to war as she walks away. My dad leads her inside his office and signals for me to wait. He hands her a giant stack of papers and then comes back into the hall.
“Did you see Cam?” I lean against one of the cubicle desks.
He nods. “Yeah, he gave me the revised contracts for his new sponsor. They’re a pain in the ass.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “I know, and so is he. How’s everything settling with all of this?”