My body is trembling in anger, “Really, Ben! So, your lips weren’t just all over my sisters, because that’s exactly, what it looked like from where I’m standing.”
Ati reaches, linking her hand with Ben’s, “Gwen, please let me explain.”
My voice rigid, and elevated with blinding fury, “There is nothing to explain, Ati. This is NOT happening; do you hear me?”
Liam wraps his arm around me, “Gwen breath! You need to calm down, and hear them out.”
I turn quickly on my heel, removing Liam’s arm from around me. “Did you know about this, Liam?”
He looks into my eyes, raising his voice “Gwen, I suggest you calm down before you say something you are going to regret.”
“No, I’ve told him again and again, to stay away from her.”
“Gwen, please just listen; let me explain.” Ben pleads with me.
“Ben, stay the hell away from her,” I yell, losing all emotion.
“You’re NOT my mother, Gwen. You don’t have the right to dictate my life.” Ati’s anger, mirroring mine at this point.
“ENOUGH!” Liam’s voice booms, bringing everyone to silence. “Ben, I think it’s best if you leave.”
Ben jumps in, “Li, we want to explain.”
Liam runs his hand over his face, “Ben, please! Nothing is going to be resolved right now. We all need to calm down before trying figure this out, so please, just go home. I’ll call you later.”
Ben looks to Ati, leaving a kiss on her forehead, and then walks by me and out the door.
Liam turns to Ati, “Ati, I’m not going to tell you what to do, but you may want to consider going to your room for the evening. I think both you and Gwen need some time to cool off.”
Ati looks to Liam, then to me, “Fine!” She turns, heading in the direction of the bedrooms, leaving Liam and I standing there.
“I suppose you’re going to tell me I was wrong.” I look at Liam as he takes a deep breath.
“Gwen, I don’t think anyone was wrong or right, but I do think you overreacted. You lost your mind when we walked in on them kissing.”
I step further from Liam, “Are you kidding me! Your twenty-four-year-old brother was making out with my eighteen-year-old sister after I’ve told him, repeatedly to keep his distance from her. I did NOT overreact.”
“Gwen, you’re doing it again, you're letting your anger get the best of you.”
I turn to walk away, “Liam, I think you should go home.”
He lets out a frustrated laugh, “Oh no, I’m not going anywhere. You can be pissed off at me all you want, but you’re doing it with me right there, beside you.”
I hang my shoulders in defeat, as I feel the tears pour out, “I’ve made a mess of everything!”
Liam pulls me into his arms, resting his chin on top of my head, “Gem, don’t worry about it right now. Go take a nice bath, and I will bring you a cup of tea, then we can relax the rest of the night. Tomorrow is a new day, and we will look at the best way to approach this then.”
I nod, making my way to run myself a bath, while Liam heads to the kitchen.
About a half an hour later, Liam hasn’t returned, so I head to the Livingroom but stop when I hear Ati and him talking.
“Li, Gwen is so infuriating. I’m not a child, nor am I an idiot. I know how to take care of myself.”
“Ati, you have to understand, she loves you, and only wants the best for you.”
“So, you agree with her?”
“Ati, I never said that, but in her defense, she’s not completely wrong. Ati, your eighteen, Ben is Twenty-four. He’s a professional and you still a high school student.”
“So, you’re saying I’m not good enough for him?”
“For the love of God, what is it with you two and putting words in my mouth? No, that is not what I am saying. What I want you to understand, is that you still have a lot to experience in life, to truly be able to understand Ben’s world, and Ben, in his own way is still working his way through, trying to figure stuff out as well. When it comes down to it Ati, you are on two completely different paths right now, and as much as it seems right for you, eventually what may one day be a really good thing when you are both ready, will be tainted by a history of mistakes, because it wasn’t the right time.”
Nothing more is said, but I can hear the shuffle of feet heading toward me, then Ati appears in the hall with tear-soaked eyes. She says nothing to me, only goes into her room closing the door softly behind her.
Liam follows shortly behind her, and hands me a warm mug, “Here Gem, let’s head to bed.”
I walk into the room ahead of him, placing the cup on the dresser, then turn into his arms.
“It’s not supposed to be like this; she hates me, Liam.”
“Gwen, she doesn’t hate you, she’s just upset because, as much as you don’t want to hear this, she loves Ben, and I don’t think I am too far off when I say…he loves her.”
I tighten my arms around Liam and cry softly into his chest. Why is this so hard?
***
The next morning, Ati is already off to school when I get up, but Liam is in the kitchen.
“Morning!”
“Morning, Gem!” He greets handing me a cup of coffee and kissing me on my cheek.
“How did you sleep?” I shrug in response. “Gwen, don’t let it bother you, she will eventually understand.”
I take a seat at the island, changing the subject, I can’t cry anymore. “So, do you have a busy day today?”
“Yeah, I actually need to head out. Will you be OK?”
“Yeah, I might go into the Salon today. I got a shipment on Friday, so I need to catalog it all and put it away.”
“Ok, I probably won’t be able to meet up with you today, but I will see you tonight.”
We say goodbye, and Liam leaves.
As I finish my coffee, then make my way to my room to get ready, the doorbell rings. I rarely ever get visitors on a weekday. Opening the door, Ben is standing before me with two cups of coffee in hand.
“Can we talk?”
Pausing for a moment, I then move to the side to let him in. We make our way to the Livingroom and Ben hands me a coffee, as we take a seat on opposite sides of the couch.
“Gwen, first I need to apologize. I overstepped, and I should never have let things go as far as they did with Ati.”
Tears start running down my face, “How far did they go, Ben?”
“No further than what you saw, Gwen…I promise.” I nod in acknowledgment.
“Ben, Liam seems to think you love her.”
He lowers his head, taking a deep breath, and in a whisper says, “I do!”
“How did this even happen, Ben? I thought we agreed, where Ati was concerned.” I speak softly, conscious of not raising my voice.
“Gwen, we were…I was…It just happened! Gwen, she’s amazing! She is the most incredible woman I know, and I can’t help that she made me fall in love with her. I want to be with her Gwen, but if it’s going to cause a rift between you and her, I will back off. I won’t jeopardize your relationship with your sister. I love her too much to do that, and I love you too much to do it to you either. Gwen, you’re my best friend, it’s killing me, that I had a part in causing this…truce?”
I look at Ben, and I can see him trying to hide the pain of having to give up Ati, but I know this is for the best, I’m positive…right?
“Truce!”
***
After Ben left, my head was spinning with confusion, so I called the one person I know would have the answers. I knock on the door, and shortly Maia opens up.
“Gwen, I was so…” She takes a long look at me, “Love, have you been crying? What’s wrong, is it, Liam?”
I shake my head, “No, Liam’s great, better than great actually, he’s amazing. I really just needed some motherly advice.”
She wraps her arm around me, “Come in, Love; the coffee is brewing.
We sit in the kitch
en, and I tell her all about what happened last night. She doesn’t say a word, only listens, taking it all in.
“Gwen, it’s a hard place to be in…mother and sister. Sometimes the two will want to contradict the other because both are rolls making decisions from the heart.”
“That’s just it, Maia. My heart breaks at Ati settling so young, with no real experience of what the world has to offer, but it breaks just the same when I see the pain in both her and Ben’s eyes when I tell them they can’t be together. I feel like an evil monster out to destroy their one happiness when all I am trying to do is the right thing for Ati.” The waterworks of tears start all over again.
Maia rests her hand on mine. “Love, I don’t have the answer to make this all work out. The only thing I can offer is; no matter what we know in our heads to be the right thing, love always seems to take it and break it down, until the only thing left to do is what your heart is telling you. Ben and Ati may, or may not be meant to be together, but in the end, throughout many arguments, disapprovals from the people close to them, and any other obstacle thrown in the way; if it’s true and I mean true love, it will win over, and no one will be able to stop it.”
Maia gave me a lot to think about, but I still don’t have an answer to my question, and that in there lies the problem. How can I tell Ati what is going on with her and Ben is wrong, if now, I’m not even sure!
***
After my morning with Maia, I head to the Salon and restock the supplies with the order that arrived Friday, then head out to the market, to restock the cupboards at the house.
When I arrive home, it’s a little after three. I put the groceries away in the kitchen, and then walk toward Ati’s room to see if she is back from school. As I approach the door, I hear Ati on speakerphone with Ben. I know I shouldn’t, but my curiosity gets the best of me, and I stop just outside the door and listen.
“Ben, No. Please. Gwen will come around…please.” Her sobs break out between each word she speaks; what have I done? This is breaking her apart.
I can hear Ben on the other end sounding just as broken, “Angel, Gwen’s not completely wrong. This is your senior year; then after this, you will be going off the University. Ati, there is so much for you to be able to experience in these next two years, and I don’t want to be the reason you don’t…it wouldn’t be fair to you.”
“Ben, I don’t care about any of that, I only want you. Please Ben, don’t do this, I love you!”
“Angel, I love you too, more than you could ever know, but you wanting to give everything up for me; is exactly what Gwen is talking about. Ati, it’s for the best. I’m sorry Angel, but we need to end this, and maybe in time it will all work out. I love you, Angel!”
“Ben, please no. Ben, BEN.” Ati let’s out a huge cry.
I open the door and find Ati on the floor leaning against her bed. She looks up to me.
“Are you happy? You finally got what you wanted…he’s Gone; because of you, he’s gone. I HATE YOU!”
She stands up from the floor, grabs her keys and storms past me. The front door slams shut, and I hear her car drive away. Liam having come in as she drove off turns to me.
“What the hell happened?”
I look at him, tears upon tears soaking my cheeks, “Ben broke things off with her, and she hates me because I’m the one who caused it.”
He takes me in his arms, pulling me in tightly, “Gem, it’ll be OK.”
***
Within twenty minutes, I get a call from Maia.
“Love, Ati is here. She is sitting with Thea and Grace; She’s OK, just upset. I wanted to call and let you know where she was, so you don’t worry.”
“Thanks, Maia. This is all such a mess, I’ve made a mess of everything, and now she hates me.”
“Gwen, it will be OK. I’m going to have a talk with her, maybe some insight from me as to how your feeling will help her understand.”
“Thanks, Maia.”
“No worries, Love. Take the evening and get some rest. I think Ati is planning on staying here tonight.”
“Ok, thank you again.”
I hang up and find Liam on the couch getting off his phone, “That was Ben, letting me know Ati is at my parents, he saw her pull up, then decided it was probably best not to be around, so he went over to Kai’s.”
“How did he sound?”
Liam looks at me, struggling with his answer, “He’s a wreck Gwen, completely broken. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but I’m not going to lie.” Liam pauses, “Honestly, until just now when I spoke with him, I didn’t realize how much he loves Ati. Gwen, this isn’t going to be easy for either of them.”
Taking the seat next to Liam, I drop my head into my hands, “Liam, what do I do? I need someone to tell me what is right here because I am so lost.”
Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, “Gem, don’t try and figure this all out tonight, give yourself time to think things over.”
Removing his arm from around me, he grabs my hands, “Come on!”
“Where are you taking me?”
“For a drive, I want to show you something.”
“Liam, I’m in no shape to go out in public.”
He keeps pulling me toward the door, “You’re fine, and I’m not taking you anywhere, where there will be people, now come!”
I quickly grab my purse before he pulls me out the door, and we make our way to Liam’s car.
Chapter Eighteen
-Liam-
About forty minutes later, we pull off the dirt road we have been driving on for a while, into a clearing. “We’re here!”
Gwen looks around, “Um, Liam, where are we? There is nothing in sight for it seems miles.”
I look over with a broad smile, “I bought this land last year. If we get out, you can see more.”
She unfastens her seatbelt and hops out of the car. “It’s quiet out here.”
I come around, taking her hand in mine, “That’s not even the best part; come on!”
We walk through a gathering of trees, and once we reach the other side, I can see the look in her eyes as she takes in the private beach off the back.
“Liam, this is beautiful.”
“I thought you might appreciate it. Once my place in town is done, I want to start building out here. I figure this will make a great summer vacation house one day and maybe a retirement home when I’m older.”
Gwen looks around, “I think it would be perfect for that. It will be nice for you to have a place one day where you can escape to.”
As I look into her eyes, a thought of my own comes to me, one of Gwen and myself coming away here…together. I shake my head; there is no way I am going to bring that up now, it will probably scare her away.
We sit out on a large boulder, as the calmness, and solitude seem to have a positive effect on Gwen. I was hoping, bringing her out here would take her mind off things. We don’t talk, only sit, and listen to the waves of the ocean. After about an hour it starts to get chilly, I grab her hand, “You ready to get back?”
She nods, “Thank you, Liam! Coming out here was just what I needed.”
I smile at her, and we head back to Emerson.
***
The next evening, I don’t go right to Gwen’s after work. I have been spending so much time there, that I have been neglecting the renovations at my place, so, I am spending a part of the evening working here tonight.
I am in the garage when I hear a car pull up. Turning around, I see it’s Bane. He steps from the car and makes his way toward me.
“Can we talk?” He asks, unsure of where we stand since the argument at the gym.
I nod, as I wipe my hands on a rag, “You want a beer?” I offer.
“Sure, Thanks!”
I grab two bottles out of the fridge I have in the garage, then take my place back against the workbench, after handing Bane his, “So?”
“So!” Bane pauses for a minute; I’m sure to gather his thoughts. �
��Li, I don’t know where to start.”
I take a deep breath, “Let me help you out. Do you have a thing for my sister, Bane?”
He lifts his head and looks me in the eye for a minute before answering.
“Yeah, I do! I swear Li; in no way did I ever think I could develop feelings like this, for Thea. Man, you have to believe me; I have known you and your family for years, I’ve known Thea since she was a baby.”
Bane rubs both his hands up and down his face while letting out a groan of frustration, “Li, I’m so messed up over this. I know the age gap is a huge issue, and if you tell me to, I will stay away, but Li, it’s not what I want. I care about Thea, and I want to be with her.”
Tightening my hands on the counter as I rest back, I can feel my breathing quicken, but I control my urge to say what I want to.
“Does she feel the same?”
“Honestly, I don’t know where she’s at with it all. I kissed her on our date, and she seemed okay, but then you mentioned she might have a boyfriend, and then, I thought maybe that’s why she’s been avoiding me, canceling our workouts and stuff. Look, I’m not here to talk to you about my confusion about Thea; I’m here to make sure, we’re ok?”
I look at Bane and can tell this has been bothering him, as much as it has me.
“Yeah, Man, it’s all good. I am going to offer you a piece of advice though. If you and Thea decide this is what you two want, then I suggest you speak to my mother first, let her break it to my old man. Bane, as much as he loves you like a son, I honestly believe he would not hesitate to kill you, for even thinking of Thea in that way, let alone acting on it.”
Bane lets out a nervous laugh, fully aware I wasn’t kidding, and I pat him on the shoulder.
“Well since I’m here, can I help?”
“Bane, Brother, no need to ask, pick up a hammer, and follow me,”
***
I call Gwen after Bane leaves. “Hey Gem, did I wake you.”
“No, I think I’ve gotten too used to you being next to me over the past few weeks, now I can’t sleep without you.”
A huge smile crosses my face, but I let on that I feel for her, “Aww, Gem! Babe, would it help if I came over, you know, I would feel horrible if you didn’t get a good night sleep and all.”
Liam & Gwen - Entirely Yours: A Romance Novel (The Adair Series Book 1) Page 18
