“Sorry to hear about your brother. I think we have all lost someone in all of this,” I say and walk over into my room.
I stand in the middle of the room and look around. The bed is a canopy bed with lace curtains coming down each side. There are end tables on each side of the bed, and a dresser at the end of the bed with a big mirror on the back. On each side of the dresser is a door, one leading to a bathroom and one leading to one of the biggest closets I have ever walked into in my life.
I walk out of my room and knock on Liv’s after I peek in and check on Emily. She looks so happy playing with Barbies and talking to herself.
“Liv!” I whisper.
“Yeah?” she says as she exits her room.
“This place is huge! Wanna check out the rest of it?”
“Sure,” she says with a shrug. “I wonder where Tony went off to?” she asks looking around with a sad look in her face.
“Well, let’s find out.” I say.
We make our way down the long hall and down the ridiculous staircase. There is a room to the left at the end of the stairs and we decide to take that way. As we walk through there is a huge dining table in the center of the room and a set of swinging double doors behind it. I push them open and we make our way into a huge kitchen. Everything is stainless steel with black marble countertops and black cabinets lining the walls above the counter.
I see someone bending over in the fridge. The khaki knee length shorts and hairy legs let me know it is a guy. Oh yay more eye candy.
“Excuse me but have you seen another guy with blonde hair around here?” Liv asks.
The guy rises up and turns to face us. My blood runs cold as I instantly recognize the man staring back at us. His face goes white and he drops the carton of milk he was searching for.
“Olivia? Willow?” He looks at us like we have three heads and are on fire.
“Grant?!” Liv says in disbelief.
I know it is him without him having to confirm it. Although his hair is now in a buzz cut and he looks like he has gained more muscles. Tattoos now crawl up his arms and up each side of his neck making him look even more intimidating than I remember. I know it is him by his sparkling blue eyes and the slight dimple in his cheeks.
“W… What are you two doing here?” he asks while picking up the milk carton he dropped.
“I could ask you the same question dick head,” Liv snips.
“Cade… Cade is why I am here. When everything started happening, me and my fiancé got a call from him asking if we wanted to come here where it is safe,” he says.
“Fiancé? You mean you have found someone you didn’t have to force to have a relationship with?” Liv barks.
His face goes blank as he stares at the ground refusing to look at either of us. My hands are shaking as I wipe them across my jeans and back my way out of the door. I can’t find the words to say anything and I can’t breathe. Liv looks to me and I shake my head.
I back up a few steps before I hit the same hard wall as before. His hands wrap around me and catch me before I fall flat on my ass.
“Whoa there. Are you okay?” he says turning me around so I am looking at him. His arms still wrapped around me.
“I uh, I...can’t breathe,” I say shaking my head.
“What’s wrong? Do you need me to walk you outside?” he asks with concern in his eyes.
I look to Liv and nod my head.
“You go I will see if I can find Tony.” She walks out past me and Cade.
Cade leads me outside through the back doors and the fresh ocean breeze hits my face.
“So are you going to tell me what had you so spooked back there?” He is looking down at me.
“I uh...I know him from high school,” I stutter.
I don’t know if that is something I want to tell him.
“Oh I see. Grant has mentioned he was quite the ladies’ man in high school,” he chuckles. “I had no idea you were from the same town. Grant and I are old friends, we met in college.” He shakes his head and laughs. “We were applying to the same frat house.”
“Ha, ladies’ man huh? Maybe only to the ones he had to force.” I cover my mouth not believing what I just said. It just came out. I couldn’t stop myself.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he asks with a confused look on his face.
“He...forced me,” I quietly admit.
I might as well tell him if we are all going to be stuck in this house together for no telling how long.
“HE DID WHAT?!” His face is full of rage and it may just be one of the sexiest things I have ever seen.
“It was my junior year of high school. It happened at the after party of prom. I had a huge crush on him at the time and Liv mentioned the party to him and he was quick to come.” I say looking to the ground. “I didn’t know why until about an hour after we were there. Liv had to leave early because her parents were strict about curfew back then and well when she left, Grant had promised to watch over me. Little did I know what his watching entailed.”
He doesn’t say another word but turns around and heads in the direction we first came from. I hear a door slam and I run inside to see what is happening. As soon as I make it to the kitchen I see Cade holding Grant against the fridge by his shirt collar.
“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING RAPING A GIRL?! YOU ARE A SICK BASTARD!” Cade yells in his face.
I look around for Liv, but she must not have heard the commotion because she is nowhere to be seen. Out of the corner of my eye I see a glimpse of red hair then I see a very round and pregnant lady standing in the opposite doorway by the stairs in the kitchen that lead up to the bedrooms.
“Cade? Grant? What’s going on?” she says looking from one to the other
“N...Nothing babe go back and rest,” Grant says.
“It doesn’t look like nothing. Cade let him go!” she yells.
“Do you know what your sick pathetic excuse of a man did?” Cade asks the very pregnant red haired lady.
“Please not like this Cade,” Grant begs.
“Cade no.” I walk behind him and touch his shoulder.
He looks over at me and shoves Grant to the ground. Grant gets up and fixes his shirt collar.
“Willow I need to talk to you,” Grant pleads, looking at me with his big brown eyes. I used to imagine him looking at me with those eyes. I remember wishing and praying he would talk to me and now, that is the farthest thing from what I want.
“Grant I… I can’t be alone with you,” I confess.
The look on his face tells me everything he wants to say. I see so much shame and remorse for what he did to me all those years ago.
“You will NOT be alone with him!” Cade interrupts before Grant has a chance to reply.
I look over at Cade and he is standing protectively at my side daring Grant with his eyes and stance to object to what he just said.
“Cade can stay if he wants I just need to talk to you Wil, please,” he begs.
I sigh, “Okay.”
He looks over at the red haired girl, “Melody, babe please go lay down and rest and when I am finished here I will bring you something to eat and massage your feet.” Grant smiles at her.
“Okay, but if you don’t come up in a few minutes I will be right back down here.” She glares over at Cade and then kisses Grant on the cheek and wobbles her way back up the stairs.
Grant looks over at me, “Willow I … I… Do you want to go sit down at the kitchen table?”
I look up at Cade and he nods his head as if telling me it is okay. I don’t know why I even looked at him or wanted him to stay. There is just something about him that makes me feel at ease and safe. “Sure.” I turn and walk out of the kitchen and into the dining room. Cade is right behind me and I can feel his eyes on me so I put a little more shake in my hips as I walk. Silly I know but I kind of like the fact that I know he is watching me.
I take a seat and Cade sits right beside me. Grant takes the seat across from me
.
Things fall silent and I look down at my hands feeling very uncomfortable with Grant and Cade both looking at me. As if sensing my discomfort Cade clears his throat, “So what did you have to talk to her about? Get on with it,” Cade says looking from me to glare at Grant.
“This is hard for me Wil. I know what I did to you and I also know there is no excuse for what I did. I just… I just wanted to,” he looks down at the table and puts his face in his hands and lets out a deep huff. He looks back up at me, “Damn it. Willow what I am trying to say is I am sorry and I have been living with regret for what I did to you for years. I know that one ‘I’m sorry’ want make up for it, but I just needed to tell you.” Tears fill his eyes as he looks at me and I can tell he truly means what he just said.
I reach over and take Grant’s hand. Cade stiffens beside me as I reach across the table.
“Grant I forgive you.” My own tears fall down my face as I let go of all of the negative feelings and hatred that I have carried around all of these years for him.
His tears spill over his eyelids and he gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank You Wil.” Is all he manages to get out before Melody comes walking back in. She looks down at our intertwined hands.
“Grant what’s going on here?” She glares at me and puts her hands on her hips.
I quickly pull my hand away from his and he looks up at her.
“Uh Melody it’s not what it looks like.” He stands up and tries to put his hands on her shoulders. She quickly jerks away from his touch.
“Well then tell me Grant, what exactly is going on then? Ever since she,” Melody glares over at me, “has shown up you have been acting strange. What is she, one of those slutty girls from your high school you told me about?”
I open my mouth to say something but Cade cuts me off, “Melody this is my house and I will NOT have you talking about Willow like that as long as you are here.” He stands up and gets behind me putting his hands on my shoulders. As soon as his hands touch me it feels like a jolt of electricity shoots from his hands all the way down between my legs and I feel my panties dampen.
“Well then if she isn’t, why were her grubby hands on my fiancé?” she snips looking over at Grant.
“She is just an old friend from school who I owed a huge apology to. And that’s what you walked in on. Nothing more.”
She glares at him then over at me again and sighs. “I’m sorry my hormones are all over the place.” Her facial expression softens, “I am sorry for suggesting you were a slut.” She blushes shyly.
“It’s okay. I would have reacted the same way if I would have walked in on some strange girl holding my man’s hand.” As soon as the words ‘my man’s’ leaves my mouth a vision of Devin shuffling towards me with his arms stretched out, mouth hung open, growling ready to tear my flesh in two with his teeth, fills my mind. I quickly stand as the tears fill my eyes and my heart feels like it has been ripped out of my chest all over again.
I run out of there and up the stairs as fast as I can. I run straight into my room and slam the door. I sling myself down on the bed and cry into my pillow.
Chapter Eight
Olivia
I make it out to the enormous backyard and still haven’t found Tony yet. As I round the corner of the house I see a glimpse of something moving down by the palm trees close to the water. I ready myself for a fight with a flesh eater when I realize it’s Tony leaned up against the tree looking out over the water as the waves roll in.
“Tony?” I call to him as I walk a little closer to the tree.
“Shit! Liv don’t scare me like that!” he says jumping at the sound of my voice.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. I have been looking for you everywhere. I figured you were off with Becky somewhere and was about to give up until I saw a glimpse of you moving.” I walk up next to him and sit in the warm sand.
“Liv never again will that happen please believe me. She is the farthest thing from my mind. I was just out here looking at the water and thinking how in a short amount of time how things have changed and gotten so fucked up.”
I pick up a handful of warm sand and let it fall through my fingertips as he talks. “Yeah a lot of things have changed,” I say in a much sadder tone than I meant to.
“We are going to be fine right?” he asks and looks towards me with a heartbroken look in his eyes.
I look up at him and try and hold back the tears that are quickly filling my eyes. “I don’t know,” I whisper as my voice cracks.
“I am so sorry Liv, so, so sorry.”
I look away from him and out to the water. I love him and as much as I want to jump up in his arms and tell him everything will be okay, I just can’t get the image of him fucking Becky out of my head. And to be honest it is making me sick to my stomach again.
“Sometimes sorry isn’t good enough Tony.”
“Even with the way the world is now, I will make it good enough Liv. Just give me a chance, please,” he begs.
I stand up and look him directly in the eyes. “How are you going to make it good enough? How are you ever going to get the image of your cock in her out of my head? Huh? Every time I look at you that’s all I see!” I can’t fight the tears anymore and they gush down my face in a race to see which one can reach my chin first.
“I don’t know Liv,” Tony says letting go of a sigh. I can see the honesty in his eyes as he looks at me.
“You really hurt me Tony. I want to get past it, I really do. I love you with everything I have but you betrayed my trust, my love. And I don’t know if I can ever get that back.”
“I will take my last breath proving to you that you will be able to Liv,” he says and looks back towards the water. I can see the tears falling from his face even with his head turned.
I want so much to hug him and tell him everything will be okay but instead I turn to walk back into the house. Surprising myself I turn around and give him a small kiss on the cheek. The salty taste of his tears linger on my lips. “I hope so,” I whisper in his ear before I turn and walk back towards the house leaving him out there to think on what I said.
As I walk through the double glass doors into the kitchen I see Wil running off up the stairs and Cade, Grant and some pregnant chick standing dumbfounded around the kitchen table.
“What’s wrong with Wil?” I ask looking at the three of them.
“I don’t know she was fine then ran out crying,” the pregnant woman says shrugging her shoulders.
I glare at Grant and stalk towards him. “I swear to God Grant if you touched her again I will cut your dick off and feed it to you!” I point my finger right into his chest and want nothing more than to deck him right in the jaw.
“Whoa! Get your finger off of my fiancé!” Prego says as she slaps my finger away from Grant’s chest.
“Slap at me again and you will be picking yourself up off the ground, pregnant or not!” I say through gritted teeth and ball my fist up at my side trying not to punch a pregnant woman.
“Calm down Liv!” Grant yells. “I didn’t touch her! I apologized to her,” he looks at his feet, “for everything”
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “You think one apology will make up for you raping her?! You have got to be kidding me!”
“Excuse me? What did you just say?” Prego looks over to me and asks.
“Grant here,” I point at him, “raped my best friend in high school and if it wasn’t for the kind hearted person she is I would have castrated him a long time ago. But she wouldn’t let me go near him.” I roll my eyes.
She pulls away from Grant and looks at him with tears in her eyes. “Please tell me she is lying. Please Grant tell me it isn’t true,” she begs.
He looks down at her and he says all he needs to say with the guilt ridden look plastered all over his face. “Melody I can explain.” He reaches for her and she steps back out of his reach. “Please Melody,” he begs and tries to touch her again.
She is sha
king her head from side to side, “No. No. No. No. No.” She takes a step backwards with each no she says. “DON’T TOUCH ME! DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!” she screams at Grant then turns and runs back up the stairs.
“Melody wait!” Grant calls to her and takes off after her.
I look over to Cade and he is shaking his head at me.
“What? What did I do?” I say shrugging my shoulders.
“She didn’t know any of it. Hell I didn’t know until Willow told me.” Cade looks at me.
“Well if you ask me she deserved to know what kind of sick pervert her fiancé is. He is a rapist and a liar!” I spat.
“I know, I know,” he says with a sigh.
“I am going to check on Wil.” I bypass Cade and run up the stairs until I get to Wil’s room.
I softly knock on her door. “Wil, it’s me are you okay?” I ask.
“I am fine.”
“Can I come in?”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes I'm alone.” I roll my eyes.
“Fine come in.”
I open the door and see Wil lying across her bed with fresh tear stains on her cheek. I sit down beside her. “Are you sure you are okay? I know seeing Grant after all this time can’t be easy. But I promise you I will not let him touch you ever again.”
“It was shocking at first, but he said sorry and the way the world is now I felt like it was time to move on. Ya know?”
“I don’t know cause I still hate the fucker. But that’s your choice. So if you forgive Grant then why are you crying? Did Cade do something or Melody?”
“I took his apology Liv, but that doesn't mean that all is okay. I wanted us to be able to live here in peace. I don’t know how to say it Liv I mean no sorry will take away what he did. But he has a girlfriend and a baby and I just want to live.”
“Yeah I get it. But I will never trust him nor will I leave u alone with him. Is that all that is bothering you?”
“The way Cade was so protective over me... It made me think of how much Dev would have been the same way. I miss him so much Liv,” she cries out and it breaks my heart to see my best friend in so much pain.
Surviving This Life Page 7
