I open my mouth to argue, but she looks at me and I know she’s right. “Yeah it was.”
“Great. Call her now, please, and ask for your job back.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
I pull out my phone and hit Candi’s speed dial. She answers before the first ring is done. “Liv? Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay. I’ve called so many times.”
“I’m getting there, Candi. I’m sorry I didn’t take your calls.”
“Where are you? Can I come get you or send Owen?”
“I’m having lunch with someone who’s helping me. I-I was wondering if my job was still available?”
“Of course it is. Who’s helping you, though?” She sounds suspicious, and my heart swells knowing how much she cares about me.
“Someone who works for a friend of Maggie’s.”
“Oh. Good. Listen to her. She’ll help.”
“I’m trying. Should I come by on Monday?”
“Whenever. Day or night. I love you.”
“I love you, too. I’ll see you Monday.” I close my phone and look at Reina, who’s smirking. “Okay, what’s next?”
“Next, I want you to tell me all about that bastard who just got thrown out of here. I know some things, but I think there’s more I haven’t found out. Then we’ll head to the Griffin corporate apartments, where Maggie has one ready and waiting for you.”
I do what she asks and tell her everything about Blaine. I see her eyes harden when I talk about the car wash and what he said to me today. I also talk about Luke and what’s happened, including him moving on with that girl, Nikki. She’s a good listener and only speaks up at times when she can tell I need her to. She thinks things will work out with Luke and doesn’t believe he’s really moved on. I tell her I hope she’s right.
We’re getting up to leave when I get a text from Rose inviting me to dinner. She says Luke will be out, and she’d love to spend more time with me. After talking to Reina, I really want to see her as well, so I text back a yes. When I tell Reina, she surprises me by handing me the keys to the Griffin apartment and telling me to have fun with my sister.
I’m hugging her in the parking lot when a guy on a Harley pulls up into the parking spot we’re standing in front of. He takes off his helmet and oh, my God, is he hot. I mean, my husband’s practically a god himself, but this guy’s right up there. Close cropped, dark brown hair, and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, on the face of an angel. He gets off the bike and I feel Reina stiffen next to me. He’s over six feet tall, and his body is totally ripped, with tattoos peeking out of his shirt.
“Hi, Princess. Did you have a nice lunch?”
“Hello, Matthew. Yes, I did. You’re grandmother’s waiting for you inside,” Reina responds through clenched teeth.
“I’m on time and you know it.” He seems to notice me for the first time and gives me a panty dropping smile. “Hello. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Matt Corrigan.”
“Hi. I’m Olivia Griffin.”
“Griffin? Are you related to Gary and Maggie?”
“They’re my in-laws. I’m married to Luke.”
“Little Luke Griffin went and got himself a wife. Never thought that would happen. If you get bored with him, come find me.”
“Pig.”
“Now, now, Reina. Just because I’m not extending any offer to you, doesn’t mean you should resort to name calling.”
I can tell Reina’s about to lose it, and she’s already opening her mouth when someone speaks up behind us. “Children. You two are such children. I wish you could just get along for once.”
I turn to see a beautiful woman around Maggie’s age, with gray hair and the same blue eyes as Matt. I’m guessing she’s his grandmother, and she confirms it when she turns her attention to me. “Please excuse them, Olivia. They can’t help but be at each other’s throats all the time. I’m Jane Corrigan, Reina’s boss and Matt’s grandmother. I hope your talk went well.”
“It did, thank you Mrs. Corrigan.”
“Just call me Jane, my dear. I’m sure I’ll see you again. Now come along, Matty, and let’s have lunch.”
He looks chastised as he follows his grandmother while Reina smirks at him. I wait until they’re inside and fan myself. She tells me he’s an idiot, and I shouldn’t let his looks deceive me. I laugh and thank her again before getting into my car and driving away.
Chapter 21
Luke
I’m both excited and nervous at the same time. Olivia should be here any minute to hang out with Rose and have dinner with her. I’m going to hide out in my office until Rose texts me that it’s a good time to come down and talk to her. I can do this. We can do this.
I go downstairs to check on Rose one last time. “You’re good with the dinner, right?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Yes. I have your mom’s mac and cheese on warm in the oven, and the burgers you grilled are in the warmer. The cupcakes you got are in the fridge, along with Liv’s Pepsi.”
“Alright. Don’t forget to text me.”
“I won’t. Now go upstairs before my sister accidentally sees you.”
“I’m going. I’m going.”
I hover in the upstairs hallway when the doorbell rings. They can’t see me, and I hate to eavesdrop, but I want to hear my wife’s voice. To hear that she’s okay. I think we’ll both be better than okay once we talk.
“You look happy, Liv. Did your interview go well?”
“It was more a talk than an interview. She made me face some hard truths. I called Candi and asked her for my job back.”
“What? And really? You called Candi? That’s so cool. I know she misses you.”
“I miss her, too.”
She’s working with Candi again? That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time. They’re great friends, and I hate that she’s distanced herself from Candi. And everyone else, too.
“What else did you talk about?”
“Everything. Luke, that asshole Blaine, mom and dad. Reina’s boss, Jane, is friends with Maggie, so she knew some stuff already.”
“Did you decide anything else?”
“Well, I have keys to one of the Griffin corporate apartments, so I have a place to stay.”
No. Just no. She needs to move back in here. Not one of my family’s apartments.
“Oh. Did you take your stuff there?”
Does Rose know I’m listening or is she just asking? Either way, I’m holding my breath as I wait for the answer.
“No. I wanted to come see you first. Something smells good, by the way.”
YES!
“Oh yeah. Maggie sent some mac and cheese for Luke and me. Luke grilled burgers, too.”
“I thought you said he wasn’t here. Why did he grill?”
“He’s having some later. I told him a friend was coming over, so he made extra.”
“Oh.”
I can’t tell if she sounds sad or relieved. I get my answer from Rose.
“Did you want him to be here? You look a little sad that he’s not.”
“Honestly, I want to see him more than I want to take my next breath. I know he hates me, and he’s moved on, but I just want to look at him one more time.”
“One more time? What do you mean by that? You’re scaring me.”
She’s also scaring me, and I’m down the stairs before I even realize that I’ve moved.
“I need that answer, too.”
“Luke.” She turns to her sister. “You said he wasn’t here.”
“He wants to talk to you. He was supposed to stay upstairs until I thought you were ready.” Rose is glaring at me, now, but I don’t care.
“I couldn’t stay up there after what she just said. I mean, you’re not going to do…something, are you?”
“You mean like kill myself?” She looks at both of us, her eyes going wide. “Is that what you both thought? I’m pathetic, but I’m not that far gone.”
“What did you mean then?
”
“You said you were done and never wanted to see me again. I figured you’d have divorce papers for me the next time I saw you and that would be it.”
“I was hurt and angry. I haven’t filed for divorce, and I’m not going to unless that’s what you want.” I realize I didn’t address part of what she said a minute ago, so I try to make her smile. “Oh, and please don’t refer to my wife as pathetic.”
I get that smile I want. “You don’t want a divorce? Really?”
“Really. I don’t.”
“I hate to interrupt, but Alex should be here any minute so I need to grab my bag.”
“Alex is coming? And you’re going? What about dinner?”
“I texted her so you guys could be alone. You need to talk more than we need dinner, Liv. We can have dinner tomorrow.”
“Not tomorrow. We have that dinner with your parents.”
“Oh yeah. I’d blocked that out of my mind.”
“You’re both having dinner with my parents?”
“And my parents, and I think Blaine’s parents. My mom wanted to try and mend the relationships a little.”
“Oh.”
“We haven’t forgotten you, Liv. Maggie just thought they should start with me. Blaine’s mom and she have been talking, so they did this together. You know I won’t just go back without them apologizing to you.”
“That’s great, Rose. Even if they don’t apologize to me, you should try to work things out.”
“No. It’s all or nothing and that includes Luke, too.”
“They know that with me, Luke is not an option.”
I think that means she chose me and my heart starts piecing itself back together. I was willing to work things out anyway. I love her, and that’s the most important thing. Knowing I came first is pretty awesome. If that’s true. I’ll be asking her later.
Alex comes by and gets Rose, and then things get a little awkward. I try to break the ice. “Are you hungry?”
“Umm, not really. I just had a big lunch.”
“Do you want to talk first?”
“Okay.”
I walk over and sit on the couch. She looks around and decides to sit on one of the chairs. “You don’t want to sit next to me?”
“I-I can’t.”
“Why not?” Before she can answer, a horrifying thought crosses my mind. “Are you afraid of me?”
“Of course not! I know you’d never hurt me physically.”
“But you’re not coming over here, are you?”
“I feel more comfortable over here right now.”
“Alright.”
For now at least. Either she’s going to come over to this couch soon, or I’m joining her on that chair. I’m fine with either option. I haven’t touched my wife in weeks. That’s not okay, and I want to put an end to the drought.
“What do you want to talk about first?”
“Your parents.”
“Oh. That’s easy. Sure.”
“Easy? Really?” I don’t mean to sound angry, but it comes out because, well, I am a little pissed that she thinks the major thing that broke us up is easy to explain.
“Yeah, really. But you know what, I can tell you’re still pissed at me, and I don’t think you want to hear the truth, so let’s just forget this. I understand that I fucked up a lot, but I didn’t in the end. That should count for something.”
She gets up and starts for the door. I beat her there and stand in front of it. She won’t look at me, and I can see her that her jaw is clenched. We both just stand there for a few minutes, not speaking or moving. Finally, she turns and returns to the chair.
“Where were we?”
“Apparently with you keeping me prisoner in this house until I say what you want, beg for forgiveness, give you a good blow job, or something else that meets your approval. What’s the cost of my freedom, huh, Luke?”
I reel back and am about to argue, but I realize that I did just stop her from leaving. “You’re not a prisoner. I shouldn’t have blocked you from leaving. I just didn’t want you to go. But you’re free. Totally free. I’m sorry.”
She looks at me, and I can still see the anger in her eyes as she speaks. “When I left the party with my parents, I did need to talk to them. Alone. I didn’t want a whole party to hear me cutting ties with them. Because that’s what I did. I told them that I loved you and wasn’t divorcing you. I even said you were like some fairytale prince who loved and cherished me.” She shakes her head, like she can’t believe she described me that way, and my heart hurts at the thought of just how much I’ve disappointed her. “Then I walked out of their house and drove here to tell you that I’d done what I always knew I’d do if it came to it. I chose you over them. And well, you know how well that worked out for me.”
Shit. I do know. I refused to talk to her and packed up her car with her things, telling her I wanted a divorce. “God, I’m so sorry. I should’ve let you talk.”
“Yeah, you should have. I understand why you thought the worst. I hid you from everyone when I should have been bragging about how wonderful my husband was. I was scared and stupid, and you will never know how sorry I am for the pain it caused you. I just wish you would’ve talked to me. Or even yelled at me. Instead, you made me feel like nothing. Like I meant nothing to you and never had.” She starts to cry and I feel even worse.
“Honey, no. You know that’s not true. You mean everything.” I get off the couch and kneel in front of her chair. I can’t not touch her. I wipe the tears from her cheeks as she looks me in the eye.
“Still?”
“Always, Ollie. Always.”
“You called me Ollie.”
I nod and am a little freaked out when she starts crying harder. “Is that bad? I’ll call you Olivia. Don’t cry.”
“Don’t you dare call me Olivia,” she says as she punches me in the arm. “These are happy tears. I never thought you’d call me that again.”
“Oh. Well, cry away then. Happily.” We both laugh until I see her wince. “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
“Just a little sore. Sleeping in my back seat wasn’t exactly comfortable. The shower earlier helped.”
“Do you want to take a bath and soak your muscles?”
“That would be amazing. First, though, I need you to stop looking guilty. You’re not responsible for me sleeping in my car. I had options that I was too stubborn to take.”
“I’m going to feel guilty for kicking you out for the rest of my life. That’s just the way it is. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am that you’re back, though.” I kiss her forehead because I have to, and then lift her into my arms and carry her upstairs.
* * *
Olivia
I can’t believe I’m in Luke’s arms. I was so worried that I would never have him hold me again. He carries me into the bathroom and sets me on the counter. Then he starts my bath, putting in some of his shower gel to make bubbles since my stuff isn’t here anymore. He catches me smiling.
“Sorry. It’s all I have.”
“I’ll get to smell like you. I’m not complaining.”
“Do you need help getting out of your clothes?”
The smile freezes on my lips and I quickly shake my head. There’s no way I can let Luke see me naked. I’ve lost at least twenty pounds and I know I look bad, with my bones sticking out in places. That’s really sexy. I mean, it is for people who are normally super thin, but not on me.
“I can undress myself.”
He looks a little hurt but smiles at me. “Okay. I’ll leave you to it then. Just yell if you need anything. I’ll be in my office.”
“Thanks.”
I wait for him to leave and close the door. Then I undress, making sure to not look in the mirror. I don’t want to see myself. It’s bad enough knowing how I must look, without the actual proof of it. I turn off the water and slide into the large tub. It feels so good and my muscles start loosening almost immediately.
I don�
��t realize that I’ve fallen asleep until I feel myself being lifted from the water. I try to struggle a little. “Shh, Ollie. Go back to sleep. I’ve got you.”
“No. You can’t see me,” I whisper as I come awake.
“I’ve seen you lots of times. You know that.”
“Not like this, when I look like this.”
“You look beautiful. I’m going to dry you off and put you to bed, so please stop struggling. I don’t want to drop you.”
I stop struggling but don’t look at him as he stands me on my feet next to the bed. He dries me off and then pulls back the comforter and sheets. I cover myself as best as I can with my arms as I try not to cry. I climb under the comforter and pull it to my chin as soon as he steps aside.
“Thanks, Luke.”
Instead of leaving, he sits on the bed and faces me. I need him to go. I can’t hold back the tears much longer. I try to look away, but he reaches out and cups my cheek. “You. Look. Beautiful.”
“I know that’s not true. You don’t have to try and make me feel better.”
“It is true.”
“Then why haven’t you…never mind. I know why.”
“Talk to me.”
He’s not going to let it go. I know it, so I look him in the eye and tell him why my heart is still broken, even after he’s been so nice to me. “You haven’t tried to kiss me. I know you have a new girlfriend, but I thought…maybe…I mean, I know I’m not sexy…I just…I should go. I have the keys to the apartment. I’ll go.” I pull my face away and curl onto my side, waiting for him to leave so I can get up.
He rolls me back over so that he can look at me when he speaks. “If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. I’ve told you that already. But let’s get a few things straight. You need to stop the bullshit talk about not being sexy. That’s just what it is. Bullshit. I’m hard as a fucking rock at the moment. I’ve been hard since I heard your voice when you came in the house earlier. You’ve lost some weight and yeah, you need to eat something other than ramen, but you’re still the sexiest fucking woman I know. Because you’re you. That was my co-worker you heard in the house earlier. My married co-worker, who I wanted to introduce to you at our party.
“I don’t have a girlfriend. I have a wife. I’m trying to be respectful of you since we’re still working things out. Honestly, though, I want to climb on top of you and bury my cock in your pussy until neither of us can walk for a week. I’ve missed you so much. I love you so much. I know I’ve made you doubt it. You’re not the only one who’s fucked things up. But we’re here now, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make this work. I can’t let go of you again. I just can’t.”
Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers Book 4) Page 21
