Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia #1) (36 page)

“It makes me mad when you start spouting about that kind of…
” I crossed my arms over my chest, floundering for the right word, “
stuff
, in public.”

“And what stuff would that be?” He grinned.

“You know…” I paused. “You were about to say the ‘P’ word,” I hissed under my breath.

“What ‘P’ word? Popsicle? Potato? Pistachio?” He raised a brow.

“You know exactly which word I’m talking about,” I hissed.

“You mean,” he enunciated each word carefully, and leaned down to my ear, “pussy?”

“Yes! That one!” I cried, pushing him away with a gentle shove.

“Hmm,” he hummed, “but you like it when I lick your pussy and it’s so sweet.”

“Oh my God!” I covered my face, wishing I could disappear.

“Don’t hide your face,” he grabbed my hands and pried them away.

“Why do you say this stuff to me? You know it embarrasses me?” I glared at him.

“But you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed,” he winked, “and it makes your spitfire side come out. I like it when you get all
feisty
with me.”

“You are so weird,” I shook my head, staring at the ground.

He lifted my chin. “I’m not weird,
but
if you like weirdness, I’m sure I can think of a few interesting things for us to try out.”

I shook my head rapidly back and forth. “I can assure you, I won’t be trying anything weird.”

“Too bad…” He paused. “We got really excited.”

“We?” I questioned.

“Yes,” he smiled, “we.” He pulled me against him so that our hips were flush and there was no mistaking the bulge in his jeans.

My cheeks flamed red. “Trace! We’re at a
carnival!”

“I know,” he sighed, “and since there’s no way to fix my...
” he glanced down significantly, “problem, we better find something to do. What would you like to do next?” He asked, flicking his dark hair off his forehead.

I pointed behind him and he turned to look.

“The carousel? Really?” He raised a brow. “That’s for like…toddlers.”

“I’ve never been on one,” I frowned. “Please?” I begged, making puppy dog eyes.

He sighed. “Fine,” he agreed. “But this is gonna hurt,” he glanced down at his pants.

“Yay!” I cheered, not at all concerned about Trace’s
problem
. I was at a carnival, for the first time
ever
, and I planned on taking full advantage.

I ran up to the carousel, giddier than the small children, and hopped on.

Trace grumbled under his breath and climbed onto the empty horse beside mine, adjusting himself in his jeans.

The ride started up and I squealed in delight as it spun
, and the horses slid up and down the gold metal bar impaling their bodies.

People were looking at me weird but I shut them out.

I had never been to a carnival before and I wanted to experience all the things I had missed out on as a child.

After the carousel
, we rode a few more rides, and I insisted on doing the Ferris Wheel again.

“We better head back soon,” Trace announced, checking the time on his phone.

“Crap!” I exclaimed, seeing how late it was.

Trace stopped walking and faced me. “I’m going to win you a prize, because you deserve the whole carnival package, and then I’ll take you home,” he smiled.

I nodded. “Okay, that sounds good.” I
really
wanted him to win me a prize. I knew it was stupid, but that’s what all the guys in the movies did, and I knew I would cherish that prize forever.

Trace assessed the different games and picked one where you threw darts to pop balloons.

“Are you sure you can do this?” I asked skeptically.

“I got this,” he winked. “I have excellent aim
, remember. It’s in my blood. I
am
a Wentworth after all.”

I stood back as he spoke with the man running the game. He handed Trace the darts and Trace looked over his shoulder, grinning at me.

“Watch this, baby,” he smirked.

I stepped forward so I stood beside him.

He drew his arm back and let the first dart fly. It connected with the yellow balloon and the pop echoed around us.

He successfully popped the remaining balloons. “Told ya,” he snickered.

“Pick your prize,” the man working the booth intoned dryly. He looked bored and half asleep.

“Which one do you want?” Trace asked, pointing to the various stuffed animals hanging above.

There weren’t many options. A giant teddy bear, a blue gorilla, and for some reason there was a stuffed banana.

“That one,” I pointed to
the gorilla. It was the cutest, with its pale blue wrinkly face, and fluffy body.

The guy removed the stuffed animal from the hook and handed it to me.

“There ya go,” he waved his hand for us to leave.

With a hand on my lower back, Trace guided me to the exit
, and then to his car.

I sat my giant blue gorilla on my lap. It smelled like popcorn.

“Did you have fun?” Trace asked, exiting the parking lot. We passed by the Dairy Queen we had eaten at a few months ago.

I nodded my head eagerly. “It was great. I had way more fun than I thought I would. It was nice to have a night out
, not worrying about school.” I leaned my head against the headrest and let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe the school year is over in only nine days.”

Trace swallowed thickly. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about.”

“Really? What?” I asked, forcing my sleepy eyes to stay open.

He cleared his throat and his hands flexed against the steering wheel. “You can’t stay on campus for the summer
, and your mom is still living at the Callahan’s…” his fingers tapped restlessly against the steering wheel, “so…” he paused nervously, “where are you planning to live?” He glanced at me anxiously.

“I figured
, I’d stay at the Callahan’s as well,” I shrugged. “You know I got that job at the jewelry store in old town, that starts in two weeks, and Resa was able to get my mom a job at the hospital. My mom and I are hoping that by the end of the summer, with our combined incomes, we’ll be able to rent a place.”

“What if
you
didn’t have to rent a place?” His green eyes flicked my way for a moment.

“I don’t understand,” I shook my head. “What are you saying?” I was pretty positive I knew where he was going with this, but I needed to hear him say it. I had to know for sure.

“Move in with me,” he stated, like it was that easy.

“Trace,” I gasped, “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” His brow furrowed together when he looked at me. “You spend most of your free time at my place, anyway. Move in.”

“I-I-” I stammered. I didn’t know what to say to him. Moving in together was a
huge
step. It was a step in our relationship I wasn’t sure either of us was ready for. I mean, he’d never told me that he loved me. True, I hadn’t told him either, and I did love him. I wanted to tell him,
badly
. I had come close to spilling out those three little words, several times, but always held back. I needed to hear him say them first. I knew it would break me if I confessed my feelings, and he didn’t return them.

He parked in front of the dorm, forcing
a smile. His green eyes were sad. “Just think about it, Olivia. Please?”

“I can do that,” I nodded.

“Thank you,” he murmured, leaning over to kiss me chastely.

With my blue gorilla in tow, I made a slow procession up to my room.

I was so confused about what to do. Trace had thrown a wrench in my plans and I only had nine days to decide what I was going to do.

c h a p t e r

Twenty Nine

I sat down at a table in Starbucks, and unwrapped the paper from the green straw, sticking it into my Frappuccino. I took a sip of the caramel goodness.

Avery stirred
the whipped cream into her drink, eyeing me. “Spill girl, I know you’re worried about something.”

Avery hadn’t come
back to the dorm last night, from the carnival, so I hadn’t had a chance to tell her about Trace wanting me to move in.

For a distraction, I wiped the condensation forming on the clear plastic cup. I decided to bite the bullet and
tell her. There was no point in putting this off. She was my best friend, and right now, she was the only person I could confide in. “Trace wants me to move in.”

“What!?” She shrieked, earning us glares from the staff and patrons.

I nodded. “He told me last night.”

“What did you say?” She
asked, wiping a dribble of Frappuccino from her lip.

“I said I would think about it,” I mumbled, removing the straw
from my cup, and licking off the whipped cream.

“How do you feel about this? Living together is a big deal,” she remarked, pulling her red hair back into a ponytail.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I don’t want to rush our relationship, you know?”

“I totally understand,” she leaned forward and bit down on the green straw. “If Luca asked me to move in with him, I’d give him the middle finger, and tell him to fuck himself.”

“That’s because you’re a commitment-phobe,” I pointed an accusing finger at her.

“Damn straight,” she winked, slurping her Frapp. “But
you
are not.”

“Ugh,” I groaned, burying my face in my hands, and shaking my head. “I don’t know what to do!”

“Go with your gut,” she shrugged. “My gut’s never steered me wrong.”

The espresso machine whistled beside us.

I took a deep breath. “I think it might be a good idea but my mom-”

“No buts,” Avery interjected. “
You
have to do what’s right for
you
. Your mom will be fine. She can get her own place. Although, I’m sure my brother would be willing to get an apartment with her,” she snickered.

“That’s not funny!” I exclaimed.

“I wasn’t trying to be,” she laughed.

That only made it worse.

I shook my head back and forth. “I’m so confused.”

“Why are you confused?
” She asked, tilting her head. “You said you thought it would be a good idea to live with lover boy. If that’s how you feel, then that’s what you should do,” she reasoned. “I know I shouldn’t talk, because I haven’t been in many long-term relationships, but you can’t judge everything by a timeline,” she shrugged, taking a sip of her Frappuccino. “Love doesn’t work that way. When it’s right, it’s right, and when it’s not, it’s not.”

I was taken aback. When had Avery become so wise?

I began to look under the table and over my shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing?” Avery questioned with a short laugh.

“I’m looking for my best friend. Her name is Avery. She’s about this tall,” I raised my hand up to Avery’s height, “has red hair, and never says anything wise.”

She scoffed. “I can be wise!”

I gave her a look that said, ‘Oh, really?’

“Joke all you want,” she stuck her nose in the air, “but what I said is true.”

“I know,” I laughed, “that’s why I couldn’t believe you said it.”

She tossed the wadded up paper from her straw at me and it got caught in the waves of my hair.

I pulled it out and dropped it onto the lacquered wood top.

“So, you’re going to move in with him, right?” She picked a chocolate chip off the rim of her cup and licked it off her finger.

I fiddled with my hands. “Yeah, I am.”

★★★

My last class of the year came to an end and I grinned to myself as I walked out of the classroom.

Only two more years to go and I would have my degree.

I walked along the sidewalk, with a skip in my step, humming a song under my breath.

Trace was supposed to meet me at the dorm so I wasn’t surprised when I caught sight of his lean form lounged against the brick building. I took a moment to take in the sight of him.

His dark hair had been recently cut so it no longer fell into his eyes. Stubble dotted his jaw and cheeks. His elegant nose was rounded on the end and his lips were a perfect cupid’s bow. Long thick eyelashes emphasized his green eyes.

He wore his red plaid shirt unbuttoned over a wife-beater
, with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his toned forearms. His hands were large and always swallowed mine. Today, he was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, and instead of his usual combat boots, he wore Nike tennis shoes.

My eyes ventured back up and connected with his. I blushed at being caught.

“Like what you see?” He asked, fighting a smile.

“Just…enjoying the view,” I mumbled.

“Uh-huh,” he chuckled, striding forward the few feet that separated us. “There’s some drool there, on your lip,” he pointed.

I swatted his hand away. “Trace!” I groaned in embarrassment.

He chuckled. “We better hurry, we don’t have much time.”

“To go where?” I questioned. Trace had told me we were celebrating my last day of classes but that was all he had said.

“Olivia,” he whispered my name huskily, guiding me to his car. “I can’t tell you that.”

“Oh,” I drew out the word. “We’re doing something on my list,” I stated.

“Mhmm,” he murmured, opening the passenger door for me.

I leaned back, ticking through what was left on my list, but it didn’t help me figure out what we’d be doing.

Trace parked in an open field and my eyes zeroed in on a group of people standing around.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Just wait,” he smiled.

I followed him towards the people, looking around for anything that would tip me off.

My eyes lit on a large basket and rainbow colored fabric spread out in the grass.

“Oh my God!” I stopped in my tracks. “We’re going in a hot air balloon!”

Trace laughed at my reaction. The people turned to look at me, chuckling as well.

“You’re the best boyfriend ever!” I squealed, jumping into Trace’s arms
, kissing him.

“Whoa there,” Trace chuckled, pulling away from my monkey-like embrace. “I didn’t know the hot air balloon would make you this excited.”

“I’m sorry,” I blushed, steepling my hands in front of my face. “When I made the list, this was one of the things I was most excited to do, but figured I’d never have the chance.”

“Well,” he smiled, “here’s your chance.”

I squealed again and the men gathered around the hot air balloon laughed.

“Normally, the girl is scared to death to get
in one of these,” one of the men remarked.

“Not my Olivia,” Trace grinned, throwing his arm over my shoulders as we stepped towards the guys. “She’s one of a kind.”
He kissed my nose.

“
Ya wanna help?” Another man asked. He was older with graying hair and a heavy beard. His brown eyes were warm and caring.

“We can help?!” I gushed.

“Of course,” he replied in his gruff voice, waving his hand for me to join him, “it’s all a part of the experience.”

“Eeeek!” I squeaked and went
to help him. I think my behavior was embarrassing Trace but I was too excited to care.

This was going to be
way
better than the Ferris Wheel and I had thought that was awesome.

The older man introduced himself as Richard and the other three men were his sons, Kasey, Jackson, and Matt. Richard owned the business and was in charge of flying the balloon while his sons were the chasers.

Since, when you went up in a balloon, you never knew exactly where you were going to land, it was the chasers job to follow the balloon to give us a lift back here, to our starting point.

“
Ya always have to land in an open field,” Richard explained. “Any open land will do as long as ya have permission from the owner to land there. But that’s the beauty of these things,” he tapped the basket, “ya never know which way the wind will blow ya. Kinda like life.”

I smiled at his words. I had instantly taken a liking to the older man. He was kind and funny.

“Alright, y’all,” he waved to Trace and me, “get on in here. We’re ‘bout ready to go up.”

I ran
by Trace, and hopped into the basket, not very lady-like, but I didn’t care.

The fire that lifted the balloon roared to life and the heat warmed my face.

The ginormous rainbow balloon rose above us, its stripes running up and down. I gazed above me at the inside of the balloon, blown away by the sheer size of it. They looked small, when you saw them up in the sky, but in person…they were breathtaking due to their massive size.

“I’m beginning to regret this decision,” Trace muttered as the basket lifted off the ground.

Richard chuckled and clapped him on the back. “Don’t be a sissy, boy, it’s only a few feet.”

I laughed at Trace
, and gripped the edge of the basket, peering below us as the people on the ground grew smaller and smaller.

I
saw the cars zoom by on the highways that intersected neighborhoods and farmlands. The straight lines of the farm plots were beautiful to see from above. Little black dots were scattered around the grassy area and I marveled at how small the cows looked from this high.

“Special occasion?” Richard asked us.

“Nah,” Trace explained, “we wanted to do something different.”

“We don’t get a lot of young folks comin’ to us
, unless there’s a proposal,” Richard chortled.

Tra
ce choked on his saliva. “Nope, no proposal, sir.”

Richard’s chuckle echoed through the air around us. “Ya don’t need to get all worked up
, boy. Ya look like ya can’t breathe.”

“Sorry,” Trace mumbled and I looked over my shoulder at his red face.

I laughed at his expression of terror and went back to sightseeing.

“Isn’t she a beauty?” Richard voiced. “The Shenandoah Valley.”

“It’s beautiful,” I agreed.

The fire that propelled the balloon quickly beaded sweat on my neck.

“Oh my gosh!” I gasped, peering below us. “Trace! Look at the deer!” I pointed to a cluster of five deer running through a field. They were hard to see but their elegant gait gave them away.

“Totally awesome,” Trace replied.

I turned around, and he was still in the same spot, near the middle of the basket. “Trace! You didn’t even look!”

“I’m pe
rfectly fine over here. There’s no reason for me to stand so close to the edge where I could possibly fall to my death,” he mumbled.

“Oh, so it’s okay for me to fall to my death?” I raised a brow.

“No,” he chuckled. “I’d prefer that you were over here with me. But seeing as I doubt you’d come over here willingly, and I’m sure as hell not moving, we have a conundrum.”

“Fine,” I turned back around so that I wasn’t missing any of the view. “But you’re really missing out.”

I looked down at the tips of the green trees and the birds flying nearby.

We had been in th
e air for about an hour and the sun was beginning to set. On the ground, sunsets were beautiful, but in the air they were breathtaking. We were swathed in hues of orange, pink, red, and even purple. It felt like we had become a part of the sunset.

“We gotta land now,” Richard announced.

I frowned. I didn’t want it to end. This was one of the greatest days of my life.

We came to an open field and Richard lowered the balloon.

It touched down shakily and Trace immediately hopped out, walking back and forth.

Richard began the process of dismantling the balloon while we waited for the chasers.

“Are you okay?” I asked, climbing out after Trace. I put a hand on his back, between his shoulder blades, trying to soothe him.

“I am never doing anything like that again,” he declared
, shaking his head rapidly back and forth. “I’m not scared of much,” he paused, taking a deep breath, “but that was terrifying.”

I instantly felt bad that he had been so uncomfortable while I was enjoying myself.

“I’m sorry-”

“Don’t apologize,” he cut me off and ceased his pacing. “I’m glad you were able to experience that and I would have never wanted to stay on the ground and miss out on the smile on your face. Planes, I can do. Open baskets that teeter back and forth? Not so much,” he grinned, cupping my cheek.