Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers Book 4) (4 page)

BOOK: Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers Book 4)
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Tonight is a party to
celebrate the launch of a new computer program by my brother, Scott.
My mom always throws a party for one of my brothers’
accomplishments. I used to be upset because there was never one for
me, but now I’ve just learned to deal with it. I don’t do
anything worth celebrating, so why would I get a party? That’s not
self-pity speaking. It’s just the simple truth.

Even though Scott is
probably the most casual guy you’ll ever find, covered in tattoos
and a few piercings, my mom was in the mood for a cocktail party, so
that’s what we’re having. No one can say no to her because she’s
always been there for us, and we know how lucky we are to have her
for our mom. So, here I am in a black suit with a dark gray shirt
open at the collar. A tie was a little too much, but I think I’m
dressed up enough.

I’m stuck listening
to some boring chick talk about all her shopping, parties, and the
people at the party who are beneath her because our company’s doing
business with her dad. As I’m trying to figure out a way to escape
and still be polite, I look up and see Olivia enter the party with
Rose and a serious looking couple, who must be their parents.

She’s wearing a black
dress that is kind of edgy looking and has sheer panels on the top
and bottom, along with some sexy black heels. Her hair is in a messy
bun, and she’s not wearing any jewelry. She doesn’t need it.
She’s easily the most stunning woman here. She finds me as she
scans the crowd, and her smile lights up her entire face until the
girl I’d been talking to pulls on my arm, trying to get my
attention back on her. The smile drops from Olivia’s face and she
looks away.

Oh, hell no. She can’t
actually think I’m into this chick. I extricate myself, not caring
anymore about being polite. The stuck up bitch isn’t ready to let
me go so easily, though.

“Luke, why are you
walking away from me?” Her voice is like fucking nails on a
chalkboard, and people are staring.

The only person I care
about looks back to me, her eyes wide, and I smile at her before
looking back over my shoulder. “You weren’t taking the hint that
I’m not interested,” I say as I walk towards Olivia.

I’m almost to her
when a red-faced man gets in front of me. “How dare you embarrass
my daughter?”

“Your daughter
embarrassed herself. I tried to be polite and listen to her going on
about stupid shit, but there’s only so much I could take.”

“No wonder your
family doesn’t allow you to play a role in the company. We’ve all
heard the rumors about your sexual encounters that embarrass them,
but now I know that you’re a cocky little bastard as well.”

“What I know is that
you need to leave my house.” I didn’t see my dad walk up behind
me.

“You’re not
serious, Gary.”

“Like hell I’m
not.”

“You know I’ll
cancel my building.”

“Consider it already
canceled. My family comes first. Always.”

The guy grabs his wife
and daughter and storms out. I’m happy that my dad kicked him out,
but there was something missing in that exchange. My dad never said
that I didn’t embarrass the family, or dispute what was said. Which
just reinforces my feeling that I’ve let everyone in the family
down. Especially when I look around and see that all of my brothers
look pissed. Why wouldn’t they? I just cost Ryan a deal. I caused a
scene at a party for Scott. And I already know how Owen feels about
me. I can’t imagine the night getting any worse.

* * *

Olivia

I want to run to Luke
and just hug him tight. He looks so lost and hurt. He hasn’t talked
about his family with me much, but after the conversation with Candi
and Owen a couple weeks ago, I know that what Owen said upset him.
That asshole saying things about him in front of the whole party just
knocked him down and has him doubting himself. I can see it as he
walks towards me and my family, where we’re standing away from the
rest of the party. He needs me.

“Hey Luke.” It’s
my little sister who greets him first.

“Hi Rose.” He
manages a smile for her as she reaches out to hug him.

“Please step away
from my daughter,” my dad says through clenched teeth.

“Dad,” I
practically yell as Luke flinches like he’s been hit.

“Stay out of this,
Olivia. It’s bad enough that you’ve shown up here in that dress
looking like you’re whoring yourself out.” I’m the one who’s
flinching now.

“What did you just
say to her?” Luke turns on my dad and looks like he wants to hit
him.

“It’s okay, Luke.”

“The hell it is.
There’s nothing wrong with your dress. You look beautiful.”

“See what I mean. If
he
likes your dress,
you have to realize how inappropriate it is.”

“Daddy. Why are you
being like this? Luke has driven me home a bunch of times and is
always nice to me.” Rose looks like she wants to cry, and I just
want to sink into the ground. I try to tell Luke with my eyes to just
walk away.

“You’ve been alone
in the car with him? Why didn’t I know this?”

“Mr. Murphy, I would
never behave in any way that was not respectful to either of your
daughters. They’re both safe with me.”

“That remains to be
seen.”

“You know what, think
whatever you like about me. I don’t give a fuck. Just don’t
insult either of them in front of me again.” Oh God. This is really
getting out of hand.

“Are you threatening
me?”

“No. I’m just
trying to make you realize that you have two amazing daughters who
are smart and nice.”

“You think I don’t
know my own daughters?” This is not going well. At all. But I don’t
know how to stop it. “You listen to me, son. You will not be giving
Rose rides, and you will not even look at Olivia again. Do you
understand me? I have a gun.”

“So do I.” Candi is
behind me, looking pissed in her fashionable maternity dress and
heels. “Don’t you dare threaten Luke. He’s done nothing wrong.

“I should’ve known
you’d be involved somehow.” He looks at me, then. “Is this what
you want to end up like, Olivia? You barely made it out from under
the bad crowd you were involved in a few years ago. Now you want to
be like
her
?” He
sneers as he says the last word, and Owen is in his face in less than
a second.

“What’s wrong with
my fiancé, Mr. Murphy? Please enlighten me, because I think she’s
damn near perfect.”

“Just the fact that
she’s your fiancé, and not your wife while she’s obviously
pregnant, is a problem in and of itself.”

“Dad, please stop.
These are my friends. They’re good people.”

“You thought those
kids in high school were good people, too, didn’t you, and look how
that turned out. You could have been the one pregnant.”

“Just because my
friends behaved in a certain way, doesn’t mean I did everything
they did. But if I had, it would’ve been my choice and not yours.
When will you understand that?”

“Livvie, your father
only wants the best for you. Behaving in a good, moral way will go a
long way for you in the future. I’m sure your boss is nice, but
what will people think?” I know my mom cares, but this isn’t the
1950s for God’s sake.

“They’ll think that
Candi and Owen are in love because you can see it any time they’re
together. What’s more important than bringing a child into a loving
family?”

“You’re so naïve,
Olivia. This is why you should move back home. Now that you’re
alone, someone could follow you and force themselves on you. You
would be giving your virginity to some deviant.”

Oh. My. God. Can I just
die right now? My dad just outed me as a virgin to Luke. And Owen.
Candi already knew, and she once again tries to rescue me.

“Mr. Murphy, first of
all, if someone forced himself on Olivia, she would not be ‘giving’
her virginity to him. Second, Olivia is very smart and won’t put
herself in a situation where she could be hurt. Nothing’s 100% in
life, but she’s not out looking for trouble. In fact, since she’s
been working for me, I have come to know her as hard-working and very
intelligent. She will go far in life by being herself.”

“We’ll just have to
agree to disagree.” My father turns to me again. “Thankfully,
your mother brought an extra dress for you just in case you weren’t
dressed conservatively. You can get it out of our car and go inside
to change.”

“No.” I can’t
believe I just said that. I never stand up to him. But Candi got me
this dress from one of her friends, and Luke said I looked beautiful.
I
feel
beautiful, and
I don’t want to change.

“Stop being
difficult, Olivia, and do what you’re told.”

“She’s not some
fucking child. She’s almost twenty-two years old, and she told you
no.” Luke and my dad are staring each other down, and I almost give
in just to break the tension. Gary Griffin does that when he comes
over to our group.

“I’m not sure
what’s going on over here, but my wife was planning on a nice party
to celebrate my son’s new computer program. The tension coming off
of all of you is starting to attract the notice of other guests.”
He turns to his sons. “Owen, Luke, go mingle and let the Murphy
family figure out whatever is going on between them.

Owen nods and grabs
Candi’s hand. She looks at me and tells me with her eyes to stay
strong. Luke doesn’t move an inch. He’s still staring down my
dad. And man, does he look hot doing it. He was already
off-the-charts hot in his suit, but with the intense look on his
face,
and
knowing it’s
for me, well, let’s just say I’d have a hard time holding onto my
virginity tonight if he wanted me. Which I know he doesn’t. He’s
just being nice, but still, it makes a girl feel good.

“Luke. I asked you to
go mingle.”

“I’m not leaving
until I’m sure Olivia and Rose are going to be okay.”

“We’re fine, Luke.
Thanks for worrying, but you should go with your dad.” I smile to
let him know I mean it. And I do. My dad may yell at us, but he won’t
hit us or anything. Luke looks at me for a minute before he nods and
walks away.

I spend the rest of the
night with my parents glued to me, so I don’t get a chance to talk
to Luke. I want to thank him, and I also never got to comfort him.
Despite the pain he was feeling, he came to my defense. I need to let
him know how much that means to me.

I hang around after
everyone has left, telling my parents that I want to help Maggie
Griffin clean up. She has staff and could hire more, but I’ve heard
that she likes to take care of things herself. She’s taught her
sons and granddaughter to do the same. I’m happy to help, but I
also need to see if she’ll give me Luke’s address. I’m sure he
lives in one of those fancy condos on the strip or something, so if I
go there, it won’t be much of a surprise, but I want to see him
anyway. I carry some plates into the kitchen and find Maggie up to
her elbows in dishwater as she rinses plates and cups while still in
her fancy dress.

“It’s so nice to
finally meet you, Olivia. Rose talks about you often.”

“It’s nice to meet
you, too. I wanted to thank you for letting Rose hang out here. My
parents are great, but sometimes they’re a little overbearing.”

“My husband and I are
the complete opposite of that and sometimes I’m not sure that’s a
good thing.”

“Are you kidding?
You’re sons, and Alex, are awesome.”

“Thanks for saying
that, but I worry. I guess all mothers do.”

“Probably.” I’m
playing with the hem of my dress because I don’t know how to bring
up the address thing.

Maggie pulls her hands
from the water and dries them off as she looks at me. “I have a
feeling that you didn’t just stay behind to help me with the
dishes, Olivia. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Actually, yes.” I
look down, embarrassed.

“Are you going to
tell me what it is?” I look up and see her eyes twinkling.

I take a deep breath
and make my request. “I was hoping you could give me Luke’s
address. I need to talk to him.”

She’s quiet for
almost a full minute. “Olivia, I love my sons unconditionally, but
I know they’re not saints. If you and Luke have…well…slept
together, I have to let you know that you’re not the first and
probably not the last. I can give you his address, but I don’t know
that you’ll find him alone.”

“I appreciate your
honesty, Maggie. I haven’t slept with Luke, and it’s not in my
plans to do so. I really do need to talk to him. If he’s not alone,
it won’t break my heart.” I’m afraid it will, though, if I’m
being honest with myself. I can’t tell his mom that, though.

“Fair enough. Let me
write it down for you.”

* * *

Luke

Tonight pretty much
sucked ass. I came home and took off my jacket, belt, and shoes
before grabbing a cold beer. I didn’t drink at the party although I
wanted to. I knew if I got drunk and did anything stupid, my mom
would be horrified. I also didn’t want to have to stay there. I
needed the comfort of my own place. Not that it’s much comfort, but
it’s mine. Paid for with money I earned. After my third beer, I was
feeling a little warm, so I unbuttoned my shirt but left it on.

I’m sprawled out on
the couch, watching highlights from the Portland Vortex hockey game.
I have the whole thing DVR’d, of course, since they’re my
favorite team, but I don’t know where the remote is, and I’m a
little too drunk to get off the couch and change the channel. I’m
surprised to hear a knock at the door. None of my family has been to
my new place, and I can’t imagine them coming over tonight. I’ve
never had anyone else over here, either. I decide to ignore it.

“Luke?”

Holy fuck, it’s
Olivia. I jump off the couch and stumble to the door, opening it
before I can even think about how I look. Or smell. It doesn’t dawn
on me until I see her eyes widen when I open the door that I’m
half-dressed and more than half drunk. Probably not a good look for
anyone. But I’ve already opened the door, so I have to just go with
it.

BOOK: Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers Book 4)
13.42Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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