Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers Book 4) (9 page)

“I don’t need my
brother’s pity. I thought you were on my side. I can’t believe I
thought you actually liked me for me. I should’ve known it was just
the Griffin name.”

“I
am
on your side, Luke.” I walk towards him, but he backs away. “And
you know I don’t care about your last name or who your family is.”

“Don’t come near
me. I’ve wasted enough time on you and your lies. Find someone else
to play games with and cock tease, because I’m over it. And I’m
over you.”

My heart just stops. I
swear it does. I sway on my feet andthink I would’ve fallen over if
Owen didn’t reach out and hold me steady. “Easy, Olivia. Come sit
down.”

“Get the fuck out,
Luke.”

“It’s nice to know
where your loyalties lie, Candi.”

“Don’t start that
shit with me, Luke. I’ve always had your back, but you won’t
disrespect Olivia in front of me. She obviously cares about you and
wanted to try to bridge the gap between you and Owen. You should be
thanking her and not purposely saying things you know will hurt her.”

“Fuck you all. I’m
out of here.” He looks at me with a sneer on his face. “I really
thought you weren’t like all the rest of them, but you obviously
are. Sorry there’s not a Griffin left for you to fuck. Oh wait,
you’re too good to give it up anyway, right?”

He storms out, and I
literally just want to die. I shouldn’t have said anything. “Liv,
look at me sweetheart. He’ll calm down and realize what an ass he
just was. He didn’t mean it.”

I look up at Candi, not
even trying to hide the tears that are falling down my face. “He
meant it. Luke doesn’t let anyone in, but he let
me
in, and I betrayed his trust. He won’t forgive me. It’s over.
We’re over. I’m so stupid.” I’m openly sobbing now, shaking
as the sobs wrack my body.

“My brother’s not
dumb enough to give you up, Olivia. Not many women would come here,
and not only tell me off, but slap me. You did that for him. He’ll
come to his senses and beg your forgiveness.”

“You’re wrong, but
thanks for trying to make me feel better. I need to go home now.”

“You can’t drive in
your condition. Sleep in one of our guest rooms tonight, Liv.”

I’m too tired to
argue, so I just nod and follow then upstairs. They try to get me to
join them for dinner, but I can’t eat. I just want to sleep. And
forget. I know forgetting’s not possible, but sleep comes
eventually. After I relive the horror and hurt on Luke’s face over
and over again until there are no tears left to shed.

Luke

It’s been four days
since Olivia betrayed me, but it feels like four years. We haven’t
talked or texted, and although I’m still pissed, I really miss her.
I keep reminding myself that she was just using me. I don’t know
for what, but she must’ve wanted something from my family. That’s
why she wouldn’t sleep with me. It wasn’t because she was a
virgin. It was because she hadn’t gotten what she wanted yet. If I
have something to say about it, she never will. As for me, I plan to
grab the first available puck bunny on Sunday night and fuck her
senseless. I’ve been a fool for not doing it sooner.

Tonight, I’ve got to
go to our family’s Friday night barbeque. I wanted to try and get
out of it, but no one misses it unless you’re out of town or sick.
I could’ve tried to play the sick card, but my mom can spot a lie
from us, even over the phone. So here I am, pulling in to my parents’
driveway. I’m not sure what’s going to happen when I see Owen and
Candi, but I’m bracing myself for the worst.

I walk into the
backyard and my mom comes over to hug me. Everyone else greets me as
well. Actually, not everyone. Owen and Candi are looking pissed as
they glare at me.

“Nice to see you
looking so well, little brother.”

“I
am
well, thanks.”

“It wasn’t a
compliment, asshole.”

“What’s going on
boys?”

“It’s nothing Mom.
Owen and I are just disagreeing about something right now.”

“Really? You’re
gonna lie to our mother now? It’s bad enough you’ve kept how you
felt from us all these years.”

“Drop it, Owe. I’m
not doing this.”

He jumps out of his
chair and gets in my face. “Like hell you’re not. They deserve to
know what’s going on with you, and how they’ve all hurt you.”

“How we’ve hurt
him? We’ve somehow hurt him, but you haven’t, Owe?” my brother,
Scott, asks.

“I got a clear
message of what I’ve done, accompanied by a hard slap across the
face, a few days ago.”

“You slapped Owen?
Really? Couldn’t you have at least thrown a punch?” Ryan thinks
he’s being funny, but he’s not.

“Olivia’s the one
who slapped me.”

“Olivia? Rose’s
sister?” My niece Alex looks confused. Actually they all do.

“Yeah. That Olivia.
She may look sweet, but she packs a mean slap. She also called me out
on some shit I hadn’t even realized I was doing. That we’ve all
been doing.”

“Everyone grab some
food, and then we’re going to sit down while Luke explains this all
to us.” I start to protest, but my dad stops me. “This isn’t a
request, son. You’re going to tell us what’s going on.”

“Whatever. I know you
all well enough to know you won’t let it go, so we might as well
get it over with.”

We all grab our food
and then sit down to eat. When we’re done, we clean up and head to
the family room. That’s where all our big family discussions take
place. My parents may be billionaires, but they’re two of the most
humble and down to earth people I know. They make sure their home is
comfortable and inviting. Everyone sits there for a few minutes just
looking at me. I refuse to make eye contact or speak, so Owen decides
to go ahead and tell them what he knows. I cross my arms over my
chest and wait for the inevitable fallout.

“I guess I’ll start
since Luke doesn’t seem to want to tell you guys what’s going on.
I came home from Atlanta the other day to find Olivia staring off
into space in Candi’s studio. When I asked her what had her
thinking so hard, she said it was me and then proceeded to slap me.”

“I still can’t
believe Olivia slapped you. I mean, she’s always so sweet and quiet
when she’s here with her parents.” Alex looks baffled. I could
tell them how loud she can be, and how dirty her mouth is for me, but
despite how mad I am at her, I won’t disrespect her.

“She actually said
she wanted to punch me, but she was afraid to hurt her hand so she
slapped me instead. Anyway, she told me she did it for Luke. Because
I dated some cheerleader in high school after he did, and also for
some things I said recently that she heard.”

“You dated someone
after Luke had already dated her? That’s just all kinds of wrong.”
My sister-in-law, Yasmin, doesn’t pull any punches.

“I was young. And
stupid. I also had no idea that Luke heard her say he was a waste of
the Griffin genes because he wasn’t athletic enough or smart
enough, and that she was going after me because I was more fun.”

Hearing Owen say the
words is like a knife to my heart all over again. I clench my jaw,
trying to keep my emotions in check. My mom gets out of her chair and
walks to me, kneeling in front of me. “You know that’s not true,
Luke.” I just shrug.

“He
doesn’t
know that, apparently. He hasn’t had a relationship with a woman
since then. That’s why he’s been a bigger man-whore than the rest
of us combined. He also apparently feels inferior to us because he’s
not working for the company. I’ll admit that I’ve said some
stupid things lately that didn’t help. I probably said things
before that I didn’t even realize, too.”

“Oh, Luke.”

“It’s fine Mom.
I’ve been fine.”

“You know I can tell
when you’re lying.”

“I don’t want
anyone’s pity, and it’s probably not as big a deal as I’ve made
it to myself.”

“If we’ve hurt you
in any way, son, you need to tell us. It’s not pity. We love you.”

“I know, Dad. I’ve
never doubted that you love me. That any of you love me. I just hate
being a disappointment.” I pause and hold up my hand before anyone
can say anything. “I’m going to tell you why I feel this way. I
guess it’s about time.

“I was so excited to
start kindergarten when I was five. I was finally a big boy like my
brothers. After a couple of weeks, the teacher told me I should try
to be more like my brothers. I wasn’t as good at games during
recess as Ryan, I wasn’t as smart as Scott, and I wasn’t as
outgoing as Owen. That was the way it was all through the rest of my
school years. I was never as good at anything as my brothers. I heard
it every day. From teachers, coaches, even other kids.”

“Are you kidding me?
They did that to you? I had no idea.” Ryan looks angry and sad at
the same time.

“It’s not your
fault. It’s not any of you guys’ faults. I just can’t live up
to how good you are at everything.”

“I heard people say
that you weren’t like your brothers. I just didn’t think it
mattered. You were always my special boy who helped everyone he met.
That’s what I saw. I’m so sorry that I didn’t see how hurt you
were.” My mom has tears in her eyes. This is exactly what I
didn’t
want.

“Mom, don’t cry. I
could’ve told you how I felt.”

“Owen said you still
feel that way. Why would you?”

“It’s dumb, but I
feel like no one ever stands up for me. At Scott’s party, Dad
kicked that asshole out, but he never said I wasn’t a
disappointment or an embarrassment.”

“I didn’t?” I
shake my head. “I’m so sorry. I guess I just didn’t think I
needed to say those things. I thought you knew they weren’t true.
They’re not.” My dad comes over and hugs me tight.

“Besides, you’ll be
working with Dad soon,” Scott says.

“Actually, I won’t.
I mean, I want to help with the company. I do. But it’s not my
dream.”

“But what will you do
with your business degree?” my other sister-in-law Chloe asks. This
is the big ticket question, but it’s actually easier to answer than
I thought it would be.

“I changed my degree
last year. I’m an Early Education major now. I’ve been student
teaching a kindergarten class this semester. I love it. The kids are
so great. I’ve interviewed with a few schools, and I have some
offers. I’ll probably be teaching third grade next year.”

I wait while it all
sinks in. Scott’s the first to speak up. “That’s so cool, man.
My little bro’s a teacher. Wow. We have to celebrate.”

“Luke, you don’t
have to come work at the company for me to be proud of you. Like your
mom, I’ve always seen how much you love helping people. Being a
teacher is something to be proud of.”

“I’m living within
the means of my future teacher salary. I have been for a while now.
That’s why I moved. So you guys can split up my profits from the
company.”

“What? We’re not
doing that. Why would you even say something like that? You’re part
of the family, and we split everything equally, other than what we
get paid for our work.” Ryan looks genuinely shocked that I would
even suggest giving up my money.

“It’s not fair if
I’m not working there.”

“It wouldn’t be
fair for you to take a salary, but as an owner of the company, you’re
entitled to a share of the profits. You’re important to all of us,
and you’ve had a part in every major decision we’ve made. Don’t
discount your contribution to the company.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Now that that’s
settled, let’s talk about your celebration. I was already planning
a graduation party for you, Luke. Would you like to invite your
co-workers and maybe some of the kids and their families?” My heart
swells with the thought of a party to celebrate me.

“I’d love that.”

“What else are you
doing that we should know about, son? I feel like there’s more,”
my dad says.

“Oh. Well. I’m
playing in a hockey league.”

“You actually did
that? I’m so glad, Luke.” Candi is smiling at me for the first
time tonight.

“Yeah. We play games
on Sunday nights if anyone wants to come. You don’t have to.”

“Of course we want
to. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us. You haven’t had anyone
there to cheer for you.” My mom is giving me her stern look now. No
one messes with her when she gives that look.

“It’s all good. The
puck bunnies cheered for me, and sometimes I had someone there.”

“Puck bunnies?”
Alex asks. “Really, Uncle Luke?”

“They don’t mind
being called that. They’re only there for one thing, and they don’t
care who knows it.”

“And what was Olivia
there for? She’s the ‘someone’ you were referring to, isn’t
she.” Candi’s back to being mad.

Honestly, I’m mad at
myself, too. Talking to my family has made me realize that Ollie
really was trying to help me. She knew they’d support me, even when
I didn’t. I look down as I answer. “She was there to make sure I
had someone supporting me.”

“I still don’t
understand how you and Olivia have gotten so close.” My mom’s
looking at me curiously. “She asked me for your address after
Scott’s party, and I was a little reluctant to give it to her,
honestly.

“I do some free
tutoring. My favorite professor finds me students who are smart and
really want help. I was Olivia’s English tutor. We became friends
and then, well, then she was my girlfriend. My first one since I was
a freshman in high school.”

“Until you fucked it
up, and I had to kick your ass out of my studio.”

“I know I said some
things that were a little mean.”

“A little? You listen
to me and listen good, Luke. If what you said was a ‘little mean,’
I wouldn’t have told you to leave, and Liv wouldn’t have cried
herself to sleep in our guest room because she was too upset to drive
home. She just wanted to support you and help you. The things you
said to her were disgusting. She’s destroyed right now. She barely
made it to school every day this week. I had to make her stop coming
in to work because I could tell that she kept reliving Monday
afternoon every time she walked through the door.”