Olivia's Ride (Sawyer Brothers Book 4) (9 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Keeton

I’d given up waiting outside her dorm; it was obviously not getting my ass anywhere. And people were starting to look at me as if I was some kind of fucking creeper.

I spent the majority of my weekend sitting outside just waiting for her to emerge, or enter. Hell, I had no idea where she was hiding out but something told me her friends were covering for her.

I took Duke home and ignored Lacy as she passed me in the hall. Even when she asked me if I planned to ignore her every time I saw her, I still said nothing. It was my friendship with her that started this damn mess, and right now all I wanted to do was fix things with Liv. I would worry about the rest later.

Olivia was the only person I wanted to talk to right now. Nothing else seemed to matter.

I went to work at noon, even though it was my day off. I just needed something to pass the time and keep my mind busy.

All the texts I sent over the last couple days were still unanswered. There was nothing left to do. I felt like I was going insane; the waiting was damn near killing me.

I had been at work for a few hours, hidden beneath the front end of a Toyota Camry, completely engrossed in the task at hand. The radio playing loud through the shop blocked out all other noise. Suddenly someone nudged my foot and I lifted my head just enough to see a pair of black boots only a few feet away. Just to the side of those familiar boots stood another set of footwear I recognized. A bright pink and black pair of Nike running shoes, leading up to a pair of sexy tanned legs that gave me flashbacks of times they were wrapped around me.

Slowly I slid out from under the car and wiped my rag over my face to clear away any grease that may have accumulated there. Looking up, Olivia came into view, standing at my boss’s side.

“You got a visitor,” Nate said with a smile. He knew what was going on, because we had more than one talk about everything involving Liv. “Why don’t you clean yourself up and take this pretty lady out to dinner? It’s supposed to be your day off anyway.”

I nodded my head as I sat up and started wiping my hands clean. “You got it,” I replied without looking at him.

As he walked away I pushed myself up from the ground and my stare locked on Olivia.

She didn’t resemble that broken girl who left my apartment only days ago. Now she stood tall, her shoulders squared as she showed no signs of defeat. That stubbornness had returned and I could feel myself fighting not to smile.

I loved her confident side. It was admirable and sexy as fuck.

“I don’t really feel like dinner,” she said and my stomach dropped with the thought of her showing up here just to end things with me. I could feel that empty panic inside me threatening to take over and have me begging for her to give me another chance. “But I do think we need to talk.”

“I agree,” I held out my hand to the left, attempting to lead her from the shop. If I could just get her to listen to me, maybe I could still fix this.

She turned around and walked away as I followed close behind. I tried not to focus on the sway of her ass, but I am a guy and she had a sweet ass, so it happened.

She abruptly stopped and because I hadn’t been watching I bumped into her back as I reached out to steady both her and myself. And for a moment, she remained close, allowing me time to breath in the familiar sweetness of her perfume, her lotion, and the smell of her shampoo. All the things I had grown to love and the things I had missed over the last couple of days.

She suddenly stepped away; that action alone felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. I didn’t like not being able to touch her. I had never had to keep my distance because she always welcomed my touch. I thought she, too, relied on the physical contact just as I had, until now.

“I miss you,” I said without thinking. It was true; I had missed her, so much it made me feel sick.

“You don’t miss me; you just miss the idea of me,” she insisted and I couldn’t stand her thinking that her words could be true.

“I’ve never had someone like you in my life,” I whispered as I sat down on the retaining wall that separated the bays just out front of the shop.

“What are you talking about?” she asked. She stood in front of me, with her arms crossed. There was entirely too much distance between us and I wanted nothing more than to grab her and pull her close but I knew she would only reject me and right now I didn’t know if I could handle that.

So instead, I fisted my hands and focused on explaining just what my words meant.

“I’ve never had someone who cared so much. Someone who made me feel safe.” I looked up at her, hoping she believed me. “So when I say I miss you, I mean that I miss you. I’m sorry I didn’t let you in, but it was never because I didn’t want to. It was because I didn’t know how, because I was worried it would change the way you looked at me.”

The hardness in her eyes softened but I didn’t give her a chance to say anything. I needed to get this out before I chickened out and missed the chance.

“I don’t want pity, Liv, and your heart is too damn kind not to feel the need to comfort me. That doesn’t make you wrong; it’s just something I don’t want—I can’t. I left a lot of shit behind because I don’t want to live it daily, not anymore.” I took in a deep breath, trying to gain the strength to continue. “No man wants a woman he cares about to look at him as weak. And for years I was weak. I let my father beat me because he had nothing better to do. I let my brother bully me, and they both sat back and laughed like the entire thing was a comedy.”

“This right here,” I pointed to my lip, “this was from my father. He showed up wanting money, and when I refused to give him any, this is what it got me.”

I could tell she was fighting against the sadness this news brought her.

Olivia was a compassionate person. She hated the idea of anyone or anything suffering. I don’t know how many times I watched her cry at those commercials showing hungry children in other countries, or animals being neglected. She had the biggest, sweetest heart. I knew it was killing her not to express her sadness at the things I was sharing with her.

“I don’t like sharing the things of my past,” I confessed.

“But you shared it with her?” Olivia whispered.

Lacy, I knew, was someone who made her uneasy. I could see it every time we passed her in the hall, or whenever her name was brought up.

“I didn’t share it with her the way you think I did.” I slid forward and reached out, taking her hand. I could feel her resistance, but I needed to touch her. “Lacy witnessed the abuse first hand on more than one occasion. She called the cops when my brother showed up one night at my place. She was also the person who chased my drunken-ass father off with a baseball bat after he smashed in the windshield of my truck.”

I took in a deep breath and shook off the sick feeling in my stomach. Every time I thought of my past it made me feel disgusted, but right now it was just something I had to suffer through. If I wanted to hold on to Olivia, she needed to know the things I went through. She deserved to know all this had nothing to do with how I felt about her. It was because I cared for her so much that I chose to hold back. I didn’t want my tainted past to dim her light. She was too fucking good.

“Baby, my past is not pretty,” I whispered, pulling her in just a little closer. “My mom left when I was young, and though we talk on occasion, it is nothing like a relationship should be between a mother and a child. I left my father’s three weeks before I started college, and have only gone back over time to gather my things that were still there. But that hasn’t stopped the two of them from making my life hell.”

“They’re evil,” she whispered. “And I won’t say that I’m sorry you had to go through all those things, because it’s the last thing you want to hear from me. But I will hope that karma comes back and bites the both of them in the ass, because they deserve to suffer for what they’ve done to you over the years.”

I smiled, but never felt its full effect. I knew there were still things hanging over us and those things had to be sorted out.

“You have to understand that before I met you, Lacy was who I counted on.” She immediately looked away; I placed my hand against her cheek and forced her to look back at me. “As a friend.” I allowed my hand to fall away and when she didn’t look away from me I continued. “She takes Duke out for me before she heads to work because I get home from work so late. That’s all.”

“I could’ve taken Duke out, but you never asked.” I sensed her nervousness with how her voice vibrated when she spoke. I shouldn’t have found her reaction cute, but I did. Not very often did I witness Olivia in a timid state. She was always so wired and straight forward.

“Sweetheart, if you want to take Duke out, you can.” I smiled, standing up in front of her as I gripped her hips and held her close. “It was easier because she is right there. I never thought of asking you to do it every day, and I’m sorry that created a problem.”

“I know I shouldn’t let it bother me, but it did. She doesn’t like me much and I’m not gonna lie and say that I’m her fan either, because I’m not.” Olivia loved everyone; well, almost everyone with the exception of Jeanette, but we all felt that was warranted. “She said things she didn’t have to Friday night and she loved the fact that I knew nothing about you.”

Her words hurt me, because she did know me. “Liv, you do know me.” I told her. “You may not have known about the hate from my past, but you know me. You know the man I am and want to be every day for the rest of my life. I’m still that guy, and no amount of shit my father or brother throw at me will change that.”

I lifted a hand from her hip and curled it around the back of her neck as she tilted her head upward to look at me. “I don’t like the way things went down the other night, and I plan to make sure something like that never happens again. You come first, Liv.” I paused, resting my forehead to hers. “You’re my girl.”

We remained in this position for a few moments without speaking. Her eyes were closed as her soft breaths fanned out over my face.

And then she took in one last deep breath before pulling back and opening her eyes. The look she gave me made my stomach tense with worry once again. “If she ever attempts to talk to me that way again, I can’t promise I’ll keep my mouth shut. It may lead to violence, and I won’t be held responsible for my actions.” She held my gaze and bit down on her lower lip.

I couldn’t stop my laughter as I leaned in a little closer and placed a soft kiss to her lips. I couldn’t picture Liv being so-called violent. The girl was too damn sweet, but something told me if the time came to lay shit all out, she wouldn’t hesitate.

I also understood there were still so many things we both had to learn about the other, but I knew I wanted that. For the first time in my life I was content. I had the one girl that made my heart race, yet she calmed me as well. Olivia was the best of both and I wanted more. I wanted to experience everything she was willing to give, because she gave me hope that life could be better than the things I had experienced. I wanted her to show me what it felt like to have that kind of happiness every day.

Since Friday I’d walked around with a hollow feeling in my chest. I allowed myself to believe I had screwed this up.

Those feelings and thoughts ate at me for days.

I didn’t like that.

“I’m sorry for everything,” I whispered. Trailing my thumb along her cheek, I brushed back the hair from her face. “I should have told you about everything in my past; I just didn’t want you to look at me and see that. I wanted you to see me for the guy I am now.”

“I do,” she replied. “And nothing that you told me will change that. If anything it only made me see just how strong you truly are and the determination you have to succeed.”

“Can you leave now?” she asked.

“Yeah.” I lightly skimmed over her lower lip with my thumb. “Technically, it’s my day off.”

“Let’s go get some ice cream.” She grinned when I wrinkled my brows and looked at her with a confused expression.

She shrugged. “What? It sounds good. Ice cream always makes things better.”

Chapter Nineteen

Olivia

If I’d learned anything from losing my mother and then my grandpa, it was that we just never know when we might lose the chance to make more memories, so I didn’t waste valuable time over things I couldn’t change. Those memories have a way of outweighing all the little things.

Now that my mother was gone, I didn’t find myself sitting around thinking of those times she told me no, or even forced me to do the things I hated.

No, what I did think about were those nights she and I would lay outside under the stars and just talk. Or those mornings she would wake me long before my dad was up to make a heaping pile of chocolate chip pancakes. Those were the memories worth having.

So that is what I did. I pulled Keeton Pearce into my world.

I chose to let go of the anger I felt over the snag we had stumbled over. I understood why he held back regarding his past. And now I knew he didn’t willingly share it with Lacy; she was just at the right place at the wrong time. Or the right time, however you wanted to look at it. If she hadn’t been there to call the cops that night Keeton’s brother showed up, who knew what would have happened?

That was something I couldn’t allow myself to imagine.

I decided to share with him things I had grown up loving, things he should have been given the chance to enjoy but had been selfishly taken from him.

He came home from work one night to find me on his back deck, with dinner spread out before me. We had to eat on a blanket on the ground because he had no outside furniture, but we compromised and it was perfect. We ate under the stars and talked until well after midnight.

That peaceful feeling reminded me of those nights with my momma under the stars.

And then there was the night he woke up to find me standing over him with a water soaker, fully loaded and ready to strike. He just looked up at me with eyes droopy from sleep and smiled. “Game on, baby.” He spoke the words with a smile tugging at his lips. Before I could register just what he meant, he moved lightning fast and I squealed. He hooked my waist and threw me over his shoulder, carrying me toward the bathroom.

I was just about to ask him what in the hell he was doing when he flipped on the shower and stepped under the cold jet with me in tow. I shrieked from the impact of the freezing water and he lowered me to the ground before him with a gleam in his eye. There we stood, fully clothed, under ice cold water and I couldn’t stop smiling.

Those are memories I’ll carry with me. I found myself smiling in the middle of the day just remembering the happiness in his eyes and the deep laughter that fell from his lips when I danced around his living room, singing the words to my favorite songs. I found myself wanting to make him laugh and smile every chance I got. His eyes lit up when he was happy, and I found that look addicting.

I truly couldn’t wait to make more memories with him.

Finals were only a week away. And the idea I would soon be leaving him to go back to Livingston for the summer was almost crippling. I knew I would miss him with every breath I took.

I sat outside on the lawn in front of the Academic Center, staring at my history book but not seeing the words on the page. I intended to study for a couple hours before heading back to the dorm, but my mind kept drifting to the distance that would be between us. I was torn between wanting to see my family, and missing Keeton and those moments I became reliant on.

“Hey you.”

I looked up to see Keeton sauntering over to me with that swagger he owned. I took the opportunity to drink him in as he lowered himself to the grass beside me and leaned in to kiss me. “What’s wrong?”

He was beginning to pick up on my moods instantly. My inability to hide my feelings was a fault of mine. I was like an open book, and at times I hated it. Times like now.

“I was just thinking.” I touched him, attempting to brush it off even though I knew the chances of it working were minimal.

“I know you’re thinking; I can almost hear it ticking away inside that beautiful head of yours.” He tapped his finger on my temple lightly. “But what I need to know is what’s caused this right here?” The tip of his finger smoothed over the frown lines on my forehead. “Why the frown, sweetheart? And what is it gonna take for me to fix it?”

He was honestly the sweetest man.

“What are you gonna do this summer?” I asked as I looked down at the book I held, still not paying attention to what was on the page. “Because I won’t be around, so I was just wondering what you would do to keep yourself busy while I’m gone.”

After a few silent seconds passed, I looked up to find him staring at me with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “You gonna miss me?”

He knew I would but if a stroke of his ego was what he needed, then fine, I’d bite.

“Yes.” I snuggled in a little closer to him and he happily accepted me. His arm curled around my waist as he pressed a soft kiss to the side of my neck. “I miss my family and I can barely wait to see them, but I’ve gotten used to this right here,” I said, referring to the closeness and the way he held me like I was the most precious thing to him. “I’m already beginning to miss you and I haven’t even left yet.”

“What if I told I talked to Nate, and he assured me my job would be safe even if I took some time off?” I sat up quickly and turned to face him. A deep chuckle escaped him as my eyes grew wide.

“Is this your way of telling me that you’d love it if I visited you and your family in Livingston?”

My heart was racing as he sat there and smiled like the Cheshire cat.

“Are you being serious?” I asked.

For the love of god, he had to be serious, because I was honestly worried for his safety if he wasn’t. Teasing me like that would only end in bodily harm.

“Yeah,” he assured me as he reached out to pull me close once again. “It’d give me the chance to meet everyone, and maybe get a better introduction to your father. Our first meeting wasn’t the best and I know he was standing there thinking of ways to hide my body after the murder.”

I pinched his stomach and he chuckled.

“And I don’t think I could go all summer without seeing you, either.” The thought of us being apart had been eating away at me.

“My dad didn’t wanna murder you, by the way,” I told him with a laugh.

“If you say so, darlin’.” He kissed the top of my head.

Excitement rushed through me as I thought of Keeton in Livingston, with me and my family. My father, Uncle Jackson and Uncle Noah, all in the same town with the guy I was falling for. Then suddenly that excitement changed to fear—not for me but for Keeton.

Somehow I needed to warn him, without scaring him out of going.

Maybe I would just wait until after I got him to Montana.

I hugged him tighter, burying my face in his chest and breathing in his manly scent.

Yep, that’s what I’d do. I’d just wait until we got there before I told him I was sure how all three would interrogate and torture him to the point where he might feel like running away.

***

“So I finally get to meet the guy that stole my sweet Liv’s heart?” Gran asked, and I could sense she was smiling. “I’ve heard about him from your dad, but I didn’t believe a word.”

“Um, Gran,” I said as I folded Keeton’s shirt and placed it inside the suitcase on his bed. “What exactly did my dad say about Keeton?”

“It’s not important,” she said.

“Oh yes, it is very important,” I assured her.

I could only imagine the things he ran back and told everyone. My dad had tunnel vision that night, every night for that matter. He only saw it as Keeton mauling me, pinned up against the wall. But I was the one who took control that night; Keeton just went along for the ride.

“He may have come back mumbling something along the line of some college asshole corrupting his daughter. I heard a few things about padlocks and a bodyguard.” I sat down on the end of the bed and rested my head in my hand. “But Uncle Noah talked him down from the surveillance camera outside your dorm room.”

“Oh my god,” I complained.

Her laughter filtered through the other end of the line.

“Gran, it’s worse than I thought.” I closed my eyes tight and began to wonder what I was going to do to save Keeton from my father’s crazy antics. “Keeton is gonna run away screaming, ain’t he?”

“Oh sweetheart, if that boy survives the summer with the Sawyer boys hot on his tail, then he is made for you.” Gran had always been on my side.

I remember growing up and running to her to fix things when my dad refused to listen. Now I felt like she was enjoying this all entirely too much.

After the phone call with my grandma, I finished packing Keeton’s things, then decided to walk to the store down the street to grab something for dinner to surprise him. I wanted to make sure he was overly full and unable to run like hell when I tried to warn him, just a little, on what was to come. I felt I owed him at least a small snippet about the Sawyer men and the torture I was sure he would endure.

As I was rounding the corner on my way toward the apartment, my arms full of bags, I saw Lacy entering the building. It was the first time I had seen her since the encounter that led to my weekend pity trip.

I slowed, hoping she would enter and I could waste a few minutes before following behind, but when she looked up and our eyes met, I knew I couldn’t avoid it.

“Where’s that sack of shit?” A loud booming voice bellowed out and I looked to my left to see a man stumbling toward Lacy. “You ain’t stopping me this time you damn little floozy. Where is he?”

I realized then he was talking to Lacy, and I slowed as I observed their encounter.

“Keeton’s not home.”

My stomach instantly tightened when she said Keeton’s name. But when she looked over the man’s shoulder and gave me a look that had me tucking myself closer to the building, I knew the man had to be Keeton’s father.

I remembered Lacy had been forced to deal with him before, and he must have recognized her.

“He thinks he’s better than us,” the guy said. Actually it was more of a scream. “He ain’t better. Even his own momma left him behind. He won’t amount to shit, and the day he comes crawling back looking for my help is the day I laugh in the little shit’s face. He can rot for all I care.”

My head pounded in my temples. My stomach tensed. It was all too much.

How could someone be so heartless and cruel to their own flesh and blood? It was sick.

I found myself wanting to rush forward and beat the bastard over the head with the sack of potatoes I had just bought, but decided that wouldn’t be best.

I leaned against the building making myself as close to invisible as possible as he stumbled away and walked toward a car waiting along the road. There was a younger guy behind the wheel, and I could instantly see the resemblance between Keeton and him. It had to be his brother. The idea of yet another person who made Keeton’s life hell only infuriated me more. The need to protect him engulfed me once more.

The man smiled as if what their father had just done was the most innocent thing in the world. He laughed as they pulled away.

“You’ve now witnessed it.” I looked up to find Lacy standing on a few feet away from me. “Now you know firsthand the torment Keeton faces with his family. Things aren’t easy, Olivia, and they never will be.” She didn’t pause even for a second before turning around and yanking open the front entrance to the apartment building and walking inside.