Safe With You (26 page)

“Something has your wheels turning like the Daytona 500, Chip.” Natasha slings a glop of mud at me. She would notice. Even Kyle doesn’t notice these things about me yet. Natasha is like a bloodhound, always willing to sniff out the bad to help me get through it. But I’m not sure if I’m still feeling up or down about everything.

“I’m just overwhelmed.” I sigh, grabbing my towel as the Asian bell timer goes off.

“Tell me about it. How are you coping?” She stands, wrapping the giant towel around her and letting the mud plop into the tub.

“I’m handling the transition, don’t get me wrong. It’s just … I feel like I’m missing something and I don’t know what it is. Whatever. Tonight, it’s just you and me.” I stumble as my foot slides across the tile. We both laugh as I regain composure and waddle over to the shower area.

The rest of the afternoon calms my racing brain. Having a two-hour massage would probably unwind a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Natasha and I elect for room service and sit on the adorable wrought iron balcony overlooking the river. I sip on my glass of overpriced Moscato.

“I need to talk to Tyler,” I blurt, setting my glass down. It’s the one thing that won’t leave my mind. She’s the only one who knows Tyler like I do. Not to mention, she’ll give me true advice and not the
Fuck him, I’m about to turn it into Kick-a-Ginger Day
advice I get from Cam.

Raising a perfectly waxed eyebrow, she shoves a giant piece of steak into her mouth. “Do go on.”

“Do you think he still talks to Braden?” I run my fingers through my hair as my heart rate climbs. “For the past few weeks, I’ve had this nagging vibe he’s still in the mix. Nothing is adding up. You know, why he won’t talk to me, shutting off his cell, closing his email.”

“That sounds a little out there, honey.” She sighs, mixing her mashed potatoes around. “Tyler dropped off the planet from
everyone
. No one from home talked to him after he moved. You know he hated living here.”

“I know.” I stare at the stars, hoping for some answers.

“If it’s bothering you that much, call him at work. Fuck it. You deserve an explanation for his mega shitty-ness.” A stalk of asparagus waved in my direction emphasizes her point.

I wish I had her carefree inhibition. I haven’t touched the trillion-dollar steak sitting on my plate and I’ve never turned down mac and cheese before tonight. I can’t even bring myself to eat. This needs to stop. I keep chastising myself to change, but here I am, still worried about my big brother.

Whether or not I’m scared of what he could’ve potentially done, I don’t know.

It’s like I’m too afraid to experience life. Yes, my love life is incredible, all things considered. But Tyler is like an anchor holding me back. If he really wants nothing to do with me, fine. But I need to hear it from him directly. He at least owes me that. And if he doesn’t, I can tack another thing onto my fathoms-long list of topics for my counselor. Majorly discounted rate or not, I’m probably paying for her next vacation.

“Can I tell you something?” She pours more Merlot into her glass.

“Like you even have to ask.” I laugh.

“I adore Kyle. I love his family. I love everything he’s changed about you. You’re more like the girl I became best friends with than you have been in years.” She tears up, taking my hands. “But the thing I love the most is what Cam says about you. What you’ve done for Kyle.”

I shift, raising an eyebrow. Kyle’s told me I’ve helped him deal with his injury, but I don’t know how. I didn’t even know how bad it was until he told me. “What do you mean?”

“It might sound weird, but last week Cam and I were talking.” She smiles and takes a sip of wine. “
Just
talking. He started spewing all this stuff about how much Kyle’s changed since he met you. In a good way. How Kyle is more like himself. The injury really fucked him up, Liv. Then Cam started talking about you. It was so amazing to hear someone talk about you in the way I feel. Like the person I know you are.”

If that isn’t enough to make me take the bull by the horns, I don’t know what is.

“I love you, Tash.” I give her a big hug before shoving a hunk of cheesy macaroni goodness down the hatch.

“Oh, Chip. You know I heart you, too.” We clink glasses and I pull out my phone and Google Tyler’s job. Or at least the last one I know about.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Pretty Woman

Kyle

The strands of gold in Olivia’s hair radiate like lightning and I’ve stopped kissing her long enough to let her lips calm from the swell. She looks different, not like the Olivia I met. Someone stronger and happier. Her eyes gleam a vibrant array of green and brown, a hazel that brightens against the white. My arms tighten around her as she nuzzles into my chest, nipping at my neck. “You look beautiful today.”

“My, aren’t we the mushy one this afternoon?” Olivia leans back. “You’re pretty beautiful, too. I mean … ” She gasps, running her fingers over my scalp. “Look at this hair! Most girls would kill for this shine and volume.”

Rolling my eyes with a smirk, I lead her from the archway of the mall. We walk slowly back to my car, hand in hand. The grass is turning yellow from the cold, and the trees are almost bare. Olivia buries herself into my chest, tucking her arms against me. Tilting her chin up, we both smile. I open the door for her and place her bags in the backseat of my car.

“Thank you, again.” She sits and places her feet at the edge of the floorboard, looking at her hands. “You really didn’t have to buy me all this stuff.”

I still don’t understand why everything I do for her results in some kind of culture shock. I’ve never seen someone question generosity as much as her. I still need to pickaxe my way into her life, and I shouldn’t have to at this point.

“Okay, I want to ask you something … and I’m asking because I care about you.” Rubbing the outside of her thigh, I smile.

“What?” Worry creeps across her face, her features still.

“Did Braden ever … ”
I don’t even know how to say this.
“Appreciate you? I know that isn’t the right phrase … ”

She nearly chokes on the loud “Ha!” that comes out of her mouth. “Well, if you count taking me to Wendy’s on dates and telling me I’m ‘fucking hot,’ then yes.” She drops her head. “It’s still weird for me to be taken care of like this. I know you’re certainly not buying my attention … ” She pauses. “Shit, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

The mall parking garage is not the place I wanted to tell her this, but I can’t wait any longer. With what she told me at my parents’ house, coupled with this conversation, I need to let her know more about my life. “I haven’t really been a hundred percent honest with you about the money I have. It’s not that I lied, I just … I didn’t know how to tell you the full truth.”

“Tell me what?” There is a hint of anger in her voice before she takes a breath. “Go on.”

“The money is mine, all of it. The only things my parents bought for you were the gift to the spa and the stuff from Saks. They don’t pay for anything else for me. Not even school.”

“Did you win the lottery or something?” Her eyes bulge and she places her hand on her chest.

“No. When my grandmother, the one with the flower shop, passed away a few years ago, she left me some money. Well, a lot of money.” I take her hands and try to make this out to be nothing. “It’s my inheritance. My parents have their own share, too.”

“Okay … ” She nods at me to continue.

“My grandparents owned a big cattle farm and a ton of land out in West Texas. Companies came in looking for oil and hit one of the biggest deposits on private land in state history. Long story really short, it’s going to get me through the rest of my life, and then some.”

“I think … ” she takes a deep breath, “ … I’m going to pass out.”

“My family invested all of it very well, and so did I when I got my portion. I want it to be something that’s going to be passed down for generations to come. I really don’t blow it on anything extravagant.”

“Except your fully loaded, shining, white stallion Range Rover with carbon fiber rims and a custom Bug and Alf sound system?” She pats the dashboard.

Kissing her forehead, I laugh. “It’s
Bang & Olufsen
, but yes. I didn’t even know about the money until right before my accident. My parents raised me this way, to be responsible. I always thought they were well-off and my dad made a ton of money. Please, don’t be uncomfortable.”

“Does Cam know? I don’t think you showed up one day with a ninety-thousand-dollar SUV and he, of all people, didn’t ask questions.” She falls back into the seat.

“Yeah, he knows,” I say quickly, avoiding eye contact.

“What?” She looks up. I didn’t think she’d call me out on my bullshit tone again. “And?”

“Okay, after Cam basically pulled me out of hell at UNC, I knew I was forever in his debt. He was the reason why I didn’t go off the deep end. So, after he dropped his wrestling scholarship to concentrate on MMA, I started paying for him to go to LSU. I wouldn’t have gotten out of what I was going through if it weren’t for him. He sure as hell shouldn’t be spending the money he makes on a student loan. He works too hard for it.”

“Wow.” Her jaw still hasn’t closed and her eyes are bugging out of her head. “That’s crazy. He dropped his scholarship for MMA?”

“Yeah, it was too much for him to hold down both. It was only a few semesters. Olivia, I love you. My money doesn’t define me and you know that.” I turn her cheek and she closes her eyes after we lock gazes for a quarter of a second.

“I know. Can we go home, though? Dale’s been cooped up alone all day and I really want to relax.”

“Of course.” I sigh and squeeze my eyes shut. A gentle tug on my hand brings me out of my racing thoughts.

“I love you. I always will.” Her slender fingers trace the side of my face as she kisses me.

As we exit the parking lot, I grab her hand. The ride back to my place is quiet. I’m still totally unsure of where to go next. There’s an unspoken about agreement that our living expenses deal will transfer no matter where we go. At least until she has a steady job with better hours. Because I know if she starts making more, she’s going to shove some of the rent money down my throat whether or not I ask for it.

I really love that about her. This whole time, no matter how fucked up, upset, or confused she was, she always wanted to work. I think it keeps her focused and gives her a sense of normalcy. I also know she likes being responsible. If this is the foundation for her to keep growing, I’m going to let her have it.

As we’re riding back up to my apartment, Olivia snakes her arm around my waist. “So, I saw a flyer by the yoga studio about the next Little League season. They’re looking for coaches. Since you had so much fun back in Texas, I thought it might be a good idea.”

“Oh, really?” Coaching is pretty much my only option going forward if I want to stay in baseball.

“Yeah. I mean, it was just an idea. If it’s too soon, I understand if you don’t want to,” she backpedals, tensing.

“No, I appreciate that, darling. I’ll look into it.” I kiss the side of her head. I never really wanted to go into Little League. As much as I’d love it, I wouldn’t want to take that away from one of the dads who has the time to devote to his kid. Besides, I don’t know how I’d handle explaining things I just
got
. I never really had to be taught the basics.

***

Olivia stirs as I crawl into bed with her. Dale is nestled under her arm and she clutches him like he’s a stuffed toy. She smiles as he licks her face and I scoot close to her, kissing her shoulder.

“How was your nap?” I pull the blanket around me, wrapping the three of us up like a burrito.

“Mediocre at best. Little man needs a good teeth brushing and some Gas-X.” She scratches under his chin and kisses the top of his head. “But I did sleep for about an hour.”

“Good. I know you had a headache when we came back.” I feel like a sap, but I really fucking love the little family we have, even if Dale hates me sometimes. He’s crazy protective of Olivia and I’m glad she finds comfort in it. As Dale ranks up the room with his farts, I finally can’t take it when I start to gag.

“I’ll take him outside again. Go back to sleep,” I whisper. She takes my face, kissing me like she normally does before we wind up naked. My hands drop under her shirt and she sighs, pushing me back.

“No, I need to start dinner. Dessert is later, remember?” She winks and sits up, taking Dale into her arms.

I follow her into the kitchen and clip on Dale’s leash. “I’ll be back in twenty, okay?”

Dale happily trots out the door with me and cocks his head as we get into the elevator. I bend down to pick him up and cradle him against my chest. “What does she talk to you about?”

Dale huffs a sneeze and shakes his head.

“Woman’s best friend honor, I get it.”

Sometimes she’ll murmur things into Dale’s fur when she takes a nap. I don’t like eavesdropping on her when I know she’s probably trying to sort through everything. Her new counselor has been awesome, and I know someday she might ask me to come with her. There are parts of me that always dread the worst, even if Olivia talks to me more now.

I take a walk down to the river. I can’t wait to start running again, and I’m even more excited to take Dale with me. I feel like he’s tripled in size since we got him a month ago. I’m starving even more when I get back to the apartment. Dale scratches at the door as I pull out my keys, doing the whimpering, gasping thing he does when he’s excited to see Olivia. I open the door and find her in the kitchen, pulling an arsenal of things out of the refrigerator.

“I need to make dinner … it’s getting late.” Olivia calls. Cutting boards clap onto the granite and knives teeter on the edge.

Shit. What happened? She doesn’t need any more bad news today.
My parents will be here tonight for dinner. My dad had a meeting downtown so they stayed overnight to come see us. I hope my dad finally found something out.