Olivia's Ride (Sawyer Brothers Book 4) (15 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

Olivia

We had been back in Texas for less than a week. After a very long and straight forth conversation with my father I told him I would be moving in with Keeton this year.

I could see the hesitation in him. He wanted to argue and give me reasons why it would be best that I stay in the dorm, but I didn’t allow him to fight it.

And in the end he accepted that I had made up my mind.

I still hadn’t the pleasure of running into Lacy, but Keeton did his first night, coming home from work. He said she only offered a kind smile as she exited the building and climbed into some guy’s car. And I won’t lie; that made me happy. It meant her focus was now off my man.

I was lying on the floor, with Duke at my side as I listened to an audio book on my iPod. I was so lost in the current scene that I had not noticed Keeton entered the room until his face was only inches from mine.

With a gentle brush of his lips, I couldn’t stop the smile that took over. He popped the earbud from my ear and I opened my eyes to find a very yummy, half naked man hovering above me. He was freshly showered and his hair felt damp beneath my fingers as I lifted my hand to his head.

“Good book?” he asked in a husky whisper.

“It was at a really good part,” I whispered. “The guy was showing the girl just how good he could make her feel, even though she assured him she could withstand his advances.”

“Oh, is that so?” he cooed as he placed his lips against my jaw and began kissing softly before leaving a trail of kisses along my neck. “Should I let you get back to the story? Or…” He trailed off there just as he sucked on my neck and I think I may have whimpered.

“No,” I whispered and he smiled against my neck. “This is so much better.” I confessed as I lifted my legs to wrap them around his waist.

His boxers did very little to hide his arousal. And when he shifted his hips and pressed against me, I lifted my own hips to meet his thrust. “Oh god,” the words fell from my lips before I could stop them.

“Have I told you lately just how much I love having you here?” he asked as he continued to move against me. “Walking around in these tiny little shorts and tight shirts.”

“You told me that this morning, but I think it was because you woke up to me naked beside you.” I said in return, still grinding against him.

Just then there was a loud knock on the door, followed by Duke barking and a disgruntled man yelling only a few feet from where we lay on the floor.

I felt Keeton’s body tense against mine just before he scrambled from the floor in search of pants.

The knocking grew louder as well as the angry words. “Open the fucking door you piece of shit. I know you’re in there.”

Keeton was bouncing around trying to get his other leg in his jeans when he looked over at me with an angry look. “Get in the bedroom and take Duke with you.”

“Keeton,” I started to argue and the angry look on his face only intensified.

“Liv please, just get in the damn bedroom.” I could tell it was taking everything inside of him not to get irritated with me. So instead of arguing further I hooked my hand through Duke’s collar and led him away toward the bedroom.

I could feel my body shaking and the last thing I wanted was for Keeton to face his father alone.

The moment the shouting grew louder Duke began barking and I did my best to calm him.

Pressing my ear to the door I tried to hear what they were saying.

“He’s in jail and I need the money to get him out.” The words were slurred. “You got the money, Keeton, just give me it.”

“I’m not giving you money for Karver. His ass can stay there.” Keeton’s voice remained calm but anyone who truly knew him would be able to pick up on the obvious irritation.

“You stupid fucking ass.” When his father spoke those words they infuriated me. How could any father speak to their child like that? “Always thinking you’re better than us. You ain’t better. You’ll amount to nothing; you’ll see. And that cute little brunette you got staying here will see that too, one day.”

“Don’t you fucking bring her into this. Don’t speak of her.” Now Keeton grew angry.

“Oh.” His father chuckled. “I hit a nerve. The girl is the weakness, I see.”

A loud crack made me jump in surprise, followed by a sickening groan of pain.

I opened the door and ran from the room just in time to see Keeton hovering over his father as he was slumped forward on the floor, holding his nose. “This shit ends here.” Keeton’s voice echoed throughout the apartment. “You’re dead to me; you both are. Do you hear me, old man?” He leaned in closer and punctuated each word. “You. Are. Dead. To. Me.”

I had never in my life seen anything like what I just witnessed. A strong sense of fear washed over me just as Keeton turned and found me standing only a few feet away observing everything.

A look of disgrace took over his features, yet I refused to allow him to feel shameful. He had been pushed to do this. He lived this kind of life day in and day out, and he’d reached his breaking point.

I rushed to him just as two cops pushed their way through the door and began assessing the situation. One of them grabbed Keeton while the other gripped his father’s hands and held them behind his back. “Which one of you live here?” the taller cop asked.

“It’s my place. He doesn’t belong here.” I hadn’t ever seen this side of Keeton. He had warned me this version of him existed, but I had never witnessed it until now. He was cold and distant. It was like the sweet man I had fallen in love with had checked out, and there before me stood a man I didn’t know.

“Who is this man to you?” the other cop asked as he helped Keeton’s father from the floor.

“He’s a nobody. Just some drunk asshole who thinks he still has control of me.” Keeton didn’t take his eyes off his father. Not when the cop pinned his arms behind his back or when he placed the cuffs on his wrists.

“He’s my son,” his father mumbled. “And he attacked me.”

“No, he didn’t,” I interrupted his father’s show and Keeton glared at me. The look he gave me was one meant to intimidate me, but he had to know it wouldn’t work. I was immune to those types of looks; I grew up my entire life receiving them.

“You show up here demanding money and making threats, and Keeton just takes it. He should have had your ass arrested a long time ago, but unlike you, he has a damn heart. You’re a selfish bastard who doesn’t deserve his kindness.”

“You little bitch.” His father said, and suddenly Keeton began an attempt to get closer to his father once more, that angry look from earlier returning.

“Slow down,” the taller cop barked as he restrained Keeton.

“Cuff ’em both,” he told the other officer, and my stomach dropped.

“No,” I said as the tears formed in my eyes. “He didn’t do anything.”

“This is a domestic dispute and until we get things figured out they’re both going in.” There was no use in arguing. I knew it wouldn’t help.

I stood to the side, holding Duke by his collar as they first led Keeton’s father from the apartment in cuffs, followed by Keeton.

He refused to look at me and I think that was what hurt the worst.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Keeton

I left the station over an hour ago. I still couldn’t go home. I was too ashamed. I’d never wanted Olivia to ever have to witness anything like that.

But it was my fault.

I should have long ago put a stop to the torment my father inflicted on me whenever something in his life went wrong. But no, I just took the shit week after week and did nothing to stop it.

Until now.

I held the temporary restraining order in my hand; not only against my father, but my brother too. But going home to face Olivia was so much harder than anything else. I didn’t know if I could face her. I didn’t know if I could take that look in her eyes, the one of pity.

So I wandered the streets around the station, attempting to gain the nerve I needed. I had no phone, no keys, and the shirt I was wearing didn’t even belong to me.

I just wished I could go back and choose differently. I would have chosen to call the cops immediately instead of opening the door. But I let the anger and frustration take over and landed myself in jail alongside my worthless father.

I used the one phone call I had to call my mother. And for the first time in my life I broke and cried over all the shit I had gone through growing up. I asked her how she could just leave and live her life knowing that my father tortured me and even Karver daily. But even after I fell apart and lost my shit, she only answered with words that did nothing to support her actions.

“I’d had enough, Keeton.”

Well you know what? I’d had enough too.

The longer I sat there on the bench just at the edge of the park only two blocks from my apartment, the more clear things became.

I had a girl who loved me waiting for me at home. I had a girl who stood by me even when I didn’t deserve it. And I was sitting here in a dark park feeling sorry for myself.

Without another thought I stood and began walking toward my place, suddenly needing to see the one person I knew would always be on my side.

***

As I stood outside my door, I listened for any sign that Liv was still awake. The windows were dark, and there was nothing but silence. A sudden fear that she was no longer there hit me and I knocked on the door.

I heard the sound of Duke barking just before the door came open, and there in the doorway stood Liv, wearing nothing but my t-shirt. I didn’t give her time to speak before I stepped through the door and hooked her around the waist, pulling her body against mine. Crashing my lips to hers, I could feel all the hate and anger slowly fade.

Olivia was my calm, and in that moment I realized just how much her presence in my life was needed.

“I love you,” I whispered between kisses. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I’m sorry I didn’t handle it sooner and I’m…” I couldn’t finish the last sentence because she pressed her lips to mine.

“It’s okay to have weak moments, Keeton,” she told me as she leaned back and gripped each side of my face in her hands. “It doesn’t change anything between us. It doesn’t make me love you any less. Nothing could ever change the way I feel about you.”

I nodded because I was afraid to speak. I still felt so damn raw from my night that I didn’t trust myself to speak.

“Are you hungry?” she asked and I only shook my head, still holding onto her tightly. “I could start the shower for you.”

“Only if you share it with me,” I replied.

I just felt like I couldn’t get close enough to her. I wanted her with me, touching me, kissing me. I didn’t want to be apart, not now. “I need you, baby,” I confessed, only feeling even weaker than I had moments ago.

“You have me Keeton; you always will,” she assured me as she took my hand in hers and began leading me down the hall toward the bathroom.

I stood next to the sink as she turned on the water and felt it before flipping the handle and the water began to fall from the shower head above.

When she turned back to face me, I watched in awe as she slowly began removing her clothes before stepping closer to help me remove my own.

“I’m right by your side, through it all,” she said, rising up on her toes to kiss me softly. “I’m your biggest fan, Keeton Pearce. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

Our eyes locked on one another and the weight I felt for the last couple of hours slowly began to fade.

“I love you,” she whispered. “Nothing can change that.”

And I believed her. Because I felt the same. Nothing could make me love this girl any less. No one could taint what we had. Not even the ugliness of my father.

I wouldn’t allow it.

I couldn’t.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Olivia

After that night with Keeton’s father, something shifted between us. He began to open up more and more regarding his past. And he no longer got that look of shame when something from his past was brought up.

He also shared with me the conversation he had with his mother the night he had gone to jail. And when he said he finally accepted that she, too, no longer cared, it almost broke my heart.

I was angry at his mother and father for giving him the life they had.

Keeton came out of all that hate and disgust as a man with such a kind heart. He truly was the best version of himself and even though he gave me the credit for that, I knew different. Whether he met me or not, he still would be the beautiful man he is today.

And the strangest thing happened.

Keeton had become one of the guys.

Not only did he talk to my father like they were lifelong friends, but to my uncles too.

Days would go by that I hadn’t talked to any of them, yet Keeton heard from them daily.

The sick jokes they all passed around through text messages had now branched out to Keeton as well. The best part about it all was the smile that would take over Keeton whenever the cell phone would chirp and it was one of the guys.

I loved his happiness.

No one deserved it more than him.

His life had already been filled with too much sadness.