ELIAS
Mara, Nate’s wife, had cleaned up the mess and replaced it with a fresh batch of instant mashed potatoes. Liv apologized no less than twenty times by the end of dinner, even though Mara had waved it off as not a big deal.
Still, it was as if she couldn’t accept forgiveness. The way she sat at the table, shoulders hunched inward as if the weight of guilt was crushing her, made me want to reach out and help bear the load.
She had changed in the short year we’d been apart. Liv had been a force to be reckoned with at one point. She’d walk into a room with her head held high and instantly own the place. She’d been confident and sexy. A woman who knew who she was.
Now, she seemed so...defeated.
She was still sexy as hell, though. She had long been the object of my boyhood fantasies growing up. I never acted on my attraction to her, though. She was off-limits, not only because she was my best friend’s sister, but she had become my friend, too. I never wanted to jeopardize that. But every girl I met, I consciously—or unconsciously—compared to her.
None of them ever measured up to the standard she set.
She caught my gaze from across the table, and I held it. Her cheeks turned the sweetest shade of pink, but she didn’t look away. Something tugged at me, as if I had a tether latched to my chest and she was reeling me in. Liv arched a brow, leaning slightly toward me as if she felt the pull, too.
Nate’s voice snapped me out of my trance on his sister.
“Eli, it’s been so great catching up. I missed you, man.”
I nodded as Mara stood and started to collect the empty dinner plates. “Thanks for inviting me.” I smiled up at Mara, handing her my plate. “The food was excellent.”
She blushed. “Oh, I’m glad y’all enjoyed it. I love cooking. You’ll have to come again before you leave.”
“That would be an honor.” I pressed a hand against my uncomfortably full stomach. Despite the loss of roasted potatoes, the meal of chicken, vegetables, and biscuits had been absolutely amazing. Nate was a lucky man.
My gaze caught back on Liv. “It was good seeing you, Liv.”
“You too.” She raised one of her hands, displaying the various bandages I’d placed there. “And thanks for patching me up.”
My stomach tightened. Although her hands didn’t seem too damaged, I wished I could take the hurt away.
Mara returned from the kitchen, her forehead wrinkling as she eyed Liv’s hands. “I hope you’re not in too much pain.”
Liv’s face reddened as she tucked her hands into her lap. “I’m not.”
I cleared my throat, pushing away from the table. “Well, it’s been a great night, but I should get back to the house. I have a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks.”
Nate stood. “Let me know if you need any help. I have some time off next week, and I can lend a hand.”
The rest of the table stood too, and I nodded at my friend. “Thanks. I’ll definitely let you know.”
We meandered as a group toward the entryway, making small talk.
Nate wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders and pulled her in close. She leaned into him with a relaxed grin.
“We’ve missed you both.” Nate’s eyes flicked to his sister. “Don’t be strangers.”
Liv smiled, but it didn’t touch her eyes. “Hey, if you offer to feed me, I’ll be here.”
Nate grinned. “We will plan another dinner soon. I promise.”
He reached for the door, letting in a night breeze as he opened it.
Saying my last goodbye, I stepped over the threshold, wondering if Liv would follow. She’d seemed ready to leave too, but when I glanced back, she had her arms crossed over her chest and eyes wide.
I glanced at Nate.
He seemed confused, too. “Is everything okay, Livy?” he asked.
Liv shifted on her feet. “Yeah, it’s just colder than I thought.”
“Do you want to borrow a jacket?” Mara offered.
Liv instantly shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I’ll just blast the heat in my car. No problem!” She let out a nervous laugh and hurried out the door, waving goodbye over her shoulder.
I watched her as she brushed past me without a word. Something was off. I clenched my jaw and followed behind her down the driveway as she speed-walked to the rusty four-door sedan I’d parked behind. She didn’t look at me once before she swung open the door and got inside.
As I made my way toward my car, that rusty vehicle of hers made the most pathetic noise I’ve ever heard a car make as she tried to start the engine. I winced as she tried a second and third time to get the car to turn over, but it sounded as though the thing had completely given up.
I cautiously approached her driver’s side door and tapped on the window. She jumped, her eyes snapping open as she turned. I opened the door and leaned down to talk to her.
“Having trouble?”
She bit her lip. “That’s an understatement,” she muttered. “My damn car won’t start.”
Her voice sounded completely defeated, and my heart ached. She’d had a rough night already, and this wasn’t a fun way to end it. I held out my hand. “Come on. I can drive you home.”
Liv stared at my hand, panic widening her eyes. Her chest rose and fell with her rapid breathing.
“Liv?” I said her name, but she didn’t answer. To my horror, her eyes welled with tears. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Liv cry. I crouched down and leaned into the car, trying to assess what the problem was.
“Hey,” I said, trying to soothe her. “What’s wrong? Do your hands hurt?”
She shook her head, but still didn’t say a word.
The devastation on her face felt like a punch to the gut. I reached for her, cradling the back of her neck with a hand and squeezing gently. I could sense she was quickly losing it. “Focus on me,” I commanded, not wanting her to hyperventilate. Her eyes locked on mine. “Take a breath. A full breath.”
She sucked in air and let it out slowly. In and out, again and again, as the tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
I didn’t know what to do or how to help. I didn’t know what was wrong.
“If you’re upset about the car, I can have a mechanic come out to look at it in the morning,” I offered.
She shook her head. “It’s not that,” she rasped. She swept away the wetness from her face, but the tears wouldn’t stop coming.
“Then, what is it?” I wanted to know how to help her. I wanted to ease her pain.
Liv sniffed, pressing her lips together.
The grip I had on the back of her neck tightened. “Tell me,” I almost begged.
“I don’t have a home you can bring me to.” Her voice cracked.
It took a moment for that to sink in. “What do you mean?”
She looked down at her fingers twisting in her lap. “My boyfriend—I guess he’s my ex-boyfriend now—kicked me out of the apartment today. I haven’t figured things out yet, and I don’t have a ton of money. So, I don’t have a place to go.”
I froze, my muscles taut. She looked utterly wrecked. She deserved none of this. I didn’t know who this boyfriend was, and I didn’t care. All I knew was that she was hurting, and some other man fucking hurt her.
“Okay.” I released her neck and grabbed her wrist. “Let’s go.”
She stared up at me, her mouth falling open in shock. “What?”
I pulled on her wrist. “Get out of the car. I’m taking you home.”
“I don’t have a home, Elias.”
“You will always have a place to call home when I’m around, Olivia.” I leaned in, my forehead almost touching hers. “Now, get out of the freaking car.”
She still didn’t move, and I was getting impatient. I hooked an arm around her waist and basically lifted her out of the driver’s seat and onto the pavement. She squealed, but I didn’t let her go.
“Elias!” she yelped.
But I didn’t stop. I didn’t want to hear it.
I pulled on her wrist again, half dragging her toward my car.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said.
I turned to her. “Are you going to go back into your brother’s house and ask to stay with him?” I asked, though I knew the answer. She was too proud to do something like that.
She bit her wobbling lip, shaking her head.
“Then I’m taking you to my place. I have room. You can stay until you figure things out.”
She blinked, her tears drying in the wind. “I can’t...stay with you.”
“Why not?” I raised a brow.
Her cheeks pinked, and she glanced away. “I have to work in the morning. How will I get there?”
I almost rolled my eyes. “I have nowhere to go tomorrow. You can drive my car until we get yours repaired.”
She stood in silence, not looking at me. I was holding onto her, and my fingers tightened around her delicate wrist.
“Are you sure?” she whispered, so soft the wind almost stole her words.
“Absolutely,” I assured her. “I’m not going to leave you here.”
Her head slowly turned back to me. Her eyes were red and a little swollen from crying. But she nodded. Relief flooded my chest.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll stay with you.”