Page 66 of Sweet Escape
“Livie girl, where the hell have you been? Gramps found your car on the side of the road with your phone and purse inside, and we just about lost our minds.”
“I’m so sorry. I broke down, and Wilder came out to get me. It started storming and I forgot to grab my things.” It’s not the whole truth, but it’s close enough that she’ll buy it. They don’t need to know the rest.
“Well, I’mglad you’re alright, but that’s more than I can say for your apartment.”
“What do you mean?”
“The roof leaked last night. We’ve gotta call in a cleanup crew and get some patches done. You’ll need to come back home and pack up. You can stay with me and Gramps for a while until it’s livable again.”
I grimace at the thought of moving in with my grandparents. It’s not that I don’t love them to pieces, but they can be… a lot.
“I couldn’t possibly put you out. I can stay with Sarah.”
“Sarah’s got a one-bedroom apartment. Ain’t no way I’m letting you sleep on her couch.”
Wilder cocks his head in question, his brows drawn together.
I place my hand over the microphone to muffle my voice. “Apparently, the apartment was damaged in the storm. I need to find somewhere else to stay, or I’m going to be stuck with Grammy and Gramps for a while.”
“I heard that, Olivia Bennett-Sullivan,” Grammy says.
I wince at the use of my full government name. “Sorry, Grammy. You know I love you.”
Wilder leans into me, his lips hovering near the phone, and says, “She can stay with me, Ro. I’ll take her to pick up her things, and we can check on her car while we’re at it.”
“Tell that man to hurry up and put a ring on it, Liv,” Grammy says.
I wince. “That’s a bit like putting the cart before the horse.”
“Y’all haven’t exactly done things in the proper order anyway, have ya? Might as well take it all the way to the chapel.”
“Grammy!”
“What did she say?” Wilder silently mouths the words.
I shake my head, refusing to divulge Grammy’s insanity. “We’ll be by this afternoon to grab some clothes. I’ll see you later.” I end the call, handing the phone back to Wilder.“I can find somewhere else to stay. This is your home with Emmy. I don’t want to intrude.”
He unclasps my hands from where I’ve been absentmindedly fidgeting with my ring and brings my knuckles to his lips. “After everything we’ve been through together, why are you still nervous to ask for what you need?”
I look anywhere but at him, not wanting him to see the anxiety written all over my face. “It’s not that.”
“It is. You can deny it all you want, but you have a nasty habit of putting everyone else first and ignoring your own needs. It’s about time we change that.”
His hand comes up to frame my face, and I lean into the touch, tilting my head to the side. “I don’t want to stay where I don’t belong. I unknowingly did that for three whole years. I won’t do it again.”
“Is that what you think this is? Because you are dead fucking wrong, Liv. You’re family. You and our baby belong here.” His palm rests against my still-soft belly. Wilder loves to touch me there, even though I’m not showing yet. “This will be his home as much as it is ours.”
“His?”
“Pretty sure you’re growin’ me a cowboy.”
“Nope. We had a chat. It’s a girl.”
A smile tugs at one side of his mouth. “That so?”
“Mmmhmm. Pink everywhere. More glitter. More bows. You’re gonna have to get better about doing hair, too.” I poke him in the ribs, and he grasps my hand in his, flattening my palm against his chest. I can feel his heart beating out a steady rhythm while mine works in overdrive to contain my frantic nerves.
“Why would I need to do that when they’ve got you around to fix it for them? Or maybe you can teach me.”
