Chapter 35
OCTOBER 10 – FRIDAY 2:00 PM
T heo
I thought my nerves were tested when Liam took Ren camping. Turned out that I was worried for nothing, but this…this really could blow us up, and I felt sick to my stomach. Ren grabbed my hand under the desk, and I tried to take a deep breath. We could’ve been anywhere because whatever Mr. Sharpe had said was lost on me.
“Class, please continue reading and answering the questions. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Mr. Sharpe said.
Translation: I don’t have any more in the lesson today, so I’m going to the staff room to get a coffee and stay there until class is over.
Ren waited until Mr. Sharpe left before turning toward me.
“What’s going on? You look ill.”
“I feel ill.”
“Did something happen with Liam? I thought the two of you were better than ever since we got back from the camping trip.”
Ren’s face darkened like she was ready to take on the world to try and save our relationship. She made me smile. It felt amazing to say our and know that it meant the three of us. Blake and Myles were with Ren, but I didn’t consider them part of what I had with Ren and Liam.
“It’s not anything like that. You know when you’re so sure that you want something, and then when the moment arrives, you realize that it may not be what you really want? You know that saying be careful what you wish for?”
Ren squeezed my hand a little tighter. “Theo, what’s going on?”
People had started talking all around us, but I shifted closer to make sure no one else could hear.
“I’m going over to Liam’s tonight for dinner,” I said.
“Okay…you do that all the time.”
“Yes, I know, but this is different.”
“Are they serving food you don’t like,” she teased, smiling at me, but I was too scared to laugh.
My stomach rolled. “I need to call this off,” I said.
“Call what off? The dinner or the relationship?”
My eyes snapped up to hers. “The dinner. I can’t let him go through with this. If he tells them about us, they’ll probably order Liam to stay away from me.”
“He won’t listen. Liam has a mind of his own, and he loves you.”
Ren flipped to the next page in the textbook, completely unfazed. It was fucking annoying when all I wanted was to scream.
I was normally the calm one. Things like dinner didn’t get to me, but I had hardly slept a wink, couldn’t eat, and now was practically shaking from the nerves.
“You can’t know that.”
Ren typed away on her laptop, fingers flying over the keys even as she turned her head and looked at me.
“I’m confused. You know Liam better than anyone else, and yet, I can confidently say, from the time I spent with him, that he would destroy anyone who really tried to come between you two. I got off easy because it was what you wanted until…well, we finally found some common ground.”
“If that’s what you want to call it,” I said, smirking.
Her cheeks turned pink, and I knew that look. Liam had a way of embedding himself in your brain like an earworm. Thoughts and memories popped into your head at the most unexpected times. I’d been there more than once. Taking off my glasses, I rubbed my eyes and groaned.
“No, I don’t think he would leave. But I don’t know what’s worse. Liam being disowned and still choosing me while knowing that I’m the cause for a huge rift in his family. Or he follows his family’s wishes and drops me or maybe even us.”
“If he drops you, I drop him. We have an understanding. It’s a package deal either way. You are the glue.”
My heart swelled, but I crossed my arms. “That makes it even worse. I need to cancel this dinner. It’s too soon. They’re not ready.”
“They aren’t ready, or you’re not ready?”
I glared at Ren, but she just sat there quietly, staring at me. Jesus she was so much like Liam. What the hell had I done to myself? Well, at least I was consistent and had a type.
“Just be honest with yourself. There’s no right or wrong answer, but don’t cancel because you’re scared. If Liam is ready to tell them, shouldn’t you support him?”
“You’re really annoyingly wise sometimes, Davies.” Ren snorted. “Then maybe both. I don’t want him to have to choose between us and his family. But I also don’t want us skulking in the shadows and pretending in front of them all the time. I’m tired of acting like we are just friends. Not looking at him in certain ways, avoiding touching him, or accidentally saying anything that alerts them to our relationship. But this…these options now that I’m sitting here with the knife over my head…I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“You were thinking that you love him, and you’re tired of hiding it. We’re about to graduate. What if Mr. Hicks signs a contract with another family because he doesn’t know how you two feel?”
“Or what if he runs out and signs one because we tell him how we feel?”
Suddenly, running off for a couple of hours with Ren on the back of my bike seemed like a great idea. I needed to be free from any of these decisions for a little while longer.
“What do you think I should do?”
“Do your parents know?”
“Yeah, my mom brought it up while we were away last Christmas. We were sitting on the beach, and she turned to me and started signing her heart out. She said that she knew and just wanted me to stop sneaking around and talk to her. I didn’t know what to say.”
“Well…if Ella figured it out, what makes you think the Hicks haven’t and just aren’t as forward about it?”
Ren lifted her shoulders and let them fall.
“Look, here is the bottom line. I can’t help you with this part. The risks are real, so you need to be ready for anything. But you two grew up together, and you’ve told me a ton of times that they love you like family. If they really love you, then they will find a way to get over their hang-ups. Only you know the answer to what you can live with and what you can’t.”
Reaching out, she grabbed my hand again, and I took a deep breath.
“But you already know the answer. You just need to stop second-guessing yourself. It’s not very Theo O’Brien or Murk of you,” she said teasingly, but she was right.
I didn’t panic. I came up with plans.
Straightening my back, I cupped her face and kissed her hard before smiling. “You’re right. I know what I need to do.”
OCTOBER 10 – FRIDAY 7:22 PM
Liam
The roar of Theo’s Ducati announced his arrival before he sped into the driveway. I tracked him on the black motorcycle as he pulled up, and my mouth was dry when he parked and climbed off in his suit. It brought me back to the day he got his bike, and I was seeing Theo for the first time all over again. He removed the matching helmet and tugged at the cuffs of his sleeves before running his hands through his hair. My heart stopped as he looked up at me. He’d left his glasses off and his sharp green eyes cut into me as a devilish grin tugged at his lips.
I was leaning against the wall, trying to act casual, like this was just another dinner, but we both knew it was a lot more than that. He opened the compartment in the seat, and I smirked as he pulled out my father’s favorite brandy.
“Getting a little late in the year to be taking the bike out, isn’t it?”
Theo smiled, caressing the sleek machine, and my pants were suddenly snugger.
“Polly gets lonely if I leave her without being touched for too long. So, I promised to ride her hard until the first snowfall.”
“You still talking about the motorcycle?” My tongue teased over my bottom lip, and my body tensed as he walked toward me. Theo picked up on it and lifted a brow at me as his eyes roamed freely.
“That depends on what you’ll do if I say no.”
There was no way I could go inside without touching him first.
Theo stepped in close enough that I could feel the material of our suit jackets brushing. The challenging heat in his eyes pushed me over the edge. Like we’d rehearsed a dance, I took a step to the side, and Theo shifted until his back was against the door.
“Fuck, you look good,” I said, placing my hand beside his head and pressing closer. Theo groaned. The sound was as seductive as if he’d spouted off a dozen dirty things he wanted me to do to him.
“You drive me crazy. You know that, right?”
“No more than you do to me,” Theo answered, each word dripping with sexual tension. Fuck, we had to get through this dinner, but there were other things I preferred to be doing with him.
Taking a deep breath, I shuddered.
“Touch me.”
With no hesitation, Theo wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and kissed me like it was our last time.
Desperation laced his lips, and fire licked through my body, making me hard all over. We were both panting as I broke the kiss, but I kept my forehead against his.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, but right now, I really just want to drag you around to the back of the house and finish this.”
“I thought you liked the agony of waiting,” he teased and nipped at my lip, but I pulled back before he could get me.
“Oh, I do…just think about how much trouble you’ll be in by the time dinner is over.” Smirking, I stepped away and loved that he had to adjust himself. “It’s good to have you back,” I said, and he cocked his head as he looked at me.
“I wasn’t the one being a dick. Admit it, you like her. I was right about Ren, and it pisses you off .”
“You’re a little too cocky tonight. I’m really going to enjoy punishing you later.”
He chuckled. “Not as much as I will.”
“Fuck me. Let’s go before we never make it off the steps.”
“One day, you’ll admit it to me, I promise.”
Theo turned around and opened the door. Rolling my shoulders, we stepped into my parent’s house and were hit with the scent of a home-cooked meal. Theo grabbed my arm before we walked into the dining room.
“Wait…who called this dinner?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yeah, it kind of does. Do you know what this is about?”
I shrugged. “Best guess is my initiation and being officially sworn in tomorrow.”
“Oh shit…I….”
“You didn’t forget that tomorrow is my birthday, did you, Theo?”
“No, it’s not that. I’ve been so preoccupied with the thought of this dinner and us that I forgot about whatever insanity Lawrence has in store for you. How could I forget that?” He ran a hand through his hair again, his eyes filling with a different worry.
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle whatever he throws at me. Trust me.” I didn’t say it outloud because Theo would tell me that I’m being arrogant, but Lawrence didn’t scare me. Maybe he should, I’d seen what he could do. But, when I looked at him, all I saw a pathetic man, with self-esteem issues and an affinity for depraved kinks. The rest was nothing more than a cover to hide his inadequacies.
“Are you boys out there,” my mom called out.
“Come on.”
Theo took a deep breath and nodded, letting the mask of friendship fall into place. My mom smiled as we walked through the entryway.
“Theo, you get more handsome every time I see you,” she said as she kissed his cheek.
“Mrs. Hicks, you are ravishing this evening,” he said, and my mom blushed.
Her face lit up when he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a single red rose. It was her favorite flower, and typical of Theo to remember something like that.
“A beautiful flower for the true head of the house,” he said.
“I heard that. Are you hitting on my wife,” Dad asked, walking in, and we chuckled.
“Emmett, you leave Theo alone. He was brought up right. When was the last time you brought me flowers?”
I laughed at the horrified look on my father’s face. Theo held up his hands and laughed.
“Hmm, I think we better sit down and eat before I get myself into any more trouble,” my dad said, sitting down at the table.
“Sir, I brought this for you,” Theo said, holding out the brandy. No matter how many times my parents told Theo to call them by their names, he never did. My dad nodded, studying the offering, and then looked up at Theo. I could tell he was reading him, and I changed the subject before he could start an interrogation.
“Are Nora and Sienna joining us,” I asked.
“No. Nora is still being stubborn,” Dad grumbled.
“I wonder where she gets that trait from,” my mom said, taking her seat.
“Don’t start in on me again. I have explained many times why things are the way they are. Besides, as far as marriage goes, the Mallory boy was a perfect match.”
“For Nora or business,” Mom asked.
“Why can’t both things be true?”
My parents glared at one another as Theo sat down beside me.
Nora and her decision to separate herself from the family was a hot topic. I was hoping to use it to my benefit, but I held that card back for now.
“What about Sienna?”
My mom was the one to answer and turned her head away from my dad with a huff.
“She is at a friend’s house for the night. We thought that might be best for the conversation about tomorrow,” Mom said.
“Good, because there is something I want to talk to the two of you about before we eat.”
I felt Theo’s eyes on the side of my face and the tension in his body as if it were my own.
“And it can’t wait until after dinner? The lamb is done. I can just go grab it and?—”
“No, this can’t wait. It’s something I should’ve told you a while ago,” I said. My parents glanced at one another. I could read them as well as anyone, and they had no idea what I was about to say, but they were worried it had something to do with Lawrence.
“This sounds serious, son.”
“It is, and I’m not sure how you’ll react. As much as I hope you’ll still love me and give me your blessing, I need you to know that I’m prepared to walk away from the family just like Nora.”
Dad sat back in his chair, hands on the table like he was bracing himself for the news.
“If this has anything to do with….”
I held up my hand. “It has nothing to do with Mr. Collier.” They both relaxed. “No, this has to do with me. I won’t be choosing or signing any marriage contracts with whichever families you have picked out.”
“Who says that I have anything negotiated?” Dad crossed his arms, and I copied his pose. “Okay, fine, I had a few irons in the fire. What the hell is it with our children? I blame you, Bridget. They have too much dreamer in them.”
“Me?”
A fight was brewing, and I needed to head it off.
“Stop. It’s no one’s fault. I’m in love with someone, and I can’t marry another just to bind businesses together. It’s not me.”
My parents wore matching shocked expressions.
“You love someone? We didn’t even know you were dating anyone.”
Theo shifted beside me. I glanced at him, but his face was blank of all emotion despite the nervousness he radiated.
“Who is she? Can we meet her? Oh my god, this is so exciting. Are you telling us now because things are heading toward marriage?”
“Mom, please stop.”
I waited until they were both focused on me again before taking a deep breath and grabbing Theo’s hand on the table. They looked at our hands, then our faces, our hands again, and I watched as they pieced it together on their own.
The room was deathly quiet, with the exception of our breaths. No one moved as we stared at one another. I’d just dropped the equivalent of an atomic bomb on them, and how they responded would determine the rest of my life.