Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Atlanta—Present Day
“What are you doing here?”
Olivia stared at her former friend. Even before she moved out of state, Jessica had never shown up at her door unannounced. Normally, she let Olivia know weeks before she scheduled a trip to Atlanta. On the heels of Kyle’s attack and how they had left things, Olivia’s nerves were on high alert.
“Can we talk?” Jessica shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
Olivia opened the door wider, letting her former friend inside, and gave a wave to the man in the SUV at the top of her driveway.
“Who is that?” Jessica asked, angling her head toward the closed front door.
“Security.” At first, she’d balked at the idea of having someone outside her house while Declan was gone, but Olivia had to admit after her first night alone, facing the large dark windows, she felt relieved knowing help was only a shout away.
Jessica let out a heavy sigh. “Is this the Kyle thing? He called me, told me what was going on here.”
“Did he?” Olivia kept her voice neutral.
Kyle is alive!
“Don’t you think this has gone too far, Livvy? I mean, I know the divorce was ugly, but your boyfriend somehow had him banned from all the good clubs. He really embarrassed Kyle in front of his friends, not to mention this guy has stolen Kyle’s birthright from him.
“You’re happy now, right? Your dream man came back. Why can’t you leave Kyle alone?” Her eyes accused. “Kyle’s afraid to show his face. Did you know that? Terrified your thug boyfriend will hurt him. He’s not the white knight you made him out to be.”
Declan was definitely not a white knight. More like a fire-breathing dragon. Her dragon.
“What are you smiling about, Livvy? This isn’t funny.”
“You’re right, it’s not.” Olivia stared at her former friend. “When you spoke to Kyle, did he tell you he broke in and attacked me?”
That I stabbed him?
Jessica reared back. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“He would do that. He did do that. And it wasn’t even the first time. I pretended to have the flu because he split my lip and left bruises all over me. I couldn’t go into work.”
“You’re exaggerating.” Jessica shook her head, denying Olivia’s words.
“You never wanted to hear the truth. You were more than happy to explain away all of my unhappiness for years. I stayed longer than I should have because I was worried about losing you, losing a family I’d come to love, my own family’s expectations… my job.
“Kyle wants to complain about his ‘birthright’ being taken. What did he ever do besides use company expense accounts to cheat on me?”
“Livvy.” Jessica spread her hands wide. “Come on, this is me. I was there for the whole thing. It wasn’t one sided, was it? You are as much to blame for your marriage falling apart as he is.”
Olivia gaped at her. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but your cousin is an abusive piece of shit.”
“And you are a massive workaholic with my uncle wrapped around your finger,” Jessica snapped back. “You were so worried about succeeding, you didn’t care about Kyle’s feelings. He knew work was more important to you than him.”
“Is that a valid excuse for cheating?” Jessica blinked. “Within the first year? Hell, probably before.”
“And you were faithful?” Jessica shot back.
“Yes.”
Jessica scoffed. “Maybe you weren’t sleeping with anyone else, but you never gave Kyle a chance. You refused to see what a great guy he is, because you convinced yourself prince charming was out there waiting. You were so wrapped up in the fairy tale of your ‘Irish true love,’” Jessica mocked bitterly, “that you refused to see reality. It wasn’t true, and now this guy has sucked you in again, like he did before. I get it. Declan Bloom is hot and rich, but he’s using you, and you’re too stupid to see the truth. The second he's done with you, Declan will drop you again, but this time I won’t be there to pick up the pieces.”
Jessica’s voice had risen to a shout, and Olivia could only stare at her, stunned. How had Olivia never recognized her friend’s resentment before?
“Thank goodness for that,” a sunny voice said from the front door. Cami’s smile was so sharp Olivia was surprised Jessica wasn’t bleeding. “I knocked, but you didn’t hear me.”
Olivia’s cheeks blazed, embarrassment sweeping up her spine, but Cami breezed past them, setting a bottle of wine and a bottle of sparkling grape juice on the kitchen counter. “I was on my way home from work when Cara called wanting a girl’s night. It’s a work night, so I brought alcoholic and nonalcoholic so all our options are covered. Sorry for the ambush, Olivia.”
“I…um…”
Jessica glared at Olivia and then Cami.
Cami’s eyes glinted as she tapped a finger against her lip, pretending to think. “ Irish true love, huh?”
Olivia hadn’t thought it possible for her cheeks to get any hotter, but she was wrong.
“We are talking about Declan, right? It makes me so happy to hear that’s how you feel about my brother-in-law . After all, he has you permanently inked on his body.” The smile she turned on Jessica was anything but friendly. “Isn’t it the most romantic story you’ve ever heard? Almost like star-crossed lovers, but in this case, there is a happy ending. Like all good love stories, they had to tackle some monsters along the way.”
Jessica’s mouth opened like she wanted to argue, but Cami kept talking. “Cara is going to be here soon, and Dahlia will be here straight from her meeting. Luckily, she was still in town.” Cami paused for dramatic effect and then turned to Jessica. “I’d invite you to stay, but this is kind of a family girl’s night, and considering how you feel about Declan, you might want to go before his sister gets here. She’s a tad protective.”
“I’m so disappointed in you,” Jessica hissed and then slammed the front door. Despite herself, Olivia winced. Jessica had known her long enough to know how those words would affect her.
“Oh my gosh.” Cami grimaced. “I’ve never been so mean in my entire life, but that girl… I’m sorry if I overstepped.”
The bridge of Olivia’s nose tingled, and she bit her tongue.
Do not cry in front of this woman. Do not cry.
“Hey,” Cami’s voice was soft as she came forward hesitantly. “It’s okay to cry.”
Olivia sniffed. “Thank you for that.”
Cami waved her hand. “Don’t thank me. No offense, but your friend is a bitch.” She twisted off the top of the wine and smiled. “Don’t judge me. Twist top is still good.”
“She’s not my friend. Not anymore.”
“I think that’s for the best,” Cami said, opening the other bottle. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard a bit of what you said… about your ex-husband.”
Shame cascaded through Olivia.
“The Kyle in hiding thing… I assume that means Declan knows what he did to you?” Cami asked. Olivia managed a small nod. “In that case, he’s smart to hide.”
“Who’s smart to hide?” Cara’s voice sounded, as she paraded in holding three pizza boxes. “I took pity on the delivery guy in the driveway getting the third degree from your watch dog. I’m surprised Dec didn’t insist it be Brady or Vincent personally.”
“Personally what?” The door shut behind Dahlia.
For a minute, Olivia felt like she couldn’t catch her breath. Her kitchen was full of three, vibrant women, and all appeared willing to accept her with open arms, whereas her oldest friend in the world thought the worst of her.
“Declan called you, didn’t he?”
Cara shrugged. “He knew I would jump at the excuse to pump you for information.” She turned her gaze to Cami. “I thought I might actually beat you here. I know your offices are around the corner but I hit every green light on Peachtree, and for once, the roads weren’t jammed.”
Olivia shook her head, biting her lip to keep it from trembling, overwhelmed by the emotion.
“Who’s the angry chick in the car parked on the street? She was yelling into her phone when I pulled up,” Dahlia asked.
Olivia took a deep breath. She felt like she owed them an explanation after they’d essentially dropped what they were doing to come to her rescue.
“Can I have a glass of wine first?” Olivia asked with a rueful smile.
An hour later, Olivia finally stopped talking and wiped a few lingering tears off her cheeks. She hadn’t meant to tell the women the entire story of her marriage, but other than her therapist, she’d never told anyone. Once she started talking, the words poured out of her. Her shoulders dropped, feeling like forty pounds had fallen off.
These women made it easy. They listened quietly, only stopping her to ask a few questions, while wiping away their own stray tears.
Dahlia’s face was tight. “I understand more than I’d like to. I was married to a weak asshole, too. When did it get physical?”
The immediate denials that usually sprang to mind evaporated in the face of Dahlia’s sympathetic eyes. “After we were married for a year. It started small… pushes, pinches, gripping my arm too hard… I left the morning after it got really bad,” Olivia admitted.
Dahlia made a soft sound. “Then you were smarter than me.”
“I didn’t know that,” Cara said, resting her hand on Dahlia’s knee where she sat next to her on the floor.
Dahlia rolled her shoulders. “It was a long time ago. My ex-husband is dead now, which is lucky for him, because when Luke found out about it, he was thinking of a more drawn-out way of ending the piece of shit than an overdose.”
“I think that’s the main reason Jessica came tonight. She doesn’t even live in the state, so it had to be serious for her to come.”
Cara’s eyes were careful. “Because Declan is hunting for your ex?”
Olivia blanked her face, and Cara sighed. “I know Declan likes to think we don’t know about things he’s done or been a part of… And I’ll admit I don’t know it all, nor do I want to. He’s my brother, and as much as he has tried to shield me, I overheard enough of my father’s meetings during the summers I spent with him. Knew the fear people had of my name, of my father, and Declan. Hell, Declan even had my stalker locked away.” She shrugged. “I’m glad he’s on our side.”
“James shot my psycho ex-friend who was obsessed with me,” Cami piped up, but then her shoulders slumped. “Fine, it was self-defense, but I was feeling left out.”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“What is wrong with us?” Cami asked.
“I don’t know about you, but I was born into this family, so it’s in my DNA. You ladies fell in love with the crazies.”
“I think I shocked Declan when he told me what he was going to do, and I didn’t get upset. Which I’m sure my therapist would have a lot to say about,” Olivia said ruefully. “I don’t know the details because his friend is handling it.”
“Friend?” Cara laughed. “Declan doesn’t have friends.”
Olivia scrunched her nose. “It sounded like they were friends. He told me they do each other favors—it kind of sounded like a game. Declan was definitely smiling when he told me about it. He said Alex was secretly thrilled to do the last favor, so it shouldn’t have counted on their tally. But also, that Alex was happy to help with the Kyle situation, because it put Alex ahead, and Alex loves when it’s Declan’s turn to owe the favor.” She shrugged. “It was more than a little confusing.”
“Alex?” Cami’s voice was strangled. “Alex Kovalyov?”
Shit. Did I say too much?
“I don’t know his last name. I might have misunderstood.”
Cami shook her head. “I bet Declan was talking about the shooting at my studio. When Trey tried to kill me, Alex shot him. But Declan told me afterward that he thought Kovalyov did it because Madison was in there with me.”
“Who’s Madison?” Olivia was totally confused. “Wait, I thought you shot Trey Crawford.”
Cami looked uncomfortable. “It’s a complicated story. You should ask Declan about it. Madison is my best friend. Kovalyov has some weird obsession with her.”
“That’s terrifying,” Dahlia said. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s got the whole fallen dark angel thing going for him, but he’s scary as hell.”
“I know. What makes it worse is, I think Madison has gotten herself involved with him.” Cami shook herself. “That’s a story for another night.” Her lips quirked up. “However, if Alex Kovalyov is the one looking for him, Kyle should get a new identity. The Russian Bratva doesn’t mess around.”
Olivia’s new puppy clambered into Cara’s lap and happily plopped down. “Oscar,” Olivia scolded. “You can push him off.”
“No way,” Cara said, scratching his ears. “I can’t believe Declan got you a puppy. If I hadn’t seen the two of you together with my own eyes, I’d swear we were talking about someone else.”
“Why Oscar?” Dahlia asked.
Olivia blushed. “It’s kind of an inside joke.”
“Declan has inside jokes?” Cara looked skeptical, and even though Olivia knew his sister was teasing, she felt defensive.
Olivia got to her feet and pulled the worn paperback from the bookshelf and handed it to her.
“When I met Declan in Dublin, I asked him what the last book he’d read was. He gave me his copy to take with me.”
Cami shoved her lower lip out with an, “Aww. You kept it.”
Dahlia took the thin book from Cara, pursing her lips. “I’m impressed. Though I’m having a hard time picturing Declan reading this.”
Cami stuck out her hand, and Dahlia handed her the book.
“You think that’s surprising? I didn’t even know he liked poetry until that night he was drunk and started quoting it at me,” Cara said, as Cami flipped open a page and began reading silently.
“Really?” Dahlia’s eyes were wide. “He quotes poetry?”
“It’s actually really romantic.” Olivia’s mind wandered to the night before Declan left on his latest trip.
“If case you ever foolishly forget: I am never not thinking of you,” he’d whispered against her heated flesh, as his lips trailed down her body.
“Oh my god!” Dahlia exclaimed. “You are bright red.” She bounced on her crossed legs. “Does he quote it in bed?”
“I told you he was the romantic in the family,” Cami crowed.
“I’m buying Luke a poetry book,” Dahlia sighed.
“Ew! Stop. My ears are bleeding.” Cara held her hands over her ears.
Sudden doubt flooded Olivia. It must have shown on her face because Cami gave her an understanding smile. “We won’t say anything.” She drew a circle in the air around the women. “We have to stick together, because these men are a lot .”
“You can save the talk about my brothers’ sex lives for when I’m not around.” Cara pretended to gag, and they all laughed.
It was well after midnight when Olivia waved goodbye to the women as they drove off. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much.
Olivia hadn’t realized how much she’d missed having female friends until tonight. She had always told herself that work was enough, but she now realized that she needed to make time for other things in her life.
Her body overflowing with emotion, she sent a text, knowing that Declan was probably still in the air.
Olivia: Thank you.
Declan: For what?
Olivia: For knowing tonight would be hard and sending back up.
She paused, chewing her lip.
Olivia: And for loving me.
Declan: You are my entire life. Landing soon. Love you.
Olivia shrugged into her coat and clipped Oscar’s leash on, letting him drag her to the front door. She saw Rhodes’s outline, on duty in his SUV, keeping watch in the freezing air.
Oscar sniffed all over the front yard, but apparently, the best spot eluded him. His brown nose suddenly lifted in the air, and then he was tugging her around the side of the house to the backyard. The lights from her family room cast out through the windows, illuminating a few feet beyond the deck above her.
Oscar let out a low puppy growl, and Olivia felt goosebumps rise that had nothing to do with the winter night. The fur on the back of Oscar’s neck rose, and he let out a small bark before growling again.
Suddenly, there was a crashing sound from the thin stretch of trees separating the grass from the banks of the river. Olivia opened her mouth to scream, but closed it again when three deer darted across her yard, sending Oscar into a frenzy of barks. Yanking against his leash, he tried to give chase.
“Ms. Adler?” Rhodes called before the sandy-haired man came around the corner of the house at a full run, gun drawn.
“I’m fine,” Olivia exclaimed, her hand pressed to her chest as if it would calm her heart rate. “Deer.”
Rhodes scanned the trees with a frown. “I’ll walk you to the door, clear the house, and do another perimeter check.”
Olivia wanted to object that it was overkill, that the disturbance had been her overzealous puppy, but she kept her mouth closed, because honestly, she felt better with him making sure.
A warm kiss against her ear woke her as Declan slipped into bed and tugged the blanket over their shoulders. He wrapped his heavy arm under her breasts and pulled her tight, pressing her back firmly against his hard chest. He nuzzled into her hair. “What happened to Oscar’s crate?”
“He was lonely,” she whispered back.
Declan grunted and sat up. He flipped a thick throw blanket until it draped over the dog sleeping on the chaise at the foot of her bed. Olivia relaxed into his warmth as Declan lay down again, her heart swelling.
This was the side of Declan very few got to see. The world saw the ruthless billionaire, and she got the handsome man who worried whether a sleeping puppy was warm enough.