Chapter 11
ELEVEN
TAJ
I was right.
It had been just shy of a month since I met Olivia, and I was both relieved and uneasy about being right.
Because just one day after meeting her, I’d made the bold claim to my parents that I’d met the girl I was going to marry.
And in the moments I’d spent with her since—shopping, snowboarding, searching for my tree, finding her tree, texting or calling one another through the week, meals together, snowtubing, and going out last night—it became apparent to me that nobody else would ever do.
She was all I wanted, and I was glad to know I was right about that from the start.
But there was a small sense of uneasiness I experienced.
Because I hadn’t felt it was appropriate or reasonable for me to push for more than just the friendship we were building when Olivia had only had just a few weeks of freedom.
She’d been stifled for so long, and even though I’d never seek to make her feel like that again, I wasn’t convinced she was interested in jumping into another relationship so soon.
And I understood it.
I could appreciate where Olivia was in her life, the things she needed, and why she’d likely be hesitant to pursue anything with someone else. The last thing I wanted to do, especially with her being here alone, was to make her feel like she didn’t have even one friend in her life now.
But it worried me that in not doing anything to indicate my interest in her, she might get away. Either she’d find someone else in her day-to-day outings and activities here in Rising Sun, or she’d decide there was no reason to stay and would return home to New York.
From where Olivia stood, I was just being the friend she needed. I didn’t mind being that at all, but I wanted more.
I especially wanted it after what happened last night. It’d been Christmas Eve, and I’d convinced Olivia to join me out for a night at Lou’s with the whole gang.
Lou’s, or Big Lou’s Restaurant and Saloon, as it was more formally known, was a local spot that had been around for ages.
It had been a hot spot for my dad and his friends since before my mom had ever moved here.
And once she and her friends had arrived in town, they made it one of their favorites, too.
But they’d mostly gotten past the point of having late nights out, and my friends and I had sort of continued with many of the same traditions our parents had. One of those traditions had been the yearly Christmas Eve celebration with holiday music, food, drinks, dancing, and fun.
Admittedly, I experienced some nerves going into last night. Olivia had claimed she was eager to meet everyone, and while I believed her, I just wanted everything to go off without a hitch.
Of course, I didn’t anticipate that any of my friends would be unkind or unwelcoming.
They’d never do that, even if it wasn’t so important to me.
Perhaps it was because I hoped Olivia would wind up being a permanent part of the group that I felt so tense about it.
I wanted them to like her as I hoped she would like them.
As soon as we arrived, I made introductions. Everyone was pleasant, and Olivia had done well with remembering names. In fact, when two stragglers walked up minutes later, I said, “Olivia, this is—”
“Lark and Tessa,” she declared, extending her hand to each of them.
The pair seemed surprised, and Tessa replied, “Yes. How did you know?”
Olivia tucked her chin toward her chest and offered a sheepish grin. “Taj told me a bit about all of you, and he said that you two were perpetually late to things.”
They shot daggers at me as Lark said, “I see you’re telling her about all our best qualities.”
“I’m sorry,” Olivia lamented. “I promise it wasn’t done with any malice. In fact, he said it was one of the things he loved most about the two of you.”
Their brows shot up, silently questioning her.
Olivia continued. “He likes that you are who you are and don’t make apologies for it. And to be honest, I kind of liked hearing that, because I need some genuine people in my life.”
The girls relaxed, Savanna snaked her arm around Olivia’s, and said, “Come over here with us. Let’s leave the guys be for a while.”
Olivia happily went, and I watched for a bit, just to be certain she was comfortable. Surprisingly, she dove right in with the women. In a matter of minutes, Olivia was laughing right beside them. My chest expanded at the sight of it.
“Taj is so far gone for her already, it’s not even funny,” Phoenix declared, forcing me to tear my gaze from Olivia.
“We’re just friends,” I insisted.
Ace walked up and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I can hear what you’re saying, but the words don’t match with the look on your face.”
“We’ve been telling him there’s more to it from the minute we learned about her,” Archer declared. “He keeps insisting she’s only a friend.”
“In all fairness, he did admit he was hoping for something more with her,” Kingston revealed.
“So, what’s keeping you from making that happen?” Phoenix asked.
My eyes moved through the group. “Uh, I’m not a total creep. And we’re taking some time to get to know one another. I don’t have to hop into bed with a woman the minute I meet her.”
How I got the words out, I didn’t know. Because the reality was that I’d been spending every night thinking about having Olivia naked and in my bed.
Archer decided to call me out. “I can understand that, Taj. But let’s be honest. You’ve known her for weeks now.”
“Don’t forget she showed up in town in a wedding dress.”
Ace gasped. “What?!”
“Yeah. What the heck did we miss?” Phoenix questioned me.
“Alright, alright. Relax, and I’ll tell you.”
So, that’s what I did. I didn’t give the guys all the specific details about what led Olivia to walk out on her fiancé, but I confirmed that she had, in fact, done just that.
I went on to explain that she was taking time to get away from the pressure of her old life and job and had decided to stick around for a while.
“I’m just being reasonable by not making ridiculous demands of her,” I ended.
“Well, a word of advice,” Kingston said. “Don’t wait too long and let her leave town.”
I didn’t want to consider that possibility. “You know, I don’t understand why any of you are giving me a hard time about taking things slow with her. Even if that’s what I’m doing, I’m still way ahead of all of you. The only special ladies any of you have in your lives are your moms and sisters.”
“Ouch, Taj. That was a low blow,” Archer groaned. “We’ve got other women in our lives.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Okay.”
Having put them in their place, the conversation quickly shifted. I was only half paying attention because I continued glancing at Olivia. From what I could tell, she was having a ball and soaking up the opportunity to make friends.
Before I knew it, the night was over, and I’d taken her back to her apartment.
“This was so wonderful tonight,” Olivia sing-songed as we stopped in front of her door. It felt so much like the end of a first date, where all I wanted to do was kiss her before I went home. “I had such a great time.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I promised it would be fun.”
In a move I hadn’t anticipated, Olivia reached for my hand and squeezed. “Thank you for inviting me to go. It’s no secret you’ve done so much for me since the day I arrived here weeks ago, but I’m not sure anything compares to what you did tonight.”
I could barely think straight for how much I liked feeling her hand holding mine while she looked at me with such softness in her eyes. “Lou’s has been a tradition. It’s not like I planned some extravagant thing.”
Olivia shook her head. “No, Taj. It’s so much more than just the event. Introducing me to your friends and your sister was so unexpected. I don’t think I can thank you enough for sharing them with me. You’re so very lucky to have such an amazing group of people around you.”
I couldn’t hold myself back. “If you stick around, they can be your friends, too. I hope you know that.”
Her eyes danced with delight as she smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I’d be so fortunate to have them if I stay.”
“We’ll just have to see if we can get you a few more reasons to stay in town.”
She laughed. “That sounds like fun.”
If I had anything to say about it, it would be.
Olivia looked down at her key and fiddled with it before sticking it into the lock. A moment later, she opened the door and stepped inside. “Thank you, again, for taking me along tonight.”
God, I wanted to kiss her. “You’re welcome. Have a good night, Olivia. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Goodnight, Taj.”
I hadn’t wanted to walk away from her last night. I would’ve given anything for her to give me the slightest inclination she wanted the same, that she wanted me to stay. But no such invitation came my way.
Fortunately, I didn’t need to worry about waiting days to see her again, because she’d agreed to spending the day with me today.
And now that I’d just parked outside her place—eager to spend the morning here with just her before taking her to my parents’ house for a late lunch—I could admit I was hoping Santa might deliver a gift to me that wouldn’t need to be unwrapped.
Just a few words from Olivia that would indicate she was interested in me as more than just a friend.
But those hopes were quickly dashed when, after I’d knocked on her door, Olivia stood in front of me with nothing but devastation in her eyes and sadness on her tear-stained cheeks.
OLIVIA
“Olivia? What happened?”
I was stupid.
So, so stupid.
Why did I ever think any of this was a good idea? I knew better. I knew it was a foolish decision, and I did it anyway.
“Olivia?”
Taj was standing there in front of me, and I was staring right through him. My mind was lost in the utter chaos this morning brought.
When he called my name a third time, I lost it. Tears spilled down my cheeks as a sob escaped.