Chapter 55
CHAPTER 55
OLIVIA
B efore dawn the next morning, Charlie and I stood in the dimly lit hallway outside my suite, his arms around my waist while I held his face in my hands. I peered up at him, leaning with my pajama-clad chest against his.
“Goodbye, Cowboy,” I murmured softly, running my thumbs across the coarse facial hair along his jaw. “I’ll miss you.”
“You’re only two days behind me, right?” he asked, that Texas twang somehow so much stronger this early in the morning when he was speaking so softly. “I’ll see you soon, City.”
Before I could even tell him that I wished I was going back with them, he claimed my lips with his own for a searing kiss that left me wanting so much more. My nipples pebbled against the soft cotton of my pajamas, everything south of my waistband waking all the way up.
It didn’t help at all that his hips pressed against mine as he deepened the kiss, allowing me to feel just how awake he was, too. But he groaned into my mouth and broke away from me, flashing me a tight smile before he let me go.
“I should leave now. Stay safe, City. I’ll let you know when we land, okay?”
I jerked my chin in a nod and then he was gone, those long legs making quick work of the short distance to the elevator that Dallas and Colt were holding for him. Instinctively, or perhaps as a result of the manners my mother had insisted on drilling into us, one of my hands went up in automatic wave and both of the other guys waved back just as the door slid shut.
A part of me deep down inside considered chasing after them, telling them to wait for me, and then packing my bags so I could be on the next flight out with them. I forced my feet to carry me back into the suite, though.
My speech might’ve been over, but this was still the biggest event of the year for the firm and I needed to be present until the end. I had to finish the conference week strong and ensure that we left people with a lasting impression.
Our room inside was still pitch dark, the blinds down and not even a hint of light coming in from outside. I wasn’t even sure if it was light outside yet. Probably not, though.
Either way, I quietly padded back to my bed and climbed into it, burrowing in under the blankets and wishing I had Charlie’s hot, hard body next to mine. I was still aching for him after that kiss, but I took a few deep, steadying breaths, reminding myself that both of my sisters and Lacey were in the room with me, and eventually, I drifted back to sleep.
When I woke up again, Abi had already showered and she came striding out of the dressing room ready for the day. She even had coffee for each of us, a cup on every nightstand as she marched over to the control panel and hit the Open button.
“Rise and shine, ladies.” The blinds started rising. “It’s time to get your beautiful butts into gear.”
London let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl, then grabbed the white pillow next to her head and sent it sailing in Abigail’s direction. “Shut those! What kind of monster are you?”
Abi neatly sidestepped the pillow and smiled sweetly. “The kind who makes sure you don’t oversleep and miss half the day. Come on, lazy bones. Let’s go.”
She strode over to London’s bed as she said it and smacked her over the blankets where it looked like her ass should be. “Get that caboose out of bed, London Walker. I’ve already let you sleep way too long and I know you won’t be human until we’ve gotten caffeine into you.”
Smiling at the familiar scene, I stared at my sisters for a beat, watching as London plucked the pillow away from her eyes only so she could send Abi a glare to end all glares. To Abi’s credit, she didn’t even flinch, just picking up the coffee from the nightstand and holding it out to London like it was a peace offering.
London groaned and took it, careful not to spill as she finally sat up. Lacey was already sipping on hers, back against the headboard as she stared out the sliding doors at the view outside. “Man, it’s been so good to be home, but is anybody else getting homesick for Texas?”
“Me,” I volunteered as I climbed out of bed, taking my coffee into the bathroom with me. I raced through a very quick shower, got dressed, and then carried the coffee out into the room with me when I was done. “Look at that. No one stole my lifeblood this morning. How very kind of you.”
London giggled and rolled her eyes. “Finders keepers, dear sister. Hey, have the guys left yet?”
I nodded. “They’re gone. Speaking of which, I’m going to call Mom and tell her that our evening has freed up. Anyone else in the mood for a family night?”
Abi grinned. “Mom would love that. I’m in.”
“Yeah, me too,” London said. “As long as no one invites Liam.”
I laughed. “Poor guy. He’s the only one left in that suite now.”
“Yeah, but he had his own at first, so he’s just been put back in the position he was in when we got here. He won’t mind.”
“Okay, well, I’m sure he’d love to come and Mom definitely won’t mind if he does, so if you change your mind, feel free to invite him.” I shut the doors to the walk-in closet behind me, blow-dried my hair, and applied my makeup, but I felt weirdly hollow inside. It was absolutely ridiculous, but it was like I could feel Charlie’s absence from the hotel.
As the day progressed, another morning and afternoon filled with insightful speeches and presentations, the hollow feeling only grew. At least I was distracted by making arrangements with my mom, who had confirmed that she and dad had the evening free as well.
Despite my promise to myself before I’d come here, I hadn’t spent nearly as much time with her as I’d wanted to. I’d seen her a few times, mostly just for quick conversations between presentations, and I was glad we’d get to spend the whole night together tonight.
From the sounds of things when I’d called her, she was excited about it too. She and Dad had been spending every spare moment together, so I knew we would’ve been interrupting their time together if we’d been around more, but still. It would’ve been nice to have seen more of her.
I should beg her to come visit in Houston soon too.
After the speeches wrapped up for the day, I grabbed the girls—all except for Lacey, who’d gone to see her own parents—and we headed home. Piled into Abi’s brand new electric SUV, we sang along to the girl power ballads we’d loved in high school, laughed a lot, and finally arrived at Mom and Dad’s townhouse in Greenwich Village.
They had many homes and properties in the city and even the state, along with some other houses scattered across the country, but this was where we’d grown up. It was their primary residence, the house they’d brought London from the hospital to when she’d been born and where Abi and I had shared a bedroom until we’d gained the courage to move into our own.
As we parked, the door swung open and Mom rushed outside, a vision of elegance as always in her cream-colored pantsuit and designer jewelry. While Dad was a family man who loved his girls and his company, my mom was a fashionista who loved three things most in her life: her husband, her daughters, and her designer handbags.
She raced down the front steps with a grace in her sky-high heels that I certainly hadn’t inherited and left lipstick on our cheeks, eyes, and foreheads as she kissed us all hello. “Oh, my babies! You’re all here. Do you have any idea how I missed you?”
I smiled into her hair as I drew her closer and hugged her tight, breathing in the Hermes perfume she’d been wearing as far back as I could remember. Dad appeared in the doorway behind her, waving at us and brushing kisses to my sisters’ cheeks as they passed him.
Mom finally let me go, putting her hands on my shoulders and giving me a good look over. “Your presentation was incredible, darling, but something tells me that’s not why you’re glowing. This is about the cowboy, right? You and I are going to have to find some time to talk about him.”
“I can’t wait to tell you everything.” I giggled, linking my arm with hers and letting her lead me into the house.
About five years ago, they’d had it renovated, fully restoring the facade from the 1860s and even the Spanish oak floors. With an instruction to the design firm to keep all the historical elements of the house in place, they’d gutted the rest, modernizing it from top to bottom.
Ever since, it’d been seven thousand feet of wonder, complete with a gym, a fully appointed rooftop terrace, and two thousand more feet of manicured and perfectly planned outdoor space. I loved the way it had come out, but I still sometimes missed what it had looked like before.
At the back of my mind, I pictured Charlie’s parents’ house, not blind to the fact that they lived a way more down to earth life than we did. I inhaled deeply, realizing that despite what I used to think, I didn’t actually prefer this over that.
I loved this house, but I loved theirs just as much and the thought made me smile. Maybe I’m not too city for him after all. Wonder if he’ll ever believe me.
Mom led us into the kitchen, our favorite family game, Yahtzee, already sitting on the counter and a super expensive bottle of wine chilling in a silver ice bucket on the island. London poured us each some as she caught Mom up on everything that had been happening in Houston—mercifully omitting any mention of Charlie and me—and then Abi caught us all up on the developments at the New York branch.
After that, it was a free-for-all, everyone just talking and enjoying each other’s company as we sipped our wine and tried to kick each other’s butts at the game. This was what I missed most about being in Texas.
I loved family nights with my sisters and my parents, and as much as I was starting to feel at home there, as I looked around at my family, I wondered if I would ever have this exact feeling anyplace else—and if I could really spend the rest of my life only having it on occasion when I came to New York.