Chapter 11 – Olivia
OLIVIA
For my eighteenth birthday, Tate was finally home on leave from the Marine Corps. We hadn’t spoken in weeks until he called a few hours ago to let us know he was back on U.S. soil.
Sometimes, my brother would call me on Sundays. The weeks when I didn’t hear a word were the worst.
I imagined him dead.
Captured by a terrorist.
Dozens of scenarios raced through my mind with him living on the other side of the world. I knew we would have little to no contact unless something were wrong with Tate. But the waiting around and not knowing how he was doing nearly killed me.
Drake kept me occupied.
We still had our nightly ritual of watching movies and television shows together. He helped me with my homework whenever I got stuck and even let me crash on his couch in the Battle Cave.
Today, I was legal.
No longer his ward.
He had no reason to say no.
I waited out front of the house with Drake, smiling like an idiot as my brother’s limo pulled into the driveway. He flung open the door before the driver could round the car.
The man who emerged from the car was not my brother. Tall and handsome, he stood with his head held high, dripping with confidence, and dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt. He’d gained at least twenty pounds of muscle and filled out his shirt, which looked as if it were bursting at the seams.
“Who are you and what did you do with my brother?”
I flung myself into his arms, and Tate lifted me, but he didn’t seem to notice my weight gain or struggle with it. We were both healthy and alive, something that seemed nearly impossible until we met Drake.
“Happy birthday, Liv.” Tate kissed my cheek, squeezing the life out of me. “Damn, I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, big bro. This place hasn’t been the same without you.”
He set my feet on the ground and then hugged Drake. “You’d better have taken good care of my sister, Battle.”
“Better than good,” I said before Drake could respond. “He spoils me rotten.”
“Wait until you see your birthday present,” Drake said.
“Ah, don’t hold out on us.” Tate slid his arm across my neck and repeated the same motion with Drake, moving us into a huddle. “I don’t like secrets.”
We were both keeping an enormous secret from Tate. My brother didn’t know about the kiss. And he probably never would.
“I’m on leave for ten days before shipping out again,” Tate said, releasing me from his embrace. “We can do whatever you want.”
“That’s not long enough.”
He rolled his broad shoulders. “It’s all I’ve got. The Corps owns my ass for another three years.”
That was part of the deal my brother made with Drake. Four years of service and training, and then he could become the head of security at Battle Industries.
“Before we go inside,” Drake said, slipping his fingers between mine. “I have something to show you.”
I tried to ignore the sparks pricking my skin from his touch. Whenever he was in my general proximity, my body hummed with excitement. And since I was no longer his legal responsibility, I had plans for tonight. Drake didn’t know it yet, but I wanted him to be my first.
He was the one.
Dragging me toward the covered garage, Drake was all smiles. “Okay, so don’t freak out,” he said, turning me to face the garage. “You’ve done well in school, and it’s your special day. So, I wanted to reward you for all the hard work you’ve put in this year.”
Drake was right.
After he told me about the rankings at Astor Prep, I killed myself to be number one on the list. In one month, I would graduate with honors and give the valedictorian speech at graduation. Because of him, I had everything I wanted, including acceptance at the prestigious Kingston University.
I peeked up at him, smiling. “What did you do?”
Drake removed a remote from his pocket and hit a button. The garage doors opened, revealing three brand new sports cars that weren’t here yesterday.
“I couldn’t decide… So, I bought all of them.”
“What?” I gasped, mouth hanging open, eyes wide in shock. “You bought the cars for me?”
Three Lamborghinis sat in a row with bows tied to the hoods. One black, one red, and one yellow. I knew which one I wanted to second I laid eyes on it.
Drake pointed a finger. “Pick one, and I’ll send the rest back.” Then, he stopped and glanced at Tate. “On second thought, you’ll need a car when you’re home. Why don’t you take one of them?”
“Dude,” Tate groaned and slapped him on the back. “You’re too good to us. But I can’t accept a car that costs this much.”
Drake leaned into my brother’s shoulder, whispered something into his ear, and then pulled back.
“Fine,” Tate muttered. “If you insist, brother.”
He always called Drake his brother, a reminder that we had formed one big happy family.
“Go ahead,” Tate said to me. “Pick which one you like.”
“No contest.” I walked over to the red Lamborghini and ran my hand over the shiny hood. “This beauty is mine.”
In less than a year, I went from living on the street and dumpster diving for food to being the proud owner of an Italian luxury car.
“I’ll take the yellow one,” Tate announced, rushing over to his new vehicle.
“I already own this one,” Drake said, gliding his hand across the black car. “But I could use an upgrade. Fuck it. We’re keeping all three.”
I shook my head when Tate’s eyes met mine. We were both still in awe of Drake. He spent money as if it were nothing. Even after all this time, I still felt poor.
Drake clutched my wrist and placed a key fob into my palm, curling his fingers over the key. “Happy birthday, Liv.” He bent down and kissed my cheek, smothering me with the scent of his spicy cologne. “I hope you got everything you wanted.”
“Not yet,” I whispered into his ear. “I don’t have you.”
He sank back, staring into my eyes, holding me captive with his blue ones. His lips parted as if he were about to speak, but then he sealed his mouth shut.
Did I ruin everything?
I hoped not.
Tate interrupted our awkward moment by curling an arm around my waist, guiding me toward the house. “I’m starving. How about we eat, and then you’re the boss for the rest of the day?”
“Movie night?” I suggested since it was Friday and my tradition with Drake.
“Whatever you want, sis.”
I glanced at Drake and stuck out my tongue. “I get to pick the movie.”
Drake shook his head, smiling. “It’s not your turn, brat.”
“It’s my birthday, and I’ll pick the movie if I want to.”
He didn’t argue about that.