Chapter 12
12
LIV
M y hand pauses as I reach for the knob of Dylan’s front door. The sound of his voice, tense and agitated, bellows through the wood. I hesitate, wondering if he’s arguing with someone. But there’s no one else here, so he must be on the phone.
I raise my fist to knock, a bit apprehensive about what’s waiting for me on the other side, while still excited to see him again. It’s barely been two hours since he dropped me off, but I missed him more than I expected to.
The door swings open to reveal his worried face. “What’s wrong?” I ask as he motions me inside at the same time he disconnects his call. His posture is stiff but his chest rises and falls rapidly.
He rakes his fingers through his sandy-blond hair. “We need to talk.”
My stomach drops at those four words. They never lead anywhere good.
Dylan guides me to the sofa, then explains his father’s threats and ultimatums. Anger now boils inside me toward Bruce. How could he do this to his own son?
“I don’t know what to do,” Dylan admits with his clenched fists resting on his thighs. I lay a hand over his, soothingly rubbing his forearm with the other. “But I’ll tell you what I want to do.”
“What’s that?” I ask, feeling his body heat rise as we sit side-by-side.
“Drive over to his penthouse and punch him in the face,” Dylan snarls.
I let out a small gasp. “I know you don’t mean that.”
“Yeah, I fucking do.” He turns his body toward mine and gazes deeply into my eyes. “I just got you. No way in fucking hell am I letting you go.”
“I love you,” I blurt without hesitation.
His eyes go wide—and truthfully, so do mine—but before I can backtrack, he captures my lips in a passionate kiss. “I love you too,” he whispers against my mouth. Then he kisses me until we’re both moaning and slightly breathless.
“You don’t have to say that.”
“I mean it, Liv. I wanted to tell you tonight.” His forehead rests against mine as he clutches my hands in his. “I know this seems fast, but it’s really not. Not after the way I felt when I first met you. It wasn’t the right time for us back then, but it’s our time now. And I want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted.” He pulls back to look at me. “Please tell me I’m not alone in this.”
His gaze searches mine, and I smile. “You’re not. I love you.”
“Say it again.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I love you, Dylan Kane.”
“I love you, Olivia Spencer.” He presses his lips against mine for several moments, and I relish our connection.
“Aw, we’re so cute,” I tease.
“Great, now you’ve ruined it,” he deadpans, and we both laugh. His smile fades when he mentions Bruce again and how the jerk is threatening to cut off his own son, unless he ends things with me. I’m trying not to take it personally, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt.
I make the only suggestion I can think that always works for me when I’m in a bind. “Let’s call my mom.”
Dylan looks at me skeptically. “You can’t be serious.”
“We were gonna tell her eventually, right? Might as well do it now, so she can find out from us before she hears it from someone else.”
“Maybe,” he half-heartedly agrees.
“She’ll appreciate it more if it comes from us. And besides, she can help us decide what to do about Bruce.”
Dylan lifts a single eyebrow. “This is assuming she doesn’t feel the same way he does.”
“You’re right. But Mom is nothing like him. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by her reaction.” At least I hope that’s true. Mom loves me more than anything, and I don’t doubt that. If she knows something will make me happy, then she’ll tell me to go for it. She certainly has in the past, anyway.
Dylan exhales a loud gust of air as his shoulders sag. “Call her. Can’t be any worse than the conversation I just had with my father.”
I know that’s true. I absolutely hate this for him.
I remove my phone from my back pocket and bring up my mom’s number. Once I hear the first ring, anxiety starts to settle in my chest. I’m sure everything is going to be fine, but there’s still a niggling of doubt in the back of my mind.
“Hi, honey! Miss me already?” Mom’s voice is bright and cheery, just like it always is when I call her.
“Well, yes, but that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Oh? Is everything okay?” I can hear the worry creep into her tone.
“Yes and no. I’m gonna put you on speakerphone. I’m here with Dylan.” I glance at him from the corner of my eye and can see the reluctance written all over his face. “Mom, can you hear me?”
“I can hear you,” she confirms. “Hi, Dylan.”
He smiles at her greeting. “Hi, Carol.”
“So, what’s this all about?” It’s just like Mom to get down to business.
I briefly tell her that Dylan has just heard from Bruce, but he elaborates on the details of that call while Mom silently listens.
After a thoughtful pause, she finally speaks up. “That’s not right! He can’t threaten you like that, Dylan.”
I turn my focus to him. “No, he can’t,” I reiterate. He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“And our relationship? You… don’t have a problem with it?” Dylan asks, hesitation evident in his tone.
Mom’s breezy laughter comes through the speaker and catches us off guard. “Who do you two think you’re fooling?”
My brow furrows and I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”
She can barely catch her breath between snickers. “This is a big house, but it’s not that big. Noise can travel through the floor. And you two certainly aren’t the quietest.”
“Ew. Mom!” I huff.
“Oh, please. You’re twenty-three-years-old, Livie. I know you’re not a virgin.”
Dylan snorts while I’m utterly mortified. “I’m begging you to stop.”
She continues to laugh and Dylan joins her, while I wish I could hide under the couch.
Too embarrassed to speak, I’m relieved when Dylan does it for me. “I’m sorry about that. Honestly, I don’t know what to say.” He chuckles while rubbing the back of his neck.
“Thank God for noise-canceling headphones,” Mom quips.
“Aside from that…” Dylan grimaces. “Are you really okay with me and Liv? I mean, I get what my father is saying, but that’s not how I see it.” He grabs my hand and kisses the back of my knuckles before lacing our fingers together.
“I don’t see it that way either, honey. You’re a good man, Dylan, and I’m happy my daughter chose you,” Mom tells him, as I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Trust me, she’s dated some questionable characters over the years.”
“Mom,” I whine before changing the subject. “But what do we do about Bruce?”
She thinks for a moment before responding. “I’ll come to you and we’ll sort this out. I think the four of us need to discuss this over dinner.”
Dylan and I exchange uncertain glances. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I ask.
“Trust me,” she says. “I know how to handle Bruce Kane.”
As we end the call, I turn to Dylan. “Well, that went... better than expected?”
He nods, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’re lucky to have a mother like her.”
“I know, and I don’t take her for granted.” I lean into him, grateful to be in his arms. “Think this crazy plan will work?”
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “With you by my side? What could go wrong?”