Page 11 of Shadow
He looked like he was going to explode for a minute when someone honked, and he eased away from the stop sign. “I’m not saying you owe me anything, Liv. But I was looking for you so I could tell you I’m done. I’m out, and I’m home for good.”
She folded her arms across her chest and tried to tamp down the hope that bloomed. It was too late for the two of them.
“Well, congratulations. I’m sure you’ll find a nice girl in no time. But it won’t be me.”
“Jesus, Liv. You’re killing me.”
“And you killed me. Slowly. For years. With every week that passed by where I didn’t have a phone number for you. With every cryptic message, you had to pass through Peter or Carrie. You killed me. So, I took my life back. I got married. Yes, I’m divorced now. But I’ve moved on. You should too. I can’t do this anymore. You’ve been promising for years to come home. Why should I believe you now?”
He gripped the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. “I’m not saying you have to take me back right away. I can see where you’re coming from. But I am asking for a chance. Let me take you to dinner, and we can talk about everything.”
She closed her eyes, the exhaustion of the day taking over. “Cannon, it’s almost three in the morning. You’re going to be up even later with Peter. Let me sleep while you do your thing at my place. We can talk tomorrow or next week. I’m going to need some time to get my bar put back together and figure out the insurance. Do they even cover arson? It’s not something that ever crossed my mind when I was signing the paperwork.”
He reached for her hand, but she pulled away from him. “It’s going to be OK, Liv. And sure. We can talk tomorrow. I won’t accept waiting until next week.”
That made her blood boil, and she wanted to jump out of the truck. Unfortunately, he had pulled onto the interstate already and was doing over sixty.
“No. You know what. You can fucking wait until next week. Or have you already forgotten that I’ve spent eight years waiting for you?”
He slammed his fist into the steering wheel. “OK. Fine. I deserve that.”
When they arrived at Peter’s house, she reached for the door, but he put a hand on her shoulder and reached with his other hand, taking her laptop away from her.
“I’m fixing this.”
She was too tired to argue, so she opened the door and jumped out of the truck before he could say anything else.
Peter and Carrie were already waiting for them at the front door.
“Let’s take Olivia’s truck to the apartment in case anyone is watching.” Ripley said, jingling her keys.
Olivia laughed at his lack of knowledge about her life. “I bought a house when I got divorced. It’s about five miles from here.”
“Still. We’re taking your truck.”
She rolled her eyes and brushed past him into the living room. “Whatever. Just respect my wishes and stay out of my bedroom. I’m going to sleep. I have a meeting with Niki first thing in the morning to find shifts at Liv’s Place for the rest of the staff. I don’t want them going without a paycheck.”
Carrie held out her hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your room, and these two oafs can do their thing.”
She giggled when Peter smacked her ass, and Olivia smiled. They were a cute couple. Peter could be so serious sometimes, but Carrie helped him lighten up and have fun. And Peter helped her stay grounded and not kill herself for whatever story she was chasing.
They’d agreed years ago not to have kids, so they were just enjoying the life they lived together.
When she reached the door to the guest room, she hugged Carrie. “Thank you for everything.”
“Anytime, sweetie. You’re family. You know that. I’m sorry everything happened all at once. I know you’re mad at him, but I’m glad Ripley was there tonight.”
She hated herself for how glad she was about him being there, too.
Chapter 4
RIPLEYstoodintheliving room of Olivia’s three-bedroom house, confronted by the life she’d built without him. Had she really moved on? Deep down, he’d always known that was a risk. But the chemistry they shared when he was in town was so strong, he’d been sure it would be easy to win her back even if she had given up on him.
“How do I fix this?”
Peter put a hand on his shoulder. “You start by accepting that you may not be able to. I’m not saying don’t try. But I am saying give her a break. Don’t be pushy. Eventually, she might give you a chance, but only if you’re actually here.”
“I know. And I am. I’m here for good this time. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my life, but I want to do it with her.”
