“Liv.” I draw out her name as if drizzling it across warm bread like honey.
“Who? Hunter, you’re scaring me.” No, I want to cry. Waiting for your reaction is scaring the absolute shit out of me.
“He’s here.” I can tell by the look on her face that she doesn’t need me to say his name. There’s a flicker of annoyance before she stills herself into the same woman who walked the catwalk in designer gowns to raise money for charity—aloof and refined.
“Oh.”
It’s not the first reaction I was hoping for. Not a cry or whimper that he shouldn’t be here or disbelief that he actually is. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I could have sworn my darling girlfriend—if that’s what she is now—wasn’t even shocked.
“I’ll meet Mr. Hazel in the bar,” I say to the receptionist.
“Certainly, Mr. Williams.”
“You? You want to meet him alone?” Olivia’s voice is hesitant, her eyes wide with confusion and something else I can’t quite place.
“I didn’t want to presume you would want to,” I reply, my heart pounding in my chest.
“He came here to see me.”
“Liv, if he came here, it was for more than just to see you.”
“Okay.”
What the fuck is that supposed to mean, okay?
I take a breath before speaking, because this is not Liv’s fault. Her asshole ex turning up to ruin us before we’ve had a chance to enjoy our second chance is not Liv’s fault. I need to breathe and think before speaking, even though every part of me wants to find Rod the pilot’s number, and get us the hell off this island before Liv seeing Mitch destroys a week of her healing.
Yeah, her healing comes before her and me. Olivia’s well-being and happiness comes before her and me.
“Okay, you can’t wait to talk to him? Or, okay, you accept he is here but it doesn’t change a thing? Your one word is killing me.”
“What would him being here change?” Her beautiful nose crinkles in real confusion.
“You… me. Us?”
I hate sounding like a desperate fool, but I thought we had time before reality kicked our asses. I know she told her parents we had grown close. Both had sent me texts warning me to take things slowly but didn’t seem concerned. Shit. Had they faked me out? Had her parents set this up? No. If he’s here, he had to have flown up on the first flight this morning and caught the same helicopter ride with Rod we had a few days ago.
“Let me put some clothes on.”
Liv doesn’t bother making an effort for him. Then again, if he’s crazy enough to travel this far on the off-chance Olivia would even talk to him, she could get away with wearing a chaff sack. Her white bikini partially disappears under small denim shorts and a loose, cotton-white shirt.
“How do I look?” She twirls around before striking a pose with hands on hips and a sexy pout. I try to ignore the nervous tremor in her voice and hands. The last thing she needs me to be is a jealous prick.
“Beautiful. He’ll fall in love with you all over again.”
“Like you did?”
“To be fair, and just in case you didn’t get the memo, I never stopped.” I move towards her, intent on pulling her into my arms and kissing her until she forgets his name, but she rocks back—only slightly but enough for me to stop. I can’t force her to love me. I can’t force her to choose me.
“Let’s go.”
For the first time since we got back together—and I have to believe we are back together—we leave the villa without holding hands. She even shakes away my gentle touch at the small of her back. Not a possessive touch, but the touch of a concerned friend. Her best friend.
I want to scream and remind her, I was there. When she saw them—I was there. I’m still here, giving her the honest and real me—the man no other woman has seen. Because I haven’t wanted another woman for more years than I can remember.
It has always been Olivia. Olivia and me. Liv and I. Us.
The walk to the restaurant feels like I’m walking to the gallows. I’d rather lose a limb or kidney, or even a lung, than lose Liv. I want to slow down, enjoy the beach and ocean views, remember this is a location for romance and lovers, not to meet up with undeserving, cheating scum. Except, Olivia sets the pace, and we reach the bar in record time. I try to convince myself that Olivia is rushing to put him out of his misery, or even to break sound barriers with screaming about what he did.
