A Blast from the Past (A Second Chance Romance) (21 page)

Mike's
dad fell into the chair. Livie sat down with him. He kept thanking me
over and over for helping Mike. I was shocked when he made a joke
about me saving his life after he sucker punched me. They finally
said he could go back and see Mike.

"You
need to go with him. He shouldn't do it alone," I said.

"I
want you to go home and sleep. You have to catch a flight in the
morning. Can you go back for just a moment with us? I don't know what
I'm going to see, and I'm scared?"

Livie
was never one to ask for anything. When she asked me to go with her,
my heart melted. She was admitting she needed something. I was so
proud of her.

When
we walked into the room she had her arms around Mike's dad, and I had
my arms around her. Mike was hooked to so many machines. His body was
wrapped in several casts. There were cuts and scratches all over him.
It was nothing new for me to see, but for Livie and his father, it
was a site.

"It
looks bad," I said. "They need all of this stuff to keep
him safe. We need to give him time. He's going to need a lot of help
and time to recover."

I
squeezed Livie tight. She looked up at me and mouthed thank you. That
woman didn't know how much I cared for her. She didn't know I would
have done anything for her. I got chairs for the two of them to sit
in before I hugged her and left.

I
called a cab to take me home. They both needed their cars at the
hospital. It wouldn't be long before I needed to be back up. I fell
onto my bed and was out within seconds.

In
the morning, I had my bag packed and in the car. I had already said
goodbye to my mom. That wasn't easy either. I was worried about her.
The kids both ran outside as soon as I walked out of my house. It
wasn't going to be easy to leave those two adorable faces. Livie's
mom came out and talked for a few minutes.

"I'm
sure that was very hard for you last night. I know the feelings you
have when it comes to him. You are a great man, Zander. Thank you for
doing that. Not for anyone else but those kids. Do you think he'll
make it?" she asked.

"I
hope so," I answered. "He's still in danger. I'm being
honest with you. I'd say he has a much better chance than he did
right after it happened. They did a great job."

"So
did you," she said. "I'm sure going to miss you. My girl
really cares about you."

"I
really care about her too," I said.

Livie's
car pulled into the driveway. I wasn't sure I was relieved. The
thought of having to leave her was tearing me apart. With only a few
hours of sleep, it wasn't getting any better. I took a deep breath.

"You
two will figure it out," her mom whispered to me. "It'll be
okay."

I
nodded and walked over to Livie. She looked exhausted.

"I
had to see you before you left," she said, as I wrapped my arms
around her.

"I'd
stay if I could," I said. "I already told them I would be
there. I have surgeries this week. There is no way I can stay. I'll
be back as soon as I can. How is he?"

"The
same," she said. "His dad was still there when I left. He
won't leave him. Thank you for everything, Z. He's their father. I
don't want anything to happen to him. You are the most amazing man I
know. They need you there. I just keep telling myself that. I'm going
to miss you. The kids are going to miss you."

"I'm
going to miss you," I said. "All of you. I'll call when I
get home. Don't work today. Make sure you get some sleep."

I
finally pulled myself away and got in the car. The four of them stood
in the driveway while I drove away. It was the hardest thing I had
done in a long time.

The
last time I left that driveway, she was standing alone in that same
spot. Back then I was looking forward to the road ahead. I was going
to live my dreams. It wasn't the same waving to them all. I had to
wonder if my dreams were really what I wanted.

Olivia

Days
turned into weeks. I never had a moment to spare. I worked in the
bakery, took care of Carol, spent time at the hospital with Mike's
dad, made lunches, made dinners, ran baths, and spent as much time as
I could with the kids. It was starting to wear me down. I knew I was
taking on too much, but there was nothing I could give up. It all
needed done. By the time I'd finish with the kids each night, I'd
fall into bed. Some nights, I never even made it out of the clothes I
had worn that day.

Through
my busy schedule, one thing never changed. My thoughts were always of
the man in New York that I missed so much. We text more than
anything. He'd call the kids during the day while I was gone. He kept
telling me I needed to rest and stop wearing myself down. I didn't
listen. Too many people needed me.

Mike
was going to be okay, but the road to recovery was going to be long.
He swore over and over that he was never going to drink again. When
he admitted that he screwed up with me, I was shocked. He told me how
sorry he was for everything he had put me through and promised to
change. Time would tell whether he meant it or not. I was giving him
the benefit of the doubt. He thanked me for being there for his dad
and said he wanted to apologize to Zander. I pulled out my phone and
handed it to him with an open text.

Me:
This is Mike. I wanted to tell you how thankful I am that you pulled
me from that car and saved my life. I'm sorry for everything that
happened between us. I'm hoping we can get passed it.

It
was only a few moments later that I heard the phone buzz. Mike didn't
say a word as he handed back my phone. I left shortly after and
pulled my phone back out to read the text.

Z:
I would have done it for anyone. I'm glad you're okay. I have no
problem moving on, but I do need to tell you one thing. If you ever
touch her again, I will beat the shit out of you. If you ever hurt my
girl, you will be sorry.

My
girl, I thought. What did that mean? I couldn't believe he had just
threatened the man he had saved from death. Zander was something
else. Saving Mike wouldn't change a thing with him. He would still be
watching him just as closely.

I
went by the shop to check on Mike's dad. He seemed like he was in a
much better mood than the day before. I felt bad for him. He worked
his ass of his entire life for his son. The amount of medical bills
the insurance wasn't going to cover was astronomical. They were going
to need things in the house during Mike's recovery. There would be
tons of therapy and visiting nurses. His father had been so afraid
that he was going to lose the business he built and possibly his
home. When I saw his smile, it made me feel good. Through all of it,
he was smiling. I had no idea how his son had come to act the way he
did.

"I'm
happy to see that smile. I brought you some cookies today," I
said.

"Come
in," he said. "Sit down."

I
walked into his small office and sat in the chair opposite his desk.

"You're
not going to believe what happened," he said.

He
was smiling from ear to ear, but he had tears in his eyes. I was
completely confused.

"What?"
I asked.

I
had told him that I would help him as much as I possibly could. He
appreciated everything I had already done just by being there and
checking on him so much.

"When
I was at the hospital this morning, the doctor pulled me into a room
to talk to me," he began.

My
stomach was in knots. What could they have said, I wondered?

"About
what? Is everything okay?" I asked.

"They
told me that all of Mike's medical bills not covered by his insurance
were being paid for. Everything he needs at the house is being
supplied. He'll have therapy and a nurse that will visit. I can't
believe it, Olivia. You know how worried I was. You were the only one
I told. Did you do something? Who would do such a great thing for us?
I know Mike's been a real ass since the divorce. I can't imagine who
would do that for him. You have no idea what this means. I won't lose
my house or my shop. I've worked my whole life for that place. I was
so afraid I was going to lose it."

I
grabbed him and hugged him tight. He didn't deserve the shit Mike had
been putting him through.

"You
know why I divorced him," I said. "I'm sorry he's been so
mean."

"He
deserved it," his dad said. "He hurt you, Olivia. I'm glad
you left him. You deserve so much better than my son. I'm just hoping
this was a reality check for him. I want him to get his shit together
so badly."

"I
know you do," I said. "I had nothing to do with his bills
being paid. I'm not sure who did it."

It
made me feel so good to see his dad with a smile on his face. It was
so hard on him working and spending so much time at the hospital. I
was happy to hear he was able to relax and not worry so much. That
was one less thing on his plate.

Once
the kids were in bed, I called Zander to tell him how happy Mike's
dad was that he wasn't going to lose his home. I knew damn well that
Z had been the one to take care of it. Every time I turned around
since his dad passed away, it seemed like he was doing something else
to surprise me and make me question the fact that he had been out of
my life. He didn't say anything except that he was happy for Mike's
family. I couldn't believe he didn't want a bit of credit for what he
had done. Mike's dad would have been so shocked if he knew where that
money came from.

"You
really are the most amazing person I've ever met in my life," I
said.

"No,"
he said. "You are. You're the one that taught me what it was to
be selfless and giving. You don't have a minute to spare, but you
find the time to be there for everyone else, Livie."

I
hung up the phone and thought about the things he had done that I had
just recently learned about. Seeing him do that for Mike's family,
the same man he had just fought with, made me think even more. It was
like a light bulb went off in my head. Oh shit, I thought. I hopped
off my bed, took off for my mom's room, and burst through her door.

"The
bakery," I yelled out.

"What?"
she asked. "You need to get some rest, Olivia. You're losing
it."

"Tell
me right now, mom," I said. "Did he have anything to do
with me getting the bakery?"

"Who?"
she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Zander,"
I said. "He had something to do with it. I know it. I just know
it."

"Not
that I know of."

I
narrowed my eyes at her and she laughed.

"I
have never talked to him or heard anything like that. He wouldn't
even have known, Olivia," my mom said sternly.

"Never
mind," I said, as I turned around and went back to my room.

I
was just exhausted and needed some sleep. That was all. I was being
ridiculous.

When
I went outside to leave the next morning, there was a package on the
porch addressed to Jack. Tears fell from my eyes when I picked it up
and read the address label. It was from Zander. His handwriting
hadn't changed over the years. It looked exactly the same. The
outside of the box had Happy Birthday written on it in marker, and
there were little pictures drawn all over the box. I knew it had
taken him a lot of time to do. That made me melt even more.

I
went to work and jumped right into baking. It was the one thing that
always helped me relax. I was watching the clock on the wall the
entire time. As soon as nine o'clock came, I picked up the phone to
call the woman who sold me the bakery. We talked often, so it wasn't
going to be strange that I was calling her. We talked about how she
was and how sales at the bakery were going before I got to the reason
for my call.