A Blast from the Past (A Second Chance Romance) (9 page)

"Olivia,"
he said.

"Mike,"
she said sternly.

"I'm
sorry about Zander's dad," he said, as if I wasn't standing
right there.

"Thanks,"
she said. "You shouldn't be here."

"It's
a public place," he replied. "I came to give my
condolences."

"The
kids are here. Do you want me to get them?" she asked.

"No,"
he said. "I won't be here long. Would you walk me in?"

I
felt her body take a huge breath in.

"We
were just talking about my mom," I said. "She's in there
with Livie's mom. You can go right in. I'm sure she'll be happy to
see you."

I
heard him growl when I said Livie's name. He walked away and pulled
the door open.

"What
the hell did he do to you?" I snapped.

"Not
now, Zander," she said. "This is not the time. We can talk
about it later."

"That
scar is from him," I said roughly. "I asked you. You
wouldn't tell me."

"Just
let it go," she snapped back at me. "It has nothing to do
with you."

"Yes,"
I growled. "It does."

"You
gave up the right to get upset about me when you cut me off sixteen
years ago. You weren't there for me the entire time. I don't need you
to pretend you care now. You'll be gone in a few days. I'll still be
here with him and everyone else."

"I'm
not pretending anything. Don't you give me that crap. I didn't cut
you off. You married him. What was I supposed to do? You obviously
loved him. He was the one you wanted. I wasn't going to call and ask
how your marriage was and what you and your husband were doing. What
did you want me to do?"

"We
were best friends, Zander. You were my everything. You left me. You
cut me off. You weren't there when I needed you. I was always here. I
never went anywhere. I even helped your mom take care of your dad,
which I'm not sure was the right thing now. I did that for you. I
knew you wouldn't want her to do it alone."

"What?"
I asked. "What do you mean you're not sure it was the right
thing?"

Mike
walked back out the door. It didn't take long at all. He looked
pissed as he marched over to Livie. The man was definitely on a
mission.

"I
love you, Olivia. You're my woman. I don't appreciate people saying
things about me. You will come back to me."

He
reached forward and she flinched. I knew I was right about what I
thought. Women didn't flinch when a man reached for them unless they
had been hurt. His hand grabbed onto her arm, and she jerked her arm
to pull out of his grip. I saw the fear in her eyes and was
devastated. It was my fault that asshole hurt her. If I had been
there for her, she would have talked to me. I could have gotten her
away from him before he had the chance to hurt her. His grip
tightened, and I lunged forward. He was against the wall with the
side of my arm at his throat in seconds.

"What
did you do to her?" I growled at him.

"What
do you care. You had your chance with her. You let her go. You don't
think I know about you two. You don't think I know she went to New
York to see you before she accepted my proposal."

She
gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. I tightened my grip on
him.

"I'm
not sure what happened, but I got her. You gave her up. You don't get
to try and rescue her now. I didn't do anything to her. If she
listened like she was supposed to, it wouldn't have happened."

My
blood was boiling. She had been to New York. He knew it too. What did
he mean before she accepted his proposal? How did I not know she was
in New York? What did he mean I let her go? I couldn't believe he
said if she had listened nothing would have happened. What did he do
to her? I couldn't take it any longer. My hand came back and
released. I heard the crack of his nose just as the blood began to
flow. I shoved him out the door before he dripped on the rug. Then I
followed him out. She was right behind me.

"Zander,"
she cried out. "Don't hit him again. Just let him go. He's not
worth it."

She
grabbed my shoulder to pull me back.

"What
did he do to you?" I snapped, afraid of what she was going to
say.

"Let
him go. I'll talk to you about it later. This is a funeral for your
dad. My kids are here. I am begging you to let him go so he can
leave," she said softly.

Nobody
had seen any of what was going on. I knew she didn't want me to cause
a scene she'd have to deal with long after I was gone. Before I let
him go, I looked into his eyes.

"If
I ever find out you touch her or go anywhere near her again, you will
regret it for the rest of your life. Do you hear me? I better not see
you around her again."

I
dropped him to the ground. He grunted and groaned and turned to
stumble off.

"You
might want to get your nose checked. It's broken," I said.

I
grabbed Livie's hand in mine and walked back into the funeral home.
We sat down where we were before.

"We
have a lot to talk about. Why did you come out here crying? What
happened in there?"

"I
heard your mom talking to one of her friends and was shocked by what
I heard her say about me. At least I know that it wasn't just you who
didn't think I was good enough. She didn't either. It doesn't even
matter. I just can't believe after everything I've done for her and
your dad that she feels that way about me. It really hurt hearing her
say I wasn't good enough for you. She said I belonged in a small town
while you belonged in a big city. She said you deserved better than
me."

I
looked down at her and shook my head.

"That's
not how I feel," I said. "She used to tell me that. I would
tell her how wrong she was. When I got back, I thought she would have
a different attitude, but she didn't. I told her she didn't deserve
what you had done for her. Please don't think I've ever felt that way
about you. You deserve much better than me, Livie."

"It's
okay," she said. "Maybe I don't belong anywhere but here. I
know you don't want to see him, but I don't want you to leave with
any regret. I want you to know you did what you were supposed to do.
Go with me. It's almost time to leave."

I
knew I needed to do it. I had to get it over with. When I nodded and
took her hand, she stood up and pulled me with her.

"I
don't know what I'll do if Mike hurt you," I whispered. "I'll
never forgive myself. I thought you were happy. I should have been
there."

She
didn't say a word as we walked through the door toward my father. He
looked so much older than I remembered. It looked like he was so
frail. There was nothing that could have been done to save him. I
made sure he had everything he needed, but there was nothing they
could do. Her grip on my hand tightened as she stood beside me. Livie
was always there for me. Why hadn't I done that for her?

Olivia

We
stood there holding hands. I wanted him to know he wasn't alone. He
never would be. I knew that no matter how mad I got at him, I would
always be there. It seemed like forever passed. All I could do was
wonder what he was thinking. Was he thinking about his dad not caring
about him or something else entirely? When my dad passed, we didn't
have anything big. My mom didn't want it. Zander's dad was liked by
many people. Most of the town showed up for the viewing. Carol was
crying as she walked up to us. I moved to pull away so they could
have some time together, but Zander held tight to my hand and pulled
me closer. He wrapped his mom into his other side and kissed the top
of her head. Not a single tear fell from his eyes, but I could feel
the emotion in his body. After sixteen years, I could still read him.
He was hurting, but there was no way he was going to show it. I hoped
he would talk to me before he went home.

Zander
took all of the stuff he bought the kids out to his car. He said he
wanted to make sure it got home. I had to laugh. What did he think I
was going to do? It was all opened already. I hugged his mom and then
him before taking the kids back to my car.

I
helped Carol set everything up before guests arrived. Zander helped
the kids carry their stuff into my house. The food had been
delivered. We were set and ready. It was hard watching Carol talk so
nicely to my face after what I had heard her say. I couldn't believe
she thought I wasn't good enough for Zander. She had no idea how much
I cared about him. After all of the years that passed, my feelings
hadn't faded one bit. As soon as I saw his face, everything I thought
was gone came flooding back. I knew I would end up asking her about
her words. If I didn't, they would eat me up inside. It made me think
about everything I had done for her and Pete and all of the time I
gave up for them.

People
came and went the rest of the afternoon. The food was a hit. My
desserts didn't disappoint. I watched from across the room as Zander
ate a piece of cake and some cookies. He was definitely enjoying
them. I knew I was going to bake the chocolate cake for him and send
him home with lots of goodies.

The
kids had changed into play clothes and were outside with some of the
stuff Zander had bought them. What I hadn't realized was that he
didn't bring everything he purchased into the funeral home. That was
why he wanted to take it all with him. He thought I wouldn't notice
the extra toys when we got home. I wasn't sure I would ever figure
him out.

I
went looking for him so I could give him my opinion on what I had
just seen outside. He wasn't in the kitchen or living room. When I
rounded the corner into the office his dad had, I heard him talking
to his father's doctor. I stood quietly as they spoke.

"He
had the best care. They did everything they could, Zander. You know I
watched over him to make sure everything you requested was done. You
got him the best doctors and every treatment available. At least you
know everything possible was done. Your mom hasn't questioned a
single thing. When she asked about the bills, I told her the
insurance covered everything. She has no idea all the bills are being
sent to you," the doctor said. "I'm sorry he didn't make
it."

"I
appreciate everything you've done to help," Zander said. "Thank
you for doing it all. You know she never would have let me do
anything. She's too damn stubborn. I knew she would have worried
about money every day. This way, she was able to spend her time with
him instead of worrying. She'll be fine. I made sure she had enough
life insurance on him that she'll be able to live the rest of her
life without worry. She doesn't know I paid for that either. I
handled it all. All she knows is that she's going to be okay.
Hopefully that makes up for me being gone. I offered to move her to
New York. She doesn't want to go. I don't want her taking advantage
of Livie. The woman would lose sleep and sanity helping her. I'm
afraid my mom will run her ragged. I can't move back here. My
practice is there. My career is there. I've worked my ass off for
that. It's my entire life."

"If
that's where you want to be, than you need to be there. Your mom will
be fine here. She has friends and family. Livie has been amazing to
her. She spent hours driving and taking care of your dad. I know
she'll watch out for her. She's an amazing woman. It was so great to
see her finally get that bakery. She's worked there forever. I'm so
glad it worked out for her. No matter how it happened. I'm glad she
got rid of that man of hers. He was no good for her. I'm surprised
the two of you never got together."

"Can
I ask you a question?" Zander asked. "Did he ever do
anything to her?"

"You
know I can't tell you that," the doctor said. "As much as
I'd like to, I can't."