Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia #1) (22 page)

c h a p t e r

Eighteen

I walked out of Avery’s room and nearly collided with my mom.

“Sorry,” I apologized, holding a hand out to steady her. I looked over her disheveled appearance. “Are you just now waking up?”

By now, it had to be close to one in the afternoon.

“Yeah,” she shrugged, “I can’t tell you the last time I’ve slept this late. I guess I really needed it.”

“Whoa,” Nick muttered from somewhere behind me as a door clicked closed. “Too much estrogen in here.”

“Shut up,” Avery sneered
, coming out of her bedroom, dressed for the day.

Nick stepped forward, looking my mom up and down, grinning appreciatively.

Um…ew.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he held out a hand to my mom. “I’m Nick.”

“Nora,” she squeaked, her eyes connecting with his bare chest.

I gagged, glancing at Avery.

She looked as shocked as I did.

“Well, Nora,” he grinned and a dimple popped out in his right cheek, “if you need help with
anything
don’t hesitate to ask me. My room’s right there,” he pointed, “and you can come get me
anytime
.”

I think I just threw up in my mouth.

“Oh, well,” she blushed.

I wanted to slap my hands over my eyes but I didn’t want to call attention to myself.

After everything that had happened, the last thing I wanted to see was Avery’s twenty-two year old brother, trying to finagle his way into my mom’s pants.

“Mom,” I spoke up, finding my voice, “why don’t you shower and get ready. I’ll take you to lunch,” I suggested.

“Okay,” she smiled gratefully, making her way back to the guest bedroom.

Nick’s eyes never left her. When the bedroom door closed behind her, he turned to me.

“Your mom’s fucking hot,” he shook his head back and forth like he was in a daze. “Can I come with you to lunch?”

“Absolutely not!” Avery and I exclaimed simultaneously.

“Honestly Nickolas,” Avery reached up to slap the back of his head, “what is it with you and older women?”

She didn’t wait for him to answer. She bounced down the stairs and I was left alone with Nick. I crept around him and ran for the stairs.

I heard him mumbling under his breath as he went back into his room.

“I am so sorry about that,” Avery began when I set foot in the kitchen.

“That was weird,” I admitted.

“Nick’s always had a thing for
—uh—older ladies,” she mumbled. “It’s gotten him into a lot of trouble over the years.”

“It’s gross,” I grumbled. “Keep him away from my mom.”

She laughed. “I’ll try, but once Nick sets his mind to something, he doesn’t give up easily…at all, actually.”

“This is too much,” I collapsed onto one of the stools as Avery washed her bowl and
wiped down the counters. “My brain’s already on overload with the whole Derek and Aaron thing, plus what happened with Trace last night, and now this? I don’t have time to worry about your brother seducing my mom.” I crossed my arms on the countertop and dejectedly laid my head on top.

Avery began laughing and I couldn’t help but join i
n.

Wiping tears away, she giggled, “This is
nuts!”

“You’re telling me! It’s my life!” I laughed hysterically.

“Am I interrupting something?” My mom asked, stepping into the kitchen.

“No,” I wiped my face dry with the backs of my hands. “You ready?”

She nodded in reply.

I pulled my car keys out of my pocket and left through the garage.

“Oh! Wait!” Avery called over the roaring of the garage door. She scurried down the garage steps and opened one of drawers in the built in cabinets along the wall. “Here,” she tossed a black rectangular device my way.

“What’s this
?” I looked down at it stupidly. I quickly realized what it was but Avery was already answering.

“It’s a garage opener,” she replied. “This way, you don’t have to worry about me or Nick being home
, and you don’t have to get out and enter the code like you did this morning. We have a security system but it’s turned off right now.”

“Okay,” I flipped the device over in my hands, “thanks.”

“Not a problem. I’ll see you guys later. And Mrs. Owens,” she called out to my mom. “Watch out for my brother.”

A bunch of
gibberish came out of her mouth, which made Avery and me laugh.

★★★

“I’m not mad at you,” I stated, drenching my waffle in syrup. “I want you to know that.”

My mom looked up from her plate of food, studying my face. When she found that I was telling the truth
, she let out a sigh of relief.

“I know I should have told you the truth a long time ago…it never seemed
like the right time though,” she shrugged and took a bite of her egg sandwich.

After a lengthy discussion about where to eat for lunch, we ended up deciding on Waffle House.

“I’m glad you waited to tell me. I don’t think I would’ve handled it well if you told me sooner. It’s been hard to process now, it would’ve been even worse if I was younger.” My eyes strayed to my purse where I had placed the pictures of Derek. I wanted to keep them with me at all times. I think I was afraid that if they were separated from me for too long, they’d disappear. “Can you tell me more about him?”

I hadn’t wanted to listen when she first told me, but now
, I was ready to know more about my real dad.

“I don’t know where to start,” she took a sip of water.

“Start wherever you want,” I told her.

She grew quiet as she thought. “He loved to be outside,” she smiled, her eyes far away. “I can’t begin to tell you how many times I found him outside the library, stretched out on one of those small benches,
with a book in his hand. He was a serious student, but he was funny, the kind of guy that was always cracking a joke. He loved his family and friends, to the point that he was almost loyal to a fault. But I loved that about him. He would have been the greatest father to you, Liv, and I’m so sorry,” her eyes watered and she reached for my hand, “that you missed out on that, sweetie.”

I swallowed thickly, w
ondering if I would have made Derek Wynn proud. Would I have been enough for him?

“Do you think Aaron will try to find you?” I whispered.

She released my hand and sat back, staring out the window at the traffic going by. “I honestly don’t know. He’s…unpredictable.”

I really didn’t think Aaron
would try to find her, but I still worried.

“
Please
, if he finds you, don’t let him take you from me, again,” I begged.

“Never,” she answered fiercely. “I’ll never go back to that, Liv. I would rather have
nothing
than live with that man. I wish I would’ve left sooner, but I didn’t think I could. I was scared. But now that I’m gone, nothing will ever send me back. I can promise you that.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

She continued, “As soon as I get a job, and find a place of my own, I’ve decided to file for divorce.”

My eyes widened. “I don’t want anything tying me to him.
Especially, a marriage,” she removed her wedding band to drive home her point. “It’s time for me to move on and live my life.”

“I’ll be here every step of the way,” I assured her. “You don’t have to go through this alone.”

She smiled, tears glassing over her eyes once more. “I know I haven’t been the best mom and that I should have stopped Aaron. I shouldn’t have let…I shouldn’t,” she grabbed a napkin and wiped her tears away. “I shouldn’t have let him hurt you like he did. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough for you. I hope you’ll let me make it up to you.”

“Mom,” I said fiercely, “there’s nothing to make up for. I
understand
. I was scared of him too. I know he treated you worse than he did me. This isn’t your fault. I’m happy you’re out of that house now. I promise you, there’s nothing you need to make up for. You’re my mom, you always have been, and you always will be.”

We stared at each other for a moment, and I expected her to say something serious, but instead, she cracked a smile and asked, “So, when do I get to meet this guy of yours?”

★★★

“You want me to mee
t your mom?” Trace asked incredulously over the phone.

I coughed into the phone trying to hide my discomfort. “She wants to meet you.”

He sighed. “It’s been a long time since I did the whole, meet the parents thing, but for you, I will.”

I bristled, knowing he was referring to his ex, Aubrey.

“I’m sorry, I hate asking you, but she keeps bugging me about it,” I grumbled, tugging on the strands of my hair.

For the past two days, she had asked me incessantly about Trace. I knew I couldn’t put off this
meet and greet forever, and preferred to get it over and done with.

“Don’t apologize,” he replied. “It’s not that I don’t want to meet your mom, I’m just not very good at this. I know what kind of house you grew up in…is she going to think I’m some tattooed criminal or something?” He sounded insecure.

I snickered. “That was my dad—er Aaron—that’s like that. Not my mom. She’ll like you, I promise.”

“Alright,” he mumbled and I
heard the sounds of him pacing as his shoes shuffled along the carpet of his bedroom. “When am I supposed to meet her?”

I coughed again. “Tonight,” I squeaked.

“Olivia,” he groaned and I was sure he was pinching the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t a lot of notice.”

“I know and I’m sorry,” I bit my thumbnail.

“What time do you need me to be there?” He asked, sounding resigned.

“Is f
ive o’ clock okay?” I suggested. That gave him three hours to get ready and pep talk himself.

“Yeah,” he huffed. “Where do I need to meet you guys?”

“Avery’s house,” I answered, rattling off directions. “She’ll be gone tonight and so will her brother. My mom wants to cook.”

“Sounds good,” he sighed. “I know I don’t sound happy, but I’m really nervous.”

“It’s fine. I totally understand. I wouldn’t be too happy if you sprung something like this on me,” I told him.

“I’ll see you tonight. And Olivia?”

“Yeah,” I replied reluctantly.

“You owe me big time.”

★★★

The doorbell rang and I ran out of the kitchen like my
butt was on fire.

I had been pacing the length of the kitchen for a solid twenty minutes as I waited for Trace to arrive. My mom continued to cook, pretending she didn’t notice me nervously walking back and forth.

I swung the door open and forced a smile.

Trace was freshly shaved with his dark hair brushed back and a beanie
on top of his head. He wore a dark pair of jeans and a tight white V-neck shirt, with a long sleeve button down yellow and black plaid shirt on top. His leather jacket and boots completed the look.

“Hey,” he grinned. “I’m sorry about the way I acted earlier on the phone,” he pulled a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and handed them to me. “Forgive me?”

I narrowed my eyes, making him sweat it a bit longer. “Are flowers supposed to make me feel better?”

“Well, no,” he squirmed.

“I’m kidding,” I smiled genuinely this time. “They’re beautiful,” I inhaled the fresh scent. “Get inside, it’s starting to snow,” I opened the door wider.

He stepped inside and I saw that he had a similar bouquet clasped in his other hand. “For your mom,” he explained at my staring.

“Oh,” I nodded, “that was nice of you.”

He chuckled. “I
am
a nice guy.”

I rolled my eyes, closing and locking the door.

He took a deep breath and removed his beanie. I could tell he was nervous and trying to lighten the mood.

“It’ll be fine,” I stood on my tiptoes to place a light kiss on his lips.

He kissed me back and grinned fully when I pulled away.

I took his hand and led him into the kitchen.

My mom’s back was to us. She hummed as she stirred a pot on the stove and then wiped her hands on her apron.

I cleared my throat and she turned around. “Mom, this is Trace. Trace, this is my mom.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Owens,” Trace let go of my hand and reached out to shake my mom’s.

She surprised him by reaching up and giving him a hug. “Please, call me Nora.”

“Nora,” he smiled, “these are for you.”

She smiled as she gazed at the flowers in his hand. She took them from him. “These are lovely. Thank you. Olivia, why don’t you look around and see if you can find two vases,” she eyed the bouquet in my hand.