Trace + Olivia Series Boxed Set (18 page)

Night. I’ll keep that in mind. :)

I could tell he was worried about me being here, even though it was only for a few days. When I left early this morning, I was shocked to find him outside my dorm, leaning next to my car. He kissed me over and over again, like with each kiss he was trying to convince me to stay. It almost worked, but fear got the better of me. I didn’t want my dad driving all the way to Virginia and tracking me down.

I turned my phone off since my dad frowned upon texting and tossed it onto my bed. It got lost in the sea of frilly white and pink blankets. My room hadn’t changed since I was five.

The walls were a pale pink, teddy bears cluttered a corner, and white sheers kept anyone from peering in the large windows.

This room should feel like an oasis, but I was more comfortable in my dorm room. At least it reflected
me
. This room was who my father wanted to pretend I was.

I grabbed my pajamas from my suitcase and walked across the hall to shower.

I wasn’t in there long, because my dad would have ended up banging on the door, yelling about all the water I was wasting. But by the time I got out, they were both in bed.

“Olivia!” My dad called out before I could tiptoe across the hall to my room.

“Yeah?” I replied, cursing everything I could think of.

“Leave your door open,” he warned.

I rolled my eyes since he couldn’t see me. “I know,” I muttered.

I made sure to leave the door wide open, not cracked, and climbed into bed.

But I couldn’t sleep. I never could when I was here. I don’t know what I was waiting for, but it was something.

My dad had the Kirkpatrick family, who were members of his church, over for Thanksgiving dinner.

“Sit there and look pretty,” my dad had told me before they showed up.

It was no surprise when Kevin Kirkpatrick sat down beside me. He was a year older than me, and my dad had planned our wedding and named our children, by the time I was four and he was five.

I had news for my daddy-o, I would rather stab myself in the eye than marry Kevin. All he talked about was himself. If I had to hear one more time about how he did this…or that…I was going to scream bloody murder.

Finally, for my sanity’s sake, I tuned him out, and pretended to listen, inserting a nod here and there. Kevin didn’t even notice that I wasn’t paying attention. Pretentious jerk.

I ate my dinner slowly as my dad played the part of the perfect husband and father. Telling those gathered how well I was doing in college. He didn’t even know what I was studying to be.

Kevin’s hand brushed against mine and I scooted a teensy bit farther away.

I didn’t want him touching me.

There was only one man I wanted to touch me, in any way, and he was ten hours away.

Kevin tapped my shoulder. “You’re not listening to a thing I say, are you?”

“Of course I am,” I pretended to be hurt that he thought I was ignoring him. “You were talking about how you play tennis.”

And just like that he started talking again. He was so egotistical that I almost felt sorry for him.

I zoned out again, ignoring not only Kevin, but everyone around me. I wanted this to be over. Not only today, but the whole weekend. I was desperate to get back home.

I was probably the only college student who thought of her school as home, but that’s what it was. Once I graduated, I had no plans to move back to New Hampshire.

Kevin’s arm brushed against mine, and he was lucky I was a nice person, and didn’t stab him with my fork.

I heard my dad mention something about desert and I breathed a sigh of relief. This Hell on Earth was almost over.

I helped my mom clear away the plates, thankful for the respite from Kevin, and helped her carry out the various pies.

I swear, she must have made one of each.

French Silk. Apple. Cherry. Pumpkin.

They were all there.

I waited until everyone else had gotten theirs before snagging a giant piece of homemade French Silk pie.

It was so delicious that I wanted to moan in ecstasy, but my dad would kill me if I started making sex noises at the table.

“Thank you, for the lovely meal, Nora,” Kevin’s mom, Linda, said. “I’m sure it took you hours.”

“It was no bother,” my dad replied, because apparently his name was Nora now.

Linda sported a tight-lipped smile as she looked between my dad and mom. “Yes, well, thank you as well for inviting us, Aaron.”

He nodded. “You and your family are welcome here anytime,” he lifted his wine glass in salute.

He wouldn’t let my mom drink wine, the controlling bastard.

“Are you enjoying school?” Linda asked me with a bright smile. I had always liked her, but right now, I was irritated with her son and therefore her. I wanted her, Kevin, and her husband to leave, so I could wash the dishes and hide in my bedroom until tomorrow morning.

“It’s great,” I answered, sipping at my glass of water, because my dad didn’t let us drink soda or my favorite, sweet tea. I had never had sweet tea until I moved to Virginia for school, but after trying it, it had become my favorite drink.

“That’s good to hear,” she wiped her mouth free of pie crumbs.

She was the same age as my mom, but she looked ten years younger. Her light blonde hair glowed and her blue eyes were bright. A few wrinkles crinkled the corners of her mouth and eyes, but they weren’t that noticeable.

“What was it your dad said you’re studying?” Linda asked.

I scooted a little bit farther away from Kevin, whose leg had just brushed mine, before answering her. “He didn’t,” I mumbled low enough that no one heard. “I’m studying to be an English teacher.”

“Oh, isn’t that…nice,” she smiled.

I wanted to growl. It was like everyone looked down at you when you said you wanted to be a teacher. I guess it all came back to that saying; those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.

“What grade are you thinking about teaching?” She asked.

“High school, I haven’t decided on what year yet, though,” I shrugged.

“I told Olivia that she should follow in her old man’s footsteps,” my dad chuckled.

I snorted and he glared at me. I’d pay for that later.

“Teaching is a very rewarding and respectable career,” I countered. “I’ll be teaching people, just like you do, father,” I smiled cheerfully at him, even though cheerful was the last thing I felt.

“No, not like I do, Olivia,” he narrowed his dark brown eyes at me, peering at me above the rim of his glasses. “I teach people about the meaning of faith and God. You’ll be teaching people useless information that won’t help them to reach heaven come judgment day.”

Somebody stab me in the eye. My father was one of the most ungodly men to ever walk the planet. Who was he to preach? I wanted to tell him we’d see where
he
went come judgment day. I’d bet money it wasn’t to heaven.

“Yes, well,” I muttered with a shrug. I knew I better stop talking before I got myself in trouble…well, into more trouble than I was already in.

“Kevin’s studying to be an architect,” Linda’s husband, William, informed me.

“I think he mentioned that already,” I replied, my sarcasm falling on deaf ears.

Thirty minutes later, the Kirkpatrick’s left, and I wanted to dance for joy.

“Olivia,” my dad’s voice boomed as he came into the kitchen. My shoulders tensed as I leaned over the sink, my fingers raw from scrubbing. “Your behavior tonight was unacceptable, a downright embarrassment.”

I swallowed thickly, shoving my hair out of my face.

“What exactly did I say that was unacceptable, sir?” I steeled my shoulders.

My mom had stiffened beside me, but she went on scrubbing, like nothing was happening.

“You completely ignored poor Kevin, the boy’s infatuated with you, Olivia. The least you could do is carry on a conversation and see where it goes,” he reasoned.

My hands clenched into fists beneath the water, thank God I wasn’t holding a knife, or I would’ve sliced my hand open.

“We were talking,” I argued, “Kevin was telling me all about his time at school and his volunteer work. It was
fascinating
,” I snapped.

His eyes widened. “Don’t sass me,” he barked and I flinched.

I held my breath so I didn’t cry.

“When you’re under my roof,” he roared, pointing to the ceiling, “you are to act a certain way! I knew letting you go off to college that far away was a bad idea! You should have stayed here where I could’ve supervised you! God only knows what kind of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into! You’re a disgrace, Olivia! This is why I wanted a son!” He ranted. “A son would never disappoint his father this way! But a daughter,” he growled, striding over to me, and grabbing my hair. I yelped, tears burning my eyes. “A daughter is nothing but trouble.”

He had never grabbed me like this before; he preferred to hurt me with words.

“Let me go, please, let me go,” I begged.

He did, giving me a shove so that I went sprawling on the floor.

He stomped out of the kitchen, his steps echoing through the house.

Air crawled through my chest, escaping in strangled gasps. I wrapped my arms around my legs, holding myself together.

My mom sank to the ground beside me, wrapping me in her arms, and gently rocking me back and forth. Her fingers smoothed through my hair.

She didn’t say anything and I didn’t either.

There was nothing we
could
say.

But we still sat, united, both victims of a man we should trust.

I pulled into the parking lot of my dorm and a weight lifted off my shoulders. I was finally home and I could
breathe
.

I felt like I had been holding my breath the entire time I had been away.

I carried my suitcase up to my dorm and found Avery sitting on the bed.

She immediately hopped up, hugging me. “I missed you, Livie.”

“I missed you too,” I replied, letting go of my suitcase. “Did you have a good Thanksgiving?” I asked, stepping out of her embrace.

“My parents weren’t home,” she shrugged like it was no big deal. “And my brothers didn’t bother to come home either.”

“You mean you were alone in that big house, the whole break?” I unzipped my suitcase and started putting things away.

“Well,” she laughed, “I wasn’t really alone.”

“Luca?” I questioned, turning around to face her.

She smiled, completely enamored. “I don’t know what it is about him, Livie. He makes me feel…” She trailed off. “I can’t explain it.”

“That’s nice,” I forced a smile, even though I wasn’t quite sold on Luca. He reminded me of a barbarian. A hot barbarian but still…

“I think I’m really falling for him,” she murmured wistfully.

I made a strangled noise in the back of my throat as I choked on my own saliva.

“Really?” I asked with a high voice.

“Yeah,” she ran her fingers nervously through her hair. “You don’t know him like I do. He doesn’t talk much when he’s around other people, but he’s really started to open up to me, and I…” She blushed. Avery
never
blushed.

“Are you falling for him, or have you already fallen?” I raised a brow.

She swallowed, biting her lip. “I don’t know. What about you and Trace?”

I took a deep breath. “I don’t know, either. It seems like it’s impossible to fall for someone so quickly, someone you barely know,” I shrugged.

“I know what you mean,” she breathed. “This whole love thing is so confusing,” Avery pouted.

“And I have a feeling it never gets less confusing,” I mumbled, putting the last of my things away.