“I’m feeling off, guys, I think I’m gonna go lie down.” I lied to them and walked inside. I saw Killian’s look of concern on his face, he could tell something was off with me, but his body didn’t move from the chair he was reclined in.
Ascending the stairs was like marching to death row. I was so nervous, but I couldn’t put it off any longer. My knees started to feel weak so I sat down next to my bag and wrapped my fingers around the phone.
“You’ll be all right, one way or another,” I told myself through shaky breaths. My finger pressed the button, and I pressed the phone to my ear.
“Ms. Jones, this is the office of Dr. Janice at Fertility Specialists of Sarasota. We have the results from your ultrasound and would like to discuss them with you.” I stopped listening to the rest of the voice mail and called Dr. Janice’s cell phone immediately.
“Fertility Specialists of Sarasota, Dr. Janice.” Her sweet voice answered the phone and I felt bad; I’m sure the time difference made it pretty late there.
“Hi, Dr. Janice. It’s Livia Jones. I’m sorry to call you so late, I’m in California and didn’t consider the time change. I can call you back tomorrow during business hours.” I was nervous, rambling, and I would call her back tomorrow.
“No, hon. It’s okay. I’ve been waiting for your call. I know how much you and Mr. Williams wanted to know the results from your ultrasound tests.” There was a short pause on her side of the phone, followed by rustling of papers.
“Okay, still with me?” she questioned and I nodded before speaking.
“Yep.” My voice sounded squeaky.
“The scar tissue we had suspected to be present in your uterus was more extensive that we had anticipated. Your chances of a successful natural conception are fairly low. If you both would like to discuss your options, we can set up an appointment to do so whenever you’re back from your trip. There are many successful alternatives we can try if you still wish to conceive.”
“Okay, I’ll give you a call when I get back. Thanks, Doctor,” I mumbled, not quite still present on the phone with her. I heard her say goodbye, and the call ended. My mind felt numb, and my heart broke.
There it was, one more thing to add to my list of Livia’s new shattered life.
Chapter Twelve
Killian
We had left Joel’s house two hours ago, and Livia was still faking that she was okay. She’d smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. One of her demons had caught up to her, and she was having trouble fighting away the pain. Joel had given her a hug and told her she could come back whenever she wanted, and she simply thanked him and walked to the truck with her bag.
Even he knew something was wrong, but there wasn’t anything he could do. In truth, there wasn’t much I could do either, aside from drive the truck she claimed gave her peace.
We were heading into the city of Los Angeles to grab the next set of cars, and then we would be heading straight to Las Vegas to drop them off. It would be a short trip of four hours after doing the pickup.
Then we’d be staying overnight in Vegas before heading up to Montana tomorrow morning. She nodded when I told her the plan, and mumbled something about going out and getting drunk. I understood the need to erase the demons with a bottle of something hard, but I wasn’t about to let her do it alone, even though I hated Vegas and everything it had to offer. I was more of a nature man than all the chaos of sin city, but I’d join her to keep her safe.
The car dealer had the cars ready to be loaded, so that was a quick and painless grab. Livia seemed to have no interest in looking around, and after she went to the bathroom, she returned to the drawing she had started earlier in the ride.
I’ve never heard silence quite this loud. The truck was back to feeling like a cloud had covered it. Once again I wished there was something I could do to cheer her up. But as the hours went by, and the city of Vegas neared, I could see her demeanor change from sullen to determined. She was going to try and move on, or forget whatever had taken her underwater. She wanted to breathe freely again. Whether I wanted the job or not, I felt like this girl’s lifeline, a guide to helping her learn to survive and beat back the demons. If she needed me tonight for that, I would be there.
The old man who ordered the cars was waiting as we pulled up to his mansion just outside the strip. He smiled as I unloaded them for his waiting eyes. He was a retired magician from the old days of Vegas, settling in the desert he loved after making his fortune. He collected strange cars, and frequented classic car shows when they were around. Which, being Vegas, was often. All the invoices were sent beforehand and he had already taken care of it. I’d transported cars for him a few times. When I got back into the truck, Livia was putting on makeup and playing with her hair in the mirror on the visor. She didn’t need makeup. Her pale skin was flawless, her eyes were bright without the added crap, and her lips didn’t need any extra color to make men want them. They were thinking about those lips around their dicks without it. But it showed she was putting on her game face and that she was going to let it out tonight.
We parked at a truck stop, and she looked at me with that same desperate stare as before.
“Will you come out with me tonight? I want to go out and get lost, but I don’t wanna get lost alone.” She wanted to get lost with me. I’d already decided I was going out with her before she asked, but now that she had put it that way, there was nothing on earth that could stop me from helping her forget her struggles. It had been so long since I had been needed for anything other than my job. Deep in my bones, I knew her desperation like I knew my own. The only person I had was Joel, and right now, I was going to be her person.
“Yeah.”
“Yeah? Great! I want to eat something good, then drink, and dance. Any ideas of where to start?” She grabbed her bank card and ID, shoving them in her bra. Interesting.
“Yeah, I’ve got you.” I’d figure it out, having done the Vegas scene previously in my own days of despair. She gave me a quick smile, and we got out of the truck. I unloaded the bike and locked everything up.
“No helmets,” I told her, regretting not having one for her. I didn’t care to wear them, honestly never thought to. If I was meant to die, then I would. But if something happened to her because of me, I would never forgive myself.
She swung her little body over the bike and straddled the seat. I refused to acknowledge the way my dick stirred from seeing her like that. Not going to happen.
“It’s okay. We’ll dance with destiny tonight.” I liked the sound of that. One thing life had taught me was, nothing was guaranteed. You had to live the life you wanted. Hence my driving for a living. For some people, it was a shitty way of life. But I got to wake up somewhere different every day, taking part in many adventures that people stuck in the same town couldn’t enjoy. I was living the way I wanted to.
Joining her on the bike, she slid her body up against mine and wrapped her arms around my torso. I made a silent plea that her hands wouldn’t go any lower and touch my growing dick.
