“Okay,” I said. “We don’t have to talk about it now, but I’ll do anything you need to make it easier for you.”
“I know you will, but you don’t have to.”
I kissed his temple and took a deep breath, inhaling his scent and reveling in the fact that he was safe.
“I should have told you; it’s just such an awkward thing to say. I’m not ashamed though.” He released me and I wiped the tears from his cheeks. “I’m sorry for texting you. It wasn’t fair to send you a cry for help when you didn’t even know I needed help. You were just the first person I thought to reach out to.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said, kissing his neck and nuzzling into him. “I’m here whenever you need help, Kayd. Olivia recognized it for what it was. We’ll never leave you hanging.”
Olivia cleared her throat as she stepped back into the room and I let go of Kayden and turned to face her.
“Liv, I’m going to stay with Kayden tonight,” I said. “You can take my car and I’ll get it from you tomorrow.”
She looked at us again and my stomach dropped at the unmistakable sadness on her face.Being responsible for Olivia’s sadness might be one of the worst feelings in the world.
“You don’t have to stay,” Kayden said, wiping his eyes again. “I’m fine. Buying the Jack was the moment of weakness but it’s passed and I’ll be okay, I promise. I’m a pretty stable recovering alcoholic, all things considered.”
“I’m not loving the idea of leaving you either, Kayden. I’m sure you’ll be fine, but you shouldn’t be alone after a scare like that,” Olivia said.
I tore my eyes from Liv and stared at Kayden, willing him to see how much I hated the idea of leaving him. He must have seen the determination in my eyes because he sighed and turned to Olivia.
“You can stay too if you want,” he said to her. “I’m getting the sense Jace won’t leave, and you’ve had a pretty emotional day too. There’s no reason for you to be alone either.”
I looked at him as he gazed at her with kind eyes. Then I glanced at Olivia and saw the way she looked at him, uncertain of where they stood. What passed between them made my stomach flip again.Correction: Being worried about losing them to each other is the worst feeling in the world.
“Jace, can we ask your moms to keep Kaylee tonight?” Olivia asked. “I’d like to stay with you both. It’s been a hard week for all of us and she was excited about sleeping over.”
“Of course,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.
Kayden stood up and approached Olivia. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted. I’ll do this at your pace and I respect everything you’ve already done for her. I promise I’m here now and I want to do this with you however you’ll let me.”
Olivia looked at me and I tipped my chin toward her, trying to encourage her to tell him her concerns. “My dad sucked, remember?”
“I do.” Kayden’s lips quirked upward. “Welcome to the club. I’m the founding member, and while I don’t have all the details yet, I’m pretty sure Jace is a member too.”
I nodded. “One hundred percent in the club. Thanks for having me.”
“We’d both be more than happy to welcome you into the fold,” Kayden said.
Olivia chuckled, the tension in her face releasing. “Thank you. I just don’t want Kaylee to have that experience. If you meet her, you stick around. No exceptions.”
“Can I hug you, Olivia?” Kayden asked.
Olivia nodded and took a step toward him.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her close. “You have my word. I will never walk out of her life if you let me into it.”
“Thank you,” she said. She smiled at me. “Well, come on. We all know you’re dying to be part of the hug.”
I stood up and hugged them both, and when we pulled back to look at each other there was a whole lot of confusion in everyone’s eyes. I suggested watching a movie to take our mind off everything and they agreed. We settled on the couch with me in the middle and I glanced at each of them as Liv scrolled through the options on Kayden’s TV.
What the fuck kind of complicated love triangle are we starting here?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kayden
“Sorry, can you walkme through this, please? You’re pretending to be her boyfriend?” I rested my head on Jace’s tatted chest as he held me against his body with one arm. The warmth of his skin on my cheek upon waking up had filled me with a slew of feel-good endorphins, but his confusing relationship with Olivia had the wheels in my brain turning rapidly before the sun was even fully up.
