Page 25 of Inked Nights

She was only wearing old leggings with a tank and a sports bra since she had the hilarious idea that she’d go jogging later to work off some stress. Maybe run from her own demons if possible. Sure, like that would ever happen with her oncoming headache. Hopefully, the delivery man wouldn’t mind her outfit.

When she went to open the door, however, it wasn’t a delivery man or the one person a tiny part of her had wanted it to be—the part that pulled at her stomach and made her ache.

“Sierra. Is everything okay with the kids? Austin?”

Sierra Montgomery stood on her doorstep, looking wonderfully put-together as always and holding a plate of what looked like cheesecake brownies.

“Hey there. Can I come in? I won’t take long, but I have sugar and hugs, and I think you could use both.”

Of course, Sierra would know. Derek and Austin were friends, close friends, apparently, and Austin would tell Sierra if he knew.

So Olivia took a step back and braced herself for what was to come.

“I’m glad the boys are okay then,” Olivia said woodenly, her eyes on the brownies and not Sierra. She hadn’t eaten all day, and she was suddenly ravenous.

“They’re great. Leif is getting all deep-voiced with the cracking, and it’s adorable and scary. Colin is all smiles and laughter, and I never want that to stop. Austin? Well, Austin is part of the reason I’m here. Can I sit? The brownies are for you.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, take a seat.” They both sat on the couch, and each took a brownie. Olivia did her best not to make moaning sounds, but it was difficult.

“I’m going to tell you that these are not my brownies. Hailey from Taboo, the café next to the tattoo shop, made them and gave them to me for you.”

Olivia’s eyes popped up. “She knows me?”

Sierra shook her head. “No, but, apparently, Derek looked like he’d been kicked in the gut today at work, and Hailey gave half of the brownies to Derek to cheer him up, then Austin asked for the rest for you. Austin told Hailey and then me that the only reason Derek would look the way he did today was because of you, and that meant you deserved them, too.” Sierra winced. “I don’t know what happened, hon, and I’m sorry that I’ve been so busy I haven’t been around to find out more. Yes, Austin and Derek are friends, but I don’t want you to think that you’re alone. Derek has been tight-lipped over the years, so I don’t know him as well as I do some of the other artists. The fact that you and he seem to know each other shocked me as much as it did Austin.”

“Small world and all that.” Olivia played with the edge of her brownie, no longer hungry.

“Too small sometimes, and I get that. Before I married into the Montgomerys, I held everything back and tried not to let the world in. I was safer that way. I’m not saying that was wrong either, but I’m glad I changed the way I did when I met the Montgomerys. Derek isn’t a Montgomery. He’s always seemed open about who he is, but he’s also been good about keeping parts of himself hidden. I get that. It’s his business, and we Montgomerys can’t make everyone spill their secrets.”

Olivia snorted at that. “You’re pretty good at trying, though.”

Sierra just smiled. “True. I’m going to leave the brownies with you, and I won’t pry. Just know that Derek looks like...well, Austin said he looked like he was hurting, and now that I’m looking at you, I’m going to tell you that you look the same. I don’t know what happened, and I don’t know if I can help, but I’m here if you need me. I’ll leave you be with the chocolate, and when and if you’re ready, know I’m right next door.”

And with that, the other woman hugged her tightly and walked out the front door without another word, leaving Olivia standing there, wondering what the hell had happened.

The Montgomerys might not know what was going on between Olivia and Derek, but they were still trying to help, and that meant more than she could say. But she didn’t know what she thought about everything else.

Derek was hurting? Of course he was, she’d known as much by the way he looked in the hotel room.

But what could she do about it?

She’d told the truth, and they’d both ended up hurt.

Now, she just had to find a way to move on.

Without him.

Someone knocked on the door again, and Olivia assumed Sierra must have forgotten something. She did a quick look around to see if the other woman had dropped something, but she didn’t see anything. Maybe she had a few more words for Olivia and, honestly, she didn’t mind since she liked the other woman.

“Did you forget something?” Olivia asked as she opened the door and froze, her palms going damp, and her hands shaking.

It wasn’t Sierra.

No, it wasn’t Sierra at all.

“Derek,” she croaked. This couldn’t be real. He couldn’t be on her doorstep when she was trying to get over what they could have had. She was going to be just fine without him, but he couldn’t be near her if that was going to happen.

But he was here.