49. Olivia

Chapter forty-nine

Olivia

N othing I do or Victor does can stop the nerves rolling around in my stomach. “I told Bec that Donovan was my stepfather the night she stayed over. Do you think she told Connor?” I ask him as he parks along the curb in front of Connor’s house. Lane and Leo are following behind us, but Victor told them he was going to drive us. They are going to remain in their car to stake out the house and make sure Donovan doesn’t show up.

“No, I don’t. I’ve talked to him a few times, and he hasn’t mentioned it. That’s not something he would let go.” I wipe my hands on my jeans and take another deep breath. That’s true. I hadn’t thought of that. “Olivia,” Victor’s voice drops an octave, and I turn my attention to him. He grips my chin gently. “We will get through this. I promise everything is going to be okay.”

“How can you promise that?” I whisper. The look of hurt that passes through his eyes briefly makes me regret asking.

“Because I will die before I allow anything to happen to you, ever.” He rubs his thumb along my bottom lip and I almost tell him I love him, but catch myself. God, I want to tell him.

“That can’t happen either,” I say instead, making him chuckle softly.

“So, we’ll make sure it’s him instead.” He leans forward and drops a kiss on my lips. Getting out of the car, he walks around to my side and opens the door. Victor grasps my hand in his and we walk to the front door.

“Can we please just say it as soon as we get in there? If I keep thinking about it, I’m going to lose my mind.” I keep my eyes focused ahead because I’m afraid he’s going to say no, but out of the corner of my eye, I see him gazing down at me.

“We will do whatever you need, treasure,” he assures me.

I exhale and give him a small smile. “Thank you.”

He knocks on the door and Connor answers it within a few seconds with a huge smile. He looks between the two of us with a tilt of his head. “What’s up with you two?”

Caroline walks up behind him and I share a look with her before I look back at him.

“Donovan is back.”

Connor jerks back like I slapped him. “How the hell do you know who Donovan is?”

I look up at Victor. Now that I’ve said that, I need him to take over. He nods slightly at me, understanding the look in my eyes.

“Can we go inside and we’ll explain?” Victor asks. Connor looks between the two of us, then our linked hands, but he opens the door. Caroline immediately walks over to me and hugs me.

“Are you okay?” she whispers in my ear.

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. We walk the rest of the way into the house and I look around trying to find Bec, but I don’t see her. This is going to upset her more than anyone.

“I need you to start explaining,” Connor says.

Everyone is here. Ansley was sitting in Lincoln’s lap on the couch, but they both stand. Ansley looks from Connor to me. She steps closer to me.

“Is everything okay?”

Julian shares a look with Victor and I can tell he must already know, or at least suspect. Bass walks over and wraps his arms around Caroline. Where the hell are Bec and Bailey?

“Donovan is back,” Victor says before I can ask. Bass tenses behind Caroline. Did she not tell him about the flowers?

“Who’s Donovan?” Ansley asks.

I feel Victor’s gaze on me and swallow once, then twice. Looking at Ansley because she’s the one who asked, I answer. “He’s my stepfather.”

Victor wraps his arm around my shoulder, then pulls me into his side and gives me a look that says he’s proud of me. I want to give him a weak smile at least, but I can’t even muster one. I glance around the room. Ansley and Lincoln are looking at me in confusion. Connor, Julian, and Bass have turned to stone, while Caroline is crying, which doesn’t take much these days. She is about to pop. She doesn’t know everything, but I did tell her he was my stepfather. That he abused me, and I ran away, but it seems he’s found me.

Connor finally takes a deep breath and looks between Victor and me. “This is why you’ve known Liv all her life,” he says.

Before Victor can answer, Bec and Bailey walk out from the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. They both stop and glance around the room.

“What’s going on?” Bailey asks. Connor turns toward them, his hands are clenched into fists. He looks pissed and worried. He knows this is going to upset Bec, but he doesn’t answer Bailey’s question.

Bass steps forward. “Donovan is back,” he says.

Bec’s face turns white and her chest visibly shakes. She glances at me, seeing the truth in my eyes. I have to force myself to breathe normally so I don’t have a panic attack here and now, but if Victor stops touching me, I probably will.

Connor steps forward, his eyes assessing Bec, and her eyes snap to his. “You knew?” he asks her. I close my eyes. Shit. Is this going to cause a rift between them? I don’t know if anything is going on between them or not. She is still staying here, and he’s obviously recovered. What will this do to them?

“Know what? Who’s Donovan?” Bailey asks. I open my eyes again and lean into Victor’s side, allowing him to support my weight. No one answers Bailey.

“Did you know Donovan was Liv’s stepfather?” Connor asks Bec. She stares at Connor before finally nodding. He adjusts his baseball cap and begins to pace. I glance up at Victor and exhale. What have I done? I shouldn’t have told her. Bec walks up to him and puts her hands on his chest.

“It wasn’t my place to tell you,” she whispers, but we can all hear her.

Connor stares down at her, and I know he’s trying to decide if he’s mad at her or not. I step forward, but Victor follows right behind me, his body heat hitting my back.

“I haven’t told anyone about him. Ansley knew he was a bad guy, but didn’t know who he was. Victor was the only one who knew because he knew my mom. Bec told me you and Bass saved her from those two guys when you first met. When she told me who their boss was, I had to tell her.” I suck in a breath and lean back. Victor’s hands come up and grasp my biceps gently.

Connor looks from me to Victor, then to Bec. He exhales and pulls Bec into his arms. She slumps against him and I can feel her relief. Victor has said he can be a hothead, so I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a case of that.

“Can someone tell us what’s going on?” Ansley asks.

Victor and I share a look with Connor, Bass, Bec, and Julian. I don’t know Julian that well either, but Victor said he’s going to help in some way. When I glance up at Victor, he arches an eyebrow and I sigh. I really need a break. My emotions are frayed. I’m getting better at handling high intensity situations, but I need moments where I can breathe.

He nods at me and steps forward. “Let’s eat, and we’ll talk about it when we sit down.” Victor makes it sound like a suggestion, but it’s not. He knows I need a break, so he’s giving me one.

Everyone breaks off into small groups, so Victor leads me into the hallway Bec and Bailey came out of until he finds their guest bathroom. He closes the door and lifts me onto the counter. He cups my cheeks and looks at me, searching my eyes, then gives me a soft smile.

“You are doing so well, treasure.” He kisses my forehead. “I’m so proud of you.” Victor kisses my cheek. Closing my eyes, I sink into his embrace and bask in his praise. “I couldn’t have asked for a better sub.” He kisses my other cheek. I’m practically purring. “So fucking perfect.” He kisses my mouth.

I wrap my arms around his neck because I want to deepen the kiss, but he doesn’t allow it to get out of hand and steps back after only a few seconds. Disappointment settles in my stomach like an anchor because I want him to claim me publically. I don’t want to be his sub in private only. I want to be his sub in public. He helps me off the counter and gazes down at me.

“Are you ready to go back out there?” he asks, rubbing his thumb along my cheek.

No.

“Yes,” I reply instead.

He opens the door and we blend back in with everyone. They’re all joking and laughing like we always do when we’re all together. I love this group of people so much.