Thirteen
Bishop
The pity is clear on her face. It’s unwanted and unnecessary. I provoked him, so it’s only fitting I have a black eye to show for it.
“Has he done this before?” Viv asks. Her voice quiet and I can tell she’s about to break. If I act like this isn’t a big deal, maybe she’ll feel the same.
“Nope. Sure it won’t be the last, either. Dad and I don’t really see eye to eye.”
“That doesn’t mean he has a right to hit you.”
“Deserved it, Vivi. Said some shit I should have kept to myself.”
“You didn’t deserve it, Ollie.” I look down, ashamed that she has to see the ugliness of my situation, but her gentle hands cradle my face and she waits until I’m looking right at her before she speaks again. “No one deserves to be hit by their parents. What happened?”
“Same ol’ shit, sweet girl. I won’t bore you with the details.” She’d flip out if she’d hear the details… Dad’s threats of the military if I don’t stay out of trouble and start helping out at home more. I could leave, but I don’t have a pot to piss in. I wouldn’t be able to survive long without my parents’ help. I’d be living on the streets, and while that seems more appealing than staying here at the moment, I know I’d be an idiot for leaving. I need to wait until I have some of my own money saved up.
I need to wait until I can convince my girl to come with me.
“You don’t have to stay,” she murmurs quietly under her breath as if the words hurt as they come out.
“I have a million reasons to leave this goddamn place.”
It’s her turn to look away. “You should go.”
“I have one really good reason to stay. That one reason outweighs all the others.” She looks back at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears, and I want nothing more than to take her and go, but she’d never leave Mrs. Tallulah. And I’d never make her choose between us. Maybe one day she’ll be ready, but she’s not now. “I won’t leave you, Vivi. I love you too much to even think it.”
“You love me?” She seems surprised. This girl means the world to me, and I let her know it every single day. Hell, everyone around here knows she’s it for me. I guess I’ve never said those three words to her, though.
“More than I could ever say. I love you so much that I’m gonna stay here after we graduate next month. I’d never leave you, Viv. I think it would kill me if I did.”
The unshed tears from moments before start to fall. I thought she’d be happy that I’m sticking around, but she seems upset. “I don’t want to be the reason you stay, living a miserable life.”
“Don’t you see? I’d never be miserable with you. You make it better. I can stay here if I have you with me.”
“You’ll always have me, Oliver.” Her words heal what my father broke earlier. Vivienne tends to do that. Always has. Have a feeling she always will.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
I wake up and am slapped in the face by the reality of my situation. Viv is gone, and she’s been gone since right after we had that conversation in the hayloft of the old barn. But I think she’s finally ready to come back to me.
Nudging Ace away so I can relax a few extra minutes in bed, I grab my phone from the side of my pillow and pull up the image she sent last night. She snapped it right before falling asleep, and I’ve never seen her look more beautiful. One simple word at the bottom, Tomorrow, holds so much weight. She’ll be back here before the end of the day today, and I intend to pick things up where we left off.
While Ace is handling her business in the backyard, I decide to call Viv in the off chance she’ll pick up and have a few spare minutes to talk with me this morning. I need to hear her voice. Maybe it’s the unsettled feeling in my gut from my dream this morning, or maybe I just miss her. Not just since she’s been in New York for the past week, but since she’s been gone from my life for the past sixteen years.
“Good morning, Bishop,” she answers, her voice different from the sleepy one I’ve been hearing during our nightly conversations. She’s all business this morning. Let’s see if I can change that.
“Somebody’s already had their coffee.”
“Two cups. They weren’t nearly as good as your sister’s, but they served their purpose. Is something wrong? You never call this early.”
“Nothin’s wrong, Viv, just have you on my mind this mornin’.” I wait for a second or two and enjoy the sound of the slight hitch in her breath. Most people might miss it, but I’ve heard it countless times. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that can make it happen. “You miss Annie’s coffee?”
“I do.”
“Good. I’ll take you there tomorrow mornin’. I have big plans for you tonight, Princess, and they might last til’ mornin’. After I’m done with you, coffee at Annie’s.”
There’s that noise again, only this time it’s not so easy for her to hide. God, I wish she was in front of me so I could watch her cheeks heat and turn that shade of pink that she can’t ever mask. “What sort of plans?” she whispers.
Standing in the yard, I find myself laughing while Ace and Cat circle around my feet. “You’re an intelligent woman. Use your imagination.”
“Oh,” she breathes out.
“Text me your flight details. I’ll come pick you up.”
“Okay.” She sounds completely out of it. Is she in a room full of people, trying her hardest to hide how she’s feeling? I hope she is.
“And Princess?”
“Yeah?”
“Rest up on that plane ride. Gonna be a long night.” I hang up before she can comment.
I might be playing with fire, but I’m not one to shy away from a dangerous situation. Hell, getting Vivi into bed might be just the thing I need to put my demons to rest. Memories of the two of us together worked for me when I was overseas, so I can only imagine what having her after all these years will do. She’s the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met, but something about her calls to me. She’s in my blood. I crave her. It’s not just the connection from our past that I want. It’s the woman she’s become; every infuriating part of her. I want to break down her walls, I want to see that persona she wears like a shield crumble under my touch.
I want to hear her beg for me.
Jesus. I need to get to work and stop fantasizing about her like I did when I was a horny teenager. Deciding my morning duties can wait a little longer, I hop in my truck and head to Annie’s, hungry for some of her cooking. What I really want is some of those delicious pastries Viv’s been baking for the café, but that’ll have to wait until my girl comes home.
I shake my head. My girl.
I guess I’m really gonna do this.
Even though I get to my sister’s place later than usual, it’s still packed full of locals. I’m happy for her. She needs the business and the extra cash. Her divorce sucked her dry a few years ago, so now she’s busting ass to replenish what she took out of her savings to pay her lawyers to get rid of that douche of a husband. I love my sister, but her bleeding heart can get her into trouble sometimes.
I came to get my mind off Vivienne, but the second I walk through the door, I hear her name. Everyone’s talking about her, wondering when she’ll be back. They’re not too interested in her, really, but her food. Viv’s baking has made quite an impression on everyone.
“She’ll be back tonight,” I find myself calling out to no one in particular as I take a seat at the counter.
All the chatter goes quiet. Every pair of eyes in the place are on me.
“Will she be baking when she gets back?” Mrs. Carol asks from one of the booths. I know for a fact that Mrs. Carol can hold her own in the kitchen. I get the feeling she’s just asking to help cover the quiet. Every person in Annie’s seems shocked that I actually spoke without being prompted to by my sister.
“Not if I can help it,” I murmur.
“Morning,” Annie calls to me, placing a fresh cup of coffee in front of me as soon as she rounds the corner from the kitchen. The place is packed, but no one ever sits on the stool I’m occupying. It’s mine. Rather than greeting her, I sip from the steaming cup, waiting for the grilling that’s surely about to come my way. “Do you mind telling me how you know Vivi’s coming back tonight?”
That didn’t last long. “Pickin’ her up from the airport.”
“Yeah?” she asks, her eyes hopeful. Annie and Viv have started to pick up where they left off, and I guess my sister feels like the two of us should do the same.
“Yeah.”
We don’t have to say anything else. Annie keeps giving me smirks while she tends to her customers and I sit on my stool, trying my hardest to ignore the chatter about me and Viv. Dear God, all I did was say I’m picking her up from the airport and these old bitties are planning our wedding and naming our babies. Just when I’ve had enough, I get up to leave, but Annie hits me with a look and tilts her head toward her office. I walk to the small space and lean in the doorway. This room isn’t big enough for me to come inside and get comfortable.
“If you’re about to give me shit about Viv, I’ve heard enough from them old ladies in the front to last a lifetime. They’re more worked up about me givin’ her a ride home than they are about the damn serial killer runnin’ around here.” She doesn’t crack a smile. Something’s bothering her. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Nothing,” but she’s wringing her hands together and refuses to look me in the eye.
“You can’t hide shit from me, Annie. Never have been able to.”
After a few shaky breaths, she finally lets me know what’s weighing so heavy on her. And I know why she didn’t want to tell me. I see red as the words leave her mouth. I want to kill someone right now. The only thing holding me back is the fact that I have to go get Viv at the airport and I can’t do that if I’m locked a jail cell.
“What do you mean,” I grit out. “Daniel is callin’ and textin’ you?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
“The divorce was final two fuckin’ years ago. That asshole has no business tryin’ to contact you. You have a restraining order,” I roar. She backs away from me, and I realize that I shouldn’t be taking this tone with my sister. It’s not her fault. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too. I’ve been ignoring him for a few weeks, but his latest round of messages says he’ll come to town to see me if I don’t call him back.”
“Let that fucker show up here. I’ll deal with him.”
“Don’t you have enough to deal with?”
“Nothing is more important than you and your safety, Annie. Let me handle this.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Let. Me. Handle. It.”
“Does Vivienne Westbrook let you talk to her like that?” The teasing edge to her voice lets me know that my sister will let me do what I need to do to keep her safe. Daniel put her through hell. He won’t do it again.
I feel a rare smile appear. “We’ll just have to see what Viv lets me do.”
“I’m happy for you,” she says, returning my smile.
“Nothin’s happened yet.”
“I’ve got a good feeling about things this time around.”
“Hope you’re right, baby sister. Now, enough about all this, I’ve got a farm to run.”
“And a lady to woo.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, backing out of her office, but I’ll be damned if I don’t do it with a smile on my face.