Of course, it hits my inbox right before I’m about to shut down for the day.
There she is, front and center with a smile on her face.
‘The Mason Center is now open!’ The headline shouts.
The ache in my chest intensifies. I should have been there. I wanted to be there. From the minute I knew The Mason Center was her idea, I longed to bring her dream to life and see her face when she saw the finished project for the first time. Because of Liv, I didn’t even stick around for the final walk through. Knowing I made her feel the way I did, I no longer wanted to be there. I didn’t want to taint the positive with my negative presence.
Oh well, I’m moving on, I remind myself for the millionth time since my flight landed in North Carolina.
With the connections that Leo Eastman has and the attention that my work on The Mason Center has garnered, business is booming. I’ve already started construction on an early learning center in Charlotte, and I’ve got a few residential builds that people want me to work on. I’ll be just fine as long as I can quit looking back.
A light tap on my office door pulls me from my thoughts.
“Hey, Jameson. I’m heading out. Wondered if you might want to grab a bite to eat?” Laney pokes her head in.
The newest addition to the J.L. Pheonix Construction team. I hired her as soon as we got settled here. I needed someone to run the front office and answer phones. She was the perfect fit. She’s also safe; I don’t have to worry about distractions with her. It’s only been three weeks, but Laney is a great fit and a hell of a worker.
“Shannon won’t have my balls if I take you to dinner with she?” I ask, closing my laptop.
Laney lets out a laugh. “It was her idea. She’s got a book club meeting tonight, and this girl’s gotta eat.”
“Then, let’s go eat.”
I grab my keys off my desk and shut off the light behind us.
“Tacos and margaritas?” Laney asks.
“Tacos and beer.”
“For you. I don’t know how you can drink that piss.”
I shrug. “It’s an acquired taste.”
She hops in my truck, and I drive us to the local Mexican restaurant where they’ve got the best tacos in town.
Laney keeps me laughing the whole time we eat. With each drink, she loosens up even more. Telling me all about her little boy that they adopted a few months ago, she doubles over in laughter.
“Shannon’s trying to potty train him, so he’s been letting him run around pantless. Yeah. He peed on her favorite pillow the other day. And when Shannon let Max out to use the bathroom, he ran out in the yard and peed on the tree too.”
I chuckle. “Sounds like it’s going well then.”
“Sure, it’s going great. So great that Shannon wants to adopt another one.”
“You’re serious?”
Laney nods. “Very. She always wanted three, and it doesn’t matter to her how far apart they are in age.”
“And what do you think?” I wonder out loud but think about how many kids I wanted one day and the fact that I have no idea if Liv ever wanted kids.
“The more, the merrier. She’s the one who stays home with them. I get to escape to work every day,” Laney holds up her glass.
“Cheers to that. I can’t imagine staying home with tiny terrors all day.” I tap her glass with my beer bottle.
“Hey now, they’re not that bad.” She defends.
“Except for when they pee on your pillows and the front lawn like a dog.”
Laney laughs. “Okay, valid point well made.”
The waitress comes by and clears our plates, and I pay the bill. Laney wags her eyebrows at me as the waitress walks away.
“You should get her number.”
I can’t tell if she’s joking or not, but I shake my head. “I’m good. But thanks for playing wingman, or woman for that matter.”
“Pish. You need to have a little fun.”
“I have plenty of fun. I’m having fun now.”
“With a woman. A woman who bats for your team. Maybe you’ll lighten up some if you get laid.” Laney says bluntly.
“I think you’ve had enough to drink. We should get going.”
“Two margaritas,” Laney holds up her fingers. “I had two. I’m just fine. I know how to handle my liquor.”
“No doubts,” I say as we both stand and head to the parking lot.
We head back to the office so Laney can pick up her car and I can head upstairs to my apartment. When we pull up, I remember I’ve left my cell phone on my desk. I wait and watch until Laney gets in her car and drives off, and then I let myself back into the building.
I quickly grab my phone, and I’m about to head back out and around to the side of the building where the access to my apartment is when the bell over the door dings.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” I say at the same time that I look up. My breath catches in my throat. “Liv.”
Chapter 19
Olivia
I tried to drag information from Harley, but he kindly told me to fuck off. So, I turned to my next option, the Phoenix's. Lucky for me they still love me and were all too willing to tell me where I could find Jameson. I secretly hoped that Greta wouldn’t tell him I was coming. Judging by the surprised look on his face, I think I beat her to it.
“Liv,” he says again. “What are you doing here?”
“Can we talk?” All of the courage I had before is waning, and my voice comes out small and nervous.
“That depends. I’m pretty sure you said everything you needed to the last time we were together.” Jameson clips.
“What if I didn’t though? What if there was so much I didn’t say, and so much that wasn’t the whole truth?”
He rubs the back of his neck nervously and sighs. “Liv. Listen, I fucking love you. I’m madly and hopelessly in love with you. Because of that, I cannot do the back and forth with you. Walking out your door that day, knowing that I cause you anxiety? It nearly destroyed me. The Mason Center finished early because it was all I lived and breathed until it was done and I could get away. I timed my day so that we wouldn’t even cross paths. Do you know how goddamn exhausting that is?”
I’ve never seen this side of Jameson before; he’s tense and annoyed. Not that I can blame him, but I wonder if I’m too late. I was so caught up in my own world that I failed to notice that this wonderful, strong and glorious man, loved me.
“Jameson. I’m sorry. There’s no other way to say it. I fucked up. I turned my back on the one person outside of my father that I could trust. That always had my back, even in your own way sometimes. You’ve always been there. It’s not you that triggered anxiety, Jay. It was my fear of the unknown, fear of being in a relationship and having my heart broken because it’s happened before. The minute those words left my mouth I wanted to take them back. I couldn’t. Not until I worked on myself. I felt unworthy of you. I felt like, I needed to figure myself out and I needed to be alone to do that.”
“Then that’s what you should have said,” Jameson huffs, and I laugh.
“Right and as stubborn as you are, you would have given me space?”
A small smirk pulls at his lips. “No. I wouldn’t have. I would have been dumb enough to keep coming back.”
Taking a chance, I move closer to him and touch the side of his face with my hand. He winces but doesn’t walk away. “You’re far from dumb Jameson. I’m sorry for making you feel less than anything but perfect by making you believe that you were causing me stress.”
He gently wraps his hand around my wrist and moves mine away from his face but doesn’t let go. “And what happens the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed? Liv, I felt used. You asked me for something, and I gave it to you. Then you pushed me away, more than once.”
“I won’t push you away again. I’ve done a lot of work in therapy for the last few months. I can honestly say, I’m different than I was before. I’m stronger, smarter, and more self-aware. I can’t
tell you it will always be perfect, but I do vow to try. And, I’d like you to come to a few sessions with me. You know, if you’re still willing to give this thing between us a try.”
“I want to say yes. I want to toss you over my shoulder, carry you upstairs and have my wicked way with you.”
“Then do it,” I toss him a saucy wink.
He smiles but doesn’t move. “It’s not that simple. I want to do this over. Do things the right way,” Jameson pushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “You say you’ve changed. Let me get to know the new Liv. Forget the past and start over. There’s so much history between us, and I don’t know that we can go forward without wiping the slate clean. We’ve got a lot to work on, and there’s going to be some long distances in our near future. We’ll have no choice but to take it slow.”
“Well, Jameson Phoenix, are you trying to ask me out on a date? After we just met.” It’s lame, I know it, but if he wants a fresh start, I’ll do it for him.
A full on smirk takes over his face, and he fights back a laugh. “That depends. Are you free tomorrow night? I’d like to take you to dinner.”
Epilogue
Jameson
Three Years Later…
“Jay.” My gorgeous wife steps out of the bathroom with a towel on her head and one of my old t-shirts on.
“Hm?”
“How do you feel about building another place like The Mason Center?”
“Here? In New York, or somewhere else?”
We tied the knot last spring, on the beach in Hawaii. Since then we’ve been tossing around the idea of starting a family and maybe giving up the city life. Liv has spent the last twelve months weaning off of her anxiety meds working hard in therapy to manage her anxiety when it arises. She’s had her moments, but I’ve never been more proud of the woman standing before me.
Through it all, she’s mentioned going back to our roots at some point or at least finding another small town to settle down in. Building another place like The Mason Center, wasn’t on my radar though.
“I was thinking, back in Georgia. Maybe somewhere close to your parents. Maybe we can find a plot of land and build a house together first. Then bring some like The Mason Center to the kids near Leesburg where resources and limited. Maybe even on a smaller scale to start and expand outward. Sort of like what we did here.” She says as she makes her way over to the bed and straddles my waist.
I put my hands on her hips and hold her steady. “You want to move back home?”
“Why not? My mom has moved on and is living out in California with Devin now. And I know your parents would love to be closer to spoil their first grandchild,” Liv smiles wickedly.
“Something you need to tell me, Mrs. Phoenix?” I lift up and kiss her lips while flexing my hips against hers.
Liv’s head falls back, and she moans. “God it is still so hot when you call me that.”
I nip at her neck. “Doesn’t answer my question.”
She leans closer and looks me in the eyes. “We’re having a baby.”
“You’re serious?” I grin like a fool.
“I’m serious. We’re pregnant.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I set up some appointments with a realtor for this weekend when we go back home to visit my mom and dad.”
Liv’s face lights up. “No way! You did?”
“I did. I had a feeling that city life was getting old. And when you started talking about finding someone to take over your job at The Mason Center, I may have had a sneaky suspicion.” I confess.
“You know me all too well, Mr. Phoenix.”
I flex my hips again before rolling us over so that her body is pinned under mine. “Oh, I do. And now, I’m going to remind you just how well I know my wife.”
Our relationship may have started out unconventional, and there was a time when I wondered if I was a fool to keep trying but, if there is one thing I’ve learned from watching my parents all these years, its that love is always under construction. Just like any worthwhile project, you’ve got to put work into it to keep it up. Otherwise, it can fall apart around you. With Liv, I’m willing to put in all the hard work. What she doesn’t realize is that I’ll do all of this, a thousand times over, if it keeps that smile on her face.
Lucky for me, once she found herself, she became willing to fight for me too. I’ll never forget the day she walked into my temporary office a thousand miles away and gave us both a second chance.
If Liv had never moved to New York if I had never gotten the job with The Mason Center project, and...if her dad hadn’t continuously been playing matchmaker. We may not have ended up here.
“We should probably keep it down. We wouldn’t want Harley to complain about the noise again.” Liv’s giggle turns into a moan as I kick off my shorts and glide into her.
“Right because Harley and Raylynn aren’t hell-bent on proving they can keep up.”
It turns out Harley met his match when he had a one night stand at our wedding. Little did he know that his fling was the newest resident in our building
I guess it’s true what they say - 425 Madison really is the perfect place to fall in love.
Thank you for reading LOVE UNDER CONSTRUCTION! I hope you enjoyed Olivia and Jameson’s story. Please consider taking a moment to leave a brief review on Amazon (even one sentence counts!). Reviews are the kind of love that keeps us indie authors alive. Many thanks!
If you loved LOVE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, you’ll love the rest of the books in the 425 MADISON SERIES. Continue reading for a glimpse of Kurt and Corina’s story, plus details on the other books in the series.
Back For More - Book #7
Next From the 425 Madison Series
Back For More by Sylvia Kane
425 Madison Book #7
Summer in the city...
Kurt
She’s smart, hot, and funny. My dream girl.
There’s just one problem. She’s also my best bud’s little sister.
The sparks have always been there, but law school had to come first. Now, we’re all back in the city, and the same sparks fly every time I run into her.
She needs a job, and I need an assistant at the law firm. What could go wrong?
I don’t know if I can hide my feelings any longer.
I know I shouldn’t go there, but I can’t help it.
Corina
My brother's back in town, and I offer to share my awesome apartment. Imagine my surprise when his best friend Kurt walks in.
He’s still tall, dark, and handsome, and I can’t deny the pull.
Working together only complicates things. Long days and nights in the office can be dangerous.
When we’re not at the office, he’s always hanging around my apartment. To see my brother. Yeah, right.
All I know is, summer in the city is about to get a lot hotter.
After all, 425 Madison is the perfect place to fall in love!
Each story is completely standalone, but you’ll want to read them all. Trust me.
Don’t miss updates about Back For More. Visit www.425madisonseries.com for all the details.
The 425 Madison Series
Welcome to 425 Madison Ave, the perfect place to fall in love! Nine delicious romances set in fast-paced & sexy NYC just waiting for you to read.
For more information, visit the series website:
www.425madisonseries.com
Must Love Coffee by Leigh Lennon
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A Second Chance Romance
Release: 1/31/19
Let Me Love You by MK Moore
Book #2
A Best Friend’s Sibling Romance
Release: 2/21/19
Just Swipe Right by Allie York
Book #3
A Love Triangle Romance
Release: 3/14/19
Two for Holding by Kay Gordon
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A Sports Romance
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Boyfriend Maintena
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Book #5
A Fake Relationship Romance
Release: 4/25/19
Love Under Construction by Aubree Valentine
Book #6
A Enemies to Lovers Romance
Release: 5/16/19
Back For More by Sylvia Kane
Book #7
A Brother's Best Friend Romance
Release: 6/6/19
Accidentally in Love by Katy Ames
Book #8
An Ugly Duckling Romance
Release: 6/27/19
Sightseeing in Manhattan by C. Lesbirel
Book #9
A Soul Mate Romance
Release: 7/18/19
Also by Aubree Valentine
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Acknowledgments
Love Under Construction (425 Madison Avenue Book 6) Page 9