“Hey, kiddo, why don’t you dance with me?” Wren takes Ava’s hand and leads her onto the dance floor, despite her protests to stay and watch the drama. Their girl’s only eight but she acts like she’s going on sixteen.
My parents, Carson, Liam, and I all head out of the double doors leading us outside onto a lit patio. The place is decorated with flowers and lights as an extension of the reception area. Right now, luckily, it’s vacant and we can talk.
“What the hell are you thinking? Did you know about this?” My mom turns to Carson, accusatorily.
I won’t let her take the blame for my life choices. “Mother, you of all people should understand that you can’t help who you love.” It’s a slap in the face, but I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t the truth.
“I’m not surprised with you, Flynn. This is pretty much consistent with the stupid, reckless behavior we’re all accustomed to with you. But you,” she motions to Liam. “You should know better. This is inappropriate and illegal. I’m calling your office and reporting this immediately.” She pats herself down as if she has pockets in her couture dress to store her phone. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t even bring her phone to the wedding.
“Mom, hear us out. Liam isn’t even my doctor anymore.”
“Oh, what, you fired him too?” She rolls her eyes, but I let the insult roll off of me.
“No, my sessions are complete. I only had to go for twelve weeks to complete the court order. You’ve been too preoccupied lately with your own drama that you forgot.”
“It doesn’t make a difference. This was obviously going on when you were his patient.”
“It was, but I’m still better because of him. He still helped me and figured me out.” It’s weird seeing my mom so angry lately. Normally, she’s very collected and put together. She’s never yelled at me this much for all of my other antics, even though I know I’ve deserved it.
“I need to sit down.” She grabs a chair and falls into it.
She’s rubbing her forehead when the back door opens again.
“Everything okay out here?” It’s my brother checking in, likely knowing what is going on.
“Yes, sweetheart, go enjoy your wedding. We’ll be back inside soon.”
Lucas sighs and looks at both of my parents, still standing on opposite sides of the patio. “You’re letting this shit change your life. You’re ruining your lives because of a few bad decisions from all of you. Mom, you had an affair twenty-some years ago, but it gave us Flynn. The affair may have been a mistake, but can you say Flynn is?”
“Don’t answer that,” I mutter and Liam squeezes my side.
“Dad, how many times does Mom have to apologize? She made a mistake, but she chose you. You two still love each other. I see how you look at one another still. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes with Liv, but look at us now. We just got freaking married. Carson got knocked up in college and I’m sure that wasn’t her first choice, but look at her life now. So what if Flynn makes bad choices? We all do. Can you honestly tell me she’s not happier and healthier now than she’s ever been? I think she’s more clear-headed about this than she’s been about anything in her entire life. This is happening and we need to accept it if we want her in our lives. I know my life wouldn’t be as interesting without her in it.” Luke throws me a wink and I walk over to him to wrap him in a big, uncharacteristic hug.
“Thank you,” I whisper in his ear.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you willingly give your siblings a hug,” my mom says through a sniffle.
“I’ve changed in the past couple of months. You might like who I am now.” I shrug and my mom walks over to me.
“Flynnie, I’ve always loved who you are.” She hugs me and she sounds like my mom again, not the angry, snotty housewife she’s become over the last few weeks.
“We’ll need to do damage control. I’m not sure if you’ll get out of this unscathed. It’s going to come out one way or another. Stuff like this always does.” My dad immediately enters damage control mode, ready to take care of business.
“Actually, I’m already handling it.” Liam speaks up for the first time and we all look at him expectantly. “I am no longer a therapist. I’m shutting down my practice.”
“WHAT?” I screech and walk over to my boyfriend. “What are you talking about? What did you do?”
“Someone did find out about me and Flynn.” I know he’s referring to Miranda, but my family doesn’t need all the nasty details. “She was blackmailing me for money. Luckily, there’s no proof that Flynn and I were in a relationship while I was her doctor, so she doesn’t have much to work with. However, I would still be investigated. If I stop practicing medicine, it might look suspicious, but it’s better than the alternative. There’s nothing for anyone to grasp onto. I’m essentially punishing myself and getting ahead of any negativity.”
“But there’s still documentation that you were her doctor.”
“Having a relationship with a former patient is not illegal. It is unethical, which is why I’m terminating my license on my own accord.”
“What are you going to do?” My voice is quiet, breathy. I feel like I’ve ruined his life.
“I’m going to teach. I got a job at Cape Fear University in their psychology department.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. My words heavy and filled with guilt. He shouldn’t have to give up his career for me.
His hands find my shoulders and he forces me to look at him. “Flynn, I made this choice on my own. This is why I didn’t want to tell you. This is not your fault. Remember, the choices other people make are not your fault. I’m doing this for us.” His hands slide down my arms and grip mine. “I don’t want you to worry about anything.”
We stare at each other. His hazel eyes are full of love and I smile at him, feeling wholly safe in his arms.
“Okay, well, I’m going to get back to my wedding. Glad we could work this out.” Luke salutes us with his glass before walking back inside.
I step away from Liam and let out a small chuckle.
The confrontation is over, but we’re all still standing out here, somewhat awkwardly. I’m not really sure where we go from here, though there’s nothing else for us to say at this time. My parents are going to accept us. I want to push up on my toes and kiss Liam, but I don’t want to push my luck right away either.
“Can you give us a minute? I’d like to talk to your mother.” Dad’s voice is low, broken. I hate seeing him this way. I hope, somehow, they can patch this up, this rift between them.
Carson, Liam, and I head back inside to give my parents some much-needed privacy.
My sister joins her husband and daughter on the dance floor. When a slow song comes on, Liam tugs me into his arms and we sway along to the music. In his arms, in this moment, I feel like everything is going to be okay.
“Do you want to get married?” I ask him, my earlier anxiety at the thought of this conversation having since dissipated. I bite back a laugh and wish I could take a picture of his face. His eyes are wide and his fingers are digging into my hips. “Not now. You can calm down. Just in general. Is it something you ever see yourself doing again?”
“I won’t say it’ll never happen, but I haven’t thought about it much. My divorce papers are barely cold. Is it something you want?”
“I could warm up to the idea. In like, many, many years.” He leans down and kisses me. We both still have a lot we need to deal with. I need to continue working on myself and figuring out a real life plan and he has to deal with the wicked witch of Wilmington. “What are you going to do about Miranda?”
“My lawyer has set up a meeting with her on Monday. Everything will be taken care of. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I know. I trust you. Do you want me to come as back up? I’m happy to smack her down.”
He laughs and shakes his head, but he knows I’m serious. “We’re trying to keep you out of trouble, remember?” I rol
l my eyes. “No, I’ll handle it. After Monday everything will be fine.”
Thirty
Liam
If all goes well today, I’m hoping to never have to see Miranda again. Although we will still be tied together for legal reasons, I’d like to eliminate our communication altogether. That’s what lawyers are for and I intend to utilize mine to the fullest.
At promptly eleven on the dot, Miranda struts into my soon-to-be-former office and takes in the barren space. “Redecorating?”
“Something like that.” My lawyer is in a nearby room on standby in case things go south. I want to handle this with her without involving him if possible. I don’t want her to feel bombarded, but I’m sick of playing nice and being scared of her threats.
“You told me you had my money. Where is it?” I don’t know when she became such a bloodthirsty bitch. My relationship with Miranda started when we were young and hopeful. We both had dreams to be successful, but somewhere along the way she lost her fire.
Ironically, things with Flynn are the opposite. She made it perfectly clear to me when I first met her that she was a gold digger with no plans of self-security outside of her trust fund. Now, the tables have turned and she wants to continue bettering herself. She amazes me.
“That was a lie to get you here.”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes turn into narrow slits shooting daggers right at me.
“Miranda, do you hear yourself? Your empty threats and hostile words. I don’t even recognize you.”
“The threats aren’t empty, Liam. I don’t need you to recognize me. I just need your money.”
“Well, you’re not going to get it. As of this moment, I’m unemployed.” I motion to my empty office.
“You’re what?” Her deep tone is calm, which makes it scarier and angrier.
“Here’s the deal. I’m leaving this place and forgoing my license. Since I’m not a therapist anymore, you can’t get me fired for having an alleged relationship with a patient. Since you have no proof of your claims, you won’t have much of a fight. Secondly, I would hate to imagine that you could actually go through with suing me for wrongful death of Emily. However, if you so choose, you’ll be forgoing your alimony payments and they will cease immediately. I will go to court with you and divulge the true reason for our split: unfaithfulness. According to the state of North Carolina, if the court deems marital misconduct, they will typically not award alimony It’s a risk I’m willing to take, should you want to go that route. Lastly, if you look at our original agreement, the court awarded you alimony for two years. Long enough for you to become financially independent.”
“Get to the point.” She grits the words between clenched teeth and I can tell I’m wearing her down. She wasn’t expecting me to fight.
“Here’s what I’m willing to offer. I will continue paying your alimony for the remainder of the term, roughly another eighteen months. That’s it. You can’t get me fired from a job I no longer have and with a person who is not my patient. If you want to take me to court, Miranda, go ahead. Try me. With all the proof and length of your unfaithfulness, I’m sure you’re not going to get anyone on your side. What we had together, I’m not willing to just forget about it. That’s why I’m willing to continue to send you payments. But the blackmail ends here. You’re capable of being self-sufficient. Or you can marry another rich guy. Frankly, I don’t care. It’s your call.”
She storms away in a huff and I have the distinct feeling that’s the last time I’m going to hear from her. God forbid she risk losing in court and get no money out of me.
I have a feeling she’s going to be just fine.
Walking on cloud nine, I unlock the door to my apartment and hear yelling the minute the door is pushed open.
“I knew it!”
“Flynn?” The door to clicks shut behind me and I spot my girl on the couch wearing one of my button-down shirts. She sits up on her knees and leans over the back of the couch when she hears me. I get an eye-full of her cleavage and get distracted for a minute. I enter the living room and her brown eyes are cloudy with concern.
“How’d it go?” She’s eager to hear all about my meeting with Miranda.
“I don’t think she’s going to be a problem anymore.” She leaps off the couch and I catch her. Her legs find a home wrapped around my waist and her lips seek out my neck. “What did you know?”
“What?” Her words vibrate against my throat.
“When I came in you yelled ‘I knew it.’ You knew what?”
“Oh, Olivia is pregnant. Like, three months. She’s lucky she’s so tiny and didn’t show in her dress yet. I figured something was up when she wasn’t drinking at her bachelorette party.”
“That’s exciting.”
Flynn goes back to nibbling on my neck and ear. The girl clearly has a one-track mind.
“Do you want kids?” The words leave my mouth hesitantly, but I still scare her.
“Excuse me?” She jumps away from me as if my words physically burned her.
“Kids. You know, when two people love each other…” She rolls her eyes and I laugh. “Seriously. Do you?” I’m not sure what she’s going to say and I’m nervous. Not only for her answer, but to tell her my own.
“Honestly?” She worries on her lower lip. I nod and I can see she’s reluctant to continue. “No. I’ve never wanted kids. I can’t see myself ever having them.” Her arms wrap around her midsection as if she’s physically blocking me from impregnating her at this very moment.
I sigh and sit down on the couch. She follows, but stays on the opposite side, as far away from me as she can manage. “Flynn, it’s okay. I want you to always be honest with me and never be afraid or ashamed of your feelings.”
“But…does this change things for you?” Her teeth find her bottom lip once more. She’s more nervous than I’ve ever seen her and going to bruise her pretty little mouth.
“No, of course not. Even if I wanted to have more kids, I would respect your wishes.”
“Wait…you don’t want kids either?” I shake my head and watch her heave a sigh of relief. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. This isn’t me telling you what you want to hear. When I lost Emily…things changed for me. I don’t think I can go through that again, or risk it, anyway. I love her and I’ll always love her and that’s enough for me.”
Flynn comes to me and climbs onto my lap. My eyes close as she runs her fingers through my hair, massaging my head. Her fingers are heavenly.
“Just because we don’t want kids doesn’t mean we can’t practice like we do, right?” I grin and she grinds her hips down onto mine.
“We can practice all night every night if I have any say.”
She kisses me, and as promised, we practice right there on the couch.
Thirty-One
Flynn
Luke and Olivia got back from their honeymoon a week ago and my parents are having the family over for Sunday dinner. What is even the point of a honeymoon if you’re already knocked up?
Liam is with me today as my family has begrudgingly accepted him. He’s still on edge coming around my family, but they promised to be on their best behavior. Ironic, really, since they’re usually the ones making me promise that.
I walk through the doors to my family’s house. It’s weird not calling it my house anymore since I’ve moved in with Liam permanently. We figured, why move back? We love each other and want to be together. He’s too old to play games and there’s no place else I’d rather be. It’s a win-win.
I roll my eyes as I walk into the living room and see pink and blue decorations everywhere. I had a feeling this dinner was more of a baby celebration, but I’m hoping it’s not a full blown shower. I need time to emotionally prepare for those events.
“Hi, Mom,” I say as she carries in a charcuterie board and places it on the large glass coffee table.
“Hi, sweetheart. Hi, Liam. I’m glad you could both come.” The ice hasn’t quite thawed, but at least she�
��s trying.
My dad walks in next and comes over to give me a big hug and shakes Liam’s hand. I’m happy when he walks over to Mom and places a kiss on her temple. They’ve tried to work things out and have even started going to therapy. Oh, how the tables have turned.
I pick at a grape and plop on the couch waiting for my siblings and their families to arrive. They must show up at the same time because the door opens and in walks the supposed guest of honor with my brother on her tail followed by my sister, brother-in-law, and niece.
“Nice of you to finally show up,” I quip. “Congrats on getting knocked up. Too bad I didn’t realize it was a shotgun wedding at the time, though.”
“There’s a reason for that.” My brother notes with a smirk. “Hey, man.” He greets my boyfriend with the accompanying classic dude nod in acknowledgment. Liam is ever-polite and offers his hand in hello.
Olivia and Carson are whispering to one another about something. I’m sure my sister is giving my new sister-in-law tips about babies or something. Meanwhile, Ava runs over to me and jumps up on the couch beside me. I never quite understood her affection for me, but kids are weird.
“Hey, Auntie Flynn, now that Olivia is having a baby and my mom has me, when are you gonna have a kid?”
“As soon as my birth control fails.”
“Flynn, seriously?” Carson chastises. Sure, now she hears me. She turns back to Olivia and they keep chatting about God knows what.
My sister and Liv sit side-by-side on the couch, chatting and smiling. Their husbands are on the opposite side of the room talking and even my parents are whispering to one another. Suddenly, I feel like I’m missing something. I’m nervous this has something to do with me and I’m immediately on edge.
Liam, always aware of my thoughts and needs, places a hand on my thigh and squeezes. I turn to him and offer a small smile, but my eyes have question marks in them. I’m wondering if he has any idea what’s going on, but he shakes his head. He’s as in the dark as I am.
Reckless (A Carolina Coastal Novel Book 3) Page 17