by C. A. Harms
The men now looked back at me with looks of shame.
“And now he wants to pack up and go back to Texas because you two have him feeling like no matter what he says or does, he will never be good enough.” Uncle Jackson looked at Keeton, yet Keeton never looked away from me.
“But I want the both of you to know that if he leaves because of these games you two keep playing, he won’t be leaving alone.” That caught their full attention and my father and uncle stared at me in confusion. “I’ll be leaving with him. Because if you can’t accept that I love him and he loves me, then there is honestly no point in either of us sticking around to prove that. We’ve played your games long enough. Keeton has been a trooper and in my opinion passed every test you’ve put him through, but you two just keep pushing. And I’ve had enough. So make a damn choice, because I’ve reach the end of my damn rope.”
I had stunned them into silence.
But in my defense, they deserved the lashing.
Part of me regretted going off the way I did. But only a very small part, because they deserved it. They had been acting like fools for weeks.
I was grown up. I no longer needed them to run to the rescue if Keeton, or any other guy for that matter, stepped within an inch of me. I could handle my own. They were the ones who made sure I could; now they had to let this all go.
“You’re not leaving, Liv,” I turned around to find Amber standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.
I may have heard my father mumble an “oh, shit” as Jackson laughed at my father.
She stepped farther into the kitchen before she continued. “Though I may not completely agree with your father’s antics, I do understand where they’re coming from.” I suddenly felt nauseated. She was actually taking his side in this mess. “You’re the center of his world, Liv; you, the boys, and this baby.” She said as she placed her hand over her tiny baby bump.
“And you, darlin’,” my father added and she offered him a smile, followed by a small nod.
“The idea of you growing up and no longer being his little girl—it’s a struggle. But at the end of the day, all he wants is your happiness,” she assured me.
“I am happy; I just need them to see that.” I suddenly felt exhausted. We had spent a great portion of the day defending our actions as if we were two teenagers caught screwing in the backseat of our parent’s car. It was beginning to take its toll on me.
“I’m sorry, Liv.” It was my father who spoke first. “But Amber’s right. I have a hard time with you not being that same little girl from ten years ago.”
I smiled, even though I was still upset and irritated.
“I see the way the two of you look at one another; hell, I saw it that first night I found him mauling you outside your doom room.” He chuckled when Keeton groaned and placed his head in his hands.
“It wasn’t him! How many times do I have to tell you? I kissed him.” I threw my hands up in the air and my dad only smiled.
“I think it’s time Keeton and I had a talk,” he added. That caught the attention of everyone, especially my boyfriend who currently looked like he was scanning the room for the best route to escape. “Don’t worry, son, this time I’ll leave the guns behind.”
“Dad,” I said, as he stood from the table and pushed back his chair.
“Just a talk, Olivia, nothing more,” he assured me.
I stood in silence as my father exited through the back door onto the porch, and Keeton followed closely behind.
Just before closing the door he looked back over his shoulder and winked at me; only it did nothing to ease the sick feeling in my stomach.
“It’ll be alright, Liv,” Amber assured me with a pat on my arm. “This talk is needed.”
But even then I still wasn’t sure I shouldn’t sneak out and hide somewhere in the bushes. Just to be sure I still had a boyfriend in one piece when this so-called talk was over.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Keeton
I had never had the desire to join a fraternity, but the torment and tests I had gone through over the last few weeks I was sure were the Sawyers’ own form of hazing.
Only theirs included three very intimidating men who made me feel as if they could snap me in half within seconds. I had never in my life felt as exhausted as I did tonight.
Olivia wasn’t the only one who had reached the end of her rope.
There was nothing I wanted more than for her family to accept me. I wanted them to feel safe knowing that my love for Olivia wasn’t just some fling; it was fucking real. I adored her and wanted nothing more than to go on making memories with her that would only lead us to more time together.
Now here I stood on the back porch of her grandmother’s house, with her dad only a few feet away. He had his hands braced on the railing of the porch with his back to me. And I just stood there, hoping like hell he wasn’t planning my death.
“I’ve always been a little overprotective when it came to Liv.” He spoke without turning around to face me. “That protective nature only grew after we lost Claire, because Liv was all I had left of her.”
The truth in his statement made my chest ache. Olivia was all that was now left of his first wife. And I suddenly understood this wasn’t just a power trip.
“For years I battled with how to live without her mother. I latched onto Liv even further, finding all those small things that reminded me of her mother. During that time, she and I developed this amazing bond. It was just her and I for so long. Then Amber came along, and it wasn’t easy to let go of that ache inside, but I did.” He stopped talking and I remained standing a few feet away waiting it out. Something told me he had so much more to say.
“When you lose someone like the way we lost Claire, it does something to ya. It puts this fear inside of you, and I’ll admit it can make ya a little crazy.” It was then he turned to face me.
“I don’t ever want to see hurt in my daughter’s eyes again,” he confessed, and for the first time since I’ve known her father, I saw a weakness in him I didn’t know existed. His eyes were full of unshed tears, and fuck if that didn’t make me want to tell him to continue the torture; that I would gladly take it all.
“No father wants to watch his little girl fall apart and be unable to fix it. And that day…” he paused as he closed his eyes, in what I took as an attempt to calm his emotions. “The day we said goodbye to Claire, was one of the hardest days of my life. For obvious reasons, but also because the sadness in Olivia’s eyes broke my damn heart. I don’t think I could handle seeing sadness in her eyes again. So I may go a little overboard trying to protect her, but I won’t apologize for that.”
“I understand,” I said. “But I need you to know that I would never hurt her intentionally. She means a lot to me.”
We stood in silence as I debated on what I could say to him to make him understand how I felt about his daughter.
“What about this neighbor girl of yours?” I looked up and our eyes met. He arched a brow as he waited for the answer. “The females in this family can be just as bad as the males; don’t let’em fool ya. Bailey wanted to board a plane to Texas so she could show up and beat the ass of this girl after she upset Liv. Jackson talked her out of it, but in turn it became a conversation over Sunday dinner at Ma’s. Now I wanna know if one day my daughter is gonna show up to find you and this girl in a compromising position, forcing me to put those guns of mine to use on something other than clay pigeons.”
“That’ll never happen. Lacy and I are just friends but now I’m not sure we’re even that,” I told him.
“And why’s that?” he asked.
“Because I don’t like the way she treated Liv,” I said without hesitation. “And because if I have to choose, Olivia wins. Olivia will always win; I don’t care who the other person may be.” It was my turn to speak and plead my case. Time to show that I, too, had her on a pedestal.
“I don’t ever want to see hurt in Liv’s eyes. And I c
an damn sure guarantee that if anyone else causes her pain, I’ll make them sorry they did. I never had the kind of bond you all have. I wasn’t lucky enough to have those I could turn to for support, but I have Olivia now. And there isn’t anyone or anything that will make me walk away from that gift. I didn’t count on meeting her, and I didn’t count on falling in love with her either, but I can assure you I take that very seriously and plan to spend my life showing her how thankful I am that she chose me.”
“Do you plan on letting this kid off the hook now?” I spun around to find Gran standing at the end of the porch. She held a broom in her hand and I arched a brow in question.
“What’s with the broom, Ma?” Ryan asked the question currently running through my mind.
“I brought this in case I had to beat some sense into you,” she stated. “Or I had to beat you in an effort to get you to remove your hands from around that boy’s neck. Either way, I thought it would come in handy.”
Gran was one hell of a woman. She had a fire inside her that reminded me so much of Olivia. It was easy to see why Olivia loved them all so much, even if they were crazy at times.
“I think we got it, Ma,” Ryan said as he stepped around me and wrapped an arm over his mother’s shoulders. “This man loves my daughter. He understands what he’ll face if a day comes that he ever hurts her, and he understands that she’ll always be my little girl, even if she is a grown woman. I’ll protect her, no matter what it takes.”
“And so will I,” I assured him, and he smiled knowingly.
I felt as if we had finally reached that point of clarity.
And for the first time in weeks, I felt like I could finally relax.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Olivia
“What are you doing?” Keeton asked me as I climbed across the seat and straddled his lap.
The sun had already begun to set and I knew the fireworks would soon start but I didn’t care. Things had reached the point where they had begun to settle, and I missed the connection he and I shared.
For weeks we had both been walking around on eggshells fearful of upsetting the beasts, and now I no longer cared. If I wanted to kiss Keeton I did. And if I wanted to crawl across the front seat of my truck to straddle my boyfriend’s lap and ride him until the windows were fogged and we were both out of breath, I was going do it.
I rotated my hips and immediately picked up on the excitement he, too, was feeling.
“I’m throwing out all kinds of signs, so if you have to ask me what I’m doing, then I must be doing it wrong,” I said with a smile, and he gripped my hips, sliding me closer.
“You’re doing it right,” he whispered as he nipped at my lower lip. “I just wasn’t sure this was the place we should be doing it.”
I looked over my shoulder and glanced down toward the lake. Our vehicle wasn’t the only one parked there, but there was a safe distance between ours and theirs. Add to that the fact we were mostly hidden by the tree line and it was growing dark, I knew we were in the clear.
“This is the perfect place,” I said as I brought my mouth closer to his once again. “I always used to imagine having sex in my truck by this lake.”
Keeton knew my level of experience. So he didn’t have to ask those questions about me never having sex here or there. He’d already been given the story of my one and only time before him.
“Well don’t let me stop you, sweetheart. Let’s break this night in right.” Before I could say more, he began to push my skirt up my thighs and covered my mouth with his.
Whenever he put his hands on me, it was as if I became someone else. I wasn’t that spicy girl with attitude. I became a needy and greedy woman who was starved for the pleasure I knew he could provide.
An uncontrollable moan escaped me when he slipped his finger beneath the side of my panties and teasingly ran it over my wetness.
“This another one of your plans?” he asked, and I only offered a nod. All I could concentrate on was the way his finger continued to roll through my arousal as he circled my entrance before pulling back once again to tease my clit.
I felt like at any moment I was going to go off like a rocket. Keeton had mastered the task of driving me wild. He used it as often as possible and I love it.
I took control and began to unfasten his jeans and lowered his zipper. I couldn’t wait any longer; I just wanted him inside of me.
“You in a hurry?” he asked as I impatiently continued to work him free. As if he was waiting for the perfect moment, he pushed his finger inside of me the moment I wrapped my hand around his hardness.
“Ah,” I gasped at the intrusion and began thrusting my hips against his hand.
“What do you want, baby?” His voice was now so husky, and whenever he reached that point it took very little to get me to do just about anything. Keeton was like a drug; I found it hard to resist him. There weren’t many times my mind didn’t wander off to moments like this. I meant it when I said he made my body hum. It was as if the man had a sixth sense; he knew just how to touch me and when.
“Tell me what you need, sweet girl.” He pushed me further.
Keeton loved being able to force me to beg. He loved taking me out of my comfort zone and making me reach that point of uncontrollable desire.
“You,” I whispered. “I want you inside of me. I need you inside me.”
He continued to tease my entrance as he pushed his finger deep, curling it just right before pulling back and leaving me wanting more.
“Tell me it will always be like this,” he whispered. “Tell me you’ll always want me the way you do now.”
“Yes,” I bit down on my lower lip to keep from moaning as I rocked my hips. “Just you.”
He then pulled his finger from my entrance and lifted his hand to my mouth as he traced his still wet finger over my lower lip. He had shown me things I never thought of. He had driven me so close to the edge so often that never did I second guess myself when it came to Keeton.
So without thinking I opened my mouth and licked the tip of his finger and watched as his eyes drooped and his lips parted, as his eyes settled on my mouth.
And the action alone set forth a volatile chain of events.
He hooked my waist with his other arm, pulling me closer. His lips covered mine while he gripped his cock and quickly found my entrance.
With one quick thrust of his hips he was inside me so deep I couldn’t control the “Yes!” I screamed as I rotated my hips, grinding my pelvis against his.
“Never felt this good,” he whispered between kisses. “You were made for me, baby.”
I could feel myself building as he continued to thrust his hips upward, hitting that spot so deep inside it made my eyes roll in pleasure. “Right there,” I instructed, feeling no shame. “Don’t stop, god please don’t stop.”
“That’s it, Liv, let go.” That sexy tone of his only drove me closer. “Give it to me, I need to feel you.”
And just like that I felt my body give into the pleasure; my core tightened around him as I closed my eyes tight and gasped at the extreme bliss that washed over me.
“Fucking hell, baby,” Keeton gripped my hips and began thrusting upward, chasing his own release.
Chapter Thirty
Keeton
Our summer started out tense and at times I questioned my choice to come to Montana, but now I was glad I did.
Things had shifted between me and the Sawyer family. It was as if they had all accepted me as part of their family. No longer did I receive the evil eye if Liv sat too close to me, or leaned into me for a kiss. Now it was as if they all expected it to happen.
I spent my days helping Jackson at the ranch and my nights with Olivia. Over time we found ways to end up in the same place, whether it was at her Gran’s place or the spare bedroom in the apartment above the bakery. Trinity was there now, but she loved the company.
I had been given a little backstory on that girl, and knew she, too, didn’t have the best
life prior to Livingston. The idea of someone hurting her didn’t sit well with me. I had grown quite attached to my new-found family.
The summer had come to an end and in a couple days we would be heading back to Texas. I honestly could have just stayed in Livingston forever. I had never in life felt this at peace. Even when I went into town, people would nod and wave as if I had been there forever.
It was a sense of belonging and it felt better than I could have imagined.
“What are you daydreaming about?” Liv asked as she stepped up behind me and pressed her body to mine.
I reached behind me and pulled her to my front, so I could wrap her in my arms. Leaning in I pressed my nose to her hair and took a moment to just breathe her in.
We were standing at the edge of the field with the lake in plain sight and the sun was beginning to set. We’d finished Sunday dinner at her Gran’s, just as we had every week since our arrival. I’d sat on the back deck and shared a beer with her father and uncles before they’d gone back inside to be with their wives.
I chose to take a few moments to just appreciate the night. That is when the woman who had led me to this very moment chose to join me.
“I’m just imagining what life would be like if I was here in Livingston every day.” I held her close when I felt her attempt to pull back. “I love it here, Liv; even after all the torture in the beginning, I love it. You’ve given me more than anyone else has ever given me and you brought me here. You’ve shown me what a real family feels like; I could never thank you enough for that.”
When she pushed back this time I loosened my hold and tilted my head in her direction.
Her eyes were filled with tears and I felt the burn in my chest as her lower lip trembled. “You’d live here?”