by Gina Azzi
“Entire world. And as she gets older, she’s going to need a stronger, not to mention more reliable, mother figure in her life.”
“Daisy. I appreciate you’re looking out for me. I do. But I still don’t have full custody of Olivia. I can’t move her to America because I feel like it. Plus, I don’t want to disrupt her stability, take her away from the only home and family and friends she’s ever known.”
Daisy nods, chewing her bottom lip. “True. I should have realized that. I just, I want you to be happy, Aar. Everly makes you happy and you guys are getting a second chance. Do you know how rare that is?”
“I do. That’s why we’re taking it seriously. And slowly. We’re working something out that is beneficial for both of us.”
“I get it. But a relationship isn’t a business agreement, Aar. Feelings are involved and they tend to make everything…messy.”
“I know. But right now, I can’t offer a move to America and I’m not asking her to stay. Any other grand ideas?”
Daisy sighs, standing up. “No, but if I think of something else, I’ll be back.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Don’t tell Finn I popped in about this. Tell him we were discussing the McKinnon account or something.”
“He’s warned you about meddling again?”
“He just doesn’t have the same degree of emotional intelligence that I possess.”
Chuckling, I nod. “I’ll give you that.”
“See you later, Aar.” Daisy closes my office door.
Raising my water bottle to my lips, I take a long sip, thinking about Daisy’s point.
Does Everly know how much I love her?
“She was giving you her opinion again, wasn’t she?” My brother arrives in my office, drops into a chair, and slides a coffee, a real one from the coffee shop downstairs, onto my desk.
“You, at least, come bearing gifts.”
“She needs to let it go. Whatever is between you and Everly, is between you guys.”
“I agree.” I take a sip of the coffee. “Too bad you didn’t spike it.”
“One of those days?”
I shrug. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, on some level, I think Daisy is right. Maybe I need to be more forthcoming with Everly, offer her more of a reason to want to make a real future with me. She’s had a tough relationship with her ex, and I don’t know, I feel like maybe she doesn’t know how much I love her. How much I want to create a real future, a family, with her.”
“Ah, commitment issues. That’s a new one,” Finn remarks dryly. “Mate, give her some time. You’re offering her as much as you can at the moment and were honest with her from the start. She was also honest with you, and I think if you asked her to stay, she just might say yes and end up resenting the hell out of you later. If you offer to go right now, it could mess things up for Liv and then put too much pressure on your relationship with Everly. These things take time.”
“Aye.” I concede the point.
“Anyway,” Finn says, standing and stretching his legs, “don’t let Daisy get in your head. She means well, and I love the hell out of her, but she’s bloody nosy.”
“Or she’s just trying to recruit another Southern girl into the Anderson clan.”
“Or that. Want to grab a pint at Reid’s after work?”
“Sure. Let me just double check that Aunt Jenni can pick Livvy up from her ballet class.”
“Okay. See you later.”
Once he leaves, I confirm with Aunt Jenni, who offers to keep Olivia overnight.
Gripping the sides of my head, I turn back to the logos I’m looking at, trying to get my head back in the game. But all I can think about are Everly’s dazzling green eyes.
Me: Hey Lee, I’m grabbing a pint with Finn after work. Swing by after?
After twenty minutes with no response, I frown.
Me: All okay? I’ll pass by around seven.
Everly: Hey. Not feeling well. I’m going home now to crash. Talk tomorrow?
Me: Are you okay? I’ll bring you some soup.
Everly: Probably a bug. Call you tomorrow.
Frowning at the message, I call Everly, but it goes to voicemail. Something is wrong. I can sense it in the tone of her messages.
Mate, calm down. Maybe she really just doesn’t feel well and isn’t up for chatting.
But it’s more than that. Her exchange with Olivia earlier in the week rattled her more than I thought it would.
Is she freaking out?
Is the future too complicated for her to want to try?
Are Olivia and I not enough for her? Or worse, too much?
Shutting down my computer for the day, I send Finn a message.
Right now, I really need that pint at Reid’s before I drive myself crazy.
Except I’m already halfway there.
“Two pints, Deuchars IPA,” Finn orders from our server.
“Add two shots of tequila,” I tack on for good measure.
Finn chuckles but he doesn’t comment.
As usual, Reid’s Row bustles with the after-work crowd. Live music picks up shortly after Finn and I sit down, drowning out a lot of the conversations surrounding us, and providing a backdrop of noise to distract my mind from the thoughts ricocheting around my brain.
Pinching the bridge of my nose to lessen the ache in my head, I open my eyes to see my brother’s concerned frown.
“What?” I ask him.
“You tell me. You were fine an hour ago.”
“An hour ago, I wasn’t contemplating the future of my relationship with Everly.”
“What changed?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“I have a feeling,” I say, trying to articulate the uneasiness spreading through my limbs, causing a sickness to sweep through my stomach. “I feel… unsettled. The way I did when I knew something was up with Kate but couldn’t put my finger on what it is.”
“I’m going to kill Daisy.”
I shake my head. “It’s not her.”
“Mate, Everly isn’t cheating on you.”
“But something is off.” I nod my thanks to the server, picking up my shot glass and tossing it back. Staring at Finn’s, I drink his, too.
He gestures for two more shots.
“What’s off?” my brother asks, taking a pull of his beer.
“She’s really torn up about Livvy and how her career and the distance will affect her.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? Being with a woman who cares about your kid?”
“Aye. Of course it is, but it’s more than that. It’s like she’s questioning if she can do this. She has—had—a complicated relationship with her mum, and she knows what it’s like to be the kid with the mum who dates around.”
“But you’re not dating around. Aar, we had to push you to go out for a coffee by yourself.”
“I know. But Everly doesn’t know that. In her head, she’s the woman taking me away from Olivia, causing uncertainty in her life, making waves. And she remembers what it felt like to be that kid.”
“I get that, but can’t you talk to her about it?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“She’s rattled. It’s as if she’s torn between me and Olivia and her career. But, I thought she was fine after we talked. I don’t know, Finn. Today, she’s telling me she doesn’t feel well and will talk to me tomorrow.”
“Maybe she doesn’t feel well,” my brother says, looking at me like I’m losing my mind.
“Something’s off, Finn. I can feel it. There have been too many things that just don’t add up.” Her words the day at The Fringe, the doctor at the ER, the scars on her hip and thigh, the way she’s not ready to confide in me. She’s dealing with something sinister and if it’s what I suspect it is, I’m not sure how to help her from a damn prison cell after I murder Corey Hughes.
“You know what I think?”
“
What?”
“I think you should take this shot.” He passes me one of the shooters as the server hands them both to him. “And relax a little. Your life has been crazy over the past year, and you’ve barely had time to just sit and relax. Mate, things are good right now. Kate’s out of your life, she hasn’t been fighting you on Olivia and custody, and you’re dating a beautiful, talented woman who makes you happy. Did you ever think you’re just looking for issues because of everything that went down with Kate?”
“What do you mean?” I take the shot, hissing as the tequila burns the back of my throat.
“Your marriage fell apart because your wife—”
“Ex-wife.”
“Ex-wife was cheating. Now, she’s moved on and is gallivanting across Europe with her painter—”
“Musician.”
“Whatever. Aaron, you’re being paranoid, looking for holes, because you don’t want to be blindsided again. You don’t want the other shoe to drop when things are going so well. I think you’re too damn scared to be happy, so you’re looking for reasons not to be.”
Squinting at my brother, I see he really believes what he’s saying. It’s written in the concern shadowing his expression.
“I don’t know.” I scrub a hand over my face.
“Enjoy your beer, Aaron. Hang for a bit. And if you’re that worried about Everly, swing by her place and check in on her. But sometimes, things are exactly as they seem. She could just have a bug and be tired.”
“I guess.” Picking up my beer, I take a long pull, glancing around the pub. But even the pale ale doesn’t ease the tightness in my chest.
18
Everly
Corey: Found you. Did you think you could elude me forever, Everly? I’m lost without you. Come home.
Rereading the series of messages flooding my inbox from Corey, my blood turns cold and floaters appear in my line of vision. It doesn’t matter that I’ve had twelve hours to digest his words; they still make me sick to my stomach.
And the images. The images are the worst part. Dread weighs down my limbs and causes me to stay frozen in my apartment, fearful to step outside.
Since I first read Corey’s message last night after Aaron left, I’ve barely ate, slept, or blinked. I’m paralyzed with fear that strikes at me harder since I didn’t anticipate it. Sure, deep down, in my heart of hearts, I surmised that Corey was up to something.
But the blow blindsided me.
Thumbing through the messages and images Corey sent, I swallow back the bile that rises in my throat.
An image of me, laughing, my body language carefree and natural, as I lean over a cafe table and brush crumbs off of Aaron’s mouth. He’s grinning at me, his blond hair bright in the sunshine. We look like the perfect couple. We look like we’re… in love with each other.
Me from behind, pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows in Aaron’s apartment. I’m clad in black lingerie, my legs hooked around Aaron’s waist, as he grips my hair and gazes at me with longing.
The two of us, kissing passionately, on Leith’s Docks.
Aaron, Olivia, and me eating ice cream at our favorite shop in Stockbridge.
Corey knows.
A pit forms in my stomach, expanding outward until I can’t breathe. Tossing down the phone like it burned me, I drop to my knees. Hanging my head forward, I drag small wisps of air into my lungs, but I can’t hold onto them. I can’t grab at them quickly enough.
Tears prick the corner of my eyes, cause my nose to burn, and my throat to ache.
Corey found me. He knows. He knows. He knows.
About Aaron.
About Olivia.
Oh my God, they’re not safe.
I’m not safe.
I need to tell Aaron. I need to warn him.
The cold tile of my kitchen floor bites into my knees as I crawl several paces and snatch my phone back up from where I dropped it.
Deep breath in. Count to five. Exhale.
Sitting back on my heels, I open my eyes and force myself to reread his messages, diving deeper into Corey’s twisted mind.
Corey: I forgot how sexy you are in lingerie.
Corey: I thought strawberry was your favorite flavor?
Corey: I miss you, baby. Even though you stuck a knife through my heart, I miss you.
Corey: I want you back. And we both know, I always get what I want.
And the message that caused me to hyperventilate sent just an hour ago:
Corey: Not heading out today? But I can’t wait to see what you’re wearing.
Jesus.
He’s had me followed.
He’s hired someone to spy on me.
He’s spying on me right now.
Right this minute.
All the curtains in my apartment have been drawn for the entire day as I’ve sat here, in the dark, alone.
A noise sounds out, and even though I know it’s the refrigerator, my eyes dart around the kitchen, petrified that I’m going to come face to face with a camera lens.
Or Corey.
A shiver rolls through my body, violent in its intensity.
My phone beeps again and I cringe, fearful to read the message and fearful to ignore it. Steeling my back, I draw in a deep breath and glance at the screen.
“Oh God!” My hand lifts to cover my mouth as I squeeze my eyes closed.
But the image of Olivia in her pink tutu and ballet shoes, her hair pulled back into a neat bun, is burned into my eyelids. He knows where she is. Right this very moment.
And he’s throwing down the ultimatum.
He’s threatening me in a way he knows I’ll react.
He’s threatening Olivia.
I need to tell Aaron.
But he can’t come here. I can’t be with him.
He’s in danger. Olivia is in danger.
Oh God, what am I going to do?
Corey: Come home to me, Everly. I’m waiting for you.
A knock on the door has me hiding in my kitchen, a knife in hand.
He’s here. Corey is here. He’s come to take me back.
“Everly? It’s me.” Aaron’s voice on the other side of the door fills me with relief so sharp, it stabs me in the chest. Dropping the knife in the kitchen sink, I run to the door, pulling it wide open in fear that Corey will see him.
Surprise blooms on his face as I reach out and yank him into my apartment, flipping the lock behind him and adding the chain link.
“Woah,” he says slowly, his eyebrows pulled low over his eyes. Teetering on his feet, he places both hands on my shoulders, steadying himself and peering into my eyes. “How do you feel? Is it a stomach bug?” His brogue is thicker than usual, his pupils dilated.
The tequila from his breath washes over my face, and I shuffle back a step.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Baby, talk to me.”
Baby, talk to me.
“Baby, talk to me. I didn’t mean it, Everly. Come on.” He pounds the bathroom door with the butt of his fist, but I know better than to be fooled by his kind words.
There is nothing kind about Corey Hughes when he’s been drinking.
Huddled in the corner of the bathroom, my knees pulled into my chest, I drop my forehead onto my kneecaps and sit. Paralyzed. Numb.
Numb except for the burning that mars the right side of my ribs, the blood trickling down my side and sopping into the band of my underwear.
He cut me. With a knife.
Sure, he didn’t mean to. He told me we were just playing a little game. One where I wasn’t supposed to move.
Except I did move. That’s why the knife sliced through me.
Because I moved.
And I wasn’t supposed to.
I broke the rule.
I broke his rule.
And he had no choice but to follow through with the consequences.
It’s my fault.
If I hadn’t been so flirty with Ben Links at the label’s party tonight, we wouldn’t have had to play the
game.
Corey only likes to play games when I make mistakes. When I break the rules.
And tonight, I broke the rules. I had too much to drink. One glass of champagne too much. I was dressed too seductively, in a red dress that drew too much attention.
“Baby, talk to me.” His words are sharper now, his tone harder.
I wiggle my ass against the tiles, and the right side of my body blazes with fire.
Deep breath in. Count to five. Exhale.
“Baby, open the door. We can fix this. I need you, Everly. Please, let me make this right.” “Lee?” Aaron’s hands squeeze my shoulders as he bends, peering into my eyes.
Blinking, I glance up at him, watching as the amusement in his eyes fades, his expression turning grave. He sobers instantly, his playful tipsiness forgotten.
“Aaron, we need to talk.” I shuffle back a step, but he follows.
“Everly.” He pulls me against his chest and wraps his arms around me. One hand snakes up my back, his long fingers disappearing into my hair as he cradles my head. “Lee, I know it’s a lot. And I know you’re scared about leaving next week, about me and Olivia, but we’re going to figure this out. We should have talked sooner. I don’t even know how you feel about being a mother figure in Liv’s life. Did I expect too much too soon? Tell me, Lee. What’s going on?”
Gripping the cloth of his shirt in my fists, I drop my forehead against his chest and inhale a shaky breath. The air feels like icicles stabbing my throat as goosebumps prickle my skin.
I need to tell him the truth. I need to come clean. I need to be honest and lay my soul so bare, I hope I’m still standing at the end. I hope he’s still holding me when I’m finished.
“Aaron, I’m in trouble.”
Aaron’s body stiffens under my touch as he shuffles back. His eyebrows draw down, his blue eyes blazing, both glacial and melting. “Lee?”
“We should sit down.”
“Baby, are you okay? What kind of trouble?”
“The worst kind.”
Aaron guides me to the couch and we both sit. His foot taps against the floor in impatience, his shoulders rigid. “Tell me, Everly. Tell me everything.”