“Olivia,” she snapped, her tone loud and sharp. “You don’t speak to me that way. What has gotten into you?”
Panic tightened around me, a familiar sensation when I was at risk of upsetting my parents, the rulers of the purse strings that kept me in the life I’d grown accustomed to. Unlike Maya and Vanessa, who’d had to work and struggle to stay afloat through every year of school, I’d wanted for nothing. Clothes, trips, beauty appointments. Long after graduation, I still relied on my parents to bridge the gap between my income with helping Cameron and affording a life of privilege.
Being “cut off” was a real and present danger. Then Will’s words from the day we’d met echoed in my mind. The way he described my life had angered me, no doubt. But it had made me a little sick too. It made me wish I could crawl out of my skin and be someone else, anyone but that girl…
“I can’t talk right now, Mom.” I couldn’t stomach telling her any more. This conversation had to end.
“You’re ending it with Will, correct?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Olivia, do I need to come down there and talk some sense into you? This isn’t like you. You’re worrying me, and when your father learns of this, I can guarantee he’s not going to be happy.”
“I have to go.” My voice was hollow.
I ended the call and leaned back against the building. She called again, and I sent it to voice mail, something I never did.
But something had to change. Even as I questioned the choices I’d made since meeting Will, I knew deep down that I was changing, and not just on the outside. This wasn’t a new style or a dramatic haircut. This wasn’t a move or an expensive soul-searching vacation. I wasn’t trying on something just to feel different for a little while. The foundation of who I thought I was for so many years was crumbling. And as much as I may have wanted to please and appease my parents, I wasn’t sure I could help it.
I had to break away, and my parents had to know it, once and for all. Even if it cost me financial stability. Even if it cost our family this last tie that kept my parents and my brothers connected. I had to risk it all if I was going to find the person I wanted to be.
The thought was liberating, but devastating. If my foundation was crumbling, a new me had to be built. I didn’t know how I would be able to do that. Warm tears cooled as they streamed down my cheeks.
“Liv, are you all right?”
My eyes flew open at the sound of a male voice, smooth as velvet. I swallowed when Ian approached me. He was dressed in workout clothes. I rushed to wipe away my tears, but he’d surely seen them. Concern filled his gaze. In my experience, most guys didn’t know what to do with a crying woman, but Ian didn’t shy away.
He came closer, brushing his thumb across my cheek. That simple touch made my heart beat faster.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I lied.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I shrugged. “Not really. Family stuff.”
He glanced through the glass windows of the gym and back to me. I thought I caught a flash of hesitation, even guilt, in his eyes.
“Want to get out of here for a little while?”
“Where?”
“Why don’t we go for a run?”
I contemplated his offer. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry out the rest of these toxic emotions, but burning them off along with the rest of the tension that had built up over the week didn’t sound awful either.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up with you.”
His smile was warm. “I’m not worried about that. Come on. Just a jog around the neighborhood.”
I inhaled a deep breath and nodded. “Sure. Let’s do it.”
IAN
I stashed my bag in the locker room and joined Liv outside again. Being seen with her like this, so close to Darren’s domain, was probably a mistake, but I hated to see her upset. That and I couldn’t deny wanting to spend some time with her. According to Will, she could become a regular fixture in our lives. He talked about her like she was precious and worth protecting. That inspired mixed feelings in me. As a friend, I worried that I was moving in on something that could mean more than the casual flings he was used to. But Will wasn’t asking me to back down, and I’d desired her from afar for too long to walk away on my own.
I silenced my doubts and shot her a smile that she quickly returned. “Ready?”
She nodded. “Ready when you are.”