Being with him could be safe because he wasn’t a prospect. Neither of us wanted a relationship, and he wasn’t someone I’d have to measure up against my parents’ or anyone else’s standards. Truth was, this arrangement could be perfect.
Or it could be a complete disaster.
“What are you working on?” Maya pulled me from my tumultuous thoughts and pointed toward my notebook.
“Just sketching some things out for the baby’s room.”
Maya had enlisted my art major skills to paint a mural for my nephew’s nursery, but I’d yet to begin.
“You should start soon. My due date is a few weeks away, but I have no idea when this little guy will decide to show up.”
“I know. I want it to be perfect though.” I’d gone through a dozen drafts, but nothing felt good enough.
“Anything painted with love by his auntie will be perfect. Just go for it. Have fun with it.” She smiled warmly, but her gentle encouragement wasn’t enough to nudge me out of my creative funk.
I hadn’t painted since graduation. I’d been thrown into work with my dad and pushed into dating someone I had zero interest in. The turmoil should have driven me toward an outlet, but I’d been too busy starting over in the city to tap that passion. I’d latched onto Cameron’s life instead, ignoring the one thing that used to really make me happy.
“Hey.”
Maya’s concerned gaze came back into focus. “What?”
“You went someplace else for a minute. What’s on your mind, Liv?”
I sighed and tossed down my pencil. “I don’t know. It’s been almost a year since I moved in, and I still feel…off somehow. Like I’m treading water and have no idea where I’m supposed to go next.”
She was thoughtful a moment. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No, you and Cam have already done so much. I’m living in your house. I feel like a total leech on your life sometimes.”
“Don’t be crazy. You helped Cam turn this place into a home before I even got here.”
“But you’re a couple now, and you’re about to be a family. You don’t need a fourth person lurking around.”
She laughed loudly. “You don’t lurk. You’re my friend, and now you’re my sister. I like having you here. If you leave, who’s going to gang up on Cam with me when I need to get my way?”
I smiled. Maya and I had gone to college together, lived in the same dorm, and a fast friendship had formed. Then she started dating my brother, and when their relationship fell apart, so did ours. I’d cut things off, resentful of how Cameron had dealt with the separation from Maya. I’d been young, too, and misguided by my mother’s disapproval of her.
I hadn’t always been fair, but I was more grateful than Maya probably realized that she’d come back into our lives. For Cameron’s sake and for mine. After years of the silence, we were slowly rebuilding a friendship that I’d missed so much.
“I’m serious, you know. We love having you here.”
I exhaled a sigh. “Thank you. I guess something’s missing, is all. I’m just not sure what it is yet.”
“Well, when you figure it out, I’m here for you. To talk and bitch. Whatever you need.”
I nodded, pretending for her sake that whatever was missing in my life could be fixed that easily. But in a matter of weeks, Maya’s life would dramatically transform. As grateful as I was for our rekindled friendship, she’d have bigger priorities than tending to the emptiness that had taken up residence around my heart.
Chapter Three
IAN
I flipped through the morning news channels, landing on a story that covered the three-alarm fire I had worked the night before. The electrical fire had sparked in the basement and spread quickly, consuming most of the building. Thankfully, we were able to get everyone out and contain it. I was exhausted, but my adrenaline was still kicking hours after my shift had ended.
The news segment played out, and I caught a glimpse of my face as I worked the hose.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
Will shuffled out in a pair of mesh shorts. His hair was sticking up. He glanced at the television. “Fuck what?”
“I have to pay for dinner at the station tonight. Standing rule when one of our faces hits the papers or the news.”
He chuckled and went to the kitchen, emerging a couple of minutes later with a steaming cup of coffee from the fresh pot I’d brewed.
He sat at the end of the couch, took a sip, and rested his head back with a tired sigh.
“What’s with you?”
He rubbed his eyes. “Ah, I didn’t get a lot of sleep.”
I smirked. “Sounds promising. Who kept you up?”
“No one. Got shot down, and I could have really used the company.”
“Not often that you let one slip through your fingers. She must have been a piece of work. Either that or you were on your worst behavior.”
“Little bit of both. But Olivia Bridge is definitely a piece of work. I’m determined though.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Hoping to hear from her today, actually.”
I stared at him, frozen as I replayed his words in my head. Had I heard him right? “Wait. Olivia Bridge? As in Darren and Cameron’s sister?”
“That’s the one. I take it you’ve met her?”