“He doesn’t. You don’t.” He reassures Bennett, who’s looking at me with a look of terror at the idea of living with his girlfriend.
“It doesn’t mean that living with me is his best option. What about Caroline?” I ask in reference to my insufferable mother-in-law.
“Absolutely not,” Bennett snaps. “I’ll go insane.” He looks at me with his signature look that used to make me melt and give in to whatever he wanted. His face softens, his green eyes are full of sincerity and love. His full lips form a straight line and he looks up at me through thick full lashes.
“You’ve got to be kidding me with this.” I shake my head, the idea of counting to ten long forgotten. “No way. You two aren’t going to bully me into this just because you’re team Liv and Bennett,” I say pointing at Wren, “and you don’t remember anything.” I point at Bennett. “You can’t just move back in and disrupt my life. I have a say in this too and this isn’t fair to me.” The tears well in my eyes more due to anger than sadness. I blink, and one falls down my cheek instantly. I wipe it away and take a step back preparing to make my exit before I completely break down.
“Please don’t cry, Livi.” Bennett shakes his head, and I turn around upon hearing that name as sobs bubble in my throat. “Wren, I’ll come up with something else.” I hear his dejected voice just as the door slams behind me.
I’ve been pacing for no more than five seconds when Wren interrupts my thoughts just as I get to “six.” “Olivia,” he barks out and my eyes snap to his.
“Fuck off,” I growl. “Why would you even put that idea out there?”
“Because it’s not just about you Olivia!” he shouts.
“It’s never been about me! When the fuck has it been about me? When he fucked someone else? When he moved out?” I’m so angry I can’t even think straight let alone focus on my breathing or worry about counting to ten.
“You threw him out! And don’t start that shit with me. You know he’s still crazy about you. He’s apologized a million times. He’d die for you to give him another chance. How long are you going to punish you both for?” He pauses and narrows his gaze before placing his hands on his hips. “You know you still love him.” His voice lowers to a whisper.
I fix my mouth to rebut his comment when he puts a hand up so he can continue. “Right now? The man in there—that’s the man you fell in love with and it scares the shit out of you. It scares you that you need him as much as he needs you.”
“I don’t need him or this. I have a life and a—”
“A what?” he interjects. “A boyfriend you’re using to get over Ben?” His blue eyes narrow in concern, but underneath, I see the judgment lurking.
“You can’t make me feel bad for moving on. He has a—”
“A girlfriend he dumped this morning?” I want to scream at being interrupted again. “Yeah, I happened to see her leaving looking like someone ran over her dog. Can’t say I’m sad to see her go. She sucked.”
“Wow, not the point,” I grit out. Like I give a fuck that he doesn’t like Amanda? My husband did and that was enough.
Ex-husband, my mind clarifies and my heart squeezes in my chest in response.
“And no, I can’t make you feel bad for moving on. But I can make you feel bad for being insensitive right now. He needs you, Olivia. You’re the only person he trusts.”
The feeling isn’t mutual.
“He trusts you,” I inform him.
“He cannot come stay with me and Alyssa, Liv. Lys will murder him in his sleep, and we’re also trying to have a baby which means when we’re not at the hospital, I
’m inside of her.”
“Can you not?” I groan as I try hard not to picture the visual he’s painted.
“I’m serious, Olivia.” He crosses his arms over his chest and his eyes are scolding, which isn’t something I expect from Wren who is perhaps the least confrontational person on the planet. “He needs you.”
I slam the door of my Audi Q3 shut, my lips in the permanent scowl they’ve been in since yesterday when I’d begrudgingly agreed to let Bennett move in temporarily. I’d even enlisted Alyssa to help me shut it down, but I hadn’t banked on Wren wearing her down in a way I couldn’t.
Fucking marriage.
I make my way around the car and see Bennett trying to pull himself upright, out of his wheelchair, and leaning on Wren for support. I know he’s still a little banged up, and Wren said he’d still feel some aches and pains from the accident. When he sees me, he lets go of Wren immediately and gives me a smile. I notice that his facial hair has grown out a bit more, making his beard thicker than usual and I clench at remembering what it felt like between my legs when he let it grow out.
I blink several times as if I try to convince my brain that we are not affected by his perfect one hundred watt smile or the hair that surrounds it.
Or the abs that I could practically make out through his white t-shirt.
Fuck.