Ready or Not (Ready #4)(56)
She smiled hesitantly and rubbed my knuckle with her thumb. “Nervous, counselor?” she joked.
“No way. I’m pumped.”
“Liar.”
When we reached the booth, the maître d’ formally announced us, “Sir, here is the rest of your party. Shall I bring the bottle of wine you selected?”
“Yes, that would be lovely,” the Senator replied.
I couldn’t see him yet. My view was blocked by several plants and lavish floral decorations placed between each booth, obviously creating a feeling of intimacy.
“Olivia,” he greeted, his voice growing noticeably choked. “My Livvy Lou.”
“Hi, Daddy,” she replied.
I’d never heard that nickname, but I instantly loved it. It was endearing and sweet, and it gave me visions of a little girl with long braids climbing trees and piggybacking on her father.
A petite woman with dark chestnut hair and bright blue eyes, brimming with tears stood to greet us. She pulled Liv into her arms and held her tightly.
As they embraced, I got my first glimpse of the Senator outside of the conference walls of my office building. He looked up at the sight of his daughter and wife with satisfaction and obvious emotion. It wasn’t until Liv stepped back to take my hand once more that he seemed to notice anyone else.
“Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend,” Liv said formally. She snuck a smirk in my direction, no doubt a response to her choice of title for me.
Her father rose from the table, outstretching his hand toward me. “Jackson Reid,” he stated.
“Yes, sir. Pleasure to meet you—again,” I added.
“I hadn’t realized,” he said, gesturing for us to join them at the table.
Liv went first, taking the seat closest to her father, and I slid in next to her.
“I apologize for blindsiding you, sir,” I began.
“Please, call me Doug,” he requested.
Nodding, I continued, “I didn’t want my relationship with Liv to appear as me trying in any way to get the upper hand with you in our day jobs. Considering the situation, I also wanted to protect Liv. I hope you understand my decision.”
Moments passed as he stared at me from across the table. I knew what he was doing. He was sizing me up. I didn’t back down or look away. Although I could really give a rat’s ass about what Liv’s absentee father thought of me, I would not appear weak in front of the woman I cared about so deeply.
“I appreciate your honesty, Jackson. I know being in the middle couldn’t have been easy for you, and quite frankly, most people would have taken advantage of a situation like that. Thank you for being a decent human being. I see why my daughter keeps you around. I would never have expected to see her with a lawyer.” He smiled.
“Well, she wasn’t too keen on the idea to begin with, but I wore her down.” I grinned, giving Liv a slight nudge with my shoulder.
“He’s still working on it,” she joked.
Wine was poured, and orders were soon placed. The conversation was kept light as Liv’s parents asked about her life. Liv told them all about the counseling center. Both sets of eyes were focused directly on her. Her parents listened to every word she said with rapt attention even though I got the feeling they already knew most of the information she was telling them.
“Sounds like you’ve done well for yourself,” her mother replied.
The way Doug had spoken about her the other day in the office sounded much like a father who had kept at least some tabs on his daughter over the years.
Perhaps I’d underestimated the man, and Liv hadn’t been as alone as she thought.
For her sake, I hoped so.
~Liv~
The sun was barely over the horizon as I parked my car in front of the old studio and stepped out into the humid heat. Late August always brought record-breaking temperatures to Virginia. Looking around for Leah’s car, I realized I was a few minutes early, so I decided to take a seat on one of the wicker chairs in front of the studio and enjoy the quiet early morning.
After eight long years, I’d seen my parents, hugged them, and held them in my arms.
They’d spoken the words I’d been longing to hear. It was like a dream come true, yet part of me couldn’t accept that it was real.
Why now? Why, after all this time, did they suddenly have a change of heart?
The little girl inside of me had wanted to run into the shelter of their arms, uncaring of their reasons behind the long-awaited decision. The adult in me—the woman who had spent so many years alone—couldn’t help but worry about what else might have been lurking to ruin my perfect homecoming.
A car door slammed, bringing my attention upward. Coming toward me in tight black yoga pants and a barely there hot pink sports bra was Leah. She was the type of friend who everyone wanted to hate because she was tall, lean, and freaking perfect. Adding in the ridiculously hot, completely faithful ex-movie star husband to the equation, she was lucky that women even spoke to her.
But after we’d become close friends and I’d begun regularly attending yoga and Pilates classes with her a few times a week, I’d quickly figured out one thing. Leah worked hard to keep her body looking so damn good.
I’d always considered myself in shape and physically fit. I’d run several times a week, and I had taken a few classes at the gym. I had never truly felt out of shape until I’d walked into a Pilates class with Leah and spent the next forty-five minutes wondering what in the holy hell I’d done to this instructor to deserve such torture. It had hurt to walk, sit, and pretty much move for the next two solid days. Pilates had taught me a different way to move, and my muscles had hated me for even attempting it.