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Crossing the border doesn’t take long. Butterflies are dancing around in my gut. What if she can’t forgive me? Worse, what if she’s moved on? What if Harrison swooped in and helped her through everything? Fuck, I hadn’t considered that. Harrison is a decent guy, but God help him, or anyone else, if they are trying to move in on her. She belongs to me. I am an asshole and I have no right to feel this way. But she’s mine, and I will fight tooth and nail for her.
Her Jeep is not in the driveway, but Liv’s car is. I park behind her, and go inside hoping that Liv might know where I can find Tori.
Liv’s on the sofa, lying in Tyler’s lap. I guess the two of them are working out. I’m happy for my sister. Tyler is a stand-up guy, though I’ll still kick his ass if he hurts Liv. Tyler straightens up and pushes Liv off him when I come through the door.
Chuckling, I say, “It’s cool. Liv’s an adult.”
Liv jumps off the couch and wraps me in a hug while Tyler responds, “I know, man, but I have a sister, and I wouldn’t want to walk in on that.”
With Liv still attached to me, I shake Tyler’s hand. “Miss me, sis?”
She pulls away from me, and smacks me on the arm. “Yes, I missed you, and I was worried sick. You haven’t returned any of my calls. Where the hell did you go?”
I’d spoken with my mother after the night Harrison confronted me. Liv and Tug don’t have any idea what went down on the beach. Telling her I was blowing off steam would lead to questions. “I went to T.J. to hang out with some friends for a while.” It's not really a lie, I think. I was with friends.
“And they don’t have phones in T.J.?” she barks at me. My little sis is feisty as ever.
“Yes, they have phones, and I should have called. I’m sorry.”
Tyler leaves us and goes into the kitchen. He must have decided this was a family moment.
“Do you know where Tori is?”
“No. Harrison said she quit the Bean today, but she wasn’t home when I got here.”
“Do you have any idea where she might have gone? I need to see her.”
Liv clamps her hands tight on her hips and glares at me. She’s about to let me have it. I deserve it. “Brady, I love you, but if you’re not here to grovel at her feet, then you need to leave, now.”
Tori has obviously filled Liv in on our relationship, and by the look on my sister’s face she is just as angry with my disappearing act as Tori probably is. “I guess she’s pretty upset with me, huh?”
“Upset? Are you kidding me, Brady? She’s devastated.” Liv is talking with her hands. She only does this when she’s angry. “You know, you weren’t around after she and Jake broke up. Tori cried for days on end. She was sad all the time, but that was nothing in comparison to you leaving her. At least back then, underneath it all, she was still Tori and she knew in her heart that Jake was an asshole."
I run my hand up and down the back of my head. I can’t tell if it’s as bad as Liv says or if she’s being overly dramatic. “I didn’t think it would be that hard for her. I was trying to do the right thing.”
Liv slaps my chest. “God, you’re clueless, Brady. Honestly, before Tug started dragging her out of the house, I didn’t even recognize her.”
I interrupt her. “Wait. What? She’s been hanging out with Tug? Why?”
“It doesn’t matter why. Thanks to him, she’s finally coming around. It was bad. She lost at least ten pounds, and if she wasn’t working, she never got out of bed. It went on for weeks. You can’t put her through that again, Brady. It’s not right. If she’s just one of your playthings, then let her go.”
I shake my head and frown at Liv, her insinuation all wrong. Is that what Tori thinks? That she’s not any different from the other girls I’ve been with. I hope not. “It’s not like that with her. I promise. I fucking love her, Liv. I convinced myself she’d be better off without me.”
“You were wrong, Brady. She’s a mess without you. She’s slowly getting better though, so if you’re not serious, then I mean it, you need to leave.”
What the fuck? Why does she keep saying that? I grab Liv’s arms and give her a little shake. “I’m dead fucking serious, Liv. I can’t lose her. Honestly, not a minute has gone by that I have thought about her. If you know where she might be, you have to tell me, please.”
“Oh, my God, Brady. You are serious. I don’t know where she is, but if I had to guess, I’d say she and Tug are down by the pier.”
Chapter 30
Tori
Tug and I have dinner in a small restaurant near the pier. They have the biggest and most delicious burritos in all of Southern California. I put mine on a plate, politely cutting small pieces with a knife and fork. Tug is sitting across from me with both of his hands folded around his. He’s scarfing it down, and I laugh when he actually moans.
He looks up, grinning from behind his burrito. “It’s a damn good burrito,” he says, the words garbled by a mouth full of food.
I roll my eyes and sip my drink.
