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“I had no idea. I couldn’t see the point of knocking on the door again, so I just sat there for a while, thinking, and getting nowhere. Then, suddenly, the door opened, and Livia appeared.”
“So you spoke to her?”
“Yes. Although she wasn’t very keen on the idea. She was so hurt… so angry.” I’m never going to forget the look in her eyes when she asked me to let her go. It’s going to haunt me for the rest of my life.
“That’s a surprise?” Ella’s sarcasm isn’t lost on me.
“No. Not at all. But then her dad came out.”
“Her Dad?” Drew raises his voice slightly. “You mean Ken Bevan?”
“No.” I shake my head.
“So, she’s not his daughter, after all? You got it wrong?”
“No. I got it right. She is Ken Bevan’s daughter… but he’s not her dad.”
“Whoa… hold on.” Ella slaps her hand down on the countertop. “I’m confused.”
“The man who came out of the house was Connor Hopkins. He raised Livia. He’s her dad… in her eyes, and everyone else’s. Ken Bevan was married to her mom and was there at her conception, but that’s about as far as it goes.”
“I see,” she says slowly, like she’s taking it all in. “So, was there a conspiracy between them?”
“No. Her dad explained to me, in no uncertain terms, that Livia had no idea about her background until Friday night, when she went home and told her parents what I’d done… and they had to tell her the truth.”
“Meaning, it was all a coincidence… like we said.” There’s a hint of a gloat in Drew’s voice, but I can’t blame him for that.
“Yeah… just like you said. Her dad was getting kinda worked up, and her mom told him to calm down, in case he had another stroke.”
“Another stroke?” Drew frowns. “Did you know about that?”
“Of course not. I told you the other day, Livia hadn’t mentioned her father to me at all. I had no idea he was so sick, and I would have backed off then, anyway… except Livia came at me.”
Ella puts her hand on my arm, and I turn to her. “She just wanted to protect her dad, Hunter.”
“She was mad at me.”
“She was entitled to be.”
“I know. I get that.”
“Is it over?” Drew asks, cutting to the chase.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’ll never be over, but…”
“She doesn’t feel the same?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. She said she’s not ready to forgive me, or trust me, or to talk, and I’ve said I’ll give her time…”
“Then that’s what you have to do,” Ella says. “I’m sorry, Hunter, but you’re the one who screwed up. That means Livia gets to call the shots now.”
It’s strange, but I can’t imagine Livia calling the shots. She’s too shy.
“It looks like you’re gonna have to be patient,” Drew says, and I suck in a breath.
“I know.”
“Why are you so down?” Ella says, and I turn to look at her. She’s smiling up at me, and tips her head to one side. “At least she’s giving you a chance.”
