Page 34

Crew

I don’t sleep a wink because there’s only one thing on my mind: Olivia, Olivia, Olivia.

She’s in my head, she’s in my veins, she consumes my thoughts. I haven’t been able to concentrate worth a damn all week. Every time I close my eyes, I see her beneath me. I feel her soft skin, I hear her soft sighs as she comes apart.

I never should have touched her because now that I have, I don’t want to stop.

The thought plagues me, sweeping over me with a cloying sense of worry.

What if, what if, what if ?

It’s what I was trained to do. Always plan for the worst-case scenario. That way, nothing surprises you. But wanting her is a whole new battlefield.

I hit the gym alone today, knowing that Skar is busy talking about wedding plans with Aleks. I’ve offered my help- it’s something to do on my rare days off but I have a feeling my presence would only be a hindrance.

I head back to my apartment, the studio walls practically foreign now. When I hop in the shower, my muscles are jelly. I'm tired. Exhausted. Running myself ragged. I let myself stand under the spray for longer than I should, the warm water pure bliss.

By the time I finish, I drag a towel over my damp hair and reach for my phone. There’s a few missed calls and texts, but I pause when I see an incoming call.

It’s Mom .

Pressing the phone to my ear, I answer. “Hello?”

“Crew.”

I hear a worried note in her voice, and I go still. “What’s wrong?”

“I… I thought you should know that Jimmy’s in the hospital. He-“ She sniffles, and just the thought that she’s been crying makes me want to punch a hole through a wall. “There was an accident. He had a heart attack- and he fell.”

I blink at the information, trying my best not to let any panic show. “When?” I manage.

“Last night. He begged me not to call you… but I-“

“Are you okay?” I blurt, trying to ignore the sting of her words.

He didn’t want to tell me.

“I’m- alright, baby. I just…” she sniffles again. “I know how busy you are.”

“I’m never too busy for you. Never,” I tell her, my mind rushing. There’s no way in hell I’m going to up and leave, but I can’t exactly pick up my obligations and bring them with me either. “Is he okay? What did the doctors say?”

“He’s stable for now. He has a concussion from falling, but he won’t be at work for a bit. Who knows how long?”

I nod, knowing she can’t see, but I tug at my hair again. “I’m going to figure some things out. I'll get things settled here, and then I’ll head that way. Okay?”

“Crew,” she cries quietly. “He’ll be upset I called. I wasn’t supposed to tell you. He doesn’t want to be a bother.”

“Mom,” I say, stopping her. “It’s Dad. Of course I’m going to come. We’ll deal with everything once I get there.”

“Okay… but what about your client? That family you’re watching over?”

I sigh, leaning down to grab my clothes and change as I put the phone on speaker. “No family. Just… One person. I’ll check with her, and I’ll call you soon.”

She pauses, obviously absorbing the information- the subtle her in my sentence- before she sniffles. “Okay,” she agrees. “I love you.”

“Love you. Talk to you soon.”

Another text flashes across my screen:

Taylor: There was a fire at the venue last night. There’s something you should see. Someone slipped this into Liv’s pocket last night.

He sent a picture, and without thinking, I throw a bag of clothes together.

Taylor: Lydia went into labor early. Need you to call me.

I drive to Liv’s apartment without hesitation. Without a single thought otherwise. Taking the stairs two at a time, I quickly key in. I expect to find chaos inside. Instead, I find Taylor perched on the couch, reading something on his phone. Olivia paces the kitchen with a phone to her ear, but my eyes find the bandage around her palm.

My eyes narrow in on the injury. She watches me for a beat too long, almost as if she can sense my eyes. But she looks away, saying into her phone, “Look, I wish I knew what happened. We’re doing everything we can to figure it out.”

“Hey,” Taylor says, standing to greet me. He eyes my duffle- bigger than my usual overnight bag. “You alright?”

I breeze over his question, stepping fully inside. “Are you okay? How is Lydia?”

He fills me in quickly, saying something about unexpected complications. The baby’s coming- there’s no stopping it now.

I shake my head. “You have to go.”

He nods, clearly worried. “You need to see the note first.”

“Where is it?” I ask. He pulls the note off the coffee table, proffering it to me.

Secrets burn.

Anger flares in my chest. “What happened last night?”

“The entire venue went up in flames. Police are saying one of the candles probably caught on something, but she found this.”

This wasn’t an accident.

“Have you talked to Harvey yet?”

“No. Liv’s been on the phone with people all night.” I nod, rolling my neck just to loosen the ache in my shoulders. “What’s going on with you?” he asks again, pointing to my bag.

I set it down, taking off my cap to scrub a hand down my scalp before replacing it. “My dad,” I reply. Two words is enough to silence him. I’ve never talked about my dad. Not in all the years I’ve known him.

“Look, if I need to find a way to stay with Liv while Lydia-“

“Don’t.” I shake my head. “No. Your wife needs you. I’ll figure this out.” I sigh, chuckling despite the riot in my gut. “Life just has funny timing.”

He scoffs, looking down at his hands with a look that seems a lot like fear.

For Lydia, for Olivia. All of it probably.

“Tell me about it.” He shakes the feeling off, looking at me again. “What do you need?”

I shake my head, glancing at Liv as she paces the kitchen, Chesna twirling between her legs. “I gotta leave town for a bit. Was thinking about getting in touch with an old buddy from our squad- Lewinsky.”

“Jake Lewinsky? It’s been years. You trust him with watching her?”

The truth is, I don’t know. I trusted him with my life years ago. But trusting him with that then and her now… are two very different things.

“The only person I trust with her is you,” I answer, glancing to see a fresh crinkle between her brows. She sighs in frustration, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. The blue in her eyes ripples like water, emotion passing between us like always.

“I think the safest place for her is away from here,” Taylor says, interrupting my thoughts.

“It’s not exactly like I can uproot things here and leave."

“Good thing most roots don’t grow very deep anyways” comes Olivia’s reply as she walks up, call ended. She smiles, though it’s obvious the call is still bothering her. “What’s up?”

Taylor and I exchange a look. “I have to go back home for a bit. My uh- my Dad’s sick. But it’s a bit of a drive and Lydia’s in the hospital.”

Her eyes dart between us as she nods slowly. “What can I do to help?”

“Liv…” Taylor laughs.

“I’m serious. You need to leave. Go be with your wife and kid,” she says before turning to me. “And you… What do you need?”

I stare at her, trying to decipher the look on her face. “I can’t ask you to leave in the middle of all of your weddings right now.”

She smirks, the vision of victory. “Oh, get over yourself. Only thing I had planned was client intake this week. I could use a vacation,” she jokes. “Should I pack for the beach?”

Taylor and I share another look, and he smirks. “You haven’t told her about Mama Warden?”

Olivia raises a brow. “Mama Warden? Is that a nickname?”

Even Taylor laughs at that, patting her shoulder while Liv raises a brow. “Might wanna get your cowgirl boots out. Credence is in the mountains.”

She shrugs. “Skip the swimsuit. Got it. Only… two things. One: Chesna.”

“Bring her,” I say. “Two?”

“I need to see my dad before we go.” I raise a brow, but she’s not ready to talk about it, so I just nod.

She darts to her room, and I do my best to keep my composure as I imagine the phone call I’m about to have with my mom.

I’m bringing a woman home. Oh, and her cat is coming with us .

She’ll laugh, that’s for sure.

Taylor’s sigh is heavy, and he swipes at the bags beneath his eyes. “This will befun for both of us then.”

Considering?

I shoot him a look and his laugh is all I get in response.