Olivia Graham was twenty-two when she started a whirlwind romance with charismatic Jakob overseas.
By age twenty-five, Liv was back home and checking off the widowed box on paperwork. With zero plans, Olivia and beloved dog Snuggles find themselves...
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Chris whips his debit card out at the checkout line as if I'm going to let him drop several hundred dollars on me for a security system.
I trail my fingertips on his forearm to pause him. "Uh, no," I say incredulously, "Please don't do that."
I step around him to the card reader, and Chris's arm goes around my waist. He squeezes my hip lightly with his hand before kissing the shell of my ear and murmuring, "I'd gladly spend that to be able to know you're safer than before."
"Chris," I mutter, my face flushing.
"Oh," he says with realization, covering his eyes, "I'm sorry." He steps back--way back.
The cashier is watching us, looking bewildered.
We get back into his car, and I set the bags down by my feet, "Hey, I'm sorry," he says, turning to me.
Jakob and I have lived such separate lives; my daily life has barely been affected, but propriety dictates I back away.
It's not like I don't want him to kiss me; I desperately want him to kiss me.
My phone is ringing, and I take it out to see it's Lindsey, "Hey," I greet her, as Chris puts the car in drive.
"Hey, Lily and I wondered if you could use some company."
"Definitely. You're coming over?"
Who is it? Chris mouths to me.
"Yeah, we will be there in less than thirty."
"Okay, bye, Linds."
Chris squeezes above my knee, then sighs and pulls his hand back, "I'm sorry, again," he mutters.
"It's okay."
It's silent for a moment, the only sound is Kings of Leon floating throughout the car.
"I just, I don't know. I look at you, Liv, or I hear your voice, and I see the way you treat people, and it just makes me happy," he concludes, "It's hard to be right next to you and not want to hold on to you."
"Jakob used to say how much he would love how happy I was; he used to call me Giggles," I say with a fond smile. Those were the good times.
"That's cute," he replies softly.
After a few seconds, the corner of his mouth tugs up in a smirk. It's sexy as hell to see that side grin, and I wonder what's on his mind. He glances over at me, his grin widening as he stops at a traffic light, then drops off entirely as I ask him for an answer.
