Page 74 of Enticed

It’s funny how when you’re a teenager, you can’t wait for the day when your parents stay out of your business and stop telling you what to do. You claim they ruin your life when they tell you no and won’t let you make stupid decisions that you swear are brilliant at the time.

And then you grow up—and you look back on your life years before and wish you would have known then what you know now—that someone could have made you see how grateful you would be one day for the people in your life that were only trying to do what was best for you and guide you in the right direction.

I know without a doubt that I wouldn’t be where I’m at without Olivia and Cooper’s parents and their willingness to love me like their own.

“Now go meet that beautiful baby and smooth things over with Liv,” she releases me and plants a kiss on my wet cheek.

I watch her walk down the hall to the restroom as I stare at the off-white door in front of me. I have so many wrongs to right before I can get back to the euphoria I felt last weekend with Cooper. With the exception of my nightmare, those few days just the two of us were the glimpse of a life I never knew I wanted. And now that I feel like I’ve lost it—well the fear of never getting it back has far surpassed the fear I felt about having it out in the open in the first place. I only wish I could have come to that realization much sooner.

“Knock, knock,” I whisper as I push open the door slowly and peek inside. The image of Kane and Olivia sitting in her bed staring down at the baby in her arms wrapped in a pink blanket is enough to bring back my tears.

“Oh, Liv,” I mumble before covering my mouth so a sob doesn’t escape.

“Hey, Auntie Clara. Come meet your niece, Evelyn,” she smiles at me like nothing ever happened hours ago—like I didn’t shred her brother’s heart and betray our friendship in a matter of seconds.

I make my way across the room as Kane glances up at me, moisture evident in his eyes.

“How are you doing there, Daddy?” I tease him as the biggest smile stretches across his face.

“Life has never been better, Clara,” he says while tightening his arm around Olivia and kissing her temple, closing his eyes as he breathes in the life he created.

My best friend is a mom, she has a family, and I am nothing but thrilled for her. I can see her contentment on her face as she stares down at her daughter and this image provides so much clarity for me.

“Can we talk, Liv? I know you’re probably exhausted, but there’s a lot I need to say…” I hate that I’m choosing to have the conversation now after she’s just birthed a human, but time is of the essence.

“Of course. Kane, can you give us a minute?” She turns to her fiancé who looks like she just asked him to leave and never come back.

“Are you gonna be okay?” He asks, worry etched in every line in his face.

“Yes, we’ll be fine babe. Go get some food or coffee or something,” she smiles. “Better yet, grab some for me too,” she widens her eyes and then giggles at him.

“You got it, babe. Be back soon,” he kisses her lips then the top of Evelyn’s head, and then stands, making his way around the bed. “You’ve got this, Clara,” he whispers at me with a wink and then strides past us to the door.

“Come sit,” Liv pats the empty space next to her that Kane just vacated, so I stumble around the bed and carefully perch next to her, instantly seeking the chubby little face in her arms.

“This is Evelyn. Evelyn, meet your Auntie Clara,” Liv coos as she strokes the side of her daughter’s face with her fingertip, her smile never fading since the moment I walked in.

“God, she’s beautiful, Liv,” I whisper while reaching out to trace the lines of her cheek as well.

“Thank you, but did you expect anything less?” She jokes and her lighthearted vibe is confusing me.

“Never. Listen, Liv…” I start but then stop to make sure I can say everything I need to say in one breath. “I’m so sorry about earlier—but more importantly, I’m sorry I lied to you.”

“Lied about what?” She cuts me off, finding my eyes now and giving me her full attention.

“So much. First off, I knew how you felt about Cooper and me from the start—and back in October. I didn’t really think anything of it. But then when he arrived on the scene at my office and shot Anthony and saved my life—well, things changed. He wasn’t just your younger brother anymore. I started to see him as a man and it scared me. Then, the flirting became worse as we kept crossing paths when he would pick me up drunk from Tony’s…”

“When were you drinking at Tony’s?”

“When was Inotdrinking at Tony’s? For a while there, after that night, alcohol was my escape from the memories and the fear that was eating me alive. Tony would always call Cooper to come get me, and somehow we grew closer and I felt myself wanting more with him.”

“You’re not drinking anymore like that though, right?” She asks, worry on her face.

“No. I stopped right around Kane’s birthday party. I was doing better, but then at the auction,” I shake my head remembering how jealous I was at the thought of Cooper going on a date with someone else, “I didn’t want some other woman dating him, and that was the true indication to me that this might be something more than just my normal behavior with men,” I say, looking away in shame.

Liv reaches over to tilt my face back to her, her hazel eyes assuring me the animosity from earlier when she discovered me and Cooper is gone. “Go on, Clara. You don’t have to be ashamed or hide from me…”

I take in a deep breath and then continue. “We went on our date and it was comfortable, familiar, and yet intriguing all at the same time. Your brother suggested we explore the connection between us, but I insisted we keep it a secret.”

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