Page 34 of Battered Moves

The guys nod in agreement, all reaching out to stroke her, and Liv leans into my embrace once more.

“Can we just stay here for a bit longer?” she asks, sniffling.

“Of course,” I reply, squeezing her. “As long as you need.”

Just then, tires screech behind us, and a black Land Rover Defender comes to a halt next to our cars. Gunner jumps out of it and runs over to us. I let go of Liv, and she stands up, swaying a bit just before he picks her up. Her legs wrap around him, and he sits down with her straddling him between the guys and me on her towel, not caring about his suit and dress shoes.He holds her tight, cradling her head against his chest.

“I’ve got you now, Livy,” he whispers into her hair. “I searched the whole fucking city for you.”

“I’m sorry,” she cries.

“Don’t be. You’re not alone. Look around, there are so many people who care for you. You don’t have to go through anything alone anymore,” he says, rubbing her back.

“Everyone I love leaves me or dies,” she says, sobbing into his suit, and I glance at the guys to find all of them looking heartbroken and near tears themselves.

“We’re going nowhere, beautiful,” River says as he strokes her knee, his voice weak.

We sit there, watching the sunset and listening to Liv’s sniffling before she finally falls asleep in Gunner’s arms.

“Let’s get her home,” I say, standing up.

All of them stand as well, Gunner holding Liv in his arms. He looks at me and grimaces.

“I need to work tonight. I can’t afford to skip it, and I’m already late,” he says.

River steps forward and opens his arms, allowing Gunner to hand Liv over to him. I put a hand on Gunner’s shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you for including us today. We’ll take her from here, and I’ll text you later to let you know how she’s doing.”

“Thanks, man,” he says with a nod before turning and walking to his car.

“God, do we have to like him now?” Ryder asks with a huff.

Chase chuckles before picking up the towel, boombox, Liv’s purse, and the empty bottle.He shakes it, making a face.

“Our girl can drink,” he says, and I grimace, feeling guilty that we didn’t notice Liv was struggling so much.

“Let’s go,” I say.

Chase hands Ryder Liv’s car keys so he and River can drive her back in the Mini while Chase sits in the Jeep beside me.

“We fucked up badly today, brother,” he tells me.

I nod.We sure did.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Liv

I feel an overwhelming sense of relief as I finally get out of my classes for the day. Watching a video of a ballet dancer doing pirouette after pirouette made me feel even more nauseous, but I couldn’t afford to miss another day of class.

Yesterday, I just needed to numb myself to get through the day somehow. I’m still feeling hurt but spending the day sitting with my grief was helpful. Allowing myself to remember and miss them will eventually help me move on, or so my therapist says. We’ll see.

This morning, I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a bus and couldn’t remember anything after I got to the beach yesterday, like how they found me or how I got there. I found myself lying between the twins in River’s room, with Chase asleep in River’s desk chair and Jaxon standing beside the bed with a glass of water and pain meds.He didn’t say anything, and there was no accusation or pity in his eyes, just understanding. I took the pills, had a shower, and put on yesterday’s sweats again, but I needed to get home so I could get a fresh set of clothes.

As I stepped out of the shower, I found Ryder and River waiting for me at the door. They were all set to drive my car to my apartment complex, since Jaxon told them that I might still be a little too drunk to drive. I was grateful for their concern, but I wanted to take care of myself. I insisted on driving myself, and after some convincing, they reluctantly agreed. As I walked out, I could sense their unease, but I promised them that I would be careful.

Now I’m walking towards my car, which I parked just off campus, and all I can think about is getting something greasy to eat to satisfy my growling stomach. I place a hand on my belly, trying to calm it down.

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