“Sorry about that. He should have called first.” And returned his house key. She’d also promised to call him today.
“They’re pretty,” Amber says.
Olivia sniffs the flowers. They’re beautiful. Perfectly imperfect, like her and Blaze. He’s never given her flowers. The gesture is oddly romantic. Her stomach feels like a ballerina twirling. A hint of a smile adds a curve to her lips.
“He’s so in love with you, Olivia.”
“I know.” She really hurt him and sensed that much last night when he saw Ethan.
“He was also very curious about Josh.”
That gets her attention. “How so?”
“He asked a lot of questions, like where he’s from, and all that.”
Her heart rate speeds up. Josh could have had another anxiety attack and she wouldn’t have been here for him.
“Did Blaze find out anything new?”
Amber shakes her head. “Josh was mixing up his words pretty bad. Nothing he said made sense. But he kept his cool.”
“Good.”
“Blaze wanted me to remind you that you promised to call him.”
“I know.” She rubs a peony petal between her fingers. “I think I’ll pay him a visit instead.” She owes it to him to have this conversation face-to-face.
“Thought you might say that.” Amber settles back in her chair and kicks up her feet. “Take your time. I’ve got my book.”
Blaze opens his door wearing a shirt with a Harley-Davidson logo and faded jeans clinging to his hips, looking not at all surprised to find her on his porch. His hair is loose, tousled, and falls above his shoulders, his feet bare. “I asked Amber for you to call, but this is better.” He grins, his mouth pulling wide and tugging on her heart.
She shows him her hand, palm up. “Key, please,” she says gently before she gets distracted and forgets.
He gives her a sad smile and reaches for the key chain on the small circular table by the door and twists off her house key. He presses the key into her palm. “Your car wasn’t there. I didn’t think you were home.”
“You shouldn’t come over without calling first, not while Josh is staying with me.” She’s worried about his safety and Blaze showing up unannounced might scare her nephew.
“I know.” He runs a hand over his head, holding the hair off his face. He leans an elbow against the jamb. “I’m still getting used to our new arrangement.”
They don’t have an arrangement. Whatever this is now between them is her fault, and she should repair it. She wants to repair them. She studies the key in her palm and runs her thumb over the sharp teeth. “Amber tells me you talked with Josh.”
“Cool kid.”
“Did he tell you anything?” she asks, hoping he gleaned something she has yet to find out.
Blaze moves back and lets her in. “Everything okay?” she asks, noticing the bewilderment tweaking his brows.
He closes the door. “I think he’s Ty’s kid.”
“Your brother?” she asks, stunned.
“Maybe.” He scratches the back of his neck.
Lily never shared anything beyond friendship with Tyler as far as she knew. Olivia thought they lost touch when they lost their summers. And Tyler never asked about Lily when she was over at Blaze’s house when they were dating.
“Explain,” she says.
“Not sure I can. It’s a hunch, Liv. I was in the army at the time. Ty got himself into some trouble and skipped town for a bit. Pissed off my mom.”
“She was still sick then?”
He nods. “It was near the end. When I heard Lily ran away I wondered if it had anything to do with Ty. They left around the same time.”
“He came back, though. Wouldn’t he have stayed with her if it was his kid?”
“That’s why I’m not sure.”
“Ask him.” At this point, anything is worth a shot. Tyler might know where Lily ran off to.
“I doubt he’ll answer, but I’ll try.” After Harold’s sudden passing, he left their properties in both Blaze’s and Tyler’s names. Blaze wanted to remodel and sell. Tyler couldn’t let them go. As far as Olivia knows, Blaze has been renting out the homes waiting for Tyler to change his mind. But the two have been at odds since before Harold passed. Tyler resented Blaze for leaving him to care for their mother. She had a live-in nurse, but Tyler took the brunt of responsibility between the two brothers. He was living at home, attending classes at a local JC because their mother needed constant care and Blaze wasn’t around.
“Where is he, by the way?”
“Milan, Singapore, who knows.” Tyler’s a financial wiz with some big-name tech company Olivia can’t remember. Blaze once told her Tyler splits his time between San Francisco and New York, but he’s essentially all over the place.
She follows Blaze into the sparsely furnished great room at the back of the ranch house. A recording of the Angels vs. Astros game from earlier in the week is paused on the big-screen TV. In the kitchen, the dishwasher runs.
Blaze picks his phone off the couch and calls Tyler.
“Wait.” She grabs his forearm, her mind on her dad. He ends the call. “Don’t mention Josh. Lily kept the father’s name off his birth certificate for a reason. She might have been protecting him. Until I know why, the fewer people who know where he is the better.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Tell him it’s a family emergency and we’re trying to reach Lily.”
He drags a hand over his bearded chin. “You know, I could move back in if you’re worried about his safety. Keep that bed of yours warm.”
She rolls her eyes. “Call your brother.”
He smirks and presses the phone to his ear. “Ty, it’s Blaze. Call me when you get this. It’s urgent.” He hangs up and tosses the phone onto the couch. His face softens and he lightly skims his fingers along her jawline. “You doing okay?”
She feels his touch all the way to her toes and her face crumples and her defenses fall. “I’m sorry. I screwed up. I got scared. I never should have assumed anything about you and Macey.” It feels good to admit what she feels, to finally be real with him, and to herself.
He traces the shell of her ear, tucks back her hair. “I wouldn’t cheat on you, Olivia. I learned my lesson.” His mouth angles up into a half smile.
She realizes that now. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Enough for me to keep my key?”
“Blaze . . .” She rolls her eyes and he chuckles.
“It’s okay to love me. You told me once, long ago. You can tell me again.”
That once was a couple weeks before he hooked up with Macey, and he didn’t say the words back. Granted, they were sixteen, but it left an impression that’s rippled through her other relationships, including those with Lily and Lucas. She’s always hesitated to express her true feelings.
His demeanor softens, but there’s still a cocky edge. He presses a thumb to the corner of her eye, absorbing the moisture she didn’t realize was collecting there. “Where’s Josh?”
“Home, with Amber.”
He tucks a finger under her chin and coaxes her face up until their eyes meet. “Stay.”