kissed my forehead and held my phone out for me to take.
Seeing it was my dad only made irritation roll through me. He had dragged his feet on the whole apartment issue and just last night told me he decided against it. He was being damn stubborn. As if being in a dorm would stop me from acting like an adult. Hell, my roommate didn’t let the dorm stop her from banging every guy within a ten mile radius. My father thought keeping me locked away in a dorm would keep me in a little metaphorical cage.
“You do understand that he will just keep calling?” Keeton whispered, causing me to roll my eyes.
“Yes,” I replied. “I fully understand that, but I like to make him sweat. It’s actually quite humorous to work him up until his face changes colors.”
“I’ve seen the way you work him up.” Keeton pulled his arms from behind my head and got up from the couch. I instantly missed him.
He looked back over his shoulder and flashed that dimple that made my stomach tense with excitement, every time. “Call him back, babe.”
But before I could think of doing so, my phone began to ring again. I groaned and hit the button to answer the call.
“I was two seconds from hopping on a damn plane, Olivia.” he growled. He didn’t even take the time to say hello.
“Well hello to you too, Dad.” I leaned back against the couch cushion and closed my eyes. “I’m doing well, thanks; how about yourself?”
“Stop being a smartass,” he added. “What took you so long to answer?”
“I was studying.” It sounded more like a question than an answer. I opened my eyes to find Keeton standing in front of me with his eyes narrowed and his brows scrunched up together.
My father’s response was more of a grunt before he started to talk again. “I was calling because I have some good news.”
For a moment I grew excited at the idea of him calling to tell me he changed his mind about the apartment, but then he began again.
“Amber’s pregnant,” he said, and I could hear the happiness in his voice. It hadn’t been the news I was hoping for, but it was happy all the same. It was hard not to smile knowing I would have another brother, or even a sister.
Had someone asked me five years ago if I wanted a brother or sister I would have thought they were crazy. I gave that notion up when my mother passed. But after my dad married Amber and they shared the news of Rory and Rogan, I couldn’t remember a time I had been happier. I adored the two of them and couldn’t imagine what it would be like without them.
“That’s so exciting,” I said as my eyes grew misty. “How far?”
“Still real early, but we wanted you to be the first to know.”
He grew quiet for a moment. “I know you’re mad at me about the apartment thing.”
“It’s all right.” I didn’t want this to be yet another argument. I wanted to just enjoy the news.
“Can we just get through this year, you come home for the summer, and we’ll talk more about it?” He sounded suddenly sad.
“Yeah, Dad,” I replied. “The year is almost over anyway, and you wouldn’t be able to get back any of the housing costs for the dorm, so we’ll just consider it for next year.”
“So I didn’t run you off from coming home for the summer?” I couldn’t help but laugh at my father’s weak attempt to assure my presence back in Livingston.
“I’ll be there,” I assured him. “I miss my boys.”
“They miss you too, Liv,” he said with a chuckle. “We all do.”
“Love you, Dad,” I told him.
We said our goodbyes and I hung up just as Keeton sat down at my side. “Everything okay?”
“My stepmom is pregnant,” I said, and once again smiled so big my cheeks ached. Keeton smiled in return because he had spent more than enough time listening to me go on and on about my little brothers. “It was hard to be upset with him about the apartment argument when he sounded so happy.”
Keeton just sat and listened to me ramble.
“I spent
Seeing it was my dad only made irritation roll through me. He had dragged his feet on the whole apartment issue and just last night told me he decided against it. He was being damn stubborn. As if being in a dorm would stop me from acting like an adult. Hell, my roommate didn’t let the dorm stop her from banging every guy within a ten mile radius. My father thought keeping me locked away in a dorm would keep me in a little metaphorical cage.
“You do understand that he will just keep calling?” Keeton whispered, causing me to roll my eyes.
“Yes,” I replied. “I fully understand that, but I like to make him sweat. It’s actually quite humorous to work him up until his face changes colors.”
“I’ve seen the way you work him up.” Keeton pulled his arms from behind my head and got up from the couch. I instantly missed him.
He looked back over his shoulder and flashed that dimple that made my stomach tense with excitement, every time. “Call him back, babe.”
But before I could think of doing so, my phone began to ring again. I groaned and hit the button to answer the call.
“I was two seconds from hopping on a damn plane, Olivia.” he growled. He didn’t even take the time to say hello.
“Well hello to you too, Dad.” I leaned back against the couch cushion and closed my eyes. “I’m doing well, thanks; how about yourself?”
“Stop being a smartass,” he added. “What took you so long to answer?”
“I was studying.” It sounded more like a question than an answer. I opened my eyes to find Keeton standing in front of me with his eyes narrowed and his brows scrunched up together.
My father’s response was more of a grunt before he started to talk again. “I was calling because I have some good news.”
For a moment I grew excited at the idea of him calling to tell me he changed his mind about the apartment, but then he began again.
“Amber’s pregnant,” he said, and I could hear the happiness in his voice. It hadn’t been the news I was hoping for, but it was happy all the same. It was hard not to smile knowing I would have another brother, or even a sister.
Had someone asked me five years ago if I wanted a brother or sister I would have thought they were crazy. I gave that notion up when my mother passed. But after my dad married Amber and they shared the news of Rory and Rogan, I couldn’t remember a time I had been happier. I adored the two of them and couldn’t imagine what it would be like without them.
“That’s so exciting,” I said as my eyes grew misty. “How far?”
“Still real early, but we wanted you to be the first to know.”
He grew quiet for a moment. “I know you’re mad at me about the apartment thing.”
“It’s all right.” I didn’t want this to be yet another argument. I wanted to just enjoy the news.
“Can we just get through this year, you come home for the summer, and we’ll talk more about it?” He sounded suddenly sad.
“Yeah, Dad,” I replied. “The year is almost over anyway, and you wouldn’t be able to get back any of the housing costs for the dorm, so we’ll just consider it for next year.”
“So I didn’t run you off from coming home for the summer?” I couldn’t help but laugh at my father’s weak attempt to assure my presence back in Livingston.
“I’ll be there,” I assured him. “I miss my boys.”
“They miss you too, Liv,” he said with a chuckle. “We all do.”
“Love you, Dad,” I told him.
We said our goodbyes and I hung up just as Keeton sat down at my side. “Everything okay?”
“My stepmom is pregnant,” I said, and once again smiled so big my cheeks ached. Keeton smiled in return because he had spent more than enough time listening to me go on and on about my little brothers. “It was hard to be upset with him about the apartment argument when he sounded so happy.”
Keeton just sat and listened to me ramble.
“I spent
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