If merely contemplating a meeting with his father left him grappling with the addiction that had nearly killed him, Oliver knew he’d been right to reject all pressure to visit Vernon in prison. He paused near the second-floor landing as his phone buzzed, indicating he’d received a text. Sammi. He quickly scanned her text, concern rushing through him at her message.
Did her sudden illness mean something was wrong with the baby or was it merely normal sickness brought about by her pregnancy? Oliver rushed down the remaining stairs, and when he didn’t see Sammi anywhere inside the entrance, he moved through the door and onto the SoHo street.
Relief struck him as he spied her off to one side, her slim body wrapped in her long wool coat with faux fur accents. The welcome sight of her, shivering in the chilly night air, smothered the last of his bad temper as he approached her.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She took the arm he offered and drew him toward the curb. “I just need some fresh air. Let’s go back to your place.”
Remembering all the pleasurable activities he’d promised her earlier, Oliver hailed a cab and slid in beside her. Although she claimed to be feeling better, Oliver noted something remained off with her. He scanned her profile and noticed the rigid quality of her expression. Was she still feeling sick and didn’t want to worry him? He squeezed her hand in a reassuring manner, and her gaze barely softened as it flicked toward him.
“Did something happen at the party?” he asked as they entered his building and moved toward his elevator.
“I ran into Ty.” She leaned her back against the elevator wall, and her watchful gaze took in his reaction.
For a moment he had a hard time placing the name, and then he remembered its significance. “Your ex. Did he say something to upset you?”
“You might say that.”
The floor shifted as the elevator stopped, disrupting his balance. The doors opened, and he watched as Sammi stepped into the hallway that led to his apartment. Oliver followed, recalling his aversion to the way Ty had treated her that night. And what he had done about it.
“You should’ve told me earlier,” he said smoothly, keying the code that unlocked his door. The tension she’d displayed in the taxi seemed more tangible now, something she’d placed between them to keep him away. “I would’ve had a chat with him.”
“I think you’ve already done enough.” Sammi walked upstairs and stopped in the middle of his living room and spun around to confront him. “He said you were responsible for him losing his job. Is that true?”
“I had a conversation with a friend of mine,” Oliver admitted, his gut twisting as disappointment flashed across her beautiful face. He recognized the sensation. It happened every time his father’s critical gaze landed on him. He flinched away from the emotions crawling through him.
Sammi rolled her lips between her teeth and stared at him for several heartbeats. “Did you know it would lead to him getting fired? Did you mean for that to happen?”
“Yes. The man is a bully who picked on a woman he was dating. He picked on you. You can’t expect that I wouldn’t defend you.”
“But you didn’t defend me,” she argued, wrapping her arms around her middle. “And you didn’t do it for me. You got mad and took revenge because you were angry. He said it happened in September.” Between accusations, her breath came in unsteady rasps. “You didn’t even know me.”
He thought about the night they’d spent together and its effect on him.
I did know you.
“Regardless,” he said, the anger he’d tamped down earlier rising to meet her outrage. All Oliver had wanted to do was make things right for her, and this was the thanks he got? “You didn’t deserve to be treated like that. He needed to get a taste of his own medicine.”
“Maybe, but it wasn’t your decision to make. He hurt me.” She jabbed her finger into her chest. “And I could choose whether to retaliate or forgive.”
“And what did you choose?” he asked, already knowing she’d never retaliate. He recalled her naive suggestion that he forgive his father. Just the thought of it burned Oliver’s patience to a blackened crisp. Vernon didn’t deserve sympathy or compassion, and Oliver would be damned if he’d give him forgiveness.
“Once I met you,” Sammi said, her soft voice aching with sadness. “I had no need to do either. You entered my world and all I could think about was being with you. Everything else faded away. It was as if my life started the day we met.”
Oliver had no words. He realized that he felt the exact same way. That was why he’d been so focused on finding her. And now she was leaving him once more.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said.
“I know. I guess what I feel is disappointment. I thought your anger was something that hurt only you because it makes you isolate yourself from everyone around you.”
Despite her calm, measured tone, her words lashed at him. He hated being called out for doing something he believed in. And disappointing her reminded him too much of how he felt as a kid. As if nothing he did was good enough.
“Until now,” she continued, “I didn’t realize that your anger makes you want to hurt others. And that scares me. I’m afraid for what you do next. Who you’ll hurt next. I’m afraid it will be me.”
Her assertion landed on him like a concrete wall.
“I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“Maybe not intentionally, but Ty thinks I
