chapter 19

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it; I said it out of…." I cut him off.

"I don't care" I spit.

"I think you should go, man. You can see that she is furious right now," Chad tells Tay.

"Don't tell me what to do with my wife." Tay gets close to Chad. A black Ferrari appears; Andrew, Nate, and Future alight from the car. Future rushes towards me and the guys go to Tay and pull him away from Chad before a fight can break out.

"Tay, listen to me. You are not thinking straight right now," Andrew says, shaking Tay.

"I'm in the right state of mind. I know he wants Olivia just to get back at me." Tay yells.

"What!" I say, looking at each one of them.

"What's going on?" I ask Future.

"Later," is all she says.

"I'm not like you. Yes, Olivia is a beautiful and intelligent woman, but I will never do what you did to me. I have principles." Chad says which causes Tay to struggle against his brothers to get to him.

"Then stay away from Olivia."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. She signed a contract. She works for me now."

"Chad, please end the contract just for the sake of peace. It took years for you guys to talk again, so please consider it?" Future pleads and I look at her like she has grown two heads.

Chad sighs, "I will only consider it if you recommend someone who matches Olivia's achievements," Chad command Future.

"Where the hell will we get someone like her? You know they are rare, it's not every day you meet someone with a giant brain." Nate says.

"Exactly. I saw an opportunity, and I took it. People like Olivia are rare like you said." Chad tells Nate and I lose it.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here! And I'm not quitting my job. You have no right to tell me where to work or what to do." I yell at the top of my lungs. I have had it with them.

"Olivia, I need to talk to you," Tay says.

"Future, please tell him I don't want to talk to him," I tell Future, looking at Tay.

"Love, I need to talk to you please?" he begs.

"Future, tell him I don't want him near me," I say.

"Love please…" Future cut him off.

"ENOUGH!" Future yells and everyone goes quiet.

"I think it's time you know everything, Olivia, so I think you should talk to him." Future suggests.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaim.

"You want to know who Emily is right. And the feud between me and my uncle, lastly my friendship with Chad, and what happened?" Tay asks. He got me there; I want to know who Emily is and what is up with his uncle. And why he wants Chad to stay away from me.

"Fine." I give in.

"Nate, lend me your car keys. I came with a taxi," Tay tells Nate and he hands him his car keys. Tay pats my back, but I yank it away and walk towards the car. I slid in; buckle up, and Tay hit the road.

"Where are we going?" I ask after an hour of silence. We are driving away from the city, and he hasn't said a word about where we are going.

"We are almost there," he tells me, and I lean on the dimmed window. I don't know when I fell asleep, but I did and now Tay woke me up.

"Olivia, wake up, we are here," Tay says while shaking my shoulder. I peek through my sleepy eyes and see long trees around and a big creamy house. I close my eyes again and open them seconds later.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Our farmhouse," Tay tells me.

"Our?" I ask, confused and looking around.

"Yeah, I bought it a few weeks ago," Tay informs me.

"Oh okay!" with that I climb out of the car.

"I know you love horses, there's a stable at the back of the house." my heart warms up; I have a soft spot for horses. We enter inside the house; it is also creamy.

"How about you freshen up, and I will prepare something for you to eat? There are t-shirts in my closet that got delivered last week." Tay informs me, and I nod. I rush up the wooden stairs and walk to the room at the end of the hallway.

Master bedrooms are always at the end, right?

There is a big king size bed in the middle, and a door at the end of the room. I walk through it to find a bathtub. A closet is also connected to the bathroom. I dress up in Tay's t-shirt and boxers. He already has his part of the closet filled with his clothes. I fold my hair into a messy bun and walk out.

The smell of food makes my stomach growl in hunger. I sit on the barstool and Tay hands me a plate with a sandwich and a glass of juice. We eat in silence and later he clears the table.

"I guess now it's time to tell you everything?" he runs his hand through his hair and looks deep into my eyes—and what he said had me speechless.

"Chad and I were friends in college. He dated Emily. The three of us used to hang out."

"There was a time when Chad would neglect Emily. Both used to come to me whenever they had problems. The more time I spent with Emily, the more I liked her. One night she came to my dorm room with puffy eyes. Their fight went extreme that night, one minute I was comforting her and the next thing we were kissing—" Tay pours himself whiskey.

"We fucked that night. It was my first time having sex, and I did it with my friend's girlfriend. It became our regular thing, and one day Chad found us. I couldn't even look him in the eyes. I was ashamed. They broke up and after some days Emily and I dated. I introduced her to my family. My brothers loved her, and we got closer to each other. I tried to talk to Chad multiple times, but wasn't successful. He loved her; I saw it in his eyes." Tay gulps down his drink.

"My father groomed me to take over the family business and like they say, 'a leopard never changes its spots' Emily cheated on me with my uncle; David. I then knew how Chad felt when I betrayed him. David was my father's rival since they were young, and he made it his life's goal to destroy us. Emily disappeared, and I didn't even bother looking for her." He continues,

"Chad and I talked a few months ago; we even went into business together. We were completing a deal the day you two met." It's true when they say not all that glitters is gold. Who would have ever thought that Tay would betray his friend? Now a lot of things make sense. He loved or liked Emily as much as Chad did.

"Ria was my fuck buddy; she was never my girlfriend. All the women I have been with were nothing to me. They meant nothing to me. I settled for Ria because I was stressing mom, and I didn't want her to worry especially during the course of her illness—" he runs his hand over his hair and sighs.

"When Future told me, you went to Chad's company, all I could think of was him snatching you for vengeance." Tay confesses. I don't know how I feel about this whole revelation. The Payne brothers are more complicated than I thought. People outside might think they are living a good life, but all they do is fight.

"I had always avoided this topic over the past years. I thought if I just fucked around then I will be fine, but you happened." He looks at me.

"You took my breath away the moment I saw you," Tay says, and reaches for my hand. I let him hold it.

"You are the living proof that; no matter the obstacles in life, giving up isn't an option. That life is a war, the same as love. I know the pain I caused you is deeper, but it worth building us to be better people. You are the reason I want to embrace love. My heart feels alive again, and it is all because of you. I have this urge to protect you. You might think there's nothing left to fight for, but there's more to fight for, love. In life, you only win if you keep trying. I know I messed up on our wedding day, but please give me a second chance. That's all I'm asking for. I'm prepared to make this marriage work alongside you." I had no words to utter.

"I may have never been your first kiss, and I know I'm not the one who deflowered you, but I can be your last in everything, 'till death do us apart'," Tay promises, still holding my hands. The chemistry that runs through my body is pure bliss.

"You are my first kiss," I confess.

"One more chance. I promise I won't fuck up." his voice was promising, but even rules are broken, right?

"Don't make promises you won't keep," I say.

"If I fuck up again, then don't forgive me. Better yet, file for a divorce," Tay suggests, and what I say next shocks the hell out of me.

"No more secrets?" he looks taken aback by my question but composes himself.

"No more secrets," Tay says with a smile on his face.

"Oh, and I'm not quitting my job." Am I making the right decision for giving him another chance? I can't help but doubt my decision.

****

The morning sunlight hits my face; I groan and pull the sheets to cover my face. I'm going to kill Tay for opening the curtains; I extend my hand to touch Tay's side, only to feel the bed's sheets. I can't believe him, so he opened the curtains when he woke up. Argh! Seconds pass, and I drag myself to the bathroom. After our talk last night, we watched movies in bed, Tay's arms wrapped around my torso until I fell asleep.

I take a quick shower and dress up in Tay's shirt and boxers again. I pull my hair into a messy bun and walk out. Tay is wearing a white apron and holding a big glass bowl.

"Morning," I say and sit on the barstool.

"Morning." he kisses me on the forehead.

"What are you making?" I ask.

"Muffins," Tay informs me.

"Can I help?" I ask. He looks at me for a moment, then sighs.

"Come here." He offers me his hand and I take it. He takes me to the sink and washes my hands, then dries them with a cloth. His phone buzzes.

"Shit! I have to take this call...Um...pour milk, crack two eggs, pour salt, butter, baking powder, and sugar in the flour then stir it, I will be right back," and with that, he walks away answering his phone. I take two eggs and milk out in the fridge—crack the eggs and pour sugar, butter, and then salt. Last, I pour baking powder and milk, then stir with the wooden spoon. Minutes pass and Tay walks in and puts his finger in the dough and tastes it.

"Fuck! Olivia...this is salty," Tay informs me, and I frown.

"I poured everything you said I should," I tell Tay and taste it myself.

Oh! My god! It is salty as hell.

"I don't understand," I whisper to myself.

"Love; do you know how to differentiate between salt and sugar?" Tay asks, and I look at the small glass bowls of white sugar and salt. Oh! No, I must have used the salt twice, thinking it is sugar.

"They all look the same. It's hard to tell the difference. It's not my fault you did not label them," I say and Tay bits his lower lip to prevent a laugh.

"How did you survive in university, huh?" Tay asks as he takes the bowl away.

"They fed us on campus," I groaned and made my way to the lounge, and threw myself on the couch. I flip over the channels with the remote.

"What are you watching" Tay asks out of nowhere.

"Um...nothing," I say, and make space for him on the couch.

He sits on the couch and pulls me to his lap so that I am straddling him. "Did I tell you how cute and hot you look in my clothes?" Tay asks, and I bit my lower lip, shaking my head.

"Well. Love, you look beautiful," Tay informs me. He tucks my hair behind my ear and leans in.

"Beautiful," Tay's voice sends chills up my spine. My stomach flips with butterflies. God! This is the best feeling ever.

"You are killing me here," he whispers. The pad of his thumb trails over my lower lip. Our foreheads and noses touch, our breathes become one. I place my hands on his shoulders and look at him. His eyes are solely focused on my lips, causing me to bite my lip again. His gaze on my lips makes me feel nervous suddenly.

Our lips collide and I swear to God I forgot how to breathe. His hand moves up to support my head and the other one stays around my waist. The kiss slowly turns into a hungry one. His grip on my waist tightens, and I run my hands in his hair and earn a moan from him. He pulls away and before I can whimper a complaint, he trails kisses down my jaw and I moan. I throw my head back, giving him more access. His lips are now on my neck and God! I'm on fire.

I feel his lips on my earlobe and I squirm under his touch. He realises he has found my weakest spot which I also didn't know existed until now and goes for it. He sucks my earlobe and I squirm more. Something pokes me between my inner thighs and I release a shaky breath.

"Fuck! I want to taste you from your lips to your toes." Tay says against my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

"Taste me then." Why does one of my body parts always betray me? Why did I have to say it out loud? I thought I said it in my head. Tay snaps his head up to look me in the eye, shocked.

"Are you sure?" I bite my lower lip; do I want Tay's lips all over my body?

Hell yes.

I have been bewitched for real.

I nod, as I don't have the voice to say it out loud.

"I need to hear you say it," Tay informs. Is he going to make me say it out loud?

"I won't do anything until you say it," Tay informs me again. I take a deep breath.

"I'm sure." and with that, I bury my head in the crook of his neck.