This Time Around Ebook

Chapter 1: Aaron

“Is your goal in life to be celibate forever?” My brother Finn’s eyes gleam with amusement. The irritating kind because it’s at my expense.
“What are you talking about?” I slice Olivia’s apple into pieces, adding it to the third compartment on her kid’s lunch plate.
“That’s what you’re wearing to the Fringe?”
“What’s wrong with this?” I glance down at my jeans and white button-down, the sleeves rolled up on my forearms.
“It’s worse than I thought.” Finn directs his observation toward his girlfriend, Daisy, as she and my daughter race into the kitchen for lunch.
They’re giggling and swatting at each other, and some of the anger binding my ribs and oozing into the cavity of my chest lessens with Olivia’s smile. Seeing Livvy laugh again is healing, like a salve to the guilt I’ve been carrying around since Kate and I divorced six months ago.
“Here you go, Livvy.” I place her lunch plate and water bottle in front of her place setting, taking an extra moment to appreciate that she’s here, in my kitchen, with me. Her mother had her in Paris for the entire month of July, and between Kate’s narcissistic tendencies and her lover’s apathetic life outlook, my daughter returned home a different person.
In one short summer, Olivia transformed from a bubbly, energetic seven-year-old into a withdrawn, uninterested stranger. One glance into Liv’s sad eyes has my blood pressure spiking, my anger toward Kate clouding all rational thought. Why the hell did she have to ruin our family? Why is she putting Olivia through this much heartache at such a tender age?
I can’t allow Kate’s shortcomings to affect Olivia any more than they already have. Now that my daughter is back in Scotland, I need to make sure she knows she has one parent she can count on; that she’s my top priority and sole focus.
“Thanks, Daddy.” She gifts me a sweet smile, her pigtails falling forward as she drops her head to bite into the sandwich I prepared for her.
“What’s worse than you thought?” Daisy asks Finn, and he turns, gesturing toward me.
Daisy bites back a chuckle, her gaze sweeping over me. “Aar, you know I think you’re pretty amazing, but you can’t wear that to the Fringe.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s too serious. This is a music festival for creatives, a celebration of individuality. We’re taking Olivia to see the street performers, enjoy some kid shows. Don’t you have anything more… fun?”
“Fun?”
“Yeah, you know… like a T-shirt?”
Finn snorts his laughter, loud and obnoxious.
I glare at him, and he holds up his hands for a second before wrapping an arm around Daisy’s waist and tugging her against his frame. “Don’t get ornery, mate. We’re trying to help you.” He glances at Olivia before mouthing to me, “Get laid.”
“What does Daddy need help with?” Olivia asks curiously, missing nothing.
“His fashion sense,” Finn tells her seriously.
“Oh.” She looks at me. “I like how you look, Daddy.”
“That’s good, Liv, since your opinion is the only one I care about.”
“Just… a T-shirt, okay?” Daisy tries again. “More casual.”
Blowing out a deep breath, I yank on the back of my neck. I know Finn and Daisy have my best interests at heart, at least what they think are my best interests. They want to see me going out to blow-off steam, open to dating, maybe even actually dating. They want to know that I’m moving on from my divorce, letting go of some of the anger and bitterness that eats at my stomach like acid.
But fuck, it’s hard. Everything reminds me of Kate. Songs on the radio, ties I wore to special occasions, an Italian restaurant I pass on my way to work each morning. And every single thing I connect to her causes the swell of fury over the destruction she caused to expand. And the anguish I feel over my own failures to multiply.
When the hell is the growing bubble of disappointment going to pop?
Kate ruined too much. She stole a piece of my heart, a chunk of Olivia’s innocence, and ground them between her fingers until they disintegrated into nothingness.
And now, there’s nothing left for me to give to any female, unless her name is Olivia.
Meeting my brother and his girlfriend’s expectant gazes, I blow out a breath, like air leaking from a balloon, defeated. “A T-shirt.”
“Thank God,” Finn mutters as Daisy lets out a “Hallelujah.”
“Today is going to be fun,” Daisy calls after me as I leave the kitchen and walk down the hallway to my bedroom to change.
I raise a hand in acknowledgement, unsure if I even know how to have fun anymore.
* * *
The Fringe is a pretty big deal.
With more than 50,000 performances spanning three weeks on stages all across Edinburgh, The Fringe is a massive celebration of the arts in all forms—dance, theater, comedy, music, etc. Tourists and festival-goers flock to the city, overwhelming Edinburgh with traffic and litter in addition to individuality and creativity. It’s a pretty awesome time and it reinvigorates my perspective as a marketing executive at one of the biggest firms in the UK.
Walking down the Royal Mile, Olivia’s attention swings frantically from one street performance to the next. Bright colors, vivid patterns, and loud noises wrap us up in a creative bubble buzzing with energy.
“Look, Daddy,” She points at a dragon, the mask twisting and turning in beat to a thumping bass.
“That’s pretty awesome.” I squeeze her small hand in mine.
“I’m going to grab a program for the children’s shows. Maybe we can catch one while we’re here.” Daisy points to an information booth.
“Okay, we’ll be around here.”
It’s hot today, the sun pounding on our backs. Frowning, I shift Olivia’s hat on her head. Does she need another coat of sun cream? Did I even remember to bring the sun cream? “Olivia, drink some water.” I shake a water bottle under her nose, relieved when she takes a few sips before squealing as the dragon breathes fire.
Patting her head, I drop her water bottle into my backpack and falter, my gaze landing on a beautiful woman. A thousand memories slam into me as I take her in, my heart galloping in my chest.
Is it her?
She’s stunning, effortlessly so. The type of lovely one reads about but rarely experiences. Unassuming yet ethereal. Clad in cut-off denim shorts, fringes dangle several inches down her tanned, toned thighs. A flimsy, light pink tank top shows off her shoulders as strands of silver and gold necklaces decorate her slender neck, throwing the sunlight like a prism.
Something about the way she moves, languidly yet purposeful, like all five of her senses are engaged, soaking up the energy pulsing around her, has me stepping in her direction.
Everly Pierce.
Her petite frame, her shiny brown hair falling in waves around her shoulders, and her sun-kissed skin fills the space of my chest up with awareness, a familiarity that brings more hope than it should.
Is it her?
Why is she here?
She glances up then, as if she heard my silent question, and her eyes slam into mine.
Green—a mixture of sage and moss and olive—a shade so unforgettable, it’s imprinted in my mind, even though nearly fifteen years have passed since I’ve seen her.
Her mouth drops open, full lips I once kissed, parting in shock as confusion ripples over her expression. She shakes her head the slightest bit, and the jewelry around her neck shimmers. Wide eyes bleeding with recognition scan my face, searching for confirmation that it’s me, here, now. She takes a step forward, as if on auto-pilot, and stumbles, the ground rushing up to meet her.
“Everly.” Placing Olivia’s hand in Finn’s, I bolt toward her.