by Natalie Ann
“You did.”
Finn picked him up and tossed him high in the air, then caught him as he hit the water with a big splash, sending water raining down on Olivia, who’d been standing close by watching.
“If I put my floaties on, will you toss me and not catch me?”
“Sure. Go get them.”
Finn watched Trey make his way to the stairs and run up them to get his arm floats sitting on the patio. Dusk had fallen and they’d been swimming for over an hour now.
When Olivia walked out in her swimsuit, he had all he could do to roll his tongue back in his mouth.
The funny part was, it wasn’t a sexy swimsuit at all. It was a two-piece athletic one. More like a sports bra on top and boy shorts on the bottom.
Though he’d seen her naked twice, everything had been hurried with little to no time to appreciate her body.
But seeing her in that swimsuit, getting a good look at how sculpted her muscles were, made him realize she must work out. By the looks of the bathing suit, he had an idea now of what form of exercise that was.
“You like to swim, I see.”
“What gave it away? My sexy suit.” She started to pose for him, turning front and back with a hand on her hip. She was something else.
“That, with the muscles all over you.”
“Muscles,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I prefer to say I’m toned.”
“Say what you want, but it looks good on you.”
She leaned closer and quietly told him, “I’m saving my sexy suit for when we’re alone.”
His eyes lit up. “I appreciate that and can’t wait to see it.”
They’d had no more time to talk about it though, not with Trey running around the pool and finally stopping in front of them asking to get in.
So for another hour they swam around, splashing each other and playing. Olivia hadn’t been one bit concerned over the water in her face. Nope, she walked to the deep end, climbed on the diving board, and dove right in.
“Where did you swim before you bought the house?”
“When the weather warmed up enough, I began swimming each day at the lake, if not here. Before that, I’ve always belonged to a gym with a pool. I find swimming is the only exercise I don’t mind doing. Nothing else has ever really stuck with me for some reason.”
“So then I bet you were thrilled this house came with a pool?”
“I was, even though it’s a lot of work. Then again, I found myself a pretty awesome pool boy. It would have been nicer if it had an indoor pool though so I could use it all year round.”
He decided to bypass the pool boy comment. “You’ve got enough land to put one in on the other side of the house. Though that would defeat the purpose of having an outdoor pool.”
“True. I don’t mind going to a gym though. This works just fine and its heated, which means I can open it up earlier and close it later in the fall, too.”
For the last hour they’d chatted about nothing in general, played with Trey by throwing balls around, laughing and splashing. It did his heart good to see Trey so open and free around Olivia.
And to see Olivia accept Trey, too. To see her horsing around with him, tickling him, and not being afraid to say what she wanted.
Everything she did around Trey was honest. He could see that. No hidden agendas, no mixed signals, nothing. Just three people having fun.
“It’s getting dark, Trey. Already past your bedtime.”
“I don’t want to leave, though,” Trey said.
Finn looked over and saw Trey floating around in the shallow end, picking up the foam basketball and tossing it near the hoop that Olivia had pulled out of the pool house as a surprise for Trey.
“Trey,” Finn warned. “You know the rules.”
“I want to stay.”
Finn sighed. Trey didn’t often disobey him, but he could see the signs. Excitement mixed in with tiredness was a recipe for disaster.
“If you don’t do what you’re told then Olivia might not invite you back again.”
He looked over to see her reaction to what was unfolding, but her expression hadn’t changed. She was still relaxing in the floating lounge chair.
“Can I stay longer, Olivia?” Trey asked.
“Trey. You know better.”
Olivia looked over at Trey, then at him, caught his expression and said, “I’m sorry, buddy. It’s not up to me. You should listen to your father.”
“But if it was up to you?” Trey asked, trying again.
That was the final straw for Finn. Trey tried this once before with his grandmother and she’d also known enough to stay out of the middle.
“It’s not up to Olivia. You heard her. I’m your father. It’s time to go now,” he said more firmly.
“No!” Trey shouted. “I want to stay.”
“Trey, out of the water now,” Finn said.
He wasn’t shouting. He tried to never do that. It never worked anyway, but Trey knew enough when Finn was angry, like he was now.
It only took the one look that Finn didn’t use often and Trey burst into tears.
“You never let me do what I want. You always have to work and we never have fun. I want to stay and have fun.”
Trey was sobbing hard now and ended up gulping water in, causing him to panic and flay about, then cry even harder. Both he and Olivia rushed over to him, not that Trey was in any danger, but Finn grabbed him and set him on the side of the pool as Trey had a coughing fit.
The coughing and crying were both breaking Finn’s heart and aggravating him at the same time. He had to stay firm though; he’d learned that lesson. If he gave in once during a temper tantrum, then Trey thought he’d get his way every time he acted up.
“Go sit in the chair by the house until you can stop crying. When you’re done crying you know what you need to do. Olivia was nice enough to invite you over today. If you want to be invited again, then you have to learn your manners.”
“You’re mean! You won’t even take me to Michael’s party next week.”
Finn watched as Trey stood up and stomped toward the house, crying the entire way. Once Trey was seated and bawling in his hands, Finn looked over to Olivia, who was standing next to him in the shallow end.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” she said quietly, running her hand on his arm. “He’s feeling his way. I’m sure he’s tired, too. A lot of excitement and new territory for him tonight.”
“Yeah. I know. But I think this really has more to do with me not being able to bring him to the Mathews’s Fourth of July party. I’ve got to work at the firehouse. I can’t get it off—holidays aren’t that easy to switch shifts with people.”
“Well, I can bring him.”
“After his behavior today? No way.”
“Finn. He’s four. My mother reminded me this morning that I was a complete brat when I first met Anthony. She introduced me to him as my stepfather. I hadn’t even known she’d gotten married. It’s natural.”
“You’re not my wife.” He regretted saying those words the minute they were out of his mouth. He couldn’t tell if she was hurt over his tone, or surprised, but he was guessing hurt and he felt like even more of a heel. This day was going into the shitter fast. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong.”
“Don’t apologize. I understand.” She looked over at Trey still crying. “How long will you make him sit there?” He could see her eyes had cooled a bit, but she was trying to hide it.
“Once he stops crying he can come back over. He knows the rules.”
“So he’s being punished until he stops crying?”
“I’m not really punishing him now. I allow him to cry. I don’t have a problem with that. But he has to do it in a space that gives him freedom, or time to get control of himself.”
“That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
He didn’t expect her to understand. “Listen, Olivia. What happens when you’re upset with someone? You can’t get o
ver that feeling if they’re standing there next to you, right? Don’t you need some space to let your frustrations out first, then compose yourself before you talk to that person again?”
He knew he did. There were plenty of times Becca pushed every one of his buttons too far and too fast, getting right in his face yelling and even shoving him. He walked away more times than he could count trying to compose himself.
“I guess. So that’s what you’re doing?”
“That’s what I’m teaching him to do. It’s okay to get mad, it’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to need space to get control. He knows that. I’m trying to let him have some freedom over his emotions. I don’t want him to think he can’t express himself, but he always knows that there are rules to be followed. Once he comes to terms with what he did, and his emotions, he’ll come back to me. He knows I’ll be waiting for him.”
He watched as her eyes filled. Now what did he do wrong? Was she judging him on his parenting? What else could go wrong today?
“Finn, that is the nicest thing. I wish my mother had done that when I was a kid. When I acted up, I got sent to my room as a punishment. It didn’t stop me from acting up; it just made me do it more and more until she paid attention to me. Then she learned to ignore me, which just ticked me off more. I never felt I could just go and talk to her. Ever. Not as a child. But you’re teaching him that now.”
“Someone has to teach him. I’m all he has.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. He wasn’t going to push her; if she wanted to say it she would.
He walked up the steps out of the water and knew she was following him. They grabbed their towels and started to dry off.
He looked over at Trey and saw that his crying was lessening, until he looked up and made eye contact with Finn and started to bawl all over again. Finn sighed. “We might be sitting here for a bit.”
“He really will come over and talk to you?”
“He will. Did you see him start to cry when I looked at him just now?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“If I went over to talk to him when he wasn’t ready, we’d get nothing but more crying and more temper tantrums. Trust me on this. I know my kid.” Better than he ever thought he would.
“I believe you. You’re doing a great job on your own. I’m not sure if anyone has ever told you that before. Even if they have, I wanted you to know that I think you’re a terrific father.”
“Thanks. It’s nice to hear it from someone other than family.” He stopped and looked around at Olivia’s yard, wanting to change the subject. It was a hard one for him to talk about, especially with his son sitting there crying his eyes out because Finn couldn’t get a day off of work and bring him to a party to be with his friends. “Your mom called you this morning?” he asked, forcing the conversation another way.
“No, she’s here visiting.”
Finn turned his head sharply. “You didn’t say she was coming.”
“I didn’t know until she knocked on the door to my store this morning. She and Anthony decided to surprise me for the grand opening. We spent some time arranging jewelry and talking about you and Trey.”
“Really? Do I want to know?”
“It’s not bad. She wanted me to have dinner with them tonight, but I said I had plans. She figured out it was with a man and one thing led to another.”
“We could have changed nights.”
“No. I keep my word. I’ve been a nervous wreck over this night with Trey and I wasn’t going to put it off. I can have dinner with my mother tomorrow night. Trust me, she completely understood.”
Finn remembered the conversations they’d had about Victoria and having a lot of men in her life, often putting those men before her daughters.
“So you’ll be busy the next few days with the store and your mother.”
“I will.” She paused and looked over at Trey quickly, who was now just sniffling in the chair. “She asked to meet you, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
He wasn’t sure why and didn’t want to guess, but had a feeling he knew the answer. “I’m not up to her standards, right?”
“Not up to her standards, no. Not like you might think, though. It’s a good thing.”
How him not measuring up for Olivia was a good thing was beyond him, but it was just a reminder that she was way out of his league. He didn’t need his son to throw a temper tantrum to remind him they were at different places in their lives.
“How’s that?”
“Well, you aren’t the type of guy she’d want…for herself. You wouldn’t coddle her, give her everything she wanted, do everything for her, and put her up on a pedestal.”
He didn’t want to be insulted over that description, even if it was true. “Probably not.”
She smiled at him, her eyes softening. “No probably about it. It’s not who you are. That’s the good part. You see, you’re nothing like a man she’d want for herself, and everything I do. Not so long ago I thought I wanted all the things you aren’t. Then one day I grew up and realized I didn’t need those things. I just need you.”
Proud
Finn watched Olivia lock the door after the last customer.
He was so proud of her. He’d never been proud of a significant other before. Never knew what it would feel like to experience that. It was right up there with watching Trey’s achievements. Even watching Olivia’s expression days ago when Trey stopped crying and walked over to him while he held his arms out for Trey’s hug.
Finn didn’t even have to say a word, Trey wiped his eyes one more time and said, “I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“I know, Trey. We all have bad days and you had one. It happens. But acknowledging and apologizing is the right thing to do.”
Trey nodded his head, his bottom lip wobbling a little, then he looked over to Olivia and said, “I’m sorry I misbehaved. Thank you for letting me swim at your house. I hope I can come again.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Olivia had said, her eyes a little damp. “You can come over any time your daddy says you can.” She opened her arms up wide. “Can I have a hug too?”
Trey was growing up before his eyes. He didn’t know a lot of adults who would have apologized without being prompted, let alone a four-year-old. It was just another reminder there was nothing of Becca in Trey, and for that he could be forever grateful. She never apologized for anything—never thought she needed to.
Olivia was right, Finn was doing a good job on his own. He always felt it, but still had his doubts. Watching Trey that day made him realize that they were doing okay together. Just the two of them.
But maybe just doing okay wasn’t enough anymore.
He thought he’d panic when she’d said, “I just need you,” but oddly enough, he didn’t. He couldn’t speak, the words lodged in his throat, but he reached for and held her tight. He wanted to say he needed her too, but those words were trapped inside.
The thought of opening himself up to another person was too much for him to think about. He’d been taking baby steps with Olivia, and in one night everything rushed at him full force.
It was time to man up. If his son could man up, then so could he.
He’d spent days thinking and realized that he was tired of fighting it. Tired of doing it alone. He could do it alone, he had been, but why should he have to?
And part of manning up was accepting the dinner invitation with Olivia’s mother. He was going to try to get Sherri to watch Trey, but Victoria insisted that Trey come along too. It wasn’t ideal, but he agreed.
That night he’d been a nervous wreck, more nervous than Trey. Thankfully, they didn’t go to a fancy restaurant, but rather one on the lake. The weather had been nice enough to sit on the deck, and Trey was entertained watching the boats.
Victoria was everything he’d thought she’d be and more. Stunning, no doubt there. Classy, absolutely. Sophisticated and wreaking of wealth, definitely. But she was nic
e. She wasn’t judgmental and she was actually accepting. Not just of Finn, but of Trey.
“Olivia told me you made those stunning display cases in the store,” Victoria had said.
“I did.”
“You must know my daughter well, as that store and the design speak volumes of who she is deep down.”
“I’d like to think I do.” He wasn’t sure where she was going with that statement.
“Not too many people know Olivia that well,” Anthony had said.
Olivia’s stepfather had been a shock to him. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but not a man that was shorter than Olivia. Anthony was on the thin side and not as immaculately groomed as Victoria. Not that he didn’t look nice, because he did, but he didn’t give off the air of sophistication as Victoria did.
Wealth, yes, that showed through clearly from the Rolex on his wrist, to the Louis Vuitton moccasins he was wearing with his tan pants, to the designer shirt Finn was clueless the name of or cost. Either way, out of Finn’s realm of reality. To anyone else without a critical eye, Anthony was just another man in cotton pants, a polo shirt, and loafers.
“I’m almost afraid to ask why,” Finn said to Anthony.
Anthony paused and looked over at Olivia, smiled sweetly at her, and said, “I don’t think Olivia knew the real her until recently, either. She took a little longer than most, but she found her way.”
There was no doubt Anthony looked at Olivia as his daughter and treated her as such. Both Victoria and Anthony couldn’t say enough nice things about Olivia and their pride showed through.
Whatever had happened in Olivia’s youth between her mother and stepfather was a thing of the past.
While they were waiting for their dinner to be served, Anthony looked over at Trey, who’d been quietly looking out at the water. “Did you see the ducks that just swam up to the boat dock?” Trey looked in the other direction to see a family of ducks swimming around the dock—a mama and six little ducklings. “What do you say we go feed them?”
“We don’t have any food,” Trey said, shyly.
“Sure we do,” Victoria said. “Take our bread down. I bet the ducks would appreciate it more than us.”
