by Natalie Ann
He sat next to her, and pulled her in his arms, hugged her tight and didn’t want to let go.
“I’m getting there. I’m so sorry, Olivia. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to say anything to make you think less of yourself or bring back a past you were trying to change, maybe even escape.”
“I’ll forgive you, I’m sure…in time.” She looked at the watch on her wrist. “Would you look at that? It’s time now.” She kissed him on the lips, held his head and looked into his eyes. “And I’m sorry you’ve felt you couldn’t let go enough to ask for help. And sorry that you’ve had to do it all on your own.”
“It’s been worth it. Trey is worth it.”
“He is. Very much so. And if you trust me enough, I’ll watch him while you get groceries.”
He laughed, he had to because he was deathly afraid he had tears in his eyes. He didn’t deserve her. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness, either.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
She leaned back and brought her thumb to his cheek, gliding it across like a feather. “I still love you.”
“Thank God,” he breathed out. “You have no idea how hard it’s been the last few days, listening to Trey ask about you and wondering when I could work up the courage to come talk to you.”
“Well, he said it simply when he said you were wrong.”
“He did, didn’t he?”
“Can I swim now?” Trey yelled from outside the gate. Finn looked over to see Trey trying to reach up and open the latch. “You’re hugging her—does that mean she isn’t mad and I can swim again?”
Finn stood up and walked to the gate, then opened it up. “She’s not mad at me anymore. But you should ask her if it’s okay to swim now.”
Trey ran over to Olivia’s side as she stood up, grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her. “Go right ahead, Trey. I’m just going to go change my suit.”
“But you’re wearing a suit,” Trey pointed out.
“Yes, but it’s not a suit to swim in,” Finn said, and hoped Trey didn’t ask any more questions.
Olivia laughed as she walked toward him, then leaned in and whispered, “I’ll save this for when we swim alone some night. Wait till you see what happens when it gets wet.”
She was trying to kill him and he was loving every minute of it.
Blow to My Ego
It seemed like Finn had just closed his eyes when he heard the doorbell ring. Rolling over, he noticed it wasn’t yet ten thirty. Just about ninety minutes of sleep.
He’d come home from his first shift back this morning after picking Trey up at his parents’ and then dropping him at preschool.
It felt good to be back in his routine again, even if that routine consisted of him riding a desk at work.
On the upside, he managed to get a bit more sleep than if he was running out on calls. Then again, it had been a slow night, one accident and one false alarm, so everyone got more sleep than normal.
The doorbell rang again and he realized that whoever it was wasn’t going to go away.
He pulled on a pair of loose athletic shorts and headed toward the door, not bothering with any other clothing. Since whoever it was woke him, they could deal with him answering the door barely dressed.
Looking through the glass on his door, he saw an older gentleman in a suit and frowned. He opened the door. “Yes?”
“Finn Abraham?”
“Yes,” he said again.
“You’ve been served.” The man handed him an envelope and took a few steps back out of the doorway.
Finn was getting ready to shut the door when he caught sight of someone leaning on his truck. Becca.
“I don’t advise it,” he heard the older gentleman say to her, but she just waltzed right past him toward Finn.
He held his ground, crossing his arms in front of his chest and staring her down. He still didn’t know what he ever saw in her, but he couldn’t belabor that now. What’s done was done.
“New boyfriend?” he asked when she smirked at him, stopping close enough that he could smell her perfume. The overly floral stuff she dowsed herself in.
“Lawyer. Did we wake you up?” she asked sweetly, coldness in her eyes.
He should have known she did it on purpose. It was her typical MO, to find someone’s weakness and play on it. She’d always known how much he hated when she woke him up after his shift.
All he ever wanted was a solid four to five hours of sleep, but she’d never let him have it. She’d give him an hour or two and then come up to the room and want to talk.
Or bitch was more like it. Said she was bored, she was tired, she felt fat, could they go shopping, she needed clothes, she wanted food. Anything to get him out of bed.
“Why ask a question you know the answer to?”
Her eyes held his stare, then broke away, traveled down his neck, over his shoulders, and rested on his chest, making him feel violated, but he refused to budge. She looked back up at him, then cocked her head to the side.
“You’ve filled out some more. Wish you looked more like that a few years ago.”
As much as he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of a response, he couldn’t hold back. “It wouldn’t have made a difference and you know it.”
“No, you’re right. But now, well, maybe I’ve changed.”
“We both you know haven’t.” He was getting tired of this conversation.
He stepped back to shut the door in her face, but she stopped him. “This is your last chance, Finn.”
“For what? To buy you off?”
“I didn’t say that,” she said sweetly again, her eyes hard as steel, looking at him greedily, repulsing him.
This time he grabbed the door and shut it in her face. She wasn’t worth it.
No use going back to sleep, he never would now. She knew that, which was why she probably waited until he would be in a deep sleep. She’d probably been watching his house and knew he’d gone back to work.
He took a deep breath and looked at the envelope in his hand. He didn’t have to open it to know what it said, but he did anyway.
After reading it over twice, he wanted to rip it to shreds, but he couldn’t. Instead, he walked back to his room and grabbed his phone.
“Can I speak to Ryan?” he asked when his call was answered.
***
“Finn, what are you doing here?” Olivia stepped away from the case she was rearranging necklaces in and came around to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping right now?”
“I was. I had a visitor and it woke me up. Once that happens, I’m up for the day. Can we go to your office?”
“Oh boy, the last time you had a visitor it wasn’t good news,” she said over her shoulder as they walked to her office.
“It’s not this time, either. Can I use your fax machine?”
“Of course.” She unlocked her office door and held it open for him. “I can guess what’s going on, but I’d prefer if you told me.”
“I’ve been served custody papers,” he said, all but spitting it out of his mouth in disgust. “It took her long enough.”
Olivia waited while Finn punched the number into the fax machine and put the papers through. “My guess is she waited to see if you’d reconsidered her offer. Or if I would. That, or it took her time to find a lawyer.”
“Probably a little bit of both. I’m sure this is all part of the game to her.”
He looked so sad right now, almost defeated, and she thought she was going to cry. She was trying to be strong for him, but it was hard. Hard when she felt just as desperate as he must be feeling.
“Come here,” she said, opening her arms. “You need a hug. And even if you don’t, I sure the heck do.”
He held her tight, tighter than ever before, like he didn’t want to ever let go, and it helped. It gave her strength and she hoped by being there for him, she was giving him strength too.
“Thanks.”
“You�
��re welcome.” She leaned back and felt her eyes watering, then reached up and tried to knuckle the tear away. “It will be okay. I know it will. I’m assuming you called Ryan.”
“Yeah. I’m sending him the papers now. He was heading to court when I called, so no use driving them there. He said he’d call me no later than tomorrow, that he had something in the works already.”
“Do you know what?”
“No. I haven’t talked to him since last week when I went to see him.”
“He knows what he’s doing. Let him do his job now.”
“I know. I just feel lost.”
“I know the feeling. You know what? I’m going to take the day off. I’m the boss, I can do it.”
He smiled and she knew it was forced, but she didn’t care. He didn’t need to be alone right now and the least she could do was be there for him.
“What do you have planned?”
“We’re going furniture shopping. Then we can go get Trey and go to dinner. How does that sound?”
Her house was moving along. The kitchen was almost done, her master bedroom and bathroom were done. She’d planned on moving in after that, but Finn had told her if she just waited another two weeks they’d finish everything at once. It was only painting in the other rooms for the most part.
She’d been thrilled he was at her house working this week. Sophia had told her Finn was pushing the guys to work faster. She wasn’t sure if it was because he knew how much she wanted to move in, or if he just needed something to occupy his time.
“It sounds like a plan.”
“I’ll try not to bore you too much. I’m sure shopping for furniture isn’t your favorite thing to do.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m just happy to be spending the day with you and getting out of the house.”
“What time do you have to get Trey?”
“I told him around three today. I wasn’t sure how the night was going to be or how I’d feel this morning. I think I’ve been a little crabby lately around him. He has been asking to stay later at school. It’s been a blow to my ego.”
“Your ego can take it. He’s just a kid and he wants to be with his friends. You should be happy he’s making friends and seems so adjusted with everything that has happened with your accident in the last few weeks.”
“Let’s not forget to mention the issue with you and me. He was pretty upset over that.”
“That makes two of us that were upset over it. And let’s not mention it again, okay? I choose to move on from it.”
She was thrilled they’d made up and had their talk, and deep down she knew it strengthened what they had, but that didn’t mean she wanted to relive it. It was hard to push away a lifetime of fears.
“Three of us. And you’re right, we’ve moved on. Sorry if I’ve been crabby lately. Have I been?”
She patted his cheek. “No more than usual. I’m used to it. It can be kind of endearing. Don’t worry, I’m learning your bark is worse than your bite.”
“We could go back to my place if you want, rather than furniture shopping. I’ll try to make it up to you. Maybe show you my bite is as bad as my bark,” he said smirking.
They hadn’t had any time alone since before their fight. Even Sunday when he came over to talk and later swim, Trey was with them. Then he worked the first two days of the week at her house, and yesterday at the firehouse.
“I’ll let you do that.” She grabbed her purse and started for the door. “Then you can take me shopping.”
Perfect
“Hurry up, Olivia!” Trey shouted, then grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.
Finn watched as Olivia rushed her steps—in heels—to allow Trey to pull her toward the workshop.
“I’ve never been in here before. I’m not sure if I should be excited or scared.”
“It’s cool in here,” Trey told her. “I get to help Daddy make things. I helped him make this.”
Finn got to the door after Trey, unlocked it and pushed it open, then stepped inside and turned on the lights. The old one-car garage had ended up being the best workshop space for him.
Olivia stood here, looking around. Then her eyes landed on the table in the center of the room. “Wow, that’s stunning.” She walked forward and ran her hands along the dark cherry wood.
“It’s yours.”
She spun around fast. “What?”
“I made it for you. For your dining room.” He moved forward and bent down, unlatched the hooks and pulled the table apart. “It’s set up for four right now, but extends out for up to ten. I’ve got two leafs over there to put in it.”
She didn’t say a word, just walked around the table, trailing her fingers over it, then down the legs where he’d cut an intricate design in each one.
The top of the table was basic, but polished to perfection. The uniqueness came from the legs and the top two inches on the sides of the table that had a matching design to the legs.
“What do you think?” Maybe he shouldn’t have done it, but it was too late now.
“This is why you didn’t like any of the tables I picked out two weeks ago. Because you were making this for me?”
“Yeah.”
It was hard, but she’d had her mind set on buying a dining room set and he didn’t want her to, but he couldn’t come out and say why, so he found something wrong with every set she picked and prayed she didn’t purchase it anyway.
He’d been shocked when they went shopping for furniture. He’d fully expected her to walk out of there with a house full of pieces, but she didn’t. All she bought was a comfortable sectional and chair for her family room, a dresser and an armoire for her bedroom, along with two nightstands.
She’d said she just wanted enough to move in, and would fill the house up with other pieces after she’d lived there and got a feel for what she really wanted.
“This is so much better than anything else I’ve seen.”
“So you like it? I did okay with the design?”
“It’s perfect. Exactly what I would have picked out if I’d seen it in a store.”
He was glad that he knew her style well enough. She was pretty basic in her furniture choices. They had a feminine quality to them, but not overly. At first glance, everything she bought looked simple, but the closer he got he noticed the finer details. Exactly like he did with this table.
“I’ve got four chairs made already too.” He gestured to the side. “I wanted to get them upholstered, but figured you can pick that out yourself. The color and material. I’ll make the other six chairs soon, but I wanted four to start.”
She walked over to the chairs, the same design in each leg, but the rest of it was simple like the tabletop.
“When did you find the time to do this?”
“I’ve had the idea long before my accident. Then for those three weeks I was home I’d come out here and work on it a little bit at a time.”
“Finn,” she said, scolding him. “You were supposed to be resting, not working.”
“I wasn’t doing any heavy lifting at that point.” He was touched she was so concerned over him. “Anyway, consider this a housewarming gift.”
“It’s more than a housewarming gift and you know it. This, with the bed you made me. Finn, it’s way too much.”
“No, it’s not. I’ll be hurt if you don’t accept them,” he said, grinning, and hoped she didn’t argue with him.
“Who said anything about not accepting them? I can’t wait to get them in my house.” She smiled at his laugh. “But I still think it’s too much.”
“Want to see what I did?” Trey asked, tugging on her pant leg.
“You bet I do.”
Trey took her hand and pulled her over to one side, and then he looked down at one of the legs. “There. Right there, I put the design in. See, it’s not as good as the rest. Daddy held his hands over mine while we cut the design, but I moved too fast and made a mistake.”
She squatted down to look at what Trey did, th
en pulled him into a hug. “It’s perfect.”
“No,” Trey said, “but I think it still looks good.”
“It’s perfect because you did it, and that means more than anything to me.”
***
“So are you ready to try my dinner, Trey?” Olivia asked.
After Finn had shown her the table, they went in the house and she cooked for them. She knew Trey was a fussy eater, but she wanted to try something new, something fun, something that she would have never thought to make before, and was kid friendly.
“Why won’t you tell me what it is?” Trey asked, wrinkling his nose at her when she walked into the living room.
She’d banished them there while she cooked, not wanting to give away what she was up to.
“Because it’s a surprise. You gave me a surprise today, so why can’t I give one to you?”
“But I might not like it,” he argued.
She looked over at Finn silently laughing at her. “Will you tell me if you don’t?”
“Will it make you cry?” Trey asked, all serious.
Wasn’t that just the most precious thing. “No, it won’t.”
“Okay, then if I don’t like it I’ll tell you, but I won’t spit it out. Daddy told me it’s not polite to do that.”
“Is that so? Well if it’s that bad, you can politely spit it in your napkin and then I’ll order pizza.”
“Pizza? I love pizza. Can I have root beer too?”
“It’s not men’s night, Trey,” Finn reminded him.
“Oh yeah. Cuz Olivia’s a girl. She can’t be here for men’s night.”
She rolled her eyes. The two of them were just too adorable for words. “Okay men, let’s go in the kitchen and take our seats.”
“Go wash your hands first, Trey.”
Damn, she forgot about that. She was learning this parenting thing, at least she thought she was.
Trey washed his hands and ran into the kitchen, pulled his chair out and sat down, then eyed the food on the table in front of him. “What is it?”
