No one stopped me. As I drove, I swallowed my pride about heading toward Olivia’s house.
If something happened to Bradley, it was my fault. I’d been an idiot. I’d pushed Olivia out the door and made my son hate me.
The tracker showed his phone stopping at her apartment complex. My head pounded. My phone didn’t beep with messages from either of the people I loved.
I didn’t care that music blared from the other apartments as I parked and jumped out of the car. I scanned the area, then I took a deep breath when I saw my son knocking on her door on the second floor.
I ran toward him and called, “Bradley.”
He turned toward me as I darted up the stairs. When I got to him, I expected him to tell me to stop, but he hugged me and said, “Dad.”
I had no idea why Olivia hadn’t opened her door, but in that moment, I had half of my heart back. I would never let my son leave me like that again.
As the hug ended, I heard her voice from below as a car pulled out of the parking lot. Her eyes glistened as she stumbled up the steps. “You found him.”
In her inebriated state, the driver or anyone else might have hurt her. As she made it to us, I reached for her just to ensure she was safe. “You weren’t home?”
She fluffed hair away from her neck, and the motion caused her tits to bounce. “No. I was… with my sisters, who flew in for our… wedding.”
I could smell alcohol on her breath. If anything had happened to her in that state, it would be my fault. “And you’ve been drinking.”
Her eyes widened, and she said, “Are you suddenly against drinking? I didn’t drive home, and I’m an adult.”
Logically, she was right. She lifted her chin like she expected me to argue. My gut twisted over the fact that she could have been in danger, which wasn’t rational. I kept my feelings to myself.
I lowered my head and said, “Because you make it harder to apologize to you this way.”
She reached for my arm, and her voice was low as she said, “Look, Johnny, I shouldn’t have gotten so angry and stormed off.” A tear escaped her eyes. “I want you to give me a chance despite what you said about not believing in love.”
I absolutely didn’t deserve her. I hugged her and said, “I care about you, Olivia, and all my life, I’d been told never to even look for someone like you.”
She let me go and tilted her head. “Huh? Like me?”
I checked that my son was still beside me then said, “You’re honest, sweet, and comfortable being who you are. Our house is empty since you left, and I want you back.”
Bradley jumped and squealed, “Dad!”
She shook her head, and her face pinkened as she said, “That’s sweet, but—”
“Wait.” I felt jumpy, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. I would lose any chance I might have with her if I didn’t tell her the truth. “My heart is yours if you want it. I love you.”
She took my hand, and I saw that she still had on the ring. I hoped that meant she would give me another chance.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
I nodded, and my son patted me on the back. “I’ve never been more serious.”
She hiccupped then massaged her forehead and stared at me. “I’m not sure I believe this.”
The moon was out, and people were still coming and going in her parking lot.
I took her other hand and held them both to my heart. “Come home with us. In the morning, we’ll talk.”
She bounced on her feet and sucked in her lips. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what she would say, but then she smiled brightly. “I… I’d like that.”
For that night, I would leave her alone, but we had a lot to talk about.
Bradley shouted, “Yeah! She’s coming home!”
I held her waist as we descended the steps to the cold concrete. She was fine, but the need to protect her rushed through my veins as fiercely as it had with my son. Bradley stayed right on my heels.
We made it to the car, and as he got into the back seat, I told him, “Bradley, you shouldn’t walk through the streets by yourself. It’s dangerous.”
“I… used the app on my phone,” he said before I closed the door on him.
I then helped get Olivia into the front seat.
I returned to the car and pressed the button to start it.
As Olivia put on her seat belt, Bradley said to her, “Your neighborhood is scary.”
She turned toward him. “A driver from the app took you?”
“I told him I was lost and needed to get home… to my mom.”
Wow. I’d devastated my son. I swallowed and drove out of the parking lot. Soon they would be safe at home, and maybe my skin would stop prickling from irrational fears. I said, “Never use your phone to order a car without permission ever again.”
He said, “Then don’t lose Olivia on me, Dad.”
Sometimes he sounded just like me, which wasn’t always good.
Olivia patted my arm. “I agree with your father. I was scared when I saw your text.”
No one said anything else, but my heart was full for a few minutes. For once, I had everything I’d ever wanted.
As I pulled in to the house, the staff was hugging in the driveway. Bradley was awake, but Olivia was half-dazed. She was cute buzzed. Hopefully she was okay and would remember our conversation when she woke up.
I stood and took her hand to ensure that she could walk straight. “We’re here. Let’s get you both to bed.”
Bradley hugged her when we made it to the second floor, and I pointed at her bedroom door. He opened it and helped me with the sheets as I sat Olivia down. She kicked off her sneakers, which had seen better days, and said, “I’m… okay. but in the morning, we talk.”
“Yes,” I said and walked out with my son.
I hoped she would still be so sweet and open with me in the morning. I headed to put my son to bed, who that time went without argument.
I returned to my bedroom, and for the first time since she’d left, once I closed my eyes, I actually went to sleep.
However, the second I heard a bird singing, I sprang up, changed, and rushed to check on Olivia. She was still sleeping. I called downstairs to start my breakfast order then checked on her again.
That time, she came out of her bathroom and waved at me. I puffed my chest out, feeling blessed she was there, as I said, “Good morning.”
She curled her lips higher and replied, “Good morning.” She then waved at the door and said, “Come in. Let’s sit.”
I hadn’t put chairs in the room, so I gazed at the bed. I took a corner, and Olivia sat beside me. She was wearing the same clothes as the day before.
“So what happened?” she asked.
I rubbed the back of my head and wished she knew all of the sordid details of my life. But then she would probably leave and demand that I give up custody of my son or something. I swallowed and realized I was being half crazed. “Look, this is hard to talk about, but you should know.”
She patted my arm. “I’m not judging.”
Right. Because, unlike me, she’d made choices in her life that didn’t hurt anyone. Adrenaline rushed through me, and I stared at the wall, which made talking easier. “Ruby was picked for me because our marriage brought forth a contract for the Daweses’ holdings. But she never made me feel anything other than familiar. I wasn’t prepared when I started falling for you.”
She pulled back, and the space between us seemed colder. “I don’t know if you can entirely prepare for life to happen.”
“I know.” I reached for her hand, which felt like the only warmth in my life. I had to say the truth and hope she would forgive me. “But I wondered if you wanted to marry me because your sisters and you were all competing gold diggers.”
Her eyes widened, and she said, “What?”
I nodded. I had nothing else to say. She shouldn’t forgive me. “I know it’s seriously fucked up. I have serious fucking issues, and I was wrong. My paren
ts had twelve sons, but my father was never faithful to my mother. We were raised like we were little kings and other people existed to service us.”
She lowered her head and broke our connection. “Seriously?”
Olivia would leave. I knew it. My heart thundered. “Yeah. I decided I wanted to walk away from the depravity of my family and raise Bradley to be different, but I wasn’t doing it any better than they had. I didn’t even know it until I met you.”
She let out a small sigh. With her hands on her knees, she said, “I… I don’t know what to say.”
Right. I’d said my piece, and there was nothing left to say. I pivoted and said, “I understand that you don’t want to marry me tonight, and if you want to go, I’ll ensure Bradley doesn’t follow you.”
She didn’t move at all. She just sniffled and asked, “Is that what you want? How do you even see me?”
I went down on my knees in front of her. “You’re my angel, Olivia Steel. I love you and want to marry you because you make my life, my son’s life, and everything around you better. I promise I’ll work on my trust issues if you stay. I’ll do whatever you want.”
She reached out and cupped my face and asked, “You will?”
I kissed the palm of her hand. “Yeah. Of course. I love you.”
The light in her eyes was hypnotic. “It would probably be easier for us if you were poor and just starting over, but we’ll have to make do with us being a family.”
I laughed then held her hands to my heart. “You’ll marry me?”
She scooted off the bed and tugged me to stand. “Yes. I love you too.”
I kissed her forehead and said, “So I didn’t fuck it all up.”
“You tried.” She chuckled, and I spun her around. As I put her down, she asked, “Do I have some clean clothes here?”
The bag she’d given me was in my room. I let her go and said as I left, “Yeah. One second.”
She grabbed her phone and followed me. When I turned around, I saw she was texting. “Thank you. Now I’ll text my sisters that the wedding is on so no one leaves and we can start planning.”
“Tonight, it is,” I said, and I felt full of love and hope for the future. She’d taken me back, and I would ensure she never regretted the decision.
Chapter Nineteen
Olivia
The rest of the wedding day was a blur. Birds chirped as we’d organized. White tables had been set. The warm breeze made the day sweeter. And the staff hired more staff, and caterers were brought in. Then for half the day, I was whisked away for a massage and to get my hair and makeup done as a tailor and her team worked on my original dream dress so that it would fit me like it was made for me.
My sisters had called me back after I texted them, but I hadn’t had the time for a conversation or to answer their text messages. Decisions for the wedding needed to be made fast, and things that brides normally took a year to decide had to be snap decisions for me.
The cakes were yummy, though. Being wealthy had perks that included people doing things for you on short notice. I decided on a lemon meringue vanilla cake, as it was good and likely to go with everyone’s taste buds.
As dusk descended, I was in my dress, and the walk down the aisle was like walking on clouds. Pops of yellow roses on the blue carpet that led outside blended beautifully with the trees where we’d set up the arch.
I forgot everything else, though, when I saw Johnny in his tuxedo. He loved me. As I held his hand, nothing else mattered. My skin burned for him, and the best part was about to come.
The minister said, “You may kiss the bride.”
Johnny wrapped his arms around my waist and said, “You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”
I lowered my lashes and puckered my lips. Neither of us was perfect, but we would try to be better together. “I love you.”
“I love you,” he said, then his hard lips met mine.
Damn. I was lost for a moment. As the kiss ended, I heard clapping.
A small giggle escaped my lips, then we turned and walked down the small path, past my family and his staff. We stopped on the balcony, where we planned to greet the guests as they came up the few steps.
He massaged my lower back and said, “It seems your family wants to talk to us.”
I nodded. The previous night, I’d been so upset, and they always tried to watch out for me. I ignored a quick spike of adrenaline and whispered, “I didn’t get a chance to text everyone back. It will be okay.”
They came up, and Indigo led the charge. “So yesterday my sister talked about how you didn’t want to provide for her.”
Johnny’s face paled. I held him closer as he said, “No. She’s proved to me that love is real, and I’m a better man because she’s in my life.”
My heart melted a little more, and I said, “That’s sweet.”
Georgie joined us and hugged both of us. “Your son and mine seem to be getting along great.”
We looked down the balcony to the children’s playground.
Johnny said, “I’m happy. I’m taking Olivia to Hawaii for two weeks, but he’s going to be miserable at my parents’ house.”
Georgie replied, “He can stay with us. My husband has some games, but if you don’t mind, I’ll take him to some baseball games. He’s welcome to pal around with my son for two weeks.”
His eyes widened, and he nodded. “Let’s ask them.” He left my side and called, “Bradley?”
“Yeah?”
Johnny asked, “Would you want to go to Tulsa with your new aunt Georgie and Jeremy while I take Olivia to Hawaii?”
Bradley didn’t even hesitate. “Sure, I’ll stay with Jeremy.”
A smile grew on my face as he returned to my side. Warmness grew in my veins, and I asked, “So we’re all good now, and everyone will be happy for me?”
Ridley then came over. “We were always happy for you, Olivia. We love you.”
I hugged her back. “And I love you all.”
My next sister came toward us.
My heart swelled. I was truly loved. “Stephanie, if you ever need anything from us, let us know.”
She hugged her waist and asked, “Including a hitman if my ex and the roommate ever show their faces?”
Johnny’s face grew tight. “That can be arranged.”
I stood taller and patted his back. Goose bumps formed on my arms, but I said, “He’s joking.”
“I’m not, though.” Johnny turned and stared at me. “I told you my family gets whatever we want, and Stephanie’s family.”
After Stephanie left, I bounced on my feet and said, “I’m slightly terrified of meeting your siblings now.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. You’re my wife, and they consider me the odd one who wanted to be a doctor instead of just using my money to make more money.”
His family had scared him.
I traced the line of buttons up his chest and said, “I’m glad you decided to be a doctor.”
Our guests were sitting outside on the balcony, since it was a warm evening.
Johnny led me to our seats and said, “Next weekend, if you don’t want to go to the picnic, I totally understand.”
I laughed and said, “Are you kidding? I’m looking forward to seeing you at a cookout with normal people.”
He kissed my cheek, and everyone said, “Aww.”
“Right. Tomorrow. The hospital board doesn’t know that being a Dawes lets me pull strings. I wanted to become chief without using my family influence, but now I intend to refuse the promotion, which entails attention to details and controlling other people’s schedules which now seemed like extra work, so I can just be with you and Bradley.”
I hugged his side and said, “Oh, Johnny, you can do whatever you think is best.”
He laced his fingers with mine. “I can’t wait to get you alone in Hawaii.”
I chuckled, as a few days ago, he’d said we could go anywhere I wanted to go, but his vision sounded perfect. I gazed into h
is dark eyes at the light in him as he stared back at me. “I’m looking forward to our life together.”
His gaze narrowed as he studied me. “One quick question.”
I tilted my head and tensed. “Yes?”
He kept his voice low and said, “I was thinking we could try to start that family we talked about soon, like on our honeymoon.”
Aww. I nodded and hugged him as I said, “I love you, and I’m in.”
Then he kissed me. Life was beautiful with him.
Chapter Twenty
Johnny
A week later
The hospital park had a playground and picnic tables under a small pavilion with a barbeque. I didn’t know if I’d ever gone to a public park in my life, but there I was, with my family.
Olivia brought her sister Georgie, who would take Bradley home in her private plane so that we could head straight to Hawaii. It was nice that Olivia trusted her family.
Since she’d been in my life, I knew she was what I’d craved but never found with anyone else. So I trusted her judgment. As we headed to the pavilion, my brother Max called me.
She kissed my cheek, and I stepped to the side to answer. “Hey, Max.”
He said quickly, “Damon’s on the line.”
Damon said, “We wanted to congratulate you and remind you of Mom’s—”
“Max, Damon, please tell Mom I’m still not interested in her babysitting services.”
I watched Olivia speaking to Georgie, who I'd invited to join us, and my co-workers were all taking pictures with her husband, the all-star baseball player of the year.
Max, the one that always calmed everyone down, said, “Okay. Personally, I think you’re lucky that you found a way out of here.”
Damon shouted, “Shut the fuck up, Max!”
That was why it was better to live across the country, away from the Daweses. Pittsburgh was more family friendly, and Olivia had my heart.
Max said, “Damon’s happy taking over for Dad.”
My involvement in the interplay of which Dawes did what to please our parents was finished. I tugged on my ear and tried to think of a quick way to get off the phone.
Cocky M.D.: Single Dad Fake Fiancee Romance (Steel Series Book 5) Page 12
