"So you don't regret that she said no?"
Damn you, Sophie! I think to myself, gritting my teeth. I can hear the hurt in Olivia's voice, even though I know she's trying to hide it. I would've told her if she'd asked, but I dreaded it. I knew it would hurt her to know.
"That's not what you think."
She raises hopeful eyes to mine. "It's not?"
I smile, reaching out to tenderly trace the delicate curve of her cheek. "No, it's not. She told me she was pregnant. I was trying to do the right thing. Nothing more."
"But Isabella … I thought you didn't … "
"She wasn't actually pregnant. She just wanted me to run away with her. Not bad enough to marry me to get it, though."
"She lied about being pregnant to get you to run away with her?"
I nod.
Olivia's mouth works open and closed and few times before her lips thin and she scowls. "That bitch!"
"She cried, said she just wanted to be with me, away from her dad. I sort of understood, I guess. Her father was a real piece of work, but to go to those lengths to get away from him … "
"I thought she moved to Canada with her father?"
"She did. She had to. When my father found out what had happened … well, things were strained between them already, so … "
"He asked them to leave?"
"Yeah. Pretty much. I'm not sure they had much choice. He never went into too much detail with me."
"Were you … were you upset when she left?"
"I was. We'd been friends for years before we were … more. I hated that she lied to me, even though I understood her reasoning, but I still missed her when they left. If she'd just been honest with me … If she'd just told me up front … I think that bothered me more than anything."
"So she did break your heart?"
One side of my mouth crooks up at her. "No, Olivia. There's only one person who has ever had my heart to break. And that's you. If something happened to you … or something took you from me … " I shudder, literally, at the thought. I can't imagine my life without her. Hell, I don't even want to try.
She cups my cheek with her cool hand. "That's never going to happen. We are forever, Cash. You and me? Nothing can tear us apart. Not even some blonde bimbo from your past."
"Blonde bimbo?" I ask, amused.
Her grin is sheepish. "Yeah, I've been holding that one in."
"Well don't. Say what you feel. It won't bother me in the least, I swear."
"I just didn't want to make things awkward between us if … if … you did have feelings for her."
"I did, but not feelings like you were thinking. Everyone else on this whole planet … they're tiny in comparison to you. You are what matters to me most. Always."
Seemingly satisfied, she leans her head back against the wall. "So, what's next? What are we going to do about Sophie?"
"We're going to let Jason find out what she's up to and wait on the results of that paternity test. She doesn't have to be a problem for us."
"I know. I guess her arrival here, with a kid no less, just made me even more insecure about things I was already feeling uneasy about."
"I know, baby. I wish I could make you see that you're all I need to be happy. Ever."
"I'm beginning to get the picture."
"Good, because if we stay out here much longer, those pants are gonna have to come off again," I warn her, taking her hand and placing it on my straining zipper.
"Already?" she asks with a devilish giggle.
"Any time you're around … "
"Well, as much as I want to torture you about this right now, I should probably get back. I left Sophie out there alone."
"Go be a bartender then," I say with a sigh, smacking her delicious ass when she turns to wiggle toward the door. "You can be my wife again later tonight. Deal?" I ask as I open the door.
"Deal," she says, leaning back to give me a loud kiss before we enter the club.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Olivia
Dad has always been a fan of the news. He's going home tomorrow, so rather than excusing myself to clean up or make out my grocery list, I'm sitting with him in the living room, enjoying every minute of our last day together.
And I'm glad that I am. Otherwise I might've missed the news report about the break-in at DCSS.
"Head of Operations at the Atlanta Department of Child Support Services, Alan Richter, filed a police report early this morning, stating that the offices were broken into. One of his employees, case worker Marla Stern, reportedly arrived to work at eight A.M. to find that one of the chairs from just outside their facility had been thrown through a window. Her statement cited what she believed to be water and foam from a fire extinguisher covering most surfaces of the lab and cold storage areas. The scene was later investigated by local law enforcement, who believe the break-in to be a gang related act of vandalism, as nothing was stolen except for the fire extinguisher believed to be used to discharge the dry chemical in the laboratory. Richter told our correspondent that hundreds, possibly thousands of samples were compromised and that it could take weeks to sort through the records and recall donors. Police Chief Ronald Gaines is set to hold a press conference about escalating gang activity in the area later on today. Tune in at eleven for more on this story."