Overlooked(68)

This makes me chuckle. Arnold had been put in a nursing home only a month after Olivia was fired. His condition had deteriorated so quickly in those four weeks that his son had no choice but to put him in a nursing home.

At first Gavin visited Arnold every weekend. The nurses report that on one visit, Arnold was unusually lucid and in a screaming fit, told Gavin that he never wanted to see him again after what he did Claire.

It didn't take much to figure out that Claire was Olivia, and that he knew Gavin wronged her.

Gavin has never visited again. As an only child, Gavin and his father were always extremely close. Rumor has it Arnold's outburst destroyed Gavin's spirit.

Olivia visits him every chance she got and I always looked forward to her amusing stories when she returned.

"Claire must have been as beautiful as you are if he keeps getting you two confused," I remark tweaking her nose.

"Forever the smooth talker," she grins, wrapping her arms loosely around my waist.

God, I love this woman.

My body is rock hard just from being in her presence. Hell, I'm never not horny where Olivia is concerned.

She's my strength and weakness packaged in human form. My constant when the rest of the world turns its back on me.

Which is why I'm anxious to execute my plans for the evening.

"Have a seat and I'll get us something to drink," I say, steering her to the sofa.

Alone in the kitchen, I pour myself a shot of whiskey to eliminate my nerves. With my hand in my pocket, my fingers run over the velvet box housed there.

This is it.

I love this woman and I know without a doubt that she loves me too. But for some reason I find myself just as nervous now as I was that day in the art room before I asked her to prom.

Just go out there and do it.

After pouring her a glass of wine, my steps carry me back to the living room where she's sitting Indian-style on the sofa surfing the channels.

Her hair is piled high on top of her head, and she's wearing a yellow sundress to combat the Tennessee summer heat.

Her face is makeup free yet still stunning as ever.

When she sees me nearing the couch, she instinctively reaches out for the glass and starts talking away.

"What do you want to watch? There's a marathon of that game show you like on. But there's also a marathon of that renovation show that I really love-"

I could listen to her chat all day but I need to say this before I lose my nerve.

"Olivia, I need to ask you something," my voice is smooth, not betraying the angst I feel.

Noting the seriousness in my voice, she looks at me expectantly and takes a sip of her wine.

"What's up?"

"I've had something on my mind for a while and I wanted to know how you felt about it," I say stalling.

Shit, this is harder than I thought.

"I'm listening," Olivia says smiling at me encouragingly.

Without preamble, I take the wine glass from her hand and drop down to one knee in front of her. Once it's situated on the coffee table, I grasp her hand in mine and watch her eyes fill with tears before I even say a word.

"Olivia, I love you so much. I suspect I did in high school too, but I just didn't know the words for it at the time. We never got our chance back then, but then you showed up unexpectedly and turned my world upside down."

"Oh, God," she whimpers faintly.

"I have never been happier than when I'm with you. You complete me like no one else can and I want to spend the rest of my life learning how to be a man worthy of your unconditional love. I loved you then and I always will, Olivia."

Reaching into my pocket, I retrieve the ring box and snap it open.

Tears slide down her cheeks at the sight before her then she flings her arms around my neck and cries, "Yes! The answer is yes!"

Chuckling, I pull back slightly and tease her. "But I haven't even asked you anything yet."

She shakes her head as if it's of no consequence. "You don't have to because the answer is yes. Yes, I'll spend the rest of my life with you and only you."





OLIVIA DOWNS

Ten Years Later





Small hands are splayed across my face when I wake up.

Peeking one eye open, I notice my oldest child staring at me anxiously from the side of the bed.

How she got in here is anybody's guess. That is until I notice that Sebastian's side of the bed is empty and cool.

Unbelievably exhausted from last night's extracurricular activities with Sebastian, I grab my daughter and pull her onto the bed with me. Squealing from the unexpected action, she rewards me with one of my favorite sounds in the world: her laughter.

"What are you doing awake at this hour, Ava?"

Her blue eyes are the perfect replica of her father's when she looks at me with a jovial smile.

"I couldn't wait to surprise you, Mommy!"

"Oh yeah?"

My five-year-old daughter nods furiously, sending her strawberry blonde locks all over the place.

"What's the surprise?" I play along, reaching up to restore some normalcy to her headful of hair.

"I can't tell you! Daddy says it's a secret!" she says, squirming from the contained excitement and I can't help but laugh.

She reminds me so much of myself in that regard.

"And where's Daddy?" I ask with wide eyes, feeding her excitement.

"Downstairs," she whispers conspiratorially.

"What's he doing downstairs?"

Ava looks at me, contemplating whether I'm worth spoiling the secret.

I can tell the exact moment she decides that I'm not.

She's such a daddy's girl.

Her loyalty will probably never waver. Not that I blame the poor girl. Sebastian can be pretty convincing.

"He's busy," she says evasively, making me laugh.

"And your brother? Where's he?"

"Downstairs with Daddy. We're waiting on you!" she exclaims.

Feigning surprise, I cover my chest with one hand. "Me?"

"Yes, Mommy!"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" I ask teasingly before tickling her.

Her squirming only intensifies and I'm rewarded with the joyful ripples of her laughter.

"I love you, baby girl," I tell her as I cradle her in my arms.

She may not be an infant anymore but she'll always be my baby.

"Love you too, Mommy," comes her distracted but automatic response. "Can we go downstairs now?"

Snickering, I release her and let her down from the bed. "Tell them I'm coming, I just need to use the little girls' room first."

"‘Kay!" she shouts before dashing out of the door like a bolt of lightning.

What I wouldn't give just to have an ounce of her boundless energy right now. Tired doesn't begin to cover it, but thankfully I have the next three days off to recover from the brutal hours I'd been putting in at the nursing home.

As the director of nursing, there is never a dull day that passes. Add that to the fact that my house is practically a circus with two kids and my husband roaming around. Needless to say, I stay pretty busy.

Getting out of bed, I walk to the bathroom slowly, amazed that my body still gets sore from the various positions my husband twists and turns me in during our lovemaking.

Every time I think I've discovered every possible muscle, I wake up the next morning sore in places that I didn't know existed.

A good problem to have if you ask me.

After nearly a decade of marriage, Sebastian and I still can't get enough of one another. Through the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, one thing remains the same - we are crazy for each other and nothing will ever change it.

Not long hours at work or screaming kids at home. Nothing can get in the way of our passion for one another.

As I wash my face, I reminisce over the circumstances leading up to this very moment.

We had a short engagement before getting married on Christmas Eve only five months after Sebastian popped the question.

Upon graduating nursing school, Sebastian gifted me a trip to France and I can almost guarantee that Ava was conceived in the air on our way there. We'd been all over each other in the private jet and thankfully the flight attendant had stayed put near the front of the plane.

As soon as we found out I was pregnant, Sebastian bought a house that could easily double as a museum. It's huge and over the top but our family is fitting in well.

Ava's birth was the highlight of my life. I'd always secretly feared motherhood but she made it feel like the most natural thing on earth. A year and a half later, our small family grew when we welcomed baby Lucas to the fold.

I'd never felt more content in my life. I had the man of my dreams, the job of my dreams and now the family I never knew I craved so deeply.

Sebastian and I figured out the whole parenting thing one day at a time. And I swear to God, there was nothing sexier than watching that man transform into the best father he could be for our children.

He gave our kids everything they needed and more.

I fell in love with him more every chance I got to witness his love for our babies.

Once I brush my teeth, I run my hands through my sleep-matted hair and head downstairs.

The downstairs area is eerily quiet as I approach the kitchen and then I hear Ava whispering.

"She's coming. She's coming!"

"On the count of three," Sebastian coaches them, his patient tone warming my heart.

"Surprise!" they erupt as soon as I enter the state-of-the-art kitchen.

There, right before my eyes, sits my whole world.

Ava is clinging to her daddy's leg, while Lucas stands on the countertop with Sebastian's firm hand in place to ensure he doesn't fall.

My husband is smiling at me with that gaze that always makes my panties evaporate but I have to remind myself that now isn't the time.