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.