23. Plus One, Always
23
Plus One, Always
OLIVER
“Baby girl, I’m so sorry,” I breathed, holding my daughter’s shaking hands in mine, right where I’d caught her in the lobby.
“I don’t want her here!”
“She’s leaving, I promise. Leighton and Captain Reynolds are making her leave.”
“She ruins everything!” she squeaked, trying so hard to suck in a breath, to blink back her tears.
Furious didn’t even begin to cover it. This had gone on too fucking long. And now, I was done playing nice. It was time to let Greyson and Alice off the leash—to let them dismantle whatever pathetic custody attempt Carly thought she had a shot at.
“I’m so sorry, baby. That should not have happened.” This would be the last time I hosted anything in a public venue. I tipped her chin up until her eyes met mine. “Not today. Not ever . You deserve so much better, princess.”
“You said she wasn’t coming,” she croaked, wiping at her face. “You promised!”
“She wasn’t supposed to, baby. I know that rattled you, and it’s not okay for her to blindside you like that, Mattie.”
“I hate that name,” she snapped, still swiping angrily at her cheeks. “I hate her . And she gave me that stupid name.”
“Then we don’t have to use it anymore, okay? If you don’t love it, I’ll call you Tillie, or Sunflower, or anything that makes you smile.”
She looked up at me then, those glassy blue eyes lit with the smallest flicker of hope. “Really?”
“Really.” I shifted where I was crouched beside her, squeezing her hands in mine. She gave a wobbly nod, wiping her nose, then straightened the black tulle skirt we’d picked out together.
“Why didn’t you stop her sooner?” she whispered, her voice tight and trembling. Her fingers slipped from mine to twist in the fabric of her dress.
“I should’ve,” I admitted. “I should’ve walked her right back out. I was trying to avoid a scene.”
“But she made one anyway. She always does.”
“I know, champ. And I’m so, so sorry.”
Carly’s voice echoed through the lobby—yelling something at Jax as he walked her out—and Tillie flinched, her eyes darting toward the sound before swinging back to mine. Then a scowl carved across her face, rage spilling out in hot tears.
“I hate her,” she cried. “I really, really hate her.” A sob cracked through her chest. “And I hate her stupid gifts. She brought that so she could feel better—not for me .”
Jesus, she was too smart for her own good.
“Does that—” another sob “—make m-me a bad k-kid?”
“Tillie. Look at me.” When her eyes flitted to my chest instead, I gently palmed her head, brushing the long strands back. “You are not—and have never been—a bad kid. You are allowed to be angry. You’re allowed to stand up for yourself, just like you did. And I am so proud of you. You shouldn’t have to be, but you were so strong back there.”
I cradled the back of her neck, pulling her little forehead to mine as she fidgeted and fought to hold it all in.
“You don’t have to be okay right now. You don’t even have to pretend to be. But I need you to hear something. You listening?”
She gave a small nod, her gaze still dropped to the floor, shoulders hunched.
“What she said isn’t true. None of this is your fault. You are a spectacular kid. The sweetest little girl. And you are so damn loved. No ifs, ands, or buts. Look at all these people who came today—just for you.”
Her watery eyes lifted to mine. “Is Leigh my friend because you pay her to be?”
Oh, fuck .
“Oh, baby girl, no .” I shook my head, my heart cracking open. “Think back. She was our friend before she ever worked for me. I hired her because of how much she already loved you—not the other way around.”
“Okay.” Her throat bobbed. “I yelled at her… in front of everyone. That was cruel.”
She looked up through those wet lashes, guilt spilling from her expression.
“What if I grow up to be just as mean and terrible as she is?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Sometimes we say mean things when we’re hurting. That doesn’t make us mean. And sometimes people need to hear how they’ve hurt us. I know it probably didn’t come out like you wanted it to, but it took guts to stand up to her.”
“Yeah?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Yeah.”
“What if…” her chin trembled, and I had to resist the urge to lift her face again. “What if she makes you guys love me less?”
“Impossible.”
“But—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there.” I brushed my thumb over her cheek. “There is nothing you could ever say or do that would make me go anywhere. You know that, right?”
She nodded, this time with more certainty. Her spine straightened just a bit. “Leighton either?”
“Leighton either.”
“I don’t want to live with her, Daddy. She can’t make me live with her, right?”
“No, baby.” My voice was steel. “That is not happening. I won’t let it.”
She gave a final little nod and one last sniffle.
“Can we just go home?”
* * *
I collapsed onto the couch after tucking both kids in that night. Face buried in my palms, I blew out a breath that carried the full weight of the day. When I finally looked up, Leighton climbed over my lap, straddling me, her hand settling against my face. I dropped a kiss into her palm, my hands finding her waist as she sank onto my legs. Wordless, my girl pressed her forehead to mine, our noses brushing as we both dragged in a much-needed breath.
“We do not have to go to Jameson’s wedding,” she announced, brushing her nose over mine before straightening to look me in the eye.
“What?”
“We need to focus on fending off Cruella , not taking another family trip to Florida.”
I smiled softly, affection blooming in my chest as I tucked a curl behind her ear. “I promised to be your plus one.”
“It’s not important right now.” She shook her head, those blue-gray eyes torn. “Jameson will understand. Our babies . That’s all that matters.”
Our babies. Goddamn, I loved this woman. Her words wrapped around me so completely, I nearly missed the shift in her tone.
“Speaking of which…”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
She blinked, irritation pinching between her brows—an expression I always wanted to smooth away with my thumb. “How did she know about the baby, Ollie?”
“What?” I snapped, sitting up, only for her to press a calming hand to my chest, guiding me gently back down.
“When Jax was escorting her out, she said something—at first I thought she was just being a bitch, implying I was following in her footsteps—but then she said you’d be done with me by the time the baby was off my tit.”
Rage reignited like dry brush in my chest. My fingers tightened reflexively on her hips and belly.
“Leighton, don’t believe a fucking word she says.”
“I don’t.” She brushed her lips over mine, nuzzling my nose. “But we haven’t told the kids or anything, right?”
“I’ve said nothing,” I promised.
“Well… we’re going to have to now. Everybody heard her. Pretty sure Beau heard her, although Alice had him in hand by then.”
“I’m so sorry,” I breathed, eyes closing. “That had to be so uncomfortable.”
“It wasn’t my favorite,” she muttered with a grimace. Then, sighing, “But I still don’t understand how she found out. My family wouldn’t say shit. Neither would Grey or Alice.”
“I’ll look into it,” I promised, dragging soothing circles over her back. Realistically, Greyson’s people would handle it better than I ever could, and they’d find the leak. “Everyone signs NDAs. When we find them, I’ll ruin them.”
She nodded slowly, clearly weighing her thoughts as she slunk inward. I palmed the side of her neck, grounding her, thumb tracing her rapid pulse.
“ Together , right, baby? We do this as a team.”
Another nod, this one a little steadier. She exhaled and whispered, “Yeah.”
“Good.”
“Good. Now. About the wedding?—”
“We’re not missing your brother’s big day.”
Her scowl reappeared. “Making sure the kids stay where they belong—that that raging cuntosaurus can’t sink her claws in and fuck them up more than she already has—that’s all I care about.”
Chuckling, I ran my hands along her sides. “There’s not really anything we can do here that we can’t do from Tampa right now. She delivered her custody demands at our daughter’s birthday party—I don’t think the court is going to love that. Besides, Greyson had our legal team on the phone before I even got the kids buckled in.”
She muttered, “Gotta love the grump.”
“He has his moments.”
“I still can’t believe her. She’s such a bitch .”
“No arguments here.”
“She has no grounds, right?” Fury darkened her eyes. God, I loved how hard she fought for my kids. How naturally she’d become their shield.
“I mean… she never legally terminated her rights. That’s what we were pushing for. I guess this is her idea of retaliation.”
“She’s pathetic. I’ve eaten gas station sushi I trusted more.”
I chuckled and tilted my head, beckoning her closer. Her lips met mine, and I hummed, sliding my hands up her sides until I could cradle that beautiful face.
“I fucking love you.”
“I fucking love you, too. Obviously.”
“ Obviously? ” I smirked against her lips.
She leaned back, arching a brow. “Contrary to Greyson’s assumptions, I don’t think about disemboweling people regularly.”
“No?” I huffed a surprised laugh. She made it impossible not to smile. Made it hard to be sad. Whatever I’d done to earn this woman, I’d spend the rest of my life making it up to the universe.
“Not generally,” she said. “But holy fuck, I want to end her.”
“Easy, killer,” I murmured with a grin.
“I mean it,” she growled. “Who does that? Who delivers a custody petition at a kid’s birthday party? If it wouldn’t impact the case, I’d have throat-punched her. Seize her fucking heels for restitution. For existing. I’ve met cacti with better maternal instincts.”
I smiled softly, shaking my head. She barreled on.
“And the way she talked to Tillie? Calling herself a mother? Please . Merriam and Webster are rolling in their graves.”
I slid my hands to her waist, pulling her forward over my dick where it laid thick in my sweats.
“You’re cute when you’re angry, you know that?”
“Oh, piss off.” Her eyes narrowed playfully. “I am not.”
“You’re always cute.”
“You have to say that. I’m growing your child.”
“Remind me how that baby got in your belly.”
She beamed, glowing with amusement—and something hotter. It lit her from the inside. She rocked forward, slow and deliberate, and my cock twitched.
“I thought that was just a superhero fetish.”
“Mmm-hmm,” I murmured, pressing kisses up her jawline, my fingers tugging the off-shoulder tee down to reveal the swell of her tits—fuller, rounder. Perfect. I kissed the scar between her breasts.
“Ollie,” she gasped, grinding over my lap again.
“You’re cute when you’re angry. When you do your little coffee wiggle in the morning. When you sleep. When you look up at me with my cock in your mouth?—”
She smirked. “Ah, I see where this is going. Continue.”
Chuckling, I scooped my hands under her pert ass and stood, her legs wrapping around my waist.
“You’re especially cute when your face is all screwed up with pleasure while you come on my fingers.”
She groaned into my neck, lips brushing my skin. “If I pretend to believe you, will you give me a demonstration?”
“I’ll give you anything you ask for, baby.”
* * *
One week—and many calls with my attorney—later, we danced beneath the twinkling string lights of her brother’s wedding tent.
Noel looked stunning as she ruled the dance floor like the queen of chaos, dragging nearly every single woman into the fray. Meanwhile, Jameson watched her with a quiet, satisfied smile—perfectly content to remain on the sidelines so long as his new wife was happy.
Opposites really did attract, I guessed.
As for me? My nerves were in my throat as I danced with my daughter, who kept glaring up at me with impatience, clearly irritated that I hadn’t given Leighton her gifts yet.
Leighton—whose tan skin shimmered with a dusting of gold beneath the twinkle lights. Leighton—who was letting my son dance on her bare feet so she could spin him in a slow, steady circle. My heart did a full three-sixty every time they moved.
“Daddy,” Tillie hissed, squeezing my fingers as hard as she could. “The sun’s down . ”
“I know, love bug.”
“It’s almost bedtime. Hurry ,” she bit out.
Right about then, Maverick sidled up, bowing gallantly at the waist to offer her his hand like something out of a fairy tale.
“Princess Tillie, may I have the honor of this dance?”
“I am not a princess,” she replied, stone-faced.
Mav grinned, rubbing his dejected hand over his bearded jaw. “Well, good thing. Or I’d be beating off the competition with a stick.”
“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
He shot me a pleading glance, then turned back to her with a dramatic sigh. “You’re killing me, kid. Come dance on my shoes so your daddy can ask my sister to join him.”
Laughing, I passed her hand to his mammoth one as Kaia swept Beau from Leighton’s arms. My eyes met Leigh’s across the floor, and we both smiled as Maverick spun Tillie into a circle so wild it earned a trill of laughter. Nobody did chaos quite like the Rhodes family.
By the time I crossed the distance between us, my kids were both grinning—Tillie spinning between Mav and Axel like a ballerina yo-yo, Beau blushing under the adoration of five giggling aunts. Kid was loving every second of it.
Like father, like son.
“The kids and I have a little surprise for you,” I said, watching Leigh arch a skeptical brow.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I laughed. “They picked it themselves when we were waiting for you at the mall.”
“Okay…” she said warily, letting me take her hand and lead her to our table.
I fished the first box out of my pocket and slid it toward her. That sly smile of hers deepened as she slowly peeled apart the ribbon and popped the lid.
Her breath hitched. “Ollie…”
The bracelet inside was silver and chunky, exactly the kind Tillie said would match Leighton’s favorite outfits. It was weighed down with hand-picked charms—each of our birthstones, including baby’s—and a handful of tiny Marvel characters they swore she’d love.
“You win,” she said with something suspiciously close to a sniffle. “That’s amazing, Ollie. What the hell is this for?”
“Turns out I’m not the only one in love with you.”
“God, I love you,” she whispered, leaning over to kiss me before straightening with a misty grin. “ All of you .”
She held out her wrist. “Would you help me put it on?”
Nodding, I lifted the clasp and fastened it gently, my hand trailing up her forearm as she twisted it to examine the charms.
“You like it?”
“ Love it, ” she corrected, her eyes already drifting back to the dance floor. She lit up when she spotted Tillie giving her a big thumbs up from between two very amused uncles.
“Dance with me, beautiful?”
Her throat worked as she nodded, slipping her hand into mine.
We stepped onto the floor just as the music slowed. My hands settled on her lower back as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Her eyes were heavier now—like something unsaid had taken root there. We spun slowly among the other couples, her body warm and close, my heart hammering with something more than nerves.
She must’ve felt it too, because she pulled back, narrowed her eyes, and asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said—but it came out strangled.
“ Very convincing.”
I chuckled and dropped a kiss to her crown. “Just thinking about how much I love you, Trouble.”
“Ahh. So it’s a fun heart race?”
“You could say that.” I pulled her closer. “Listen, Leigh. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“You’re pregnant?”
“What?”
“Oh. Never mind.”
“Jesus, Trouble.”
“That’s one .”
I kissed the tip of her nose. “Will you just let me say this?”
“Yes, fine . My bad. I just like to see you smile.”
“I’ll smile a lot more if you let me get this off my chest.”
“Well that’s terrifying. Carry on. ”
“I’m in love with you, Leighton Rhodes.”
She blinked, smirking like she was waiting for a punchline. “Yes. Well established. Feeling’s mutual.”
“I already told you you’re it for me. That I knew before I even realized I’d knocked you up.”
Her eyes widened as she glanced around at the nearby couples. I grinned.
“We’re about to tell the world anyway, Trouble. I’m not worried. Are you?”
“I guess not,” she said, though a pretty flush colored her cheeks.
I pinched her chin lightly, coaxing her gaze back to mine. “Like I said. You’re it. I’m all in. Three months ago, I blurted out a question that deserved a million lights under the stars.”
“Ollie…” she breathed—but I kissed her before she could say another word.
“Shhh, baby. Let me finish.”
“You better make it quick, big guy, because my heart’s about to claw its way out of my chest.”
“Well, that would be unfortunate. Because I’m halfway to a decent speech.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Her breath caught. “Now wait,” I said. “It’s not what you think it is.”
In the back of my mind, I could practically hear a goddamn chicken squawking at me in mockery.
“Leighton Alexandra Rhodes—you're the woman I’m going to marry. Someday. Somehow . I will earn the right to be your husband. I’ll convince you to let me be your plus one, for always. I’ve been in love with you since you first marched into my life, and I’ve only fallen deeper with every layer of you I peel apart.” When she waggled her brows, I just grinned. “Yes, that way, too. Focus .”
“I’m focused,” she whispered, eyes shining.
“Really?”
“No, I’m actually freaking out on the inside.”
“Brownie points for still dancing.”
“Thank you. Glad you noticed.”
“Of course I did. I’m freaking out too.”
That earned a broad smile, and she rose onto her tiptoes to steal a kiss. “You don’t look it.”
“An arduously acquired deceptive calm.”
“Well done.”
“Thank you. Focus .”
“ Right .”
She wiggled nervously, and I had to fight the urge to laugh.
“I told you we’re doing this at your pace. That hasn’t changed, baby. Because I had this ring in my pocket the day you told me you were pregnant.”
Eyes watering, she grinned mischievously. “You’re insane.”
“It wasn’t for that exact moment , for fuck’s sake.”
“Right. Carry on.”
“Right.” I gave her a pointed look. “It was for when we were ready.”
“Which was not during an existential crisis.”
“Correct. But now we’re here.”
“Now we’re here,” she echoed, glancing up at the twinkle lights with a soft smile.
“And I’m just a man, standing in front of his woman, begging her… to think about it. ”
“What?” She laughed, a rapid strobe of emotion flashing across her face.
“Yep. That’s it. Just… think about it, Leigh. Because I’ve already made up my mind, and I’ll wait as long as you need.”
“Ten years.”
“Fine.”
“ Thirty .”
“I hope I’m a sexy silver fox, or you’re out of luck.”
“Oh, you will be,” she said with a wink.
“I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
“But… Ollie, I’m lost. What are you saying? Because I have been thinking about it. A lot, actually.”
“Good. That’s good.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead, slowing our circle as I popped open the box with my thumb. Inside was the engagement ring I’d picked just for her—stunning, simple, sapphire—clipped into a delicate gold chain.
She arched a disbelieving brow as I held it out, fingers curled around the chain as our steps slowed to a crawl.
“Wear it for me?” I asked quietly. “No rush. No pressure. No expectations. Just the promise that whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here. Waiting.”
My voice went lower as I added, “But make no mistake—the moment you slide that sapphire onto your finger—be it tonight or ten years from now—we’re either hopping a flight to Vegas or setting a date. Because I cannot wait to give you my last name.”
She straightened abruptly, her hand flying to her lower stomach, eyes wide and lips parted.
“Woah.”
“Leigh?” I dipped my chin, concern gripping my chest. “Baby, you okay?”
“I… I think so,” she breathed. “What do baby kicks feel like?”
“What?” My hands dropped to the small swell of her belly.
“I thought I was having heart palpitations from your proposal, but then it happened again—lower this time. Like butterfly wings flapping.”
Grinning, I pressed both palms to her stomach and leaned in, our foreheads touching again.
“Yeah, Trouble. I think our baby has an opinion.”
“Oh, she does,” Leighton said confidently, stealing a kiss that turned my bones to dust. “She says of course Mommy will wear your necklace… until she’s ready to be a Hart.”