Chapter 16
Todd could tell that something had changed with Olivia. Whenever he texted or called and suggested they get together, she had some excuse as to why they couldn’t.
When Friday finally rolled around, he showed up on her doorstep, flowers, pizzas, and fixings for ice cream sundaes in hand, without waiting for a formal invitation.
He could hear the rowdiness of the kids inside the house before Olivia answered the door. He smiled and then laughed when he noticed her T-shirt was completely soaking wet, along with her hair and half of her shorts.
“Having a water fight?” he asked cheerfully, holding out the flowers for her.
“No, my sink just broke.” She left him standing at the door as she raced back inside.
Following her, he gasped when he noticed a full spray of water shooting into the air from her kitchen sink.
Setting the flowers, pizzas, and other groceries down, he rushed over to help her turn off the water.
By the time she crawled out from under the sink cabinet, she was completely soaking wet. His eyes instantly went to her perfect nipples poking out of her soaked shirt.
“Um…” He glanced over at the kids, who were sitting on the sofa, watching the entire scene unfold. “Why don’t you go change into some dry clothes while I feed the kids?”
Olivia looked down at her shirt and then gasped as she pulled the wet material away from her body. “I’ll… yes,” she said, her face turning red as she rushed from the room.
“Todd!” Simona rushed to him and jumped up into his arms. “You’re here. Mommy said you couldn’t come.” He hugged her and then watched her bottom lip jut out in a cute little pout.
“I’m here now,” he said easily. “I brought some pizza and ice cream.”
“Ice cream,” all three kids shouted. CJ and Willow started jumping up and down on the sofa while Simona squirmed in his arms. Setting her down, he moved over and put the ice cream away in the freezer and started getting out the kids’ plastic plates and dishing them each a slice.
When Olivia came out of her bedroom, changed into a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt with her hair pulled back into a short ponytail, all three of the kids were sitting at the table, eating pizza and drinking milk he’d poured them in child cups.
He’d found a pretty blue vase to put the flowers he’d gotten for her in, and she stopped to bury her face in them and breathe in their scent.
“Thank you for these.” She touched the soft pink petals. Then she looked around as if she was surprised that they weren’t throwing pizza at one another.
“Come, sit down.” He held up a plate with a slice of pizza on it, then set it down at the head of the table. When she approached him, he pulled the glass of wine he’d poured for her out from behind his back and held it out for her.
Her eyes narrowed, and she took a deep breath before taking the wine from him. He could tell there was something wrong but figured he would wait until the kids were asleep before he asked her about it.
For the next two hours, he was more entertained than he had been in years. Watching Simona interact with CJ and Willow assured him that three kids, two girls and one boy, was the perfect dynamic for a family.
CJ clung to him and listened to his Army stories, while Simona and Willow played together or watched a movie.
Olivia, now that she was dry and didn’t have to focus solely on the kids, had pulled out a toolbox and was working on fixing the sink.
Since he knew that she probably knew more about it than he did, he worked on keeping the kids out from under her feet.
Once she had the sink working again, he helped each kid create their very own sundae before making his own.
“I see you’re a toffee lover.” He motioned to Olivia’s sundae. She’d topped it with the toffee chunks he’d brought along. In truth, he might have gone a little crazy in the candy aisle. There were bags of almost every kind of candy and topping.
Still, the kids had enjoyed it and put a little of each on their choice of ice cream.
“Toffee.” She shrugged. “If I could, I’d put it everywhere.” She smiled and took a bite. “You…” She motioned with her spoon. “Oreos?”
“When I was in high school, I could eat an entire bag of them myself.”
Her eyebrows went up. “You weren’t a chubby kid?”
He laughed. “No, just a skinny kid with a very high metabolism. Now”—he patted his flat stomach and leaned back, knowing he’d hit top— “I have to hit the gym a dozen times a week to work off one Oreo.”
She smiled and glanced over to where the kids were finishing up with their sundaes, sitting at the bar countertop. “After Simona, my entire diet had to change. Anything with too much sugar, and I pay for it in the gym.”
He nodded as his eyes ran slowly over her. “I’d say it’s working. You’ll hear no complaints from me. Even if you gain a little extra.” He reached out and laid his hand on her thigh. “I like soft.” He squeezed gently. “Any way that you are, I think I’d enjoy you.”
Olivia’s eyes darted to the kids and then back to his. “Todd, we—”
“Later,” he said smoothly, knowing where she was heading and understanding that they didn’t have the privacy to talk about it now.
Olivia nodded and stood up to gather the dishes.
While the kids played an impromptu game of hide-and-seek in the house, he helped her wash them.
Then the kids were shuffled into the bathroom to clean up.
While Willow and Simona took a bath together, CJ opted for a shower in the guest bathroom and was determined to get himself ready for bed.
Once everyone was clean and wearing their pajamas, they sat on the sofa to watch one last show together before they all went into Simona’s room and settled down for the night.
Taking Olivia’s hand, he shut Simona’s bedroom door gently, so as to not wake any of the kids, and pulled her out into the living room.
He tugged her down to sit next to him on the sofa and turned to her.
“So, are you wanting to break things off?” he asked easily.
She seemed a little taken back, but then relaxed back and sighed.
“No, it’s just… I can’t promise you that this will go any further. I…” She shook her head and avoided his eyes. “It’s just not possible.”
“Oh?” he asked, feeling relieved that at least she wasn’t breaking it off with him. He wanted more time with her and Simona. Time to explore what he was feeling for the pair of them.
Olivia’s eyes darted to his. “I don’t think I’ll ever allow myself to have what others have.”
He thought about her statement. Ran it over a few times in his head. “Allow yourself to have what others have? You mean happiness?”
She sighed and nodded. “Yes, I suppose if you think of it that way.”
“So, no more kids?” he asked. He saw sadness fill her eyes. “I mean, sure, I’d hoped, but… if it means…” She shook her head. “I suppose not.”
He held in a chuckle. “Okay, then, just because you married an ass once, you think you’re destined to do it again?”
She swallowed and avoided his eyes again. “I can’t take that chance. Not with Simona. I’m responsible—”
“Bullshit,” he said softly. She looked at him, and he saw fear behind those silver eyes. He mentally kicked himself for causing it, but then realized that if he wanted more with her, she had to understand, to know that he was nothing like Brock.
He took her hand in his and pulled it up to his lips. “Olivia, I will never raise my hand to you or Simona in anger. That doesn’t mean”—he met her eyes— “that I don’t occasionally raise my voice. Understand?”
She nodded slowly. “I just don’t think I can handle another broken heart.”
He felt his heart break slightly at her meaning. Had she really loved Brock that much? Maybe she still did? Is that why she was avoiding the next level with him? What was the next level?
“Can we just…” She looked into his eyes. “Take things slower?”
He wanted to answer no, but looking deep into her eyes, he knew that if he did, he could lose her.
So instead, he nodded and pulled her close, then kissed her gently until he felt that if he didn’t leave now, he wouldn’t be able to.
Pulling away was one of the hardest things he’d done in a long time.
“I’ll let you get some rest.” He stood up. “Thanks for tonight.” He started towards the door.
“Todd?” She stopped him; his hand was on the doorknob. “Thank you for understanding.” He nodded quickly and then left.
For the next two weeks, he did what she’d asked.
He backed off as much as he could. It wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be since he had so much work at the house to keep him busy.
Both the electrician and the plumber had come out and spent more than a week each repairing or replacing what needed to be fixed.
He’d taken a few breaks and had joined Olivia for Thursday morning yoga classes. He figured one day a week was all he could handle, especially when he walked away more sore than he had been when he’d replaced the flooring.
He’d also had dinner with Olivia and Simona on three occasions. Each time, he’d returned home alone with nothing but a few stolen kisses to keep him satisfied.
When he’d finished replacing all of the flooring in his house and had painted all the rooms, he decided that he didn’t want to put back any of the old furniture.
Instead, he sent Olivia a text message asking her to go along with him on her next day off to scour through the furniture stores for items that would fit the new space better.
When she agreed, he counted it as a small victory. Spending time alone with him hadn’t been something she’d agreed to since their talk.
When the shopping day arrived, she picked him up and drove into the city while they chatted casually and caught up with each other’s lives.
“So, what furniture are you looking for?” she asked him when they parked at the first store.
“Basically everything to fill the house,” he answered with a chuckle. “My mother purchased the stuff currently in the house. I’d like to get rid of everything.”
“Everything?” Her dark eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It’s all outdated and some of it is even falling apart.”
“Okay, so…” He saw she was thinking about it. “Four bedrooms’ worth of furniture?”
“Four bedrooms, a dining room, and an office. “And if I’m going to redo the loft above the garage, I’ll need to come up with stuff for up there as well. But that can come later. For now, four bedrooms, an office, and a dining room.”
“Easy enough,” she said, and he followed her into the furniture store.
Three hours and several thousand dollars later, they walked out of the third furniture store with everything he needed to fill the home purchased and scheduled for delivery.
“I don’t know how you did it,” he said, opening her car door for her. “You’re simply amazing.” He kissed her before letting her climb into the driver seat.
They had been an incredible team when it came to shopping.
At first, he hadn’t known what sort of items he wanted to put in his home.
He’d looked at several assorted styles until he finally found the style he liked best. He would continue the beach vibe with soft grays and beechwoods with light blue accents.
Light and airy was how Olivia described it. “The perfect beach vibe, and comfortable and homey. Not too feminine and not to bland,” she’d said, which he had taken as a good sign, so he’d stuck with it.
“I’ve never been called amazing because of my shopping skills before,” Olivia joked as she started the car.
“How about we get some food?” he suggested.
“I could eat.”
“Know of any good places around here?”
“Several. It depends on what you’re in the mood for,” she said as she started to drive.
His mind instantly jumped to his desire for her. How he’d missed touching her, tasting her, being with her. Not just in the physical sense, but in the whole. Everything about her. He wanted to laugh with her and not have this… bubble between them.
When she pulled in at a Thai place, he glanced over at her. “Thai It Up?” He chuckled at the name of the restaurant.
She looked over at him. “Is this okay? It’s not often I get to indulge.”
“I love Thai. It’s just… I didn’t think there were any good places around,” he said as he got out of the car.
“This is it. The only good place within fifty miles,” she said as he took her hand and walked towards the door.
“Then we’ll have to come into the city more often.” He opened the front door for her.
The woman behind the counter smiled. “Welcome back, Miss Olivia.”
“Thanks, Malee. This is Todd,” Olivia said as the woman showed them to a booth.
“Mr. Todd, welcome,” Malee said as she motioned to the booth. “This okay?”
“Yes, thanks, Malee. How is Sunan? How was his first year in college?” Olivia asked as they sat down.
“Oh, he did good. All A’s.” Malee’s smile grew. “So proud.”
“Is he back for the summer?” Olivia asked.
“No, his first summer, he is taking classes still. He wants to get ahead.” The woman poured them each a glass of water.
“Sunan is going to Harvard,” Olivia told him. “He’s sixteen.”
“Wow.” Todd smiled. “You must be proud.”
“So proud.” The woman smiled. “You look over the menu now.” She went to help other customers who had walked in.
By the time they ordered their food, the entire restaurant had filled up.
“The food must be good here,” Todd said, looking around.
“The best,” Olivia agreed.
He took a deep breath. “So, I’ve been thinking.”
“Okay.” She took a sip of her water. “About?”
“Us.” He reached across and took her free hand. “I know you wanted things to go slower.” He felt her tense in his hand. “And I’m okay with that,” he added quickly. “But I do have a few of my own stipulations.” She relaxed and nodded.
“Okay,” she said slowly.
He looked into her eyes. “One, I’d like a scheduled date night.”
She smiled. “I think that can be arranged.”
“One for just us, and one night a week with the three of us,” he added. He felt her tense again. “Simona is part of you, part of your life. I’d like a chance to know all of you. Besides…” He smiled. “She brings me joy. I like hanging out with her.”
Olivia was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, two nights a week. But, just to warn you, your time with Simona may just be watching cartoons or playing games at our house.”
His smile grew. “Perfect.”
“Any other stipulations?” she asked.
He ran his thumb over her palm slowly. “We pick back up where we were, physically. I miss being with you.” He watched her eyes heat with desire. “And I think you miss it as well.”