Chapter Twelve #4
to take you away. I was surprised it wasn’t Scott.”
“Scott was there. He tried to talk to me about a second
chance,” Olivia admitted.
Her mother huffed. “Like you would give him one. Baby, we
didn’t know he took over Anna’s job. We would never have allowed you to take
that meeting. Your father is going to have a talk with someone at his company.”
“Don’t. I know it wasn’t Scott. He was talking to me, but he
was surprised when I went from perfectly fine to slurring my words.” Yes, she
was able to remember some of it.
“Why didn’t he get you help?” Her mother’s lips formed a
straight line.
“Because he’s Scott and he knew he would be blamed. Why was Ruby
calling Garrett? Shouldn’t she have called me? Also, can he come back here and
tell me himself?” And hug her and kiss her and surround her with affection and
love. She wanted her men even more than she wanted her parents.
Wow. She wanted them here with her. She’d always looked to
her parents for comfort. Even more than Bobby.
But right now the only thing she wanted was to see Keane’s
face, to hear him telling her it would be all right. To have Garrett’s hand in
hers while Keane took control.
Damn, but she liked having someone to hold her hand while
their Master took care of them.
Keane was going to baby her for days. Garrett would be given
strict instructions on how to care for her when Keane couldn’t do it himself.
And now that her parents were here, she was more than
willing to let Dad deal with Scott and the insurance and pretty much everything
while she rested for a while with her guys.
“I’ll go and get him.” Gigi gave her a wink. “I bet Miranda
is dying to get back here, too. Now that your dad is here, I would bet the
staff will relax all the rules. He’s probably scaring the hell out of them
right now.”
Gigi left, the door closing behind her, and her mom took her
hand.
“You like these men?”
“I think I love them.” She shook her head. “Mom, you were
right. When you know, you know.”
“I’m so happy for you, but you should understand…”
She groaned. “Dad is going to take a while. I know, but I
promise you Garrett and Keane will win him over. They already do great work for
the company, and they take excellent care of me. It’s honestly the first time
I’m not worried that they have other reasons to date me. They want my hot bod.”
Her mom laughed. “Of course they do. You’re beautiful and
smart. I’m so glad you found them. They’ll have to come to Sunday dinner. If I
have a kitchen. And a housekeeper. We gave her the month off. Wow. I’ve come a
long way. I think we should see if I remember how to cook a pot roast.”
“They’ll love it no matter what. Mom, they’re an awful lot
like Dad and Papa.”
“In what way?” her mom asked.
“In all the ways, really.”
Her mom’s brows rose. “In the ‘they play together’ way.”
“I’m working on it, but it’s so there. It’s right between
them. I think it’s been there for a long time, but they’re scared. I’m sure
they wouldn’t use that word. They grew up in foster care together.”
Her mom chuckled lightly. “Like your dads. You know your
dads didn’t play together until I came around. They needed me. Maybe Keane and
Garrett need you. I think sometimes when you bond the way your dads did, it can
be frightening to even consider changing things. For a long time all your dads
had were each other.”
“I think that sums up Garrett and Keane, too. They don’t
like to talk about that time, but it did bond them.” There were other things.
Things she’d picked up on. Garrett sometimes mentioned a time when they were
separated. He worked and went to college. He never mentioned what Keane was
doing.
“Think about that. About what it would mean to not have your
parents or your brothers,” her mom mused as though she’d done this exact thing
a million times. “To be alone as a child and suddenly you did have someone.
Someone who proved themselves to you. Someone who becomes the steady ground you
build your life on. Would you risk that for some physical feelings that don’t
even satisfy all your needs?”
“You don’t think Dad and Papa would have been okay on their
own if they’d given in to their feelings?”
“Absolutely not. Baby girl, your parents aren’t together
because we think it’s fun, though so many parts of it are. We’re together
because this is how we were meant to be. We fit in a way no one and nothing
else can. If you take one of us out of the equation in the beginning, it falls
apart. Jack and I fight too much. Sam and I don’t fight at all, and that’s a
problem, too. Jack and Sam don’t ever explore a part of their relationship that
was so needed.”
She truly was marrying her fathers.
Oh. She just thought the word. Marry. She wanted to marry
them. She wanted to build a real life with them.
“Dad is going to be a pain in the ass, isn’t he?” Olivia
said with a hint of a smile.
“Only until he realizes you’re truly serious.” Her mom
squeezed her hand. “You know your dad loves you and he wants the best for you.
I think he learned his lesson from Nicole. He did not handle that well.”
“The good news is they’ve both been vetted thoroughly, so
I’m pretty sure neither of them is on the run from an abusive ex and hiding
their real names.” Though it worried her that Keane might have covered up a bit
of his past. Or Lucas would look past something because her
uncle/brother-in-law believed in second chances. “It’s going to be fine.
Garrett and Keane are wonderful, and the good news is their truck is back at
Lexi’s place so Dad can’t cube it.”
Then the door opened and her papa walked in, a grim look she
rarely saw on his face. “Olivia, we have a problem.”
And she knew whatever he said next would change everything.