Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
TAJ
“It’s missing something.”
For the first time in my adult life, particularly since taking over as CEO at Blackman Boards, I wasn’t worried about work.
It wasn’t that I didn’t care about it. I did. But it would still be there when I went back to it at the start of the new year.
For now, I was content to enjoy my time off, especially when I had the opportunity to soak up hours upon hours with Olivia. I wanted every second I could get with her.
As much as she claimed I could turn a bad day around for her and make her forget that there was anything negative that had been recently swirling around her, I had to admit she did the same for me.
Sure, I hadn’t been through anything close to what she had, but I could appreciate how having her in my life over the last month or so had changed things tremendously for me.
Today, we were spending the day at my place. The winter storm was in full swing, and we were out in the middle of it. We’d been having a blast, too.
My eyes were focused on her, watching as she tapped her finger on that beautiful bottom lip. Something expanded in my chest, something I’d been feeling from the start with her. And with each day that passed, it grew larger and larger.
“It’s not missing anything, Olivia.”
Snapping her head in my direction, she narrowed her eyes on me. The tip of her adorable nose and her cheeks were red from the cold. “I’m telling you, Taj, it’s definitely missing something.”
She was so sure of herself, and I loved seeing the confidence.
Truthfully, she had every reason to be. In the time I’d spent with her, she’d proven she had a good eye for design, for what went together.
Olivia had done it with the clothes she wore, the Christmas trees she’d decorated, and the blanket she’d gotten me.
Shaking my head, I insisted, “I’ve done this no less than two dozen times in my life. When I tell you it’s not missing anything, I’m being serious. Trust me.”
Olivia looked away and muttered, “That’s a rather bold claim for you to make. Maybe you’ve done this more than me—”
“You’ve never done it before,” I reminded her.
“So what? I know what I’m looking at.” Her hand had drifted from in front of her lips to the soft lock of beautiful blonde hair peeking out beneath the winter hat she was wearing.
There was so much concentration and focus on her features.
“And I can promise you that I’m not wrong about this. I just need a minute to figure it out.”
I laughed.
What else could I do?
If Olivia believed she could figure out something I’d overlooked, I’d stand here with her for the rest of the day.
“Do you mind if I help you?” I asked.
Returning her attention to me, she arched a brow. “So, you agree? There is something missing, isn’t there?”
I pressed my lips together. I couldn’t bring myself to lie to her, so I said, “I believe that you’re a confident and intelligent woman, who has killer gut instincts about things. So, it’s very possible there’s something I’ve missed.”
A small smile tugged at her mouth. “Alright. Then you can help.”
Moving closer to her, the snow still falling over us, I paused a moment to take in her scent. I couldn’t get enough of it. Of her.
“Okay. So, let’s start at the beginning. We’ve got his body right, don’t we? Three big balls stacked in varying sizes with the largest at the bottom.”
“Yes. Yes, his body is perfect.”
I chuckled. She’d just complimented our snowman on his body, and I thought it was the greatest thing I’d ever heard. “Great. Now, we found two thin branches that look similar for his arms. I think those are good.’’
Olivia nodded. “Yes. His arms are good. So are his eyes and mouth and nose.”
“And we added the scarf around his neck and the hat on his head,” I pointed out.
“That was a great touch. He looks so handsome.”
“I think that’s everything he needs, don’t—”
“I got it!” Olivia jumped and clapped her hands. “I know what the problem is.”
Well, there it was. I’d been wrong, and she was right. “What is it?”
Her shoulders fell, and all the happiness that had been on her face just moments ago vanished. “He’s alone.”
“What?”
“I don’t like that he’s going to be out here all alone.”
The sadness was almost too much to bear. “Olivia, I wish this was a problem I could fix for you, but the only way he survives is if he stays outside.”
She returned her sad expression to our carefully crafted snowman. “I know, but he doesn’t have to be by himself. Nobody wants to spend their whole life alone.”
Suddenly, I wondered if we were still talking about this snowman. Is that what Olivia thought about herself? Was she worried that she’d spend the rest of her life by herself?
There was only one way for me to prove to her that it wasn’t the way it had to be.
Wrapping my arm around her back, I squeezed her shoulder.
“You’re right. He shouldn’t be alone. Nobody should.
So, I say we build him the snowwoman he deserves.
One who’ll keep him company and make the rest of his life feel meaningful. ”
For a long time, Olivia kept her eyes trained on the snowman. She didn’t say anything, and I got the distinct feeling she was letting the weight of those words settle somewhere far beneath the surface of this conversation about a snowman.
Finally, she looked up at me with tears shining in her eyes and a bright smile on her face. “Can we build her now?”
“I’ll do anything you want, Olivia. Anything at all.”
She held my stare for a few beats before she looked away. And with that, we got to work on giving our snowman a partner.
Olivia was just as excited building the second one as she’d been building the first. Even better, she was ecstatic when we’d finished and had the happy couple nestled together in my backyard. “I love this, Taj. They look so cute together. Don’t you think?”
Soft laughter escaped. “Sure.”
She pursed her lips. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”
“Not at all. It’s just that this pair is not as important to me as you are. If you tell me that you’re happy about them, that you no longer feel sad about them being out here, that’s all that matters to me.”
Olivia blinked, questions in her eyes.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m… I’m important to you?”
My head dropped to one side as my eyes roamed over her pretty face. “That’s surprising to you?”
“What exactly do you mean by that?” There was such curiosity in her tone, like she couldn’t believe I felt anything even remotely warm toward her.
“It means that I think about you all the time, that I enjoy spending time with you, and that I want to do things that make you happy.”
She swallowed roughly. “You think about me all the time?”
I nodded. “Probably more than is reasonable, all things considered.”
One of those things being the fact that we hadn’t even kissed one another.
It was a battle I waged daily, because I just didn’t want to push her for more than she was ready for.
Sometimes, I thought she might be interested in something more than just friendship.
Other times, she appeared to be completely content with things just as they were.
“I think about you a lot, too.”
A lot.
I guess that was better than nothing.
But it still wasn’t the same as what I felt for her. I struggled to get her out of my mind long enough to do anything else.
Olivia was in a much different place than I was, though. I couldn’t imagine how I would’ve felt if I’d walked out of my wedding a month ago.
“So, you understand, then,” I reasoned, doing my best to keep my voice neutral. Like this was just some casual thing. That it didn’t matter that I’d admitted as much as I thought I could, given the state of things between us.
The wind whipped past, and Olivia lifted her hands to cover her face. Since her gloves were wet, she didn’t touch the exposed skin, and I thought we’d had our fill.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to get out of the cold for a while?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I think if I stay out here any longer, I might lose my nose.”
I placed a hand on the small of her back and led her into the house. Once we were inside and had stripped out of our outer layers, I said, “I’m thinking it might be wise to take a shower to warm up before we eat.”
“That’s not a bad idea. The gear kept me warm outside, but I can feel that lingering cold down to my bones.”
I jerked my chin down. “Come on. I’ll show you to the guest bathroom.”
When I’d picked Olivia up earlier today, I told her to pack a bag with some extra clothes, since I knew she’d want to go out in the snow. I figured she’d need to shower to warm up when she came back inside, and I didn’t want her unprepared.
Once we were standing inside the bathroom, I said, “I’m going to hop in my shower quickly, too. When I’m done, I’ll be back downstairs. If you need anything, you’ll probably find it in the closet here. If not, just give me a shout.”
“Okay. Thanks, Taj.”
I stepped out and closed the door behind me.
After letting out a long breath at the thought of Olivia being naked in my guest bathroom, I begrudgingly walked away, so I could strip out of my own clothes.
OLIVIA
It was no secret that the last few weeks had been some of the best of my whole life. Each moment I’d spent in this new town had been a welcome breath of fresh air.
I felt free. I felt alive.
And it wasn’t lost on me that a lot of that had to do with Taj.
He’d been wonderful—incredible from the instant I met him—and he hadn’t wavered even once.
Strong, steady, and compassionate.
Over the weeks, he’d given me things that I always thought I was missing but could never truly be sure about. And he gave me things I hadn’t realized I needed.
The past few days had been nothing short of brilliant. Between the night out on Christmas Eve, where I met all his friends, and Christmas Day when I met his family, Taj made sure I was consistently happy.
I loved it all. This past month with him had been extraordinary.