Chapter 59
FIFTY-NINE
olivia
God. This night was an absolute gift. After months of sneaking around, walking through the city hand-in-hand felt almost like we were a normal couple.
“I could get used to this,” I said, swinging our hands between us.
“Soon.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, and I filled in the blanks of what he wouldn’t say.
I flipped around to face him, stopping us both in our tracks. “This is only lasting through the season. That’s where it ends. After that, we’re in control. Got it?”
“First, we tell Cooper—” Why did his insistence that Cooper was the priority cause me to fall even more in love with him?
I grabbed his hand and pulled him along the sidewalk.
“Then Austin—”
“And I’m going to need to meet your dad.”
“I’ve never introduced anyone to my dad.”
“Not Jason?”
“He met him, but I didn’t introduce him as a person in my life—just as my baby’s father. That time was so stressful, I feel like I never took a minute to enjoy any of it.”
I shivered as we walked. The September weather had cooled that evening, and I worried more about how my dress looked and less about comfort.
“Did you like being pregnant?”
I thought about it before I responded. The fear of failing had kept me awake at night, but thinking back to when I first felt Cooper move, or even the anticipation—wonder at the fact my body was making an entire human being.
“I loved it—I hated being broke.”
“Did you ever want more babies?”
“I know where you’re going here, and it’s a loaded question.
I want Cooper to have siblings. There was a time when I dreamed of a big family.
God—since I was a kid, I loved the idea of being a chaotic mom, followed around by a gaggle of kids.
But after letting it happen out of turn, it made me more cautious. ”
Nate’s grip on my hand tightened. “What do you need to make it feel right?”
“Stability—”
“And?”
“A house full of love—”
“And?”
“Someone who makes me feel whole.”
Nate stole my move and swung around, blocking my path. “I will live and breathe to give you everything you want, Olivia. Let me.”
Why did I trust this man when he promised me forever? Was it trust? Or was it because this was the first time I finally believed in a future that wasn’t solo? A life where I wasn’t the only one stressed about the electricity bills, or the cost of new cleats?
“If I let you, I won’t survive if you leave—”
“I’m not leaving, Livvie—”
My heart clenched painfully. It was one thing to fall in love, but another to believe.
I stopped in front of the restaurant, hand on the door handle. “To be continued.”