27. Oliver
The house is suddenly too quiet.
No kids screaming.
No cartoons blaring from the TV at an unbearable volume.
My brothers and their families left this morning, and I wander through the house searching for traces of what was an incredible week.
Not only did I get to enjoy my family, but I finally found the courage to tell Cala how I feel.
And not only that—she confessed too.
It was perfect.
I’d be blind not to admit that my brothers had a lot to do with it. They pushed me, and maybe without that small shove, I wouldn’t have ended up making love to her the way I did, so intimate, so natural, so...Damn it, I can still feel her hands on my skin.
The way her mouth drove me to the most intense, overwhelming pleasure I’ve ever known.
She—the intruder—brought more than just magic into my life.
She brought miracles.
I, Oliver Walker, am in love.
With someone who touches me, holds me, kisses me like there’s no tomorrow. With someone who makes me see a future that isn’t so dark and lonely anymore.
“Oliver, are you all right?” I hear Lucien’s voice behind me.
I turn and find Cala’s father in his wheelchair, waiting for my answer, worry written all over him. We haven’t had a real conversation since Thanksgiving, and we both know that ends today.
“Got a minute?” I ask. “We need to talk about something important.”
We’re alone in the house—Cala’s out in the garden with Eliza picking vegetables for the week, and Lis said she’d help them.
“Sure,” he says. His chair hums after me as we head for the living room. I’m about to sit when I find one of Mila’s little toys buried in the cushions. I smile, remembering how she was playing with it just a few hours ago.
“Someone’s gonna be in a real bad mood when she realizes her favorite toy’s missing,” I say, setting it on the coffee table.
Lucien smiles and angles his chair toward the fireplace.
“Your nieces and nephews are wonderful.”
“I know,” I answer, still smiling. “I’m lucky to be their uncle.”
We sit in a short, heavy silence. I wonder if he already knows what I’m about to say.
“What is it, Oliver? Is this about Cala’s job?” he asks, bracing his forearms on the arms of the chair.
“It’s not about her performance. It’s about her.” I meet his eyes. I lean back into the couch and draw a slow breath. “You’re not blind, Lucien. All these years of friendship earned us enough honesty to face this head-on.”
Lucien looks away, swallowing hard.
“Oliver, think really careful about what you’re doing.”
“I love her.”
His tired, weathered eyes snap back to mine. I hadn’t realized how much they look like hers. “What?”
“I wouldn’t be having this conversation if I didn’t mean it,” I say, steady but firm.
“She’s important to me, Lucien. I want her to be part of my life, freely.
I’m not asking for your approval, and I’m sure as hell not gonna spend my days dealing with disapproving looks or quiet judgment.
She’s mine, and I’m hers. I’m sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear, but it doesn’t change a damn thing. My mind’s made up.”
He leans forward, elbows on his knees, and lets out a long breath that seems to empty his lungs. He looks stunned, lost even.
“But… we can’t—Oliver, we don’t have the means to leave this place if this… thing between you two fades,” he says, his voice uncertain.
Fades? The thought of what we have fading seems almost absurd now.
Maybe in those early days, when every emotion she stirred up in me felt tangled and raw, there was a time I could have believed it.
Back then, I told myself the irritation was all I felt for her, that I resented how easily she unsettled me.
But the truth is, I never hated her—not for a second.
What unsettled me was how she made me vulnerable, how she got past every defense I’d built.
Now, what’s between us is something deeper, something lasting.
It’s real—so real that I can’t imagine stopping until she’s my wife.
“It’s not a phase,” I say quietly, holding his gaze with unwavering resolve.
“I love her. And I don’t say those words lightly.
No matter what the future brings, my promise to all of you still stands.
This ranch, this home, this life—none of that changes.
You’ll always have that security, and nothing between Cala and me will ever threaten what we’ve built here together. ”
Lucien shakes his head slowly, absorbing the weight of my words as he tries to come to terms with what I’ve just told him.
“Does she… know?”
“She does,” I answer without hesitation. “She loves me too.”
The admission makes him sit up straighter, surprise etched across his features.
In all those moments I thought he might have noticed—the subtle glances, the brief touches we tried to hide—he hadn’t seen any of it.
Realizing that stings a little; it’s a reminder that while I agonized over every secret look, Lucien was too wrapped up in his own troubles to see what was happening right in front of him.
That realization brings a pang of guilt.
“I’m not asking for permission for her hand. I just want my friend to be happy for me—for us. Because for the first time in my life, I’ve found a woman who fills me up, who steadies me, who makes me damn happy. You get that, Lucien? You understand how hard it was for me to admit it?”
He nods once, slow and deliberate.
“I’m happy for you both,” he says, clearing his throat like the words burn on the way out.
“Thank you.”
Cautiously, I reach out and pull him into a hug. He returns it, firm and genuine, and for the first time in a long while, the tightness in my chest begins to lift.
Cala’s harvesting when she spots me walking toward her, purpose written all over my face. Her dark eyes narrow in alert, the way they always do when she knows I’m up to something. Her hair’s pulled back into a long black braid, and that matching hat shadows her face just enough to drive me crazy.
Her mother and Eliza are nearby, and I can see the panic flash across her features when she glances at them.
“What—?”
I cut her off with a kiss. Hard. Hungry. Claiming.
I hear both women gasp behind us, sharp and scandalized, but I don’t care.
I pull back just enough to meet Cala’s wide, startled eyes and smile at her, slow and calm—because that’s what love’s supposed to give you, peace, not fear.
Then I look over at the two women. Lucien’s wife’s lips twitch with a knowing half-smile, while Eliza’s grinning from ear to ear.
“Anybody got an objection?” I ask. Both shake their heads quickly. “Good. Then I guess we’re all clear. Cala and I are together now. Lucien already knows, and I’d appreciate y’all accepting it with the same calm.”
Yeah… maybe I shouldn’t have used the word calm.
The two women start squealing like teenage girls and rush over with open arms. Cala finally relaxes her shoulders, laughter spilling out of her like sunlight as they hug her tight.
I just stand there, staring like a fool, because she’s mine. And when she looks back at me, I take her hand and hold it like it’s something holy.
“Now, if y’all excuse me,” I tell them, “I’ve got things to discuss with my girlfriend.”
We walk away hand in hand, for the first time not hiding, and it feels exactly the way I’d imagined—easy, right, real. Our fingers lock, our eyes meet, and it’s like the world finally makes sense.
“Your dad’s fine,” I reassure her gently.
“He was a little startled at first, but I reminded him of my promise—I’ll always look out for your family.
You’re all my family now. We may have a few cracks, a few scars, but that’s what makes it work for us.
And I intend to keep it that way. Well… except when your folks move into their new place, and we stay into ours. ”
I come to a stop, turning toward her and slipping my hands around her waist, drawing her close.
She teases, “Ours? That house is yours, Oliver.”
I shake my head, my voice soft but certain. “No, sweetheart. Not anymore. The second you moved in, the house changed. It feels different now—warmer. It wants you there. Honestly, it needs you there. Just like I do. And once the marriage papers are signed, it’ll officially be yours.”
Her lips part slightly. “Marriage?”
I swallow hard, feeling the weight of the moment settle between us.
“I ain’t saying I’m dragging you down to the courthouse tomorrow, so don’t panic,” I say, my voice gentle but steady.
“I’m just putting the thought out there—so you know I’m serious.
This isn’t a fling for me, Cala. You’re it.
And someday, I’m gonna make you mine the right way. ”
Her cheeks flush pink, and she nods without a word. That small smile of hers feels like a promise all on its own.
“Now come on,” I say, lacing our fingers again. “There’s something’ in the barn I wanna show you.”
And with a slow, wicked grin, I lead my intruder inside.