24. Olivia & Brett
Olivia & Brett
Olivia - One Year Later …
The salt spray hit my skin as Brett and I cut through the water, the jet skis roaring beneath us.
The Costa Rican coastline blurred past in a streak of green and gold, the last taste of paradise before we had to return to Chicago’s winter.
I should’ve shied at the thought, but Brett’s presence beside me was fire.
“You sure you can keep up, Olivia?” Brett’s voice cackled through the helmet’s comm system, dripping with amusement.
I grinned, twisted the throttle, and surged ahead. “Oh, Brett, you have no idea what I’m capable of.”
His laughter rumbled in my ear, sending a jolt of heat through me.
I could feel his eyes tracking me, that competitive glint mixed with something building between us this entire trip.
Two weeks of sun-drenched beaches, late-night whispers, and Brett proving, over and over, just how much he wanted this.
Wanted me.
Even after one year, I wasn’t sure I could admit how much I wanted him back. To accept it would mean that I would be giving him the power to hurt me all over again.
The jet ski bounced over the waves, and the wind tangled my hair as I turned toward the secluded cove where we’d planned to stop. Brett pulled up beside me, cutting the engine. He pushed his helmet back, shaking out his damp hair. The sun caught in his gray-blue eyes, making them almost silver.
“You’re trouble,” he said, gaze locked on mine.
I arched a brow. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
A slow, wicked grin spread across his face. “Oh, it’s the best thing.”
I swallowed, my pulse spiking. This man was impossible and entirely too irresistible.
We waded onto the shore, water lapping at our legs. The cove was secluded, the jungle thick around us. Brett pulled out a waterproof bag from the jet ski’s compartment, slinging it over his shoulder.
“What’s in there?” I asked, pretending I wasn’t hyper-aware of how his T-shirt clung to his chest, soaked from the spray.
“Lunch,” he said, then leaned in, voice dropping. “And a few surprises.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Should I be worried?”
His grin deepened. “Always.”
We spread a blanket on the sand, and Brett unpacked a spread of fresh fruit, cheese, and bread. We ate, talked, and laughed until the conversation turned, as it had many times, to what came next.
“I miss Chloe,” I admitted, plucking a grape from the bunch. “And Mystic and Phoenix.”
Brett chuckled. “Zackery’s probably letting Chloe eat ice cream for dinner. And Mystic is either terrorizing Fiona or sprawled out like she owns the place.”
“She does own the place,” I pointed out. “It’s just on loan to me.”
His hand brushed mine, deliberate and grounding. “Two weeks here wasn’t enough,” he said. “But I’m ready to go home.”
Something warm settled in my chest when he said, ‘Home,’ like it included me.
I exhaled and turned to face him fully. “We keep talking about the future,” I started. “Do you ever worry we’re setting ourselves up for disaster?”
His expression turned serious. “Not for a second.”
I searched his face, waiting for doubt or hesitation. It wasn’t there. There was only unwavering certainty.
“I want more, Liv,” he continued. “More of this and you. A future that isn’t just Chloe and me but us. A family—whatever that looks like.”
My throat tightened. This man, who once walked away from me, was now offering everything I’d ever wanted. And it terrified me, even after a year.
He seemed to read my thoughts because his fingers tilted my chin up. “I know I hurt you before,” he said. “I will never forgive myself for that. I’ve spent years trying to be better for Chloe and you.”
I swallowed hard. “You have changed a lot since I met you.”
“And I’ll keep proving it if you let me.”
The waves crashed in the background, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat. My fear warred with something that whispered, this is real. This is yours if you want it.
I didn’t answer with words. Instead, I kissed him.
The second our lips met, everything else fell away. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me against him, the heat of his body melting every last shred of resistance I had. I fisted my hands in his damp shirt, needing him closer and needing this to be real.
He groaned against my lips, deepening the kiss until I was dizzy. His hand slid up my back, fingers tangling in my hair as he took and gave, and made me feel like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.
When we finally broke apart, I was breathless, and so was he.
“Well,” I managed, trying to sound unaffected. “Too bad there are so many people here.”
Brett’s eyes gleamed. “You shouldn’t have said that because now I want to ravish you on the beach.”
“Wait. My kiss didn’t already make you want to ravish me?” I cocked my brow in disbelief.
He laughed. “Of course it did, but saying it somehow makes it even more desirable.”
I rolled my eyes, but my heart was still hammering. “We should head back,” I said, voice softer now. “The crew is waiting for us.”
His expression warmed. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”
And for the first time in a long time, the word didn’t scare me. Because, for once, it felt like ours.
Olivia
The day after we got home from Costa Rica, Brett leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, and that infuriatingly cocky smirk was playing on his lips.
“I have a question for you, and you need to promise me that you’ll think about it before you answer.”
I blinked, my brain struggling to catch up. “Okay, what’s the question?”
“I want to know if you and Mystic will move in here with Chloe, Phoenix, and me.” He gestured toward his sprawling high-rise condo as if it wasn’t already painfully obvious what he meant.
I stared at him. “You’re serious?”
He pushed off the counter and moved closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Dead serious.”
My stomach twisted into something hot and electric. God, he was serious.
“Don’t feel pressured, but we know how much Chloe and Phoenix love you and Mystic. I’m almost certain you know how much I love you. I want you here with us like a real family.”
His words hung between us, and I swallowed hard. My heart accelerated, and I simultaneously felt excitement and apprehension bubble inside me.
I looked into his eyes. “I, uh?—”
His lips twitched. “It’s not a bomb. It’s a proposition.”
“I know.”
“Your hesitation is scaring me.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it again. The problem was that it was perfect. I wanted it more than anything.
Phoenix sat at Brett’s feet, oblivious to what was happening, tail wagging like she couldn’t wait for our new dysfunctional family arrangement.
“Alright,” I said, heart hammering. “Let’s do it.”
Did I really just agree to it?
Brett grinned, his hand sliding to my waist, pulling me in. “Good choice.”
I exhaled sharply. “You’re so smug.”
He kissed me, slow and deep, tasting of confidence and something dangerous. I gripped his shirt, the weight of our past and our future colliding in the space between us. His fingers skimmed my spine, and just as things unraveled, a shriek rang through the condo.
“OH MY GOD!”
We broke apart. Chloe stood in the doorway, eyes wide. “Are you guys making out in the kitchen?”
Brett exhaled through his nose, jaw tightening. “It’s good you’re here because we have something to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?” She hoisted herself onto the stool at the island.
Brett walked over to face her. I followed. “What do you think about Olivia and Mystic moving here with us?”
Chloe’s face twisted into the most ridiculous one I’ve ever seen, and then she shrieked while jumping off the stool and racing toward me to give me a bear hug. She leaned back and looked at me. “You’re moving in here with us?”
“If you’ll have us.”
“Oh, man! I would love that.” She stopped and looked at Brett. “What about Mystic and Phoenix? How are they going to deal with this?”
“Oh, I think Mystic will hold her own, and Phoenix will love the company, especially when we’re all not here,” Brett said with a nod.
“Alright. I guess it’s settled then. When?” I looked at Brett.
“Tomorrow?”
“Oh, wow. Okay. Tomorrow. That’s quick.”
“Whenever you want.”
As it turned out, we moved my things into Brett’s a week later. Once we got everything in its place, we all sat exhausted in the living room.
Chloe pointed dramatically at Mystic, now batting at Phoenix’s face like she was personally offended by her existence. “Your demon cat is attacking my dog!” She giggled.
Mystic swiped again, and Phoenix—bless her dumb, sweet heart—whined and flopped onto her back, a massive submission move.
I folded my arms. “Mystic is asserting her dominance.”
Chloe scoffed. “She’s a tiny terrorist.”
Brett laughed, “Agreed.”
Mystic flicked her tail, victorious. I turned to Chloe. “She’ll settle down.”
Chloe shot me a skeptical look. “Will she?”
As if on cue, Mystic pounced again, landing on Phoenix’s head. Phoenix used her paw to get her off, but Mystic was too quick and landed on her back. Phoenix rolled her paws up. Mystic ran up and down the couch and pounced on Phoenix’s head again.
Brett sighed. “Looks like we’re going to have to stage an intervention.”
“Or,” I said, leaning against him, “let them sort it out.”
Chloe muttered something about bad parenting and left the room with a laugh. Phoenix, proving once again that she had the IQ of a potato, let Mystic perch on her back like a tiny, furry queen.
Brett slid his hand over mine. “You sure you’re ready for this?”
I met his gaze. “For Mystic and Phoenix’s inevitable war?”
“For us.”
The air between us shifted, something heavier settling in. I wasn’t just moving in—I was stepping into something terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
I swallowed. “Yes, as ready as I’ll ever be.”
He grinned, brushing a kiss against my temple. “Good. Because I wasn’t going to let you back out.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“You love it.”
I did. And that was the scariest part of all.
Later that night, after Mystic finally decided to stop terrorizing Phoenix, I curled up on the couch, watching them pass out together in a heap of fur.