Chapter 11
Olivia felt all of her energy drain from her body. Her head felt light, and she was having a difficult time breathing. Had it been this hot outside earlier?
“Hey.” Todd’s voice sounded distant. “Focus on me,” he said in a soothing voice. Something cold was shoved into her hand, and Todd helped her sip the water.
She heard other voices, but it wasn’t until she heard Crystal’s soothing voice that she shook herself out of it and was able to speak. “There now, what’s going on here?”
“I’m… not sure,” Todd said.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked around and realized she was surrounded by concerned friends. Her makeshift family.
“I…” She swallowed and shook her head, then met Todd’s eyes. “Brock likes to play games.”
“Okay,” he said, a frown causing his eyebrows to furrow.
She swallowed. “Especially hide and seek. Found you. It’s his sick way of telling me that he’s found out something about me.” She motioned to her phone. She pulled up the screenshot of the text message that she’d received from Brock and handed it to Todd.
Todd read the words and sighed.
“You think Brock is the one who texted me?” he asked.
“It’s the same. He sent this to me from a burner phone in Georgia.”
“How do you…” He shook his head.
“I found that bit of information out.” Rory stepped forward. “I know a guy who… well, at any rate, I know a guy.”
Todd turned back to Olivia, and she could tell he was assessing her.
“Hey.” He gathered her into his arms and held on. It felt so good to be held by a man who cared. A man she knew would never play games with her. “It’s okay. I’ll have Ethan look into—”
“Let her go.” A strong little voice had them both looking over.
Simona stood, her little hands fisted by her side, her eyes glaring at him. If Olivia didn’t know better, she would have sworn her daughter was on the verge of attacking Todd.
“Let my mommy go. Don’t you hurt her,” Simona added, her voice shaky this time.
She wanted to scold her daughter but knew that she was only trying to protect her.
“Simona,” Olivia said in a calm voice. “Todd was just helping me. I wasn’t feeling well.”
Still, Todd dropped his arms from around her and scooted back on the bench, away from her a little.
“He made you cry,” Simona said, moving closer, her eyes still on Todd.
“No, honey.” Olivia grabbed up her daughter and put her on her lap. “He was comforting me because I was crying.” She felt Simona relax in her arms. “I think you owe Todd an apology.”
“No.” Todd shook his head. “She was just standing up for her mother.” He took Simona’s hand. “Don’t ever apologize for sticking up for someone you love. Okay?”
Simona glanced at her, and she smiled and wiped the rest of her tears off her face before nodding her head in agreement.
“Okay,” Simona said, turning back to Todd. “I thought… I didn’t like it when he hit her.”
She noticed then that everyone had given them space, so it was only the three of them in the little garden area.
“Who?” Todd asked. “Your dad?”
Simona nodded as she looked up at her mother. Olivia had a hand over her mouth and the tears were back. She’d always believed she’d hidden Brock’s abuse from her daughter. How had she allowed herself to be so naive? Of course Simona had known. How could she not?
“He broke her arm and she had to go to the hospital.” Simona took her hand and lifted it, then ran her little fingers over the tiny white scars left by the pins she’d had to have.
“She had… pins?” It was more a question than a statement, and Olivia nodded slightly.
“They came out here,” Simona continued, “and I couldn’t touch her there or hold her hand because she was hurt.
I won’t let anyone hurt her again. She’s my mommy.
” Her heart melted and hurt at the same time.
Love for her daughter flooded her to the point that more tears started rolling down her cheeks.
“Not every man is like your dad,” Todd began. “I would never hurt you or your mother.” He held out his hand and Simona looked at it for a moment. “I promise you. I don’t hit girls. Only bad guys hurt girls.”
Simona’s eyes moved up to his. “Promise?” He nodded and Simona smiled as she put her tiny hand in his. “Okay.” She turned back to her as she shook his hand and asked, “Why were you crying then?”
“Oh, honey.” Olivia wrapped her arms around her daughter again. “I was being silly.”
“Like when you cry during the car commercial?” Simona asked.
Olivia chuckled. “Yes, just like that.” Olivia’s eyes met Todd’s over her daughter’s head. “Hey, don’t judge me. It’s a powerful commercial.”
He smiled. “Feeling better?” he asked.
Olivia’s eyes shifted away from his, but she nodded. “Simona, why don’t you go see if Kayla can get you a hot dog and some chips?”
“Okay.” Simona climbed off her lap, and then turned and reached out to hug Todd. “I’m sorry I thought you hurt my mommy.”
Todd’s eyes closed as he held onto her little girl for a moment before letting her go. They both watched as she skipped across the yard towards Kayla and the rest of the kids, who were currently eating.
She turned and watched him closely as he smiled seeing Simona interact with the other kids.
“Do you really think it could be your ex?” he asked, turning back to her.
She thought about it, about all the times Brock had sent those same words to her, over and over, every time he’d believed he’d caught her in a lie or cheating. She nodded her head slowly.
“Why? I mean, we weren’t, hadn’t…” He shook his head. “We’d only run into each other a few times by then.”
“That doesn’t matter. Brock used to be jealous of any man I talked to.
” She glanced around. “It confirms my suspicion that he’s either close by or has a buddy watching me.
” She leaned back on the bench and crossed her arms over her chest. “Eric and Brock have been best friends since grade school.” She glanced out over the flowers surrounding them.
“Eric works in town at the gas station.”
She thought about the only man in town that had not believed her side of the story when Brock had broken her arm.
For the first couple months after Brock had been arrested, Eric harassed her so much that she’d stopped using that gas station and had made a point to drive out of town to get her gas. She still did to this day.
Then she thought about what this could mean for Todd. If it was Brock who had sent that text instead of a madman out to kill him and his team.
“If it was Brock instead of…”—she lowered her voice— “the person who killed the members of your team, what does that mean?” Did it mean that his security team would leave? Somehow, she’d felt safer with them in town. If someone, someday could come after Todd, she wanted to know that he was safe.
“That means that I need to give my CO a call.” They both glanced over when everyone cheered on the game on the set. “Go on over, grab some food. I’ll make a quick call and be over.”
She understood that he wanted to be alone for the call and stood up and walked over to her friends. She was instantly engulfed in a few hugs, then she sat next to her daughter with a plate full of food.
From across the yard, she watched him pull out his phone and talk as he paced the small grassy area.
When he was done, he joined the rest of them at the bar and tables and ate while cheering the game on.
When the sun started to set, Simona was sitting on Todd’s lap on the sofa while she sat next to them surrounded by her friends. When she noticed her daughter’s head rolling as she started falling asleep, she suggested that it was time they head home.
Todd stood up, easily shifting Simona into his arms, and carried her daughter to her car.
She watched as Todd gently placing Simona in her car seat and then stood back so Olivia could strap her daughter in and shut the door.
She turned towards him, and he pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her.
“I’m glad you came today,” she said with a slight sigh.
“Me too.” He smiled. “Besides our team losing, today was a very lucky day. I’d like tomorrow to be even luckier.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Mondays are my days off. Simona and I were going to head out to find a spot for a picnic. You’re welcome to tag along.”
“Sounds perfect.” He sighed when his cell phone rang in his pocket.
“I’ll text you the details,” she said and moved to get into her car. He stopped her by giving her one more kiss that had her toes curling.
“Night,” he said before answering the call.
The entire short drive home, she played over the highlights of the day, how wonderful it had been to have a man enjoy her friends.
Brock had shied away from hanging out with anyone she knew.
Most of the time, she’d been stuck listening to him and his friends, usually Eric, play video games or drink themselves silly.
They’d never hung out with other married couples.
It was nice, being around other people that she had things in common with.
Getting Simona shuffled into the house used up the rest of her energy. When her daughter was safely tucked in her bed fast asleep, Olivia decided a nice long bath and one more glass of wine was just what she needed.
She always had a jar of Crystal’s bath salts or some of her bath bombs on hand and dropped some into the water.
The water turned a soft purple color as the scent of lavender filled the room.
She poured herself a glass of wine and slid under the warm water and wished more than anything that she was back on the island with Todd, sitting in the hot tub.
Smiling, she pulled out her phone and sent him a text message of her toes poking out of the water next to the candle she’d lit.
“Wishing it was bubbles from a hot tub with you beside me.”
She set the phone down after a few moments when he didn’t reply, figuring he must be fast asleep. She’d just relaxed back when his reply came.