Chapter 47 Ollie #2
Scarlette’s laughter filled the room as she tugged Austin toward the tree, her joy momentarily easing the tension.
She deserved this—a chance to know where she came from, to have a connection to her biological father if it was healthy.
And for all the frustration and ache I felt, I could see that Austin was trying.
I nodded to Nova and squeezed her hand briefly. We’ve got this, I told myself, even as jealousy and pride warred within me.
Charlie crouched down to Scarlette’s level, wrapping her in a warm hug. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
Scarlette beamed, soaking in the attention like she always did.
When she stood, Charlie turned to me, extending her hand with a warm smile. “I know we met on the porch, but I wanted to personally introduce myself. I’m Charlie.”
It felt genuine, not forced, like she wanted to bridge the gap between us.
I hesitated for a beat, then took her hand, offering a small smile of my own. My grip was firm. “Ollie.”
Nova reached out, lightly touching Charlie’s arm as she said something quietly, a laugh bubbling between them like they were old friends instead of two women navigating the complicated web Austin had created.
Before I knew it, Nova had looped her arm through Charlie’s and was walking her toward the kitchen, chatting easily about God knows what.
It struck me then, how much Nova’s attitude had shifted. There was no forced politeness, no tension hiding beneath the surface. It was real, and I could see how much Nova genuinely liked Charlie.
It was nice, I realized, watching them disappear into the kitchen. If anyone deserved to have an ally in this mess, it was Nova. And seeing her at ease like that? It eased something in me, too.
For the first time since we’d arrived, I felt like maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad.
I was lost in thought because the next thing I knew, Nova shouted that she was headed upstairs to see the room they’d made up for Scarlette.
Nodding, I insisted on staying downstairs. Seeing the room felt too personal, and I was fine right where I was.
I moved into the kitchen, where Charlie stood nearby as I lingered for a moment, eyes drawn to the neatly arranged sparkling waters in a container. Gesturing toward them, I asked, “Mind if I have one?”
“Oh, of course,” Charlie replied, grabbing a bottle and twisting it open.
She moved to the fridge and pulled out a cup of ice, handing it to me with a small smile.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the cup and pouring the water in.
“How, uh—how was your flight?” she asked politely. “You just got in town?”
I nodded, taking a sip before leaning against the counter. “Yeah, got my visa all sorted, so I’m here to stay now.”
“Oh, nice.” She hesitated, her eyes darting away for a moment before she continued, “Are you doing . . .” She trailed off, clearly searching for the right words, and I could see the slight tension in her shoulders.
“Rugby,” I supplied, a small smile tugging at my lips.
It wasn’t hard to see she was nervous, but her effort to engage was appreciated.
Her face lit up in relief, and she nodded quickly. “Right. That’s it.”
“I worked as an assistant coach for a team back in London. Turns out the league out here needed a head coach, so I’ll be taking that on. Bit of a promotion, actually.”
“That’s amazing. Congrats.”
It was incredible how someone like the man Nova had described, the one who’d treated her the way he did, could end up marrying Charlie. She was warm and thoughtful, and although this was otherwise small talk, it felt like she genuinely wanted to get to know me.
“Thanks. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind getting everything settled, but I’m excited to get started.”
“Well, that sounds like a perfect way to kick off your time here.”
“Yeah, I think it will be.” I glanced toward the doorway, where I could hear Nova laughing with Scarlette and Austin. “And honestly, I’m glad to finally be here, close to them.”
I wanted to be honest with her. Maybe she shared the same conflicted feelings I was struggling with, and if she did, maybe we’d find some common ground in all of this.
“I knew this day would come, one day. I thought Scar would be older, but I knew she’d want to see her dad. I—” I shook my head, pulling out a stool from the counter and sitting down. “I wasn’t expecting it to happen this fast. I thought I’d have a few more years with her and me.”
Charlie’s expression softened as she walked over, gently resting her hand on my shoulder. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”
I nodded, my gaze drifting toward the doorway where Scarlette’s laughter floated in.
It was a sound that anchored me, yet at the same time, it unsettled something deep within.
That laughter carried years of memories—of scraped knees I kissed better, bedtime stories she begged for one more time, and the endless little moments that made me her Ollie.
It also carried an ache, a quiet fear that those moments might not be enough one day. Would she still laugh like that with me when she had him, too? Could I hold onto the role I’d filled in her life, or was I already losing it, piece by piece?
I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts before they dragged me under.
Charlie stepped away, moving to the other side of the counter. She picked up a towel, pretending to wipe down the already spotless surface, clearly as uneasy as I was.
She paused for a moment, hesitating as though choosing her words carefully. Then, swallowing hard, she spoke. “I can’t speak for my husband, but I know Austin really values the relationship you have with Scarlette. He won’t take that away from you. He doesn’t want to.”
Her words caught me off guard. They were exactly what I needed to hear, though they didn’t erase the knot in my chest.
“And I appreciate that, but it’s hard. It’s hard to see the woman I love, the one I took care of for years, come here and now have to share our time.
To see the woman who spent so many nights crying over a man who wasn’t there, over a pregnancy that wasn’t planned, and a newborn she was terrified to raise alone.
The one who would spend hours, days, crying in the bathroom at work.
The woman who pushed me away, over and over, because she was terrified of what might happen because of her past. It’s . . . hard to be here and see him.”
It wasn’t hard—it was agonizing. Seeing him looking put together, standing in a space that felt too close to my own, made my skin crawl.
I let out a soft, disbelieving chuckle, shaking my head. “I shouldn’t be telling you this,” I muttered, the words spilling out like a confession I hadn’t planned to make.
Even as I said it, the vulnerability gnawed at me, but I couldn’t take it back. This was my reality, and for better or worse, it was out there.
“No, but you should tell me.”
I turned sharply, and there was Austin, leaning casually in the doorway. I hadn’t even heard him come in.
He gestured toward the stairs, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Luna’s got them up there counting thread counts or some shit.”
A chuckle escaped me though my body remained tense as I stood and brushed off my pants.
Austin stepped into the room, his posture relaxed, but there was a weight in his gaze. He stopped a few feet in front of me, his voice quiet when he finally spoke. “I, uh, I don’t know what to say to you.”
I froze, my mind racing as the room seemed to narrow around us. His words were vulnerable and honest in a way I hadn’t expected. For all the tension and frustration I’d felt leading up to this moment, it caught me off guard to hear something so . . . human from him.
I kept my expression neutral, waiting to see what he’d say next. The silence stretched between us. There was a lot he could say, and probably a lot I needed to hear. I had to be the one to talk next. I just wasn’t sure what to say aside from the truth.
“I don’t mean to come off as a dick,” I said, struggling to keep my emotions in check. “I—watching Nova go through everything she did, watching her cry over you and Scarlette when she was a baby, and now feeling like I’m losing her . . . my baby girl. I feel—”
I swallowed hard, the crack in my voice betraying the ache in my chest. Before I could finish, Austin stepped forward.
I froze as he wrapped his arms around me, firm and unyielding. For a split second, I didn’t know what to do, the unexpected gesture leaving me off-balance.
I’d been holding it all in for so long, keeping it together for Nova, for Scarlette, for myself, but with him standing here, it all threatened to spill over.
Scarlette wasn’t just hers. She wasn’t just his.
She was ours. Mine. I’d been there for every sleepless night, every scraped knee, every silly bedtime story.
Seeing him step in, hearing her call him “Dad,” it felt like the ground beneath me was shifting, like I might lose the only family I’d ever truly built for myself.
“Thank you,” Austin rasped. “I can’t thank you enough. I will never take your family from you . . . ever.”
I stood there stiffly at first, unsure how to react, before slowly letting myself relax enough to feel the weight of what he was saying. The man who had been a ghost for so long was here now, flesh and blood, trying to claim a role in Scarlette’s life without diminishing mine.
When Austin stepped back, his hand lingered on my shoulder, and I met his gaze, searching for any trace of insincerity. There was none—just a man trying to fix the pieces of a life he’d broken.
I let out a shaky breath, my voice quieter when I finally spoke. “Thank you.”
“No,” Austin said, shaking his head slightly. “Thank you. For everything. You have every right to hate my guts. I was a horrible person to Nova. To everyone. I can’t change the past, but I’ve spent years working on myself. Trying to fix what I could.”
He glanced over at Charlie, his expression softening as he spoke.
“It wasn’t until I met Charlie that I realized I had actually changed.
She made me see that forgiving myself was the final piece of moving forward.
” He turned back to me. “I hope I can show you that I’m different now.
I’m not asking for custody or to take Scarlette away.
I don’t want to break apart your family.
I hope . . . if you have it in you, both of you, to make room for me—” He paused, flicking his eyes back to Charlie.
“And my wife. All we’re asking for is a seat at the table. That’s it.”
It wasn’t hard to see the weight he bore. There was no denial in his expression, no attempt to rewrite the past. He owned it, carried it, and was standing here asking to be part of something he knew he didn’t deserve.
I couldn’t ignore that.
He was human. He’d made mistakes—big ones—but he was trying. Every word he said, every action he took seemed deliberate, like he was balancing on the edge of hope and fear, terrified of breaking what little trust might exist.
As much as it stung to admit, I couldn’t hate him for that. It was the same thing I’d done for Nova. I’d fought like hell to earn her trust, to be the man she could lean on when her world was falling apart. I’d made my share of mistakes, too, but she’d given me a chance.
And maybe that’s where the difference lay.
Nova and I were meant to find each other, to build something out of the broken pieces we’d both carried.
Austin and Nova? They weren’t meant to be.
Their paths might cross, their stories might intertwine, but they couldn’t hold each other up when the storms hit.
Looking at Austin and Charlie, I knew they were different. She softened his edges. Maybe that’s what made his efforts seem genuine. He wasn’t doing this for Scarlette—he was doing it because Charlie had helped him see he could be better, that he could forgive himself and build something new.
I exhaled slowly, the tension in my chest easing. He wasn’t my rival, not anymore. He was another man trying to put his pieces back together. And maybe, like Nova and I had found each other, Austin and Charlie had been meant to find each other too.
“I think we can make another seat. The table’s big enough for all of us,” I murmured.
Austin’s shoulders relaxed, and he nodded, his eyes glistening. “Thank you,” he voiced gently.