Page 116 of Love for a Lifetime

Don’t overthink it. You may not walk the same way, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t in this together.

Even her silly attempts to distract her mind were failing–crumbling as they walked in silence that threatened to crush her.

When they reached Cluckingham Palace, Olivia went straight to the hideous rusted pink chair by the chicnic table. Dawson had picked it up at a garage sale five years ago, and she couldn’t bring herself to throw it out.

She wanted things to hang on to while her hope was crumbling. Her dreams for the future were falling through the gaps in her fingers like dry sand.

Dawson squatted in front of her, demanding her attention. He still wore his uniform, but the tenderness in his eyes was a stark contrast to the stiffness of the outfit.

His hands slid up the outside of her thighs and wound around her where he threaded his fingers together at the small of her back. “We got good news today, Liv.”

Olivia scoffed. “Good news?”

“The surgery is minimally invasive, and the recovery time is short. Plus, you won’t be in as much pain after. Yeah, sounds like great news to me.”

Her shoulders sank. How could he be optimistic all the time? It was exhausting.

“Baby, I’m here for you. I will wait on you hand and foot until you’re back to one hundred percent. You’re not doing any of this alone.”

He stood to press a kiss to her forehead before returning to his crouch before her. His smile had her own cheeks lifting. This man had the whole town wrapped around his finger. He was the best friend anyone could ask for, he was loyal and dependable, he was too handsome for his own good, and he was sitting before her promising better days were ahead of them.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was just so scared of how you’d look at me.”

“I don’t know what you mean. This doesn’t make me look at you differently.”

“It should.” Her breaths were coming quicker now, racing against her heartbeats. “You need to decide if you want this baggage.”

“You are not baggage. You are my queen. I’ll gladly sit at your feet for the rest of my life. Trust me to help carry your burdens, Liv. I don’t know why this would change my feelings for you.”

She swiped at her eyes and stared at her folded hands in her lap. “I’ve kind of been a drama queen about it.”

Dawson laughed. “That’s not the kind of queen I mean.”

“It’s true. Do you remember the school nurse when we were in high school?”

Dawson squinted one eye. “Maybe? Why?”

“I had to go to her office quite a few times in high school. This was before I had the surgery the first time or even had a diagnosis. At least once a month, I would hide out in the bathroom until a teacher would send someone to check on me. Then I’d show up in Nurse Joy’s office and she’d give me the lecture about taking advantage of her time and send me back to class.”

Dawson’s jaw set tight as he stared at her. Man, she hated being thought of as a slacker who just wanted to get out of doing schoolwork. She loved school and always did well.

“So I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want the attention. I wanted to be invisible and blend in like everyone else. I didn’t want people to think I was making excuses.”

“Liv, it’s killing me to know you were in pain and suffered alone. Please tell me you told your mom at least.”

“I did. Finally. She took me to the doctor where they found out what was causing the pain. Mom was my biggest supporter. She was there for me and helped me through everything, and she didn’t treat me like a helpless baby.”

“I loved your mom. I don’t think I’ve said that enough.”

Olivia brushed a hand under her nose. “You tell me that a lot.”

“Good. She was an amazing woman, and you’re so much like her. You’re a rockstar, Liv. Until a few weeks ago, I had no idea you’d been suffering in silence, and that’s saying something since we’re always together and you never let on that you were in pain.”

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to live in a snow globe where everyone could watch me get shaken up and dumped on.”

Dawson’s strong hands spread over the small of her back, supporting her and comforting her the way only his presence could.

“I get it. You like your privacy. I can protect that.”

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