Page 112 of Love in Fine Print

Normally, Olivia took off her shoes and headed upstairs. But tonight, I heard her heels clicking toward the kitchen. She must have noticed the trail of petals I’d put down leading this way.

I turned around and saw her looking around at the scene I’d set. “What’s all this?”

“Trevor texted that they were announcing partner today.”

“He did?”

I nodded trying to read her expression as to whether or not they offered it to her. I couldn’t tell. Over the six months we’d been married, I’d definitely learned some of her tells, but not all of them. Her poker face was the best I’d ever encountered, bar none.

“So, did you get it?” I asked, not able to wait any longer.

“Oh, sorry,” she shook her head before nodding. “Yeah, I did.”

“You don’t look…happy.”

“No, I am. Or, I mean, I don’t know. It’s not what I thought I’d feel.”

“What do you feel?”

She took a deep breath. “Nothing. Or I don’t know, not nothing. I mean I worked hard to get this…”

“You did. You worked your ass off. No one deserves this more than you.”

She grinned and looked down. “I know, but I don’t know if I want it. Since I got back, I just…things haven’t been the same.”

“You mean you’re still tired? I’m sure they can give you more time off.”

“No, it’s not that. I’m fine. I just…I don’t care anymore. I mean, I still care about my clients, of course. I want them to get what is fair. But I just…I don’t have the same drive. I didn’t even hear when George announced the decision.”

“What do you mean you didn’t hear?”

“My mind was…” her words trailed off. “I was thinking about how Deja and Kumar’s date went. I was thinking about you wanting to go back to playing. I was wondering, if that happens, will you shut down Ever After?”

“Yeah. I think we can both agree, I’m not very good at matchmaking.”

She took a step toward me. “But I am. I’m good at matchmaking. What would you think about me coming on as apartner? I mean, if I don’t take the partnership at the firm. I have until Monday to decide whether or not I want it. But if I didn’t, would you be open to that? To making me a partner in Ever After?”

I stared at her in complete shock at what I was hearing. I’d been wanting to talk to her about her role in Ever After, but I’d been unsure how to approach it. She’d always said that it was just a fun way for her to unwind and that it was what she liked to do in her spare time. But this…this was like a dream come true to me. I couldn’t think of a better outcome.

She stared at me and I could see the vulnerability in her eyes. Not able to help myself, I closed the distance between us, cupped her face in my hands and kissed her.

She kissed me back for a few seconds before leaning away and asking, “Is that a yes?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes,” I repeated over and over again, continuing to pepper her mouth with kisses. I knew that this wasn’t a promise of staying married to me, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

She wanted to run Ever After with me. That didn’t have an expiration date on it. I’d been trying to find the right time to tell her that I loved her, and as much as it was bubbling up inside of me now, I didn’t think this was the right time. She was recuperating after her episode. And then she was readjusting to being back at work.

Now, the last thing I wanted to do was scare her off right after she told me she was considering making a long-term commitment to be in my life. She’d just said she wanted to run the business with me. If that was true, she’d be around for a lot longer than six months which meant that I had time.

Instead of saying how I felt with words, I decided to show her. My hands started pulling at her shirt.

“What about dinner?” she giggled as I began kissing her down her neck.

Making Olivia giggle would always be one of the greatest accomplishments in my life. I doubted many people had ever made her giggle. And I planned on making her do something else I doubted many people had the honor of making her do. Come. Hard.

“Dinner can wait.” With ninja-like speed, I unbuttoned her shirt and tugged it down her arms, leaving her standing in the kitchen in just a white lace bra.

I’d never been a huge fan of lingerie. I’d always preferred women naked or even in oversized t-shirts with nothing underneath. But there was something about the way Olivia wore a lacy bra and panty set that turned me on like nothing else. That could be because everything she did and wore turned me on. I also loved it when she was naked and in just a t-shirt. So maybe it wasn’t about the fabric, it was who was wearing it.

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