Page 67 of Awakening

“Well, I’m glad you were pleased with the idea, but I’m sorry for the circumstances,” she says, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “As long as we’re on the topic, I want to tell you how sorry I am for my mom’s behavior. I felt so awful for you.”

“Thank you. I guess at least I know where I stand with her.”

“You guys had made such progress too. You and Caroline really bonded over the pregnancy,” Chloe adds.

“Ethan said that too. So, does that mean that she and I didn’t get along before the pregnancy?”

Chloe and Vanessa look at each other and hesitate. “Well, you had a bit of a rough start,” Vanessa says.

“What was the problem?”

“You just didn’t see eye to eye on everything in the very beginning,” Vanessa says, “but things got better, even before the baby.”

“And, now they’re apparently back to square one.”

“You should feel good to know Ethan defended you,” Vanessa says. “Fiercely, I might add. He loves you, Olivia.”

“He makes me feel loved,” I say, smiling to myself as I think about last night and this morning.

“He’s loved you from the moment he met you,” Chloe says.

“Okay, enough of this mush,” Vanessa says. “This is supposed to be a fun girls day.”

“Love talk is fun,” Chloe says.

“Not for me. Love talk sucks when you haven’t found your,” she pauses and I see Chloe raise her eyebrows. Okay that’s strange. “When you haven’t found the one.”

“Your day is coming, Vanessa,” Chloe says.

“Yes, yes. I hear it all the time,” she says. “What’s next? Dessert, wine, or shopping?”

“I’m still trying to figure out this private little community. There are so many options, it’s like a town. I don’t understand how we’re the only ones able to use it.” Chloe and Vanessa both glance at each other with knowing looks, but say nothing. “I’ve seen gated neighborhoods before, but I don’t recall ever seeing a private community like this one.”

“They really came about in the last five years or so,” Vanessa says. “You probably just aren’t able to remember.”

“I guess not.”

“So, what’s it to be next?” Chloe says, obviously changing the subject. “Liv, you choose.”

“Shopping. Then wine. Definitely wine,” I say with a smile. As strange as the little community, and this whole situation is, it feels incredible to be enjoying the company of girlfriends.

“Good choice,” Vanessa says. “Let’s go.”

Ethan

“Thank you both for coming,” I say as Nick, Lance and I settle in my office.

“What’s so urgent?” Nick asks.

“Fill him in,” I say to Lance.

“Should we invite our guest inside first?” Lance asks.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“I’d love to know what’s going on here,” Nick says, throwing his hands up.

“You’ll see,” I say, as Lance texts the guards outside to let our guest, if you can call him that, inside. The door opens and he walks in with wide eyes.

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