Page 60 of The Playboy's Most Unexpected Baby

“I know. I understand,” he said.

“I want to forgive you, because the things you’re saying — I understand them. I know how you must be feeling. I know, because I felt it myself,” she said. “And I think… I have always thought — that there’s something real between us. Something that deserves to be given a chance.”

“I think that too.” His voice was husky. “It scares the hell out of me, but I believe in it.”

“You cannot run away again.” She had to be clear about this.

“I won’t. Never.”

“You can’t. Because it isn’t just me now,” she said. “If I let you back in, I’m trusting you with our child. I want to do that. I think you’d be a wonderful father. But if you prove me wrong even once, if you make this baby feel for a second as though you can’t be relied upon, can’t be trusted, then you and I will be done. I can forgive you for messing up with me, but I will never forgive you if you do that to my child.”

Charlie rose from the table and came around to Olivia’s side. He dropped to his knees before her and took her hands in his.

“I will never do it to either one of you again,” he said. “I promise you that, Olivia. Leaving like that was the biggest mistake of my life, and I almost lost the best thing I have. That’s not a mistake I’m ever going to make again. If you give me this second chance — I know I don’t deserve it, but if you do — I will never disappoint you like that again. I will spend the rest of my life making up for this.”

Hope bloomed like a garden in Olivia’s heart.

“Well,” she told him gently, tears springing to life in her eyes, “that would be a start.”

She stood, pulling him up with her, and kissed him deeply, and he returned he kiss with such fervor that Olivia felt sure no force on earth or heaven would be able to tear them apart.

EPILOGUE

EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER: CHARLIE

“Is Maggie asleep?” Charlie whispered.

Olivia looked up from the book she had been reading and smiled. She set it aside. “She is,” she told him. “She’s honestly such a good baby. She must get it from your side of the family. My mother loves to let me know what holy terrors Izzy and I were when we were little.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Charlie admitted, dropping into a seat beside Olivia. “Is Ellie still here?”

“Yeah, she’s staying late tonight.” Olivia yawned. “I never thought I’d be the kind of woman to have a nanny.”

“What kind of woman is that?”

“I just wouldn’t have thought something like that would be within my means,” Olivia said. “It’s a little crazy. I mean, I spent my teen years rushing home from school every day to make sure that I could be there for Izzy. My life would have been drastically different if we’d had a nanny in those days.”

“Which is exactly why you deserve to have one now,” Charlie said. “You’re not questioning it again, are you?” Olivia had put up such a fuss when he had first suggested the idea that he hadn’t been sure she would give in to it at all. But he had managed to convince her that it was something she deserved to take advantage of. They could afford the help, and she shouldn’t have to sacrifice her career and her ability to get a full night of sleep.

Olivia had eventually given in, on the understanding that she wanted to make sure they played a significant role in raising their daughter. “After all,” she had reminded Charlie, “you told me that you were raised by nannies, and you missed out on having an involved parent in your life. I don’t want that for Maggie.”

Charlie hadn’t wanted that either, and he’d appreciated that Olivia had thought about it. He made sure to come home early from work each day and to keep his weekends clear so that he could spend time with his family.

“Speaking of Izzy,” he said, “have you heard from her lately? How’s she liking Stanford?”

“She’s thriving,” Olivia laughed. “She’s got a boyfriend, and they go surfing on weekends.”

“That must drive you crazy.”

“I wish she would stay in and study. But I’m glad she’s having a good time,” Olivia conceded. “You’re only young once, and this was the college experience she dreamed of, so I’m glad she’s getting it. I make her text me every night, though, so I don’t have to worry that the surfboard hit her on the head and she drowned or got eaten by a shark.”

Charlie raised his eyebrows. “Eaten by a shark?”

“It doeshappen.”

“Not as often as you think. I could find you some statistics on that.”

“No, please don’t. I don’t want to think about actual surfers who’ve been attacked by sharks. That would just make it seem more real.”

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