Page 119 of Fielder's Choice

“Oh, come on,” Jake chides. “It was sex, Olive. Don’t act like it’s a big deal when I’m sure you have no problem fucking your boyfriend here.”

Lane is on him before I can comprehend what’s happening. He has Jake by the collar of his shirt, looking down at him with murder in his eyes. “Not that it’s any of your goddamn business, but she’s not ‘fucking’ me. BecauseIknow what it means when a woman says no.”

“Don’t you have a fucking kid?” he scoffs, but I can see how nervous he is as Lane towers over him. Jake isn’t much taller than me—Lane probably has five to six inches on him.

Lane grips his shirt tighter. “Don’t ever even fuckingmentionmy daughter, asshole.”

I rest my palm on Lane’s arm. “Don’t hurt him. He isn’t worth it.”

“He deserves to be hurt,” Lane argues. “He never paid for what he did to you.”

“He didn’t,” I shrug. “And he does deserve to be hurt.” I turn to look Jake right in the eyes as he trembles in front of me. “But I don’t want you to hurt him. He knows what he did, and he can have it eat at him for the rest of his life. He can see me now, living my life in spite of him and the trauma he entrenched me with.” And then I say something to him he never knew, hitting him low because I know this one will leave a mark. “And he can live with the knowledge that the infection he gave me when he took what he wasn’t given changed the entire course of my life since I’m now completely infertile.”

Jake gapes at me as Lane lets go of his shirt. “W-what? I didn’t know that…”

“Well, now you do,” I shrug, standing tall and letting myself say everything I’ve wanted to say to him. “I can’t have kids, Jake, and that’s a direct result of what you did. All because you couldn’t wrap it up while you assaulted me.”

“Olive…” he chokes.

“Save it.” I hold up my hand to stop him. “I’m not interested. Your words are hollow anyway. If you actually meant them,you would never have done what you did.” I step forward now, not letting myself back away and instead stand taller than him thanks to my heels. “Don’t talk to me, Jake. I don’teverwant to hear another word from you or about you. It’s taken me six years to get where I am, and I will bedamnedif I let you ruin all the progress I’ve made forgetting about you.” I spin around and look at Lane, who’s just staring at me with pride on his face. “Let’s get out of here, Lane.”

Lane quickly entwines his fingers with mine, and we head down the trail away from Jake, leaving the worst parts of my past behind us.

forty-three

Olive

Afterallthedramaat the park, Lane and I decide to call it a night. We’re silent on the way back to his penthouse.

But I’m not silent because I’m upset about running intohim.

I’m silent because,holy shit, I actually gave him a piece of my mind.

Shy Olive Finch stood her ground and didn’t let him gaslight me into thinking what happened was “just sex.”

And I hope my words haunt him for the remainder of his life. It’s the least he deserves.

Lane pulls into his underground garage, and we start the slow ride up the elevator. It dings a few minutes later, and we finally step into his penthouse.

When I turn to look at Lane, he’s scrubbing his hands over his face. “Olive, I’m sor—”

I move his hands out of the way and cut him off with a kiss. He’s surprised at first but kisses me back and relaxes into me. “Thank you for standing up for me, Lane.”

“You’re not upset?”

“No,” I smile, cupping his jaw with my palm. “I know why you reacted the way you did, and it means so much to me that you were willing to fight for me.”

Lane lets out a breath and lets his shoulders fall, letting the tension go. “I willalwaysfight for you, Ballerina. I promise, though, that’s not how I normally act. I was just so angry when I saw him, and then he was trying to be all buddy-buddy with you. It pissed me off.”

“Pissed me off, too,” I chuckle.

“You, though,” he states, a look of awe on his face. “I’m so fuckingproudof you, Olive. It wasn’t me that had him cowering in fear—that wasyou.You told him everything he did and everything you were thinking. You didn’t cower when you had every right to do so. You are so goddamn strong, and I’m proud to even know you.”

I smile at him brightly before resting my hand on the back of his head and pulling him to me for a kiss. “I still had a great night,” I admit. “Even after all of that.”

“So did I,” Lane smiles softly.

“You know,” I say, playing with the ends of his hair. “You called me your girlfriend earlier.”

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