Page 106 of His To Unravel
“I’d like to see you, too, my boy,” he finally says. “Join us for dinner tonight. Andbring Olivia.”
The request knocks me off balance. I hesitate, glancing back at Olivia.
I had imagined tonight unfolding differently. My plans involved just the two of us, tucked away from the world, where I could keep her close and undisturbed. I wanted all of her to myself—her skin against mine, her breath caught in my mouth, her body warm and pliant beneath my hands.
It’s absurd, the way I still ache for her when I’ve already had her three times this morning alone. Even last night, with her asleep in my arms after I went down on her again and again, I lay awake—hard, restless, craving more. I’ve come to accept that wanting Olivia will never subside. It is an addiction that I have no interest in curbing.
But I know how this game works. Refuse, and Charles Caldwell pushes harder. Accept, and at least I control the board.
My jaw clenches. I don’t want her anywhere near their world, but if she must enter it, then it will be on my terms.
I school my features, my voice steady. “All right. We’ll be there.”
He ends the call without another word. I stare at the phone for a moment longer, tension coiling through my whole body.
“Nate?” Olivia steps closer, concern etched into her expression. “Everything okay?”
I force my shoulders to relax, slipping the phone back into my pocket. “It’s fine. My father wants us to come to dinner tonight.”
She studies me for a moment, her brows knitting slightly. Then, to my surprise, she reaches up and cups my face. “Then we’ll go,” she says quietly. “I’ll be right there with you.”
I close my eyes briefly, leaning into her touch. Her words should be a comfort, but instead, they give life to the question I can’t quiet:Will you always be?
I don’t have an answer. And that’s the worst part.
For the secondtime in as many days, I find myself seated at my parents’ long dining table. If it were up to me, I’d be anywhere else. Preferably locked away with Olivia, far from my father’s watchful eyes and my mother’s attempts to mend fractures in a foundation too broken to repair. I needed more time to get a grip on my emotions, to fortify my defenses before facing the full force of the Caldwell family at Christmas.
Alas, here we are.
The seating arrangement is identical to our last visit: my father at the head, my mother to his right, and I to his left with Olivia beside me.
Everything else is much the same too. The polished silverware, carefully plated courses, and scent of aged wood mingling with expensive candles wafting through the air. The only difference is my fraying state of mind and how the walls seem to close in on me more and more with each glance my father sends Olivia’s way.
My darling girl is poised, her posture perfect and her lips tipped into a polite smile, seeming perfectly at ease. If she feels otherwise, she hides it beautifully.
Olivia’s presence is the only thing in the room keeping me steady. She doesn’t belong in this cold, brittle world, but somehow, she makes it feel less suffocating.
However, for every ounce of comfort she brings me, I am bestowed with an equal measure of unease.
I can’t shake the fear that in my desperation to keep her close, she will be exposed to truths that will inadvertently push her away.
A warm laugh from my mother breaks through my spiraling thoughts. “I am very much looking forward to hosting everyone for Christmas dinner again this year,” she says, her voice warm and inviting as she looks toward Olivia. “It’s always such a special evening, isn’t it, Charles?”
My father makes a noncommittal sound as he cuts into his rack of lamb. “It’s certainly always memorable.”
Mother doesn’t falter, keeping her smile firmly in place as she turns her attention back to Olivia. “I’m so glad that you’ll be joining us this year, Olivia. It’ll be a wonderful opportunity for you to meet the rest of the family. We’re quite lively when we’re all together.”
I feel Olivia shift beside me as she sets her fork down. “Yes, I’m looking forward to it. Thank you for including me.” I look over at her—the smile on her face is genuine. “Please let me know if you need help with any of the preparation.”
My mother’s lips curve in approval, and she gives me a brief glance, almost as if she’s silently acknowledging that I’ve chosen well. The tightness in my chest loosens, but only a fraction.
“Oh no, darling. Everything will be taken care of—you’re our guest!” A genuine warmth seeps into Mother’s expression. “You need only enjoy yourself.”
I’m proud of Olivia. She handles my mother with grace and manages to charm her simply by being herself, just as I knew she would.
But even as that sense of relief settles, my father’s scrutiny is a palpable weight at the end of the table. His gaze is sharp and calculating as it flicks between Olivia and me. I can feel his questions hanging in the air like a trap waiting to be sprung.
“Massachusetts,” my father begins, his tone casual but deliberate. “Nathaniel mentioned that’s where you’re from. Ashby, isn’t it?”
