Page 31 of Accidental Theirs
I’m telling the truth. As far as I know, Titan is completely on board with everything going on.
I’m a bit surprised that Olivia agreed to the terms, given that they’ll have a majority on the board, but she did the right thing.
It’ll keep Carter Holdings from going under. I’m sure she knows that. She knows everything that goes on at Carter Holdings.
“If you’re lying to me, Dom?—”
“I don’t lie to you.” It’s true. Everything I’d told her when I left had been true... at the time.
She hums and after a few moments, she falls asleep on the couch, clearly not having slept well. The bags under her pale green eyes give her away.
I watch whatever dumb reality show she has on in the background for a couple of hours before getting restless. I get up, order a couple of pizzas, and by the time they arrive, Olivia has woken up from her nap.
She sits up, rubbing at her eyes. “You’re still here?”
“You asked me to stay.”
She blinks. “I guess I did.” She sniffs the air. “I smell pizza.”
“I got nasty mushrooms just for you.”
“How dare you tarnish mushrooms’ good name?”
I chuckle and place a couple of plates down, giving her two slices of the pepperoni and mushroom while I eat a regular cheese.
She digs in, eating well, and I can’t help but feel a little pride.
She asked me to stay. She’s letting me take care of her. That’s a lot for someone like Olivia.
“What changed your mind?” she asks, and I turn, frowning with my mouth full.
“About what?”
“About me. You seemed pretty sure when you broke things off.”
“I was an idiot.”
She snorts. “Fair enough, but seriously. I’m curious. What changed?”
“My whole life, I’ve never met anyone that I needed so badly. I didn’t even realize it until you were gone. I thought about you every day. Wondered how you were, worried you were with someone else.”
“That’s what you get,” she mumbles, but she doesn’t sound vicious or mean. In fact, she seems almost curious as she looks up at me.
“Didn’t say I didn’t deserve it.”
“And now, what? You just want things to go back to the way they were?”
I shake my head fiercely. “No. Nothing like that. I want us to start over. I want to be a better man from the beginning, not when it’s too late.”
“And if I don’t want to start over again?”
“I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
“What if I’m never ready?”
I grit my teeth. “That’s a possibility I’m prepared for. But I’m not going to let you go easily, Liv. Not again.”
“If we start over, we start over as friends.”
