Page 96 of Accidental Theirs
I woke up this morning hungover and regretful, and I’ve been trying to apologize to her ever since.
She looks down at my hand and raises an eyebrow.
“Did I catch you in the middle of something?”
I look down to see an Allen wrench in my hand.
My cheeks burn, and I’m not sure I want her to know what I’m building upstairs.
But right now, she needs reassurance, and just because I’m embarrassed doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give it to her.
I take her hand and lead her upstairs to the guest room, where I’ve started to set up a crib and a changing station.
Olivia claps a hand over her mouth, her eyes watering. “Damien. This is...”
“Early. I know. But when the baby is here, I want him to have his own room.”
“Him?”
I smile sheepishly. “I don’t know. Just feels like a boy, I guess.” I pause, watching her face. “Are you okay?”
She sniffles, rubbing at her eyes. “I’m fine. It’s just the hormones.”
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Some water would be nice. Or tea, if you have it.”
“Tea it is.”
I head downstairs again, and she follows me into the kitchen as I put on the kettle, taking two teacups down from the cabinet.
Olivia sits down at the small breakfast nook in the kitchen, looking around.
“You have a beautiful home. It’s smaller than I expected.”
I shrug. “I didn’t want to rattle around in a mansion. I only need so much space.”
She licks her lips, and I struggle not to look at her mouth.
“You’ve never had a live-in girlfriend?”
I scoff. “Me? No. Nothing like that.”
Her eyes search my face curiously, and I wonder what she’s thinking.
She doesn’t speak again, and I pour boiling water over the teabags. “Cream or sugar?”
“Just sugar, please. A lot of it.”
I chuckle and put the tea in front of her along with a spoon and a container of sugar. I sit across from her, and she mixes in a truly insane amount of sugar.
“Should have known you have a sweet tooth.”
“Because I’m so sweet?” She smiles, and my heart swells.
Maybe things are getting better. I would hate myself forever if I chased her away because of my actions.
“Listen, Olivia, I want to apologize.”
