Page 39 of Fight For Us
Wes wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided me inside. “Sit with Alex. I’m going to go grab Lilly from my parents and come back, okay?”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to. We’re fine.”
“You’re not fine,” he whispered. “Please… I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
A tear fell down my cheek as I whispered, “Okay.”
Chapter 16
Wes
The day went byin a contented blur. I didn’t know how I could feel simultaneously torn up and at peace here with Olivia, Alex, and Lilly. The kids played video games, while I walked Olivia’s exhausted, hungover ass straight into her bedroom and forced her to nap. She fought me tooth and nail, but eventually gave in. I knew she needed the rest… The panic attack plus the hangover had zapped the remainder of her energy.
I made the kids some PB&J’s and checked in with Thea, who seemed to be handling the kitchen like I knew she could. By the time Oliva came out of her room a few hours later, I’d almost forgotten that we didn’t live like this every day.
Her features looked softer. Like sleep siphoned the heaviness of the morning from her body. I knew better when it cameto Olivia. That stress and anxiety was bubbling at the surface waiting for the next pin prick to let it free.
“Hey.” She crossed the kitchen to find the fresh pot of coffee I’d brewed a few minutes ago, checking out the kids zoned into their games and the absence of disaster or mess. “Thank you for keeping an eye on him.”
“It’s no problem. They ate lunch and have been hanging out. Truth be told, Alex was pretty vocal about letting you rest. I think he can sense your stress level.”
She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “You’re probably right. He’s a perceptive little guy.”
We sat in comfortable silence while she checked her phone and I drank my coffee. It wasn’t lost on me that this is what it would be like if we were a family. An average day spent lazing around, kids playing, Olivia and I getting a few minutes of peace and quiet. Only, in my fantasy version, I’d be carrying her into the bedroom and we’d be doing things that were neither peaceful nor quiet.
She caught me checking her out and raised a brow. “It’s unnerving that you can sit there in silence like that.”
“What do you mean?” I chuckled.
“You’re not scrolling a phone or reading a book. You’re just sitting there.”
“It’s not that weird. Lots of people don’t like to have a screen in their face all the time.”
She plopped her phone on the table and rested her head in her hands. “You’re an odd one, you know that?”
“Says the person who ate an entire cake with her bare hands.”
“Touché.” She spotted a few crumbs on the table and used the edge of her palm to scrape them into her hand. “This day has been freaking weird, huh?”
“Apart from the phone call, it’s been nice.” I was telling the full truth. I liked being here with her.
“Oddly domestic,” she said.
“Almost like a happy little family.”
She played with a strand of hair. “Say we went through with this marriage thing—”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“How would it work? Do we tell our families the truth, that we’re doing it to help each other? What about the kids? I don’t want to mess them up even more when they’re already going through so much. And what about living arrangements? I’m sure your in-laws would need to see that it’s real.”
“We’d need to figure that all out.” I blew out a breath. “But I’m a shit liar, at least to anyone close to me. I guess I’d want to tell people that we were getting married. Make it as believable as possible.”
“But behind closed doors?” She searched my face for an answer.
“It’ll be business as usual, right?”
“Right. Friends who work together, help each other, and happen to be married.” With each word she spoke she nodded her head like she was listing off a grocery order. Marriage held the same weight as a gallon of milk.
