Page 112 of Undeniable

This was my future wife we were talking about. At least, assuming Olivia agreed to marry me when the time came. I’d already been looking at rings, thinking about how I wanted to propose. I wanted it to be special.

Harrison crossed his arms over his chest. Was he trying to intimidate me? “Surely you, of all people, can find a way to make it safe.”

Was he goading me?

“I’m not willing to take that risk.”

“It’s her dream home.”

That seemed like a bit of an exaggeration. Sure, Olivia had gushed over the kitchen and the bathtub. But to call it her dream home? He was laying it on a bit thick.

“We’ll find another house,” I said with confidence I didn’t feel. “One that’s even better.”

Though, even I was beginning to doubt that. We’d been hunting for months now with no end in sight. I was sick of scanning real estate listings. Sick of going to open houses. Sick of making offers and getting our hopes up, only to lose the house to another buyer.

“You know if it’s about the money—”

“It’s not about the money,” I gritted out.

Though, the homes we were looking at weren’t cheap. They were relatively modest in size, but real estate prices in LA were insane. Fortunately, my job paid well, and I’d been aggressive about my savings and investments. Olivia had saved up a nice amount too. We had good credit and stable jobs. We were very lucky.

“Sure,” he said, clearly unconvinced, his nonchalance grating on me. “But if it were…”

I gnashed my teeth. Was he insinuating that I couldn’t take care of Olivia?

“I’d be willing to help with the down payment,” he said.

Maybe he wasn’t as opposed to me as he seemed. Or maybe he just wanted to make Olivia’s dreams come true. Either way, I couldn’t accept it.

“That’s very generous,” I said. “But I can provide for Olivia, and she makes a good salary. This is something we need to do ourselves.”

It was true, but I also didn’t want to be beholden to Harrison, indebted to him—or anyone else, for that matter.

He nodded slowly, appraising me with those green eyes that were so like Olivia’s. “I can respect that.”

I thought that was the end of it, but then he said, “What about when you have kids?”

I held his gaze. “What about it?” Was he trying to scare me off? Because I was all in with Olivia. Surely he’d realized that by now.

“What if she wants to stay home with them?”

“Then she can stay home,” I said, resisting the urge to throw my hands in the air. It felt as if he was trying to provoke me. It was fucking annoying.

“So, you want children, then. You want a future with Olivia.”

I figured that was pretty clear from the fact that I’d upended my life to move here and be with her. But apparently not.

“One day, I’m going to marry her.”

He stared me down but said nothing. I didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe.

Was he going to tell me no? Try to stop me? Object?

I wasn’t asking for his permission. Hell, I hadn’t even intended to tell him my plans, but he’d forced the words from me.

Finally, he turned to leave without responding. I wasn’t sure what to make of his reaction. But I knew Olivia would never be happy if her father didn’t fully support our relationship.

Fuck.I wished I’d held my tongue.

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