Page 34 of Fixing Olivia (Fairford Affairs)

Tears were pouring down her face as she forced out, “I amnota fuckingmistake.”

He seemed genuinely taken aback when he said, “I never said you were.”

Goddamnit, she was messing everything up again, and now she was crying too hard to explain, and what the actual fuck was Aiden supposed to do with a weird-ass statement like that? If she wasn’t out on her ass in the parking lot in the next five minutes, she’d be the luckiest person in the entire world.

“Please!” she wailed, desperate for him to understand, unable to get anything else out. She was starting to hyperventilate again, her mind such a whirlwind of panic and anguished memory that she could barely think.

“Did...” He seemed uncertain of what to say or do. “Did your father tell you you’re a mistake?”

She couldn’t answer with words. All she could do was cry even harder. But that was enough.

“Oh, Liv.” He had her out of the cuffs and spreader bar in seconds flat, then pulled her upright. “I’ve got you.” Scooping her up, he carried her over to a chair, settling down with her in his lap. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” He said it again and again in his gentlest, most soothing voice, as he held her tight and safe against his chest.

God, it felt so good. If only she could stay within the shelter of his arms forever.

But her life wasn’t a fucking fairy tale.

Olivia sniffed, then looked around for a box of tissues with no luck. She’d always been an ugly crier, with lots of snot and phlegm and all the gross shit. And here she was, without even a sleeve to wipe her nose on. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice low and hoarse.

Aiden wrapped his arms around her even tighter. “No. You’re not going to apologize. Not for this.”

“But your boss—”

“Jonathan isn’t my boss. He’s my business partner.” With a frustrated little sound, he added, “He’s technically the senior partner, which is why he has final say on some things. But this is every bit as much my business as it is his. I practically built the fucking place. And I’m not letting him railroad me on this.”

For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why he’d go out on a limb for her like that. No one had ever thought she was worth much effort before. Of course, she’d never let anyone in as much as Aiden before. Even he was merely standing in the doorway to all her fucked-uppery, getting only the smallest glimpse.

“I want—” She paused for several seconds, lost in her jumble of anxious thoughts. “I want to explain some things. About my childhood. My dad. I...I think you deserve to know.”

Aiden kissed the top of her head. “Only tell me what you genuinely want me to know. No onedeservesyour pain. You don’t owe it to me or anyone else, and you never will, do you understand?”

Blinking back fresh tears, Olivia almost asked,Why did you have to be so perfect?It wasn’t fucking fair. How was it she’d finally found the most amazing man on the planet, and she only got to keep him for a week?

“I understand,” she said instead.

“Good girl.” He kissed her hair again, and she closed her eyes, letting his warmth seep into her. “Take your time.”

Keeping her eyes closed, she took several slow, calming breaths. She could fucking do this. “I grew up poor.Reallypoor. And my dad always had a million and one reasons for why it wasn’t his fault. If he lost his job, it wasn’t because he was a lazy asshole who no one liked being around. It was cause someone elseobviouslyfucked him over. Someone who saw how great and wonderful and smart he was, and felt threatened, and had to get rid of him.”

“I know the type,” Aiden said, running his fingertips softly up and down her arm. “I assume this happened often?”

“Constantly. And then if he couldn’t afford something, or we got evicted again, it wasn’t because he’d lost his job for the hundredth time, and he’d spent whatever money he did have on booze, or fucked it away on stupid shit we didn’t need. It was alwaysbecause ofme.”

His hand stilled for a moment, then resumed its oh-so-gentle up and down, up and down. “You were the easiest target.”

She shrugged. She’d certainly been the smallest and weakest, so it made a lot of sense.

“Where was your mom in all this?”

“She was there. Drunk most of the time. She used to get this weird, vague look in her eyes when he was going after me. Like she’d completely checked out.”

Aiden wrapped his arms around her again, holding her close. “I’m sorry your mom wasn’t willing to protect you.”

“She was probably glad it was me instead of her.” There was more fire in her voice than she’d intended. “And the part that really fucks me up is, I almost can’t even bring myself to blame her. Jesus, he could be so cruel.” His voice was still in her head, as clear as it had been fifteen years ago. “‘Everything would be better if you’d never been born. I wouldn’t be married to this fucking useless slut. I wouldn’t be stuck in this piece of shit town. Having you was the biggest fucking mistake of my life. I should’ve made her go through with the abortion.’”

“Christ,” Aiden said, the word dripping with venom.

“He’s the reason I’m always so afraid of making mistakes,” she admitted, wanting him to finally understand her extreme anxiety. “I wasn’t ever allowed to mess up when I was a kid. Every little thing I did wrong meant I was a stupid, lazy fuck-up. No matter how hard I tried, he always found something to yell at me about, even if he had to make it up.”

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