Page 66 of Say You'll Stay

“Cookies? Lila looks harmless enough,” Olivia suggests.

“I could eat.”

He follows her to a table filled with piles of baked goods. It’s an embarrassment of riches by today’s standards that no one seems bothered by but him.

“Oh my goodness, look at that sweet one. How old is she? What’s her name? We don’t have a single baby here,” the woman behind the table coos, her two friends chiming in hot on her heels.

“How are you liking the community?”

“Do you plan to stay?”

“Isn’t she just the cutest baby I’ve ever seen?”

They pay Olivia no attention, overtly staring at Cole instead in a way that would make construction workers blush.

“Her name is Lucy,” Olivia replies, looping her arm through his. “I’m Olivia and this is my husband, Cole.”

It’s the first time she’s called him that. She stands up a littlestraighter and flashes him a smile that looks as genuine as he’s ever seen. She’s happy to call him her husband, and he didn’t know how badly he wanted to hear that until it shifted a few pieces of his own puzzle right into place. After a lifetime of needing solitude, hewantsto be someone’s husband and that’s knocking him for a loop.

“Well, isn’t that adorable,” Lila says. “You must take some cookies. Go on. Anything you like.”

They grab a few, veering off to look at other tables and suddenly he doesn’t give a shit that they’re in public with everyone watching. He only has eyes for Olivia and how proud she is to be on his arm like he’s something to show off instead of a dirty secret.

“Will you hold her a minute?” She hands him a sleepy Lucy. “There’s a bathroom over there and since they have running water, I assume it works.”

“Should clear it first, make sure it’s safe,” he replies, forgetting for a moment that they don’t need to do that here.

“I’ll be okay. You’ll stay right here?”

“Right here. Outside the door.”

He’s not moving an inch. He plants himself by the door with Lucy like a guard as those three women enter a moment later. They’re likely unaware that anyone else had entered first, too preoccupied with their own conversation.

They’re harmless, PTA-going moms. Olivia could take ‘em.

It’s not until he realizes how paper fucking thin the walls are and notices an air vent leading from the public bathroom right to the wall he’s leaning against that he understands they are very dangerous, just not in the usual way.

God, that poor thing. She is such a mess. Hanging off him like that.

Well, she’s his wife. I’d hang off him, too. He might be the last man left alive who looks that good.

You really think they’re married? There are no rings. It’s a cover just because it’s safer. I’m sure of it.

Are you serious? You think they’re lying and he’s single after all?

Absolutely. She clearly doesn’t take much care of herself. Bet he found her on the street and he’s just kind enough to take her under his wing. Isn’t that the nicest thing? He could do so much better.

A heart of gold and hot enough to set the whole town on fire. Wanna bet on who can fuck him first? I haven’t gotten laid in months so y’all are gonna have to work hard to beat me at this game.

I bet he fucks rough. Can pick up a woman and pin her to the wall. No chance he could do that with her. She couldn’t take it. About ready to break in half already. Not that she’d even want it so soon after the baby. I didn’t want my husband touching me for months. It’s the hormones, you know. They’re screwed up after. I bet he’s so frustrated.

I’d be happy to let him work off that frustration as hard and as deep as he wants.

Alright, alright. Let’s get back out there before all the muffins get taken. Maybe we can watch him a while longer.

We need to figure out how to get him alone. A game plan.

Meet at my house tonight at seven? We’ll talk about it then. I found some wine in the main office while I was cleaning it.

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