Page 105 of Not Made to Last

“Thanks,” I tell him, trying to hide my reaction to the pride in his voice.

He takes a step out, and that’s as far as he gets before “oomph.”

I rush to the door, only to see Olivia standing just outside, holding a potted plant to her chest. “I’m so sorry,” Dad tells her, grasping her elbow to keep her upright.

I watch, wide-eyed, as Olivia finds her footing, then smiles up at him. “It’s okay,” she says, and she’s… smiling. And I don’t know what’s more surprising—the tone in her voice or that she’shere. It’s a Thursday morning, which means that Oscar’s in with Belinda, so…

“You must be Olivia,” Dad says, andwhat the fuck?I’d told him about Olivia, filled him in on the parts Mom wouldn’t have known, and… maybe I spent a little too long describing her in detail, but that was supposed to be between him and me. He turns to me, his grin as goofy as the thumbs-up he offers. “You’re right, son, she really is something else.”

“Dad…”

Olivia giggles, her cheeks flaming pink. “You must be Mr. Garrett?” Liv says, tucking the plant under one arm to shake his hand. “I’ve heard horrible things about you.”

“Liv…”

Dad…laughs. Thisboomof a sound that came from deep in his gut. “I’ve heard some pretty horrible things about you, too,” he says, but he’s smiling, and so is she, and what the fuck universe am I in right now?

Liv grins from ear to ear, and again,what the fuck?“And, yet, here we both are,” she muses.

“That we are,” Dad agrees, nodding. He turns to me. “Call me later.”

I nod in return, and that’s all I can do because their interaction has left me speechless.

Liv watches Dad walk away until his footsteps thud down the staircase, and then she faces me. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” I reply, giving her the side-eye. “You’re back.”

She enters my office as if I invited her. I didn’t. “Sure am,” she says, placing the potted plant on the corner of my desk, right next to the LEGO avocado Max had given me. She turns the avocado an inch in the wrong direction, just to mess with me.Then she sits on the couch, not a care in the world, and I move the avocado back to the right position before resting on the edge of my desk again. I cross my arms, give her my full attention. “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” She shrugs. “I just woke up with this realization, and it compelled me to get my shit together.”

“Well…” I lower my arms to my sides. “I’m happy for you?” It comes out as a question, because I really don’t know what to say. And I definitely don’t know how to react to her being here. Besides, you know… wanting to throw her down face-first onto my desk so I can lift her skirt and fuck my insecurities away. But… I’ve tried that and it didn’t end well, so…

“I never realized how lucky I was.”

I scoff, unable to comprehend how the hell she got to that conclusion. “You’re the least lucky person I know, Liv.”

“Nah,” she says, waving a hand in the air. “I’ve had a few days to think about it, and I realized that until my grandparents died, I had a pretty great life. I had an amazing childhood that only they could offer. I had a best friend in my brother, who I got to—and still get to—do life with. And I had you.”

A breath catches in my throat, but I don’t let it show. “Me?”

Liv nods, then smiles—and that smile fills my lungs with oxygen again. “Most people spend their entire lives searching for their soul mate, all so they can fall in love.” She stands, steps closer, but doesn’t quite touch me. “And you know why I’m lucky,Coach Garrett?”

I lift my chin but keep my eyes on her, all the while gripping the edge of the desk to control my hands, stop them from reaching out and grabbing her. “Why?”

“Because I’ve gotten to experience that twice in my lifetime.” She turns away before I can come up with a response and is already at my door when I call out her name. She stops in her tracks, turns to me.

And then I ask her something I’ve been stewing over for days. “The other day, at the playground, you said something…”

For the first time since she showed up, she drops the bravado, lets her vulnerability show. “That I’ve loved you for years?”

I nod. “Did you mean it?”

Her gaze drops, and I wait. Wait. Wait some more. Finally, she looks up, a reverence in her stare that steals my breath. “I love you, Rhys Garrett,” she says, and it’s more than just words. It’s a declaration. “And I’ll make you believe me again. But more, I’ll make you believeinme. Even if it takes another three years. Hell, even if it takes the rest of my life.”

59

Olivia

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