Page 52 of Mr. Almost

“My bad,” I say quietly as I go to help her.

Olivia places her hand in mine as I pull her up.

“Hi.” She smiles shyly.

“Did you have a good time?”

“I did.” She sighs. “I went to Chloe’s, and we sat in bed and ate food and drank wine while watching true crime. It was amazing.”

“As long as it made you happy.”

Earlier, when Thomas told me he dropped her off at her best friend’s place, I thought that they would just be getting ready therebefore going out. Clearly, I was wrong. The girls stayed in and had a girls’ night.

I can’t exactly explain why that makes me happy, but it does. It’s nice being with someone who would rather do something low-key than go out on the town. Something I’ve had to do my entire life, even when I don’t want to.

Olivia is pleased by the little things, and I fucking love it.

Another reason why she is far above the women I am used to. With her, I don’t need to be on all the time. I don’t need to watch what I say or do. I can just be me.

It’s addicting.

“Come on. I’ll help you wash your hands and get ready for bed. Sound good?” I say as I pull her into the apartment.

“You’re the best,” she says as I lock the door behind us.

“I’m glad you think so.”

Olivia drunkenly spins to face the living room. “I really hate this place, and what’s that?” She points across the room.

I look at the air mattress I set up after she left. I love being here, but the floor is hell on my back. I would never take the couch from Olivia, though. So this is my compromise.

Hearing her say she hates the place she considers home bothers me, though.

“That is an air mattress, and why do you hate this place?”

When she turns to face me, she loses balance, and I catch her, pulling her into my arms.

“You caught me,” she says breathlessly as she stares up at me.

“I’ll always catch you.”

“Why did you get an air mattress?” she asks, ignoring my first question.

“I brought that air mattress so I don’t have to sleep on the floor, and you don’t have to sleep on that couch and get poked by that spring anymore since you won’t let me buy you a bed. Now tell me, why do you hate this place?”

A little crease forms between her eyebrows. “This place is sosmall and old. It makes me sad. I wanted to give Ari more. I plan to, but it’s not working as fast as I had hoped.”

“You could always move in with me,” I remind her.

Livvy shakes her head slowly as she blinks up at me. “I can’t do that. You might leave one day, and moving in makes it seem like we are dating, and we really aren’t. I mean, we kissed once, but you haven’t made a move since. Besides, if we moved in and kept it platonic, I think it would kill me if you brought some other girl home.” She gasps. “Or if some woman wanted to parent Ari. I don’t think I could handle it, so no, I need to stay here. Yes, here is sad, but safe.”

Her babbling is usually adorable, but not right now. Not with what she just admitted. She still thinks I’m not here to stay. That I would ever dream of leaving her and Ari.

My heart breaks. That she is that damaged, and it’s all because of my mother. The same woman who calls me every single day and always has, yet now I can’t bring myself to answer her call.

“I won’t leave you, ever,” I say as I tighten my hold on her.

“Everyone leaves.” She shrugs as she eyes my lips. “You have really nice lips.”

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