Page 53 of Mr. Almost

I want to cry at her admission that everyone leaves. Of course she feels that way. With her parents gone, Chloe and Ari are all she has.

“Thank you,” I say with humor in my voice at her change in topics. “I promise you, I’m here to stay.”

Livvy sighs. “Time will tell.”

“It will. Now let’s get you ready for bed.”

I drag her down the hall and into the bathroom. First, Olivia washes her hands, getting the germs from the stairs off her. Next, she brushes her teeth and follows that up with washing her face. When she’s done, she spins to face me and smiles.

“All done!”

I can’t help but reach out and run my thumb under her eye to wipe away a leftover smudge of mascara. “Perfect. Do you want tosleep in that or do you want to change?” I ask as I eye her leggings and T-shirt.

“I’m changing. You can’t sleep in the clothes you wore all day. That’s gross.”

I chuckle. “Okay, I’ll meet you in the living room.”

I leave her in the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed. I lay down on the air mattress and sigh. The thing isn’t comfortable at all, but it’s better than the floor.

If only I could convince her to move in with me, and then I could sleep on my memory foam mattress every night.

I feel the bed dip, and I open my eyes to watch Olivia crawl into bed with me. I’m surprised since she’s been avoiding getting too close to me so far. I suppose the alcohol is to blame.

“Will you hold me?”

Her voice sounds so small. Like she’s afraid I might say no.

As if I would ever deny her. She has no clue what an impact she’s made on me. Even four years ago, she left a lasting impression. I compared every woman I met afterward to her. To the way she made me feel. I knew she was special. That’s why it killed me when she had left without a word. No matter how much money I offered the dating app, they wouldn’t give me her information. With what little I had, I was stuck.

I tried to move on, but I never forgot her. I think subconsciously, I knew we had a connection.

“Always,” I say as I hold out my arms.

Olivia lies down next to me, resting her head on my chest. She throws her leg over my hips. My hand moves down and grabs on to her thigh.

Perfect.

“Why haven’t you kissed me again?” she asks after a moment of silence.

“I didn’t know you wanted me to.”

Olivia makes a little noise in the back of her throat. “I want you to.”

“Good to know.”

I feel her tilt her head back to look at me. “Well, will you kiss me now?”

I smile and shut my eyes. “No.”

“No? Why not?” she asks in outrage.

“When I kiss you again, Livvy, you will be stone-cold sober. I know drunk words are sober thoughts, but I want you to be a hundred percent sure.”

“What do I have to be sure of?”

My hand that’s on her back moves down her body, and I squeeze her ass. “I intend the next kiss to be the one that lets you know that you are mine. If I kiss you, that means we’re together, and I want you to be sure you’re ready for that.”

She shakes her head while confusion swims in her eyes. “Together? I’m not sure I know what that means.”

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