Page 76 of Only You

Andrew stepped into the hall, closing his bedroom door behind him. “It’s okay. She’s in my bed. She must have crept in this morning.”

Andrew watched as Ana sagged. He reached across the space between them and rested a hand on her shoulder, his thumb rubbing soothing circles. Andrew watched as the woman who had grown to mean so much to him fought to get her emotions back under control. Ana took a step back. Andrew found himself not liking the way she was moving away from him. She couldn’t even meet his eyes. It was like they had reverted to the early days when she had first moved in. Had them sleeping together been so terrible? He had been sure Ana had experienced as much pleasure as he had.

Had he been wrong?

“I will grab a t-shirt and make us some coffee.”

He watched as her tongue darted out, moistening her lips. Andrew turned and re-entered his bedroom, a small smile gracing his lips. Maybe Ana wasn’t as immune to him as she was trying to make out.

By the time Andrew entered the kitchen, Ana had already had the coffee brewing. He stood in the doorway and watched as she stacked the dishwasher, clearing away all the cups and glasses from the night before. The neighbours had surprised Andrew with their show of support. Everyone had dropped what they were doing in order to search the immediate area when it became evident Olivia was missing.

Andrew knew he needed to talk to Olivia and tell her about the fear she had caused. He was sure, however, she had scared herself more than his words or actions ever would. That had been clear in the way she had responded when she had seen him and Ana.

His biggest surprise was Eva. He had called her to see if Olivia had followed her. Eva had been beside herself, blaming herself for Olivia’s disappearance, especially as the hours ticked by and there was still no sign of her.

When the police arrived and began asking questions, Eva was the first to step forward and take the blame. She had openly admitted how her turning up had been the catalyst.

The police officers were amazing. They began their door-to-door search as soon as they had checked the house, to ensure Olivia was not hiding in plain sight. Organising and keeping everyone calm.

Ana had stopped what she was doing and was watching him. “I’m sorry, Andrew,” she murmured. “If I hadn’t been so childish and turned off my phone….” She shook her head, her eyes closed, lips pinched together.

“Ana, stop...you had every right to turn off your phone. You needed space, and I respect that.” Ana went to speak, but Andrew held up his hand. “I can’t say I liked it. I hated not being able to get in contact with you, but that was for more selfish and personal reasons. When I found out Olivia was missing, it was you I wanted to talk to, to turn to... I have got used to the communication between us, and I missed it.”

Andrew sank onto a stool as Ana passed him his coffee. She still refused to meet his eyes.

“What are we doing?” she asked, staring down at her own cup.

“Ana, what happened between us… we still need to talk.”

Andrew ran a hand through his hair. Why was this so difficult, and why did he feel that if he made one wrong statement, this was going to blow up in his face, and he was going to lose everything?

Ana shook her head. “I think it’s best we don’t,” she said, shaking her head frantically, her gaze still averted. “This is awkward enough. We made a mistake. We need to go back to how things were... for Olivia’s sake.”

Andrew felt his heart sink. “Why?”

“Eva is back. Olivia needs to build a relationship with her mother. You and me, will only complicate things.”

Ana finally looked at him. “What if I don’t want Eva to be part of Olivia’s life? We were doing fine without her, the three of us.”

Ana gave him a small, patient smile. “Andrew, one thing I have learned about you. You will do anything for that little girl upstairs. That includes letting my sister back into her life. It is what’s best for Olivia. Your generosity of spirit makes you who you are.” She paused, as if thinking about her next words. “As for the three of us. This has always been temporary. I will only be here until I complete my degree or your parents return and resume Olivia’s childcare. Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

Andrew felt like someone had clamped a vice around his chest. “Is that what you think? What do you think Christmas night was about, Ana?”

Ana shook her head, and she held up a hand as if warning him off. Andrew could see her eyes were bright, and there was a flush to her cheeks. “Please, Andrew, don’t make this harder.” Her voice caught. “Christmas night was a mistake. We let the Christmas spirit cloud our judgement. We got carried away in the moment.”

“Daddy?” Andrew turned to find Olivia standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes.

“Hey, Sunshine. How are you this morning?” he asked, going over and scooping her into his arms.

Olivia buried her head in his shoulder and squeezed him tightly. Andrew carried her over to the table, where he placed her on a chair before crouching down in front of her. Tilting her chin with his finger, he made his daughter look at him.

“You scared me yesterday, Olivia.”

He watched his daughter flinch at his words. She nodded, her eyes filling with tears. She glanced over at Ana but must have seen Ana would not back her up in this argument.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said, her bottom lip trembling. “I don’t know why I did it.”

She shook her head as the first tears escaped.

---