"I still can't believe this!" Tears rushed down my cheeks as Jenny sat me down on my coach. She rubbed my back and hugged me tightly, just letting me cry against her. I hadn't fully taken the time to process what the doctor told me. She'd confirmed I was pregnant, gave me a bunch of pamphlets about pregnancy and what my options were, then sent us away. The entire car ride back, Jenny had cast concerned glances my way, but I hadn't been able to say anything. "It's okay, Livi. Why don't we look at the information the doctor gave you?" she suggested. I nodded. She made some tea in the kitchen and I sifted through the pamphlets. I was having a baby. I was having Ellis Peterson's baby!Shaking my head, I groaned and dropped my face into my hands. This couldn't be real. It had to be some kind of dream, no, a nightmare. Jenny sat next to me and handed me a steaming cup of tea. I didn't take it, so she set it on the coffee table in front of me. "Talk to me, Olivia, what
After I got back to my apartment, I continued my clean up effort.Emails from Ellis. Deleted.Text message from Ellis. Deleted.While I was working on my computer and phone, I kept getting new incoming texts and calls from him, so I forced myself to block his number.Things went quiet for a few hours, and I finally was able to sit down on my coach. The only thing left was the Monsieur Canet bracelet that Ellis gifted me. I traced my fingers over the perfect pendant, admiring the craftsmanship and design. It was just so beautiful I couldn't get rid of it. I wasn't saving it because it reminded me of Ellis. I was saving it because I loved the artist and it was a beautiful piece of jewelry. I would need a few unique, conversation-worthy pieces of jewelry for my social events. A car horn honked outside my building. I went to the window to investigate the commotion and saw a familiar sports car parked outside. Glaring, I saw Ellis standing at the passenger door, leaning
**Ellis POVI pinned Carl's arms behind his back, dragging him away from Olivia. She might not want anything to do with me, but I wasn't going to let my son harass her. He was still my responsibility. "Let go of me!" Carl cried, flailing in my grasp. He kicked into my shin and a sharp pain ran up my leg. Grunting, I released Carl. He staggered to the side. Olivia backed away, watching with wide, terrorized eyes. "What the h*ll are you doing! You're always getting in my way," Carl yelled at me. "You're supposed to be on a plane crossing the Atlantic," I reminded him. I crossed my arms. Carl laughed and shook his head. "You're such an idiot. You think I can't slip off a plane when you're not looking?" he asked. I took a deep breath, keeping my composure, despite Carl trying my patience… again. I smoothed my hands down the front of my jacket. "Oh, you're getting on that plane and you're going to Europe, even if I have to buckle you into your seat myself," I threaten
"Do you mean that?" Ellis asked, his eyes widening. I took his hand and nodded. "You protected me, got hurt for me, and seeing you like this…" I trailed off as hot tears sprang to my eyes. Sniffling, I squeezed Ellis' hand. He tried to sit up and I propped up some pillows behind him so he wasn't lying flat. "Olivia, I never should have let you walk away that day. There is so much I want to tell you and I will explain everything," he said, a slight frown on his lips as he spoke. "Don't worry about that right now," I said. "I realized you really do care for me, regardless of how we came together.""Of course, I care about you!" he said. He squeezed my hand and winced, bringing his free hand to his shoulder and gently rubbing over the bandage. "I should have realized that sooner. I was silly to think…" I trailed off with a shrug. It hadn't been silly for me to be upset. Ellis had lied to me. But I could see past that now, knowing he'd protect me against anything. "You
Jenny helped me stack up the final boxes. I looked around my apartment. It was completely empty now. I'd had most of the furniture put in storage until I could get to where I was going and have it all shipped to me. "Well, no turning back from here, at least for a while," Jenny concluded. "It is better this way, anyway," I said, putting a hand on my belly. I'd told Jenny everything about what happened with Ellis since he'd gotten stabbed right up to the conversation I'd overheard with Claire. "I'm going to miss you," Jenny said. She hugged me tightly. "I'll miss you too. But you'll come visit me and meet my baby," I said. "You know it," Jenny promised. We pulled apart and I sighed. "Will you keep me posted? Let me know when you leave and when you land." "I will," I promised. Jenny left me alone in the apartment to get my bags together. I had an early flight the next morning and I wanted to get everything together now so I could get a good night's sleep and not have
I stared at the plane as it raced down the runway and took off. Olivia was gone.My focus shifted to my reflection in the glass. My hair was a mess, sweat trickled down my face and my suit jacket was wrinkled. I looked as awful as I felt. I ran my hands through my hair and smoothed it back. I straightened my clothes and took a deep breath.I needed to find out where Olivia had gone.Returning to the service desk, I tried to talk to the agent again. "Can you tell me where the flight was going?" I asked."Do you have the flight number?" she asked me."No. I only know the terminal it left from," I said."I'm sorry, Sir, I can't look up a flight by terminal. I need the flight number," she said."It just left, less than ten minutes ago," I said, pointing towards the terminal. "You can't tell me which one just left?""The computer doesn't track by terminal number. It tracks by flight number," she explained. "I can't look up a flight destination on the computer without the flight number."Gro
**Oliva POVLights beamed at me in every direction. The echo of silence took over the auditorium. I was alone on stage with nothing but a concert grand piano. The audience was lost in the shadows behind the glare of the lights. They were silent, but I knew they were there. My fingers ran across the keys, the notes drawing from the piano and echoing around the auditorium. My foot moved back and forth across the pedals, making all the right exaggerations to the notes. Five years of secret heartache flowed through my fingers. While I played, nothing else mattered. Just me and the music and how it felt in my bones. I took a deep breath in, savoring the crescendo before the inevitable decline into the outro. I slammed the pedal to draw out the final notes and then I let the music fade once again into silence. The audience exploded with cheers and clapping. My heart hammered with bittersweet excitement, and I smiled, standing up and stepping to the edge of the stage. Roses and bou
He motioned for me to follow him and I did. Walking next to him I leaned into the comfort of his easy stride and relaxed manner. We headed to the business office he kept on sight. He sat down at the large, mahogany desk and I sat across from him. Bennett looked so regal, like a prince or a king, in his chair. He was strong, intelligent, and he had been good to me. "You know I admire your talent as a pianist," Bennett began. "It has been a dream, playing in your orchestra," I admitted. I crossed my legs and hooked my hands around my knees. "I want to bump Nina back and let you headline solos primarily," he offered.I lit up and met his eyes. My cheeks burned under the intensity of his smoldering gaze. He was so smooth, his hair slicked back, his suit perfectly tailored. "That would be a dream come true," I said. Then I looked away. "Then what's the problem?" he asked with a chuckle. "I don't want to cause any more problems with Nina," I said with a troubled sig