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“Okay.” His voice was quiet.
“There’s nothing you could ever do to make me not want to be around you guys.”
Oliver looked down briefly to blink a couple times. He pushed up his glasses. “Did you and my mom break up?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I messed up. I didn’t talk to her when I should’ve, and it hurt her feelings.”
“So, you’re talking to her now, right? Are you getting back together?”
“I’d like to. It’s a little complicated, but I’m going to do everything I can to make it better. I just want your mom to be happy.”
“So do I.” He held my stare.
I smiled. God, I loved this kid.
“She’s happy when you talk to her, so…like, really happy. So just talk to her.” His shoulders jerked. “That should be all you gotta do.”
“I’m afraid there’s a little more to it than that, but whatever it takes, I’m going to do it, okay?”
“Yeah.” Oliver cleared his throat when his voice cracked and scooted to the edge of the bed, letting his feet dangle off. “Thanks.”
“You don’t need to thank me, O. I want us to be together. All of us.”
He stared at me.
I tipped my head at the camping gear stacked and packed in the corner of his room. “Friday, if you still want me to go with you, I’ll go. What do you want to do?”
Oliver sat up as tall as he could. “I want you to go.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded fast.
“Are you excited? It’s supposed to be nice weather.”
“I am. I’m really excited.” He cracked his knuckles. “Are you excited?”
“Absolutely.” I smiled at him, then looked over at the doorway when Olivia peeked her head around it. “Hey.”
“Are you guys done having your alone time yet?” she asked. “I want mine. Mom’s making me wash lettuce. That’s dumb.”
My chest rattled with a laugh. I looked at Oliver, and he gave me a thumbs-up.
“I’ll say goodbye before I leave, okay?” I stood from the chair and held out my fist.
“Yeah.” He bumped it. “I’ll probably be in here. No way am I washing lettuce.”
“Oliver!” Jenna hollered. Her voice carrying down the hallway.
“Oh man.” Oliver hung his head and crept out of the room. I followed Olivia across the hall.
“Come in. You can sit here.” She tugged on my hand, pulling me to the bed and patting the quilted bedspread. “Just don’t put your shoes on the bed. Mom will fah-reak.”
I chuckled, taking a seat beside her. “Got it.”
Olivia kicked off her sneakers. Then she crossed her legs like a pretzel and smiled at me.
“You know, I’m really, really sad that I made you sad,” I told her, and her smile fell away. “I don’t want you or your brother getting hurt. It bothers me, Liv.”
Her head was lowered now, so she had to peer at me above her glasses. “Because you love us, right?”
Damn. I knew I promised not to say this, but technically, I wouldn’t be saying it. I’d be agreeing…And there was no fucking way I could ever let this girl think I didn’t love her.
“Right,” I said.
Olivia looked up and blinked at me behind her frames. “We love you too, you know? That’s why we like you so much.”
I grinned. “You like me because you love me?”
“Yes.”
“I like your logic.”
“What’s logic?”
“Your reason for thinking something. Why it makes sense to you…”
She shrugged. “It’s just how I feel. I don’t know.”
I chuckled, placing my hand on top of the one she had resting on her knee. “Listen, Liv, I’m really sorry I made you sad, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And I’m sorry if you thought I didn’t want to see you or your brother. I always want to see you guys, no matter what.”
“I wanted to call you, but Mom said I couldn’t.”
“Well, she had reason to say that and you were smart for listening to her, but I want you to know you can always call me.” I gave her hand a squeeze. “Even if it’s just to say hi. If you want to call me, I want you to. You just need to make sure it’s okay with your mom.”
Olivia stared at me for a moment, her expression somber. “Oliver said you and Mom broke up.”
“We did.”
She pulled her hand out from under mine. “So you’re never going to be together ever again?” Her voice was panicked.
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you’re not together now, right?”
I shook my head. “No, we’re not together.”
Olivia scooted back to put space between us. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at her lap.
“Hey.”
“What?” she mumbled.
“Can you look at me?”
Olivia lifted her head.
“You know you’re one of my favorite girls, right?”
She slowly smiled.
“I like you being a little mad at me right now,” I told her.
“You do?”
“Yeah, I do. Do you wanna know why?”
“Why?”
“Because when you get older, like your mom’s age, and some stupid guy messes up and does something to upset you, I want you to stay a little mad at him for a while. Don’t forgive him right away, even if he’s so, so sorry he can’t even stand it.” I tugged gently on one of her braids. “Make him work for it, okay?”
