The casual way she says it,my house too, makes something in my chest expand. This is real. She’s moving in. We’re building a life together.
Thirty minutes later, we’re in my truck, heading back to the stadium. Olivia’s hand rests on my thigh, and I keep one hand on the wheel, the other covering hers.
“Whatever he says, we’re in this together,” I remind her.
“I know.” She squeezes my leg. “I’m not scared anymore. Yesterday proved the truth matters. We can face anything as long as we’re honest.”
We pull into the parking lot, and I spot Mark’s car. Early, like always.
Inside, we head straight for his office. His assistant looks surprised to see us together but doesn’t comment. Just picks up the phone.
“Mr. Davidson? Carter Storm and Olivia Rivers are here to see you.”
A pause. Then: “Send them in.”
Mark’s office door swings open, and we walk in together. He looks up from his desk, expression unreadable.
“Storm. Olivia. I wasn’t expecting you both this early.”
“We wanted to talk to you,” I say. “Officially.”
“About?”
“Us.” I take Olivia’s hand, lacing our fingers together. “Olivia and I are together. We’re not hiding it anymore, and we’re not apologizing for it. If that’s a problem, if you need me to finish out my contract somewhere else or if you need to reassign Olivia—”
“Stop.” Mark holds up a hand. “Sit down. Both of you.”
We do.
He studies us for a long moment, then sighs. “Look, I’m not going to pretend this is ideal. Office relationships are messy. They create complications. But—” He pauses. “You two have been through hell this week. And you came out stronger. That says something.”
“So, we can stay?” Olivia asks.
“You can stay.” Mark leans back in his chair. “But there are conditions. Olivia, you’re no longer Carter’s primary handler. I’m reassigning you to work with other players. Someone else will manage his PR for the rest of the season.”
“That’s fair,” she says quickly.
“And Storm, if this relationship affects your performance on the field, we’ll revisit this conversation. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good.” Mark’s expression softens slightly. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re good for each other. You balance him out, Olivia. Make him think beyond football. And Storm, you make her take risks. Push her out of her comfort zone. That’s not a bad thing.”
“Thank you,” I say.
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re both still going to be under scrutiny. The press is going to watch every move you make. And if you screw this up, if either of you makes this organization look bad, there will be consequences.”
“We won’t,” Olivia says firmly. “We’ve learned our lesson about secrets. From now on, we’re doing everything by the book.”
“Good.” Mark stands, and we do too. “Now get out of my office. I have actual work to do.”
We leave, and the moment we’re in the hallway, Olivia lets out a breath she’s been holding.
“That went better than expected,” she says.
“Told you it would be fine.”
“You were sweating.”
