I'm not sure about Olivia, but I want that jerk punished to the fullest extent, if not for me, for those moms out there who lost their children because of him.
"And Ethan's visitation?" Olivia asks with a hint of trepidation in her tone. "Does he still have to go over there?"
"Derek has bigger concerns than visitation right now." David takes his glasses off and holds them. "If he stays out of jail, the current arrangement holds, but you have every right to petition for a modification. Given the domestic violence charge and the documented harassment, the court would very likely restrict himto supervised visitation only, at least for a while." He pauses to sigh, then says, "It's your call, Olivia. You're in control of this now."
She stares down at the document as her shoulders relax and the fatigue on her face lightens. "Thank you, David," she says quietly, almost in tears.
"Thank the man standing next to you," David says, nodding at me. "He did the work. I just filed it." He shakes our hands and walks back to his car, and we watch him pull away. This all feels too good to be true. I can't believe all that mess is finally behind us and I get to have this woman to myself. It's the most incredible feeling in the world.
Olivia stands in her yard holding the withdrawal notice as the tears come rolling down her cheeks and dripping off her jaw. She looks at me with an expression of relief and joy and starts laughing as she's crying. It's a broken, grateful sound from somewhere deep inside her that only intensifies as I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her off the ground. She grabs my shoulders and laughs harder as I spin her until I set her down. Then I kiss her and smile against her lips. "It's over," I whisper.
"He can't take my son." Her head shakes, but I see the resolve in her eyes and know she's just celebrating.
"Nobody's taking Ethan from you now or any time soon. He's safe, and you're safe." I hold her against myself, all the while wondering how on earth I'm going to explain to Reilly why Troy, Ohio is the best location for our firm. He's gonna complain it's not farther south, but I'd move to the north pole for this woman.
When she pulls away, I hear the sound of feet slapping the pavement and look up to see Ethan running at us. He has syrupsmeared on his face and he's wearing the same dirty clothing from the block party last night, but he looks happy. I don't know how much seeing his father get arrested will affect him, but for now he seems normal.
"Hey, Mom. Hey, Caleb." He looks back and forth between us and squints. "Why are you crying?"
"Happy tears, buddy." Olivia crouches down and pulls him into a hug so tight he squirms.
"God, Mom, stop," he grunts, pushing her away, but she keeps smiling.
"Really, really happy tears," she repeats, and I chuckle at the way he wrestles against her. Just yesterday, he didn't mind hugging. He's growing up fast, and one day, getting a hug from his mom in public will be fully humiliating.
"You're squishing me."
"I know." She squeezes him harder and he groans. But when she lets go, he straightens his shirt and looks up at me.
"Can I have food? Marcus's mom only had a few pancakes. I'm still starving." Then he huffs. "And they were the bad kind too…"
"What kind is the bad kind?" I ask, trying to figure this kid out. Usually, he eats anything you put in front of him.
"The raisin kind." He wrinkles his nose. "Raisins shouldn't be allowed in food."
"He's not wrong," Olivia says, wiping her eyes. So they're not raisin lovers. Noted.
"What happened while I was gone?" Ethan asks, looking between us again. "Did something good happen?"
Olivia crouches down and puts her hands on his shoulders and looks at him. "Something really good happened, buddy. I'll tell you about it later, but right now we're going to celebrate."
"Celebrate how?"
I put my hand on his shoulder. "How about I take you and your mom out for breakfast? Whatever you want."
"Can I get a milkshake?" Ethan asks, acclimating to my suggestion immediately. It's something Olivia normally would protest, but she grins at me and winks, so I make the kid's day.
"You can get two."
His face lights up and he tugs on Olivia's hand. "Mom, he said two milkshakes." He looks skeptical, but she looks blissfully unaware. I've never seen her so light and happy.
"Go inside, put your bag away, and brush your hair," she tells him, standing up. "We're leaving in ten minutes."
"My hair is fine," he grumbles.
"Your hair looks like you slept in a wind tunnel. Go brush it." And as he runs off, she shouts, "And put on a clean shirt!"
He sprints for the house, and while he's gone, I pull Olivia in for one more kiss, stealing the precious moments of privacy I know will be limited with Derek under the gun. I love this woman and more than ever, I know I want to spend the rest of my life with her. No one else could ever make me feel the way she has.
