Page 56 of Second Chances

Todd could tell that something had changed with Olivia. Whenever he texted or called and suggested they get together, she had some excuse as to why they couldn’t.

When Friday finally rolled around, he showed up on her doorstep, flowers, pizzas, and fixings for ice cream sundaes in hand, without waiting for a formal invitation.

He could hear the rowdiness of the kids inside the house before Olivia answered the door. He smiled and then laughed when he noticed her T-shirt was completely soaking wet, along with her hair and half of her shorts.

“Having a water fight?” he asked cheerfully, holding out the flowers for her.

“No, my sink just broke.” She left him standing at the door as she raced back inside.

Following her, he gasped when he noticed a full spray of water shooting into the air from her kitchen sink.

Setting the flowers, pizzas, and other groceries down, he rushed over to help her turn off the water.

By the time she crawled out from under the sink cabinet, she was completely soaking wet. His eyes instantly went to her perfect nipples poking out of her soaked shirt.

“Um…” He glanced over at the kids, who were sitting on the sofa, watching the entire scene unfold. “Why don’t you go change into some dry clothes while I feed the kids?”

Olivia looked down at her shirt and then gasped as she pulled the wet material away from her body. “I’ll… yes,” she said, her face turning red as she rushed from the room.

“Todd!” Simona rushed to him and jumped up into his arms. “You’re here. Mommy said you couldn’t come.” He hugged her and then watched her bottom lip jut out in a cute little pout.

“I’m here now,” he said easily. “I brought some pizza and ice cream.”

“Ice cream,” all three kids shouted. CJ and Willow started jumping up and down on the sofa while Simona squirmed in his arms. Setting her down, he moved over and put the ice cream away in the freezer and started getting out the kids’ plastic plates and dishing them each a slice.

When Olivia came out of her bedroom, changed into a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt with her hair pulled back into a short ponytail, all three of the kids were sitting at the table, eating pizza and drinking milk he’d poured them in child cups. He’d found a pretty blue vase to put the flowers he’d gotten for her in, and she stopped to bury her face in them and breathe in their scent.

“Thank you for these.” She touched the soft pink petals. Then she looked around as if she was surprised that they weren’t throwing pizza at one another.

“Come, sit down.” He held up a plate with a slice of pizza on it, then set it down at the head of the table. When she approached him, he pulled the glass of wine he’d poured for her out from behind his back and held it out for her.

Her eyes narrowed, and she took a deep breath before taking the wine from him. He could tell there was something wrong but figured he would wait until the kids were asleep before he asked her about it.

For the next two hours, he was more entertained than he had been in years. Watching Simona interact with CJ and Willow assured him that three kids, two girls and one boy, was the perfect dynamic for a family.

CJ clung to him and listened to his Army stories, while Simona and Willow played together or watched a movie.

Olivia, now that she was dry and didn’t have to focus solely on the kids, had pulled out a toolbox and was working on fixing the sink.

Since he knew that she probably knew more about it than he did, he worked on keeping the kids out from under her feet.

Once she had the sink working again, he helped each kid create their very own sundae before making his own.

“I see you’re a toffee lover.” He motioned to Olivia’s sundae. She’d topped it with the toffee chunks he’d brought along. In truth, he might have gone a little crazy in the candy aisle. There were bags of almost every kind of candy and topping.

Still, the kids had enjoyed it and put a little of each on their choice of ice cream.

“Toffee.” She shrugged. “If I could, I’d put it everywhere.” She smiled and took a bite. “You…” She motioned with her spoon. “Oreos?”

“When I was in high school, I could eat an entire bag of them myself.”

Her eyebrows went up. “You weren’t a chubby kid?”

He laughed. “No, just a skinny kid with a very high metabolism. Now”—he patted his flat stomach and leaned back, knowing he’d hit top— “I have to hit the gym a dozen times a week to work off one Oreo.”

She smiled and glanced over to where the kids were finishing up with their sundaes, sitting at the bar countertop. “After Simona, my entire diet had to change. Anything with too much sugar, and I pay for it in the gym.”

He nodded as his eyes ran slowly over her. “I’d say it’s working. You’ll hear no complaints from me. Even if you gain a little extra.” He reached out and laid his hand on her thigh. “I like soft.” He squeezed gently. “Any way that you are, I think I’d enjoy you.”