AllFreeNovel
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“Wait!”
He’s pushing through the door while I’m still reeling from the realization that I know Leo’s daughter. Better than most people, in fact. I don’t have any experience with kids, but she’s my friend. The worries I had over meeting his daughter are now replaced with worry that she’s going to hate me when she finds out about our date.
“What’s going on? Olive, do you know my dad?”
“I, um, yeah.”
Nervously, I head for the door. I have no idea what to say, but I can’t let this end like this. It’s just a misunderstanding. I was never hiding anything. I just didn’t know he was her dad.
“We went out on a date last night.” I stand with my hand on the doorknob, waiting for her response, but she just stares at me. “Pen.” I shake my head. “Penelope. Are you upset with me?”
She shakes her head, still remaining quiet.
“Would it be okay with you if I ran after him and explained things?”
She nods without a smile, and I get the feeling she’s not a fan of the two of us being together, which makes a ball of anxiety form in my stomach. I love her. I don’t want her to be mad at me. Does this mean, even if I can get Leo to forgive me, Penelope will keep us apart? I won’t pursue him if she doesn’t give us her blessing, and by her furrowing brows, she won’t be budging.
I take off outside. A cold gust of wind greets me, and I clutch my arms around me as I speedwalk to the end of the street. I can see the cross walk and shout for Leo to stop. Quickly, I hurry across while cars are far enough back, but he’s so far ahead he doesn’t hear me.
Suddenly, there’s screeching tires, and I realize my mistake too late.
* * *
Leo
Time stops,and my feet never moved so fast. Olive is lying on the ground, and my heart is in a vise. Fear strikes me at the thought of her being hurt, and when I reach her side, her eyes are closed. That fair face—free of all black makeup because she stayed with me last night.
God, please let her be okay. I’m mad as fuck, but if anything happens to her, I’ll die inside. Never before have I felt so attached that I physically needed a person. My love for my daughter is a whole other feeling entirely, which tells me all I need to know when it comes to Olive. She’s mine. Mine to protect, and I’ve failed her.
“Olive, baby, please,” I say, kneeling at her side. “Someone call 911!”
The car that hit her couldn’t have been going but five miles an hour when they turned without looking, but they still hurt her, and I was ignoring her shouts.
Fuck.
“Please be okay,” I say, trying to find her injuries as her eyes flutter open. “I’m so sorry. I was a jealous child I’m so sorry Olive please wake up.”
“Leo,” she says with a gasp. “Ouch.” Tears spring to her eyes as she holds her side, clearly in pain.
The sight brings water to my own eyes, and my heart breaks inside my chest.
“Olive!”
I hear Penelope’s panicked cry. She’s running into traffic, causing my panic to rise.
“No! Pen, wait!”
At my words, Olive sits up through her pain and shouts in equal panic, “No! Be careful!”
At that moment, I see the same fear reflected back at me. Olive already loves my daughter. When she first showed me the book display, I was defensive and upset. Had I really grown so far away from my own daughter, I didn’t know she wrote her own book? Then, finding out someone else helped her made me snap. I can see now, everything Olive did for her was out of love. Even the display window was decorated to match her book, and the worry she’s wearing for Pen warms my heart in a way I thought I’d never experience. Sharing Pen with her moms is so different because I don’t get to be very active in her life, and that makes me jealous at times. I need to be supportive.
“Are you okay? Did you really just get hit by a car?” Penelope comes barreling down to join us in the middle of the walkway.
The man from the black car is still on his phone with the authorities and is looking nervous as fuck. He’s lucky I’m not punching him in his stupid fucking face right now.
“Oh god, I did. Are you okay? Don’t run into traffic, Pen! What have I said a million times?”
Penelope looks up at me with tears in her eyes now, the three of us a blubbery mess of tears and running noses. “You should tell your parents about your book.” It’s almost a whisper, but it’s directed to me. She doesn’t want me to be upset at Olive.
