AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah.” He nods. “I am. Not as much as I used to be, though.”
“Now that you’re a married man?” I tease.
Oliver smirks. Not a full smile, but close. “My father had Scarlett followed, after she and Crew got married. He claimed it was because of a business deal. But it was because Scarlett was too bold. She had too much power over Crew. My father showed Crew photos of her at a hotel with another man. They weren’t kissing or touching, but it looked bad. He—I—expected Crew would turn his back on her. But Crew did the opposite, and I realized…he loved her. Really loved her. That was the first time I’d ever seen a relationship like that. So now, I know it exists. Just not for everyone.”
I hesitate before asking my next question. Both because I don’t want Oliver to think I’m fishing for information, and because I realize I’m asking it because I want to know more about Oliver. To understand him. “Were you and Crew ever close?”
“Not really. My father loved—loves—pitting us against each other. Crew made more of an effort after getting married. Especially after Lili was born. I never really did, I’m realizing.”
“What about you and your dad?”
“We had highs and lows. Things were better between us when I was younger. I did well in school, exactly what he expected. When I was nineteen, I found out the agreement between my father and Hanson Ellsworth had changed. Not marrying Scarlett was fine with me. But I knew what that would mean for CEO, and that bothered me. It was supposed to be mine. I had the rest of college and then business school to decide how I was going to handle it. My dad was thrilled when I started working at the company. Crew was still in school, so it was just the two of us. Then…things went downhill.”
“Because Crew came back?”
“No. Because he found out I had sex with his wife.”
At first, I think it’s one of his deadpan jokes. When I realize he’s serious, I start coughing. “Yourstepmother?”
Oliver nods, looking down at the mug. “She was younger than me. It wasn’t quite as weird as it sounds. But still fucked up, I know.” He glances up at me, and there’s something in his expression that tells me this is a crossroads. That how I react will impact a lot. We’ll end up in the same place—divorced—but the way we get there is being decided right now. He’s trusting me, and I want to be worthy of that.
So I swallow the million questions I have and say, “We all have regrets, right?”
Because I don’t need to ask if he does. It’s obvious in the subtle shift in his expression, the darkening in his eyes and the shadows that line his face.
“Right.”
There’s an awkward beat where we hold eye contact for too long.
Oliver breaks the silence by asking me another question about my family. After we’ve covered Rachel and my parents, I excuse myself to get ready for dinner.
Standing in my kitchen any longer started to feel dangerous. Oliver is here to prove how incompatible he is with my life. Not for me to imagine him fitting in.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
OLIVER
Hannah appears in the living room while I’m scanning her bookshelf. If these are all hers, she has eclectic taste. It matches the rest of her house, in an odd way. I expected her space to be sleek and polished. Instead, it looks like every room is decorated in a slightly different style.
She hasn’t changed, like I thought she left to do. Still in worn jeans that show off a few spots of tan skin and a cotton t-shirt. She braided her hair, so part of it is pulled away from her face, but that’s the only change in her appearance. I hadn’t even realized I’d memorized every detail of what she was wearing until right now.
Her eyebrows rise as she glances at my clothes. “You’re changing, right?”
I look down at the navy suit I’m wearing. It’s not that wrinkled, which is impressive after a five-hour flight and lots of sitting in traffic. “Uh, no.”
“You’re wearing a suit to dinner?” Hannah raises her eyebrows at me, and I raise mine right back.
I wear a suit every day. Everywhere, unless I’m home. And sometimes even then.
I didn’t go into the office this morning. I put on this suit to fly here, expecting I’d wear it to dinner.
“We got married in Vegas, Hannah. I’m trying to make a good impression.”
Her mouth twitches. Almost a smile. “It’s a backyard barbeque. The only impression you’re giving is overdressed.”
“Well, suits are all I have.”
She glances at my suitcase, which is still sitting by the front door. “May I?” She nods toward my luggage.
