Never to Keep (Accepting Fate #1) (31 page)

The room fell silent. I watched Madison’s warm brown eyes beg Olivia to agree.

“How long do I have to decide?” Olivia asked quietly.

“You should have it done as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the less likely it is you will have a good outcome,” Ethan answered.

“Olivia, I really think—” Madison started to say before Olivia cut her off.

“I’ll think about it!” Olivia obviously wanted to be left alone.

Everyone was uncomfortably quiet for a long minute. I wanted to ease the tension for Madison’s sake, but I had no idea what to say or do. I took her hand and held it tightly, hoping that would be enough.

Olivia was the first to break the silence. “If I go through with it—which I’m not saying I will—there are a few things I want to do before.”

“Like what?” Madison asked.

“I want to take Peyton to Disneyland and put my toes in the ocean.” Olivia made sure to catch my eye before she continued, “I also want to dance at your wedding.”

Soda sprayed out of my nose as I choked on Olivia’s words.

“You okay, baby?” Madison asked as she rubbed my back.

“Yeah, went down the wrong way.”

Madison returned her attention to her sister-in-law. “Well, two of those things might be possible. Do you have enough money left for a trip?”

“We need that money for bills and my burial expenses,” Olivia replied. Madison wilted at the mention of death.

“I have some connections that should be able to cut down on the cost of a trip,” I said.

“I’d want someone to go with you, just in case your condition takes a sudden turn for the worse,” Ethan said.

“Maybe Dad will go. He wants to spend more time with Peyton anyway.” Madison was taking a big step forward in her relationship with her father. I could tell she was still getting used to the idea of her father being alive. She was working hard to move past the pain.

“You don’t want to go with us?” Olivia asked Madison. It was selfish, but I really liked the thought of having Madison all to myself for a little while.

“I would love to, but I need to go back to work. I’ll be able to work a lot more hours while you’re gone.”

“Have you called Bruce to see about getting back on the schedule?” I asked. I would follow through with my threat to kill him if he let her step foot in that establishment again.

“I called a few weeks ago, and he said that I couldn’t come back until all of the bruises were completely gone. The one on my ribs was very stubborn. I should call again,” Madison stood up and pulled her phone from her pocket. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she headed for the kitchen. I didn’t argue, because I knew one way or another, she wouldn’t be going back to that place.

“You want her to go back to work there?” Ethan asked. He was obviously not happy about it.

“That’s the last thing I want.”

“Doesn’t seem that way to me,” Olivia said.

“Trust me. It’s not going to happen.”

Madison stormed back into the room. “Sawyer, can I speak to you upstairs for a minute?” she asked through clinched teeth. I was in a lot of trouble.

We climbed the stairs in silence. She didn’t speak until the door to her room was closed.

“So, I called Bruce, and he said I couldn’t come back to work.” She paced the room, her eyes focused on the floor. “When I asked him why, he said—and I quote—‘ask your boyfriend’. Any idea what he was talking about?” Her calm voice was scarier than if she’d been yelling.

“You are not working there again. I won’t allow it. I made sure that Bruce knew that.”

“Since when do you get to make decisions for me?” She stopped pacing and gave me the evil eye. I couldn’t break the contact, even though I desperately wanted to.

“No one gets to see your body but me. You’re pregnant, for God’s sake.”

“I’m not showing yet, and even when I am, there is a market for that.”

“There’s no way in hell I’ll let a bunch of freaks get their rocks off because of my baby!”

“In a few months, I’ll have my license and can get a nursing job. Until then, I have to make money somehow, especially since you are quitting your job.”

“Since when are our finances combined? I told you I wouldn’t let the kids go hungry. What more do you want?” Every time I thought I could trust her, she said something to make me think she was just after money.

“I’m sorry if I’m tired of pinching pennies. Even if you buy all the food, I still have to pay for utilities, gas for the car, property taxes…the list is endless.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Babies are expensive. I don’t know how I’ll afford diapers, clothes, furniture, a babysitter…. If the car broke down or a pipe burst in the house, I would have no way to get it fixed.”

“So, you expect me to pay for everything? Is that why you want me to keep working? I have my own bills, you know.” I didn’t want her to be like all of the women in Thomas’s past.

“Are you dense?” Her voice raised a full octave. “You’re the reason I lost my job and now you are walking away from yours. I haven’t asked you for one damned penny, but you have got to let me earn a living!” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You can’t pull this shit with me. It wasn’t that long ago that you were talking about having more kids, and now you’re freaking out when I ask you to help support the one we already have. I didn’t get pregnant on purpose; you are just as responsible for this as I am.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.” I let out a breath and fell back onto the bed. I did need to get it together. Even if she turned out to be a gold digger, I wouldn’t be a deadbeat dad. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Thank you, now drop your pants.”

“Say what?” There was no way I heard her correctly.

“I’m stressed out, and I need you to fuck me. Got a problem with that?”

Hell no, I didn’t have a problem with that. I jumped off of the bed and quickly shed all my clothes as she did the same. She pushed me back onto the bed, and I was in her mouth a split second later. I would never get used to how amazing it felt. “Keep this up, and I’ll piss you off more often.”

She released the suction of her mouth with a loud pop and moved slightly up my body. “I have ways of getting revenge,” she said. She used her tongue to trace the ridges and valleys of my abs while letting her gorgeous breasts brush against my straining cock. I was about ready to explode.

“Please.” I wasn’t above begging.

“Please what?”

“I need to be inside of you.”

“Have you learned your lesson?” She looked up at me with a raised brow.

“Yes. Now hurry.”

She finally decided to put me out of my misery as she moved into position on top of me. She sank onto my painfully swollen erection a centimeter at a time. I reached for her hips and pulled her down the rest of the way in one sharp movement.

The warmth of her silky core engulfed me. I lost the ability to think as my body took over. I held her hips still and thrust into her from below. I nearly exploded when she let out a moan of pleasure.

“You need to hurry up,” I instructed.

“I wanted to make you wait for it, but I can’t.” She moved her hand to where we were connected and touched herself. Three sharp thrusts later, I was done.

Madison

Sawyer came through and arranged the entire trip in less than twenty-four hours. “I’ll have a decision by the time we get back,” Olivia said. Her fingers tightened around the handle of her carry-on bag as she chewed on her bottom lip.

“You look nervous. Is everything okay?” I asked, placing a reassuring hand on her arm.

“What if my condition gets worse while we’re gone?”

“That’s why you’re bringing my dad, remember?” I was grateful he would be there to look after my girls. I hadn’t completely forgiven him yet, but I was making progress.

Olivia nodded. “You’re right, I’m overreacting,” she said in a calmer tone. I stumbled a little when someone rushing to the security checkpoint bumped into me from behind. I realized the line was getting longer with each minute that passed.

“Time to take your shoes off, Pey,” I said. I knelt and gave Peyton a big hug as soon as her sneakers were off. “Have fun and be safe. I love you.” I pulled away to arm’s length and looked in her beautiful hazel eyes. “I’m going to miss you so much. Don’t forget to call me every night.” I covered her cheeks with kisses.

“I won’t forget. I love you, too!” she said. She took her mother’s hand and skipped off to the long line. Dad and Olivia both turned and waved as they were swallowed up by the crowd of travelers.

I held on to my tears until I was sure they couldn’t see me anymore. I buried my face in Sawyer’s chest. “I-I’m going to miss her so much,” I cried as he stroked my hair. I couldn’t imagine my life without Olivia in it.

“I know, baby. I’m going to miss her, too.” It warmed my heart that he cared so much about Peyton, so I didn’t correct his misunderstanding. I would miss Peyton terribly while she was away, but my current tears belonged to my sister-in-law.

He held me in the middle of the airport until my sobs abated. “Are you ready to go home?” he asked in a soothing tone.

I nodded against his chest. He took my hand, and we walked back to short-term parking.

“It was really nice of your brothers to let them stay in their hotel for free,” I said as he drove us home from the airport. “I hope I can find a way to pay them back someday.”

“That’s not necessary. They were happy to do it.” He reached across the center console and wrapped my hand in his.

“I need to call Marina to thank her for the airfare and park tickets. I don’t know how we could have done this without her.” I usually made it a rule not to accept handouts, but I made an exception to make Olivia’s dream come true and give Peyton one last amazing memory with her mother.

“We can do that later. Right now, I want you to think of all of the things you want to do while they are gone. We don’t have anyone to look after, so we can do whatever we want.” I appreciated his effort to take my mind off of things.

“What do you want to do?” I asked, too emotional to think.

“How about we rent a movie, pick up some food, and spend the rest of the evening in bed? I have to work tomorrow, but when I get off, I’ll come over—and then we can get off together,” he said with a wink.

“I really like that plan.” An idea popped into my head. “You know, we’ve never been on a real date…” I looked at him from the corner of my eye, unsure if I was pushing his fear-of-relationship limits.

“We haven’t, have we?” he pondered. “I think I can come up with something.”

*

“Where are we going?” I asked Sawyer for the hundredth time since we’d gotten in the car on Thursday evening. “Are you sure I’m dressed appropriately?” His only instructions had been to dress casually. I really hoped my football jersey and jeans weren’t too casual.

“It’s a surprise, and you look great,” he said as he tried to keep his excitement under control. “We’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

I listened to the rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers and the heavy rain colliding with the roof of his SUV while we drove for a little while longer. “I wish I had brought an umbrella,” I said. I watched as the blades that moved across the glass in front of me pushed aside gallons of water falling from the heavens.

“Don’t worry; I think I have one in the back.” He took my hand and brought it to his soft lips. When he shifted into park, I took my focus away from the windshield and looked at our surroundings. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked nervously.

“I think this is the best date ever!” I jumped across the center console of the car and pulled his face to mine. I pressed my lips to his until I was close to passing out from a lack of oxygen.

His smile was bursting with pride. “I thought you’d like this,” he said as he pointed to the large building across the parking lot.

“I absolutely love it!” I exclaimed.

“Wait here.” He braved the rain and walked around to the back of his SUV. He retrieved an umbrella and then jogged to my side of the car, where he held the umbrella over my door as I stepped out so I wouldn’t get a drop of water on me.

“What are you doing?” I asked as we walked quickly across the parking lot. He was getting soaked while I was still mostly dry.

“It’s too small for both of us,” he said with a shrug as if it were no big deal.

I took the umbrella from him and held it between us. I moved until I was pressed against his body and then handed the umbrella back to him. “There, now we can both be dry and warm,” I said, enjoying the heat from his body.

“I don’t know why I didn’t think of this,” he said as he wrapped his free arm around me. We weren’t able to walk as quickly when we were so close together, but I didn’t mind at all.

“I have an even better idea,” he said. We stopped in the middle of the packed parking lot, and he moved to face me. He handed me the umbrella and then lifted me into his arms. We were face to face, chest to chest, with my legs wrapped tightly around his waist. He wrapped both of his arms around my back. I clung to him with one hand and held the umbrella over our heads with the other.