The One: The Complete One Series Collection (22 page)

“Nothing would make me happier. Yes.” I dropped to my knees and threw my arms around him. I felt his breath on my neck as he laughed in relief.

“Thank god,” he said, kissing me sweetly. He took my left hand and slid the ring into place, struggling just a little because I was still shaking.

“You know what? That first night,” I said, flexing my finger under the foreign weight that now pressed on it, “was only my second best night.”

William’s face froze. “What was your best night?”

“Tonight.” I reached for him again and told myself that I would never let go.

CHAPTER TWO

I was riding high for weeks after that night. It was strange that I hadn’t even suspected William was ready to commit in such a permanent way. We had only been together ten months, which most people would consider to be a pretty brief courtship. But it didn’t feel rushed to me- it felt perfect. Nothing about our relationship had been “normal” or “traditional.” But it worked for us, and that was all that mattered.

After the first few honeymoon weeks, I began to feel less enthused as it sunk in that I would now have to plan a wedding. I lay awake at night worrying over where to have the wedding, who to invite, who not to invite, what kind of cake to have, and on and on. It was no wonder that I spent my days feeling nauseated and tense.

William was much more relaxed once I said “yes.” He didn’t care when or how we got married, just as long as it happened. He even offered to go to a justice of the peace on a random Tuesday. It was a little too spontaneous for me, but I appreciated the offer.

About a month after the proposal, I had a much more intense panic attack while babysitting William’s niece and nephew. I volunteered for the job when William mentioned that his brother was getting overwhelmed caring for the kids nonstop since his wife had left the family. Callie and Carter were cut kids, and I was glad to have the time with them while William and Bob headed out to play golf.

I made the kids eggs for breakfast and let them watch some morning cartoons while doing a couple of loads of laundry. William had offered to pay for a nanny and housekeeper while Bob got settled into his role as Mr. Mom, but he had declined. He wanted to do it himself and for the most part, he had things under control, but it was obvious that he was struggling to keep up. I wanted to help out if I could.

Halfway through mopping the kitchen floor, I felt my stomach turn and clench. I made it to the bathroom just in time to stick my head in the toilet. When I opened my eyes after retching, my hurried breakfast with the kids stared back at me. I flushed it down, then shut the lid and took a seat with my head in my hands. It was the third day in a row I hadn’t been able to keep my breakfast down and to a woman of a certain age, that typically meant one thing- baby.

I did the math quickly and the timing was certainly possible. William and I were normally very responsible with protection but we had slipped that day in his office and as any pregnant teen could tell you, it only took one lapse in judgment to get knocked up. Dred began to settle into my now empty stomach.

“Olivia!” Little Callie pounded on the bedroom door. “Carter is being mean to me.”

“Just a minute, Cal.” I hurried to the sink and rinsed out my mouth. As much as I didn’t want to have my fears confirmed, I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else until then, so I made a decision. “Get your brother and put on your coats. We’re running an errand.”

One of the great things about living in the city was that you could find a drugstore on just about every corner. Getting the kids out the door, down the street, in and out of the drugstore after a quick purchase, and back in the house again took less than thirty minutes.

The kids were happy to return to the television while I took my secret purchase into the bathroom. I tried not to think at all as I unwrapped the little stick and set about peeing on it. Thinking would lead to panicking, and I couldn’t do that right now.

While I waited to see whether my whole life was about to change, I heard the front door open and William and Bob greeted the kids in loud voices. I didn’t want to get caught with my pants down, so to speak, so I buried it in my purse without seeing the result.

“You alright?” William asked when I joined them in the family room. My face must’ve betrayed how distraught I felt.

“Yeah. Breakfast didn’t sit well.” I forced a smile. “How was golf?”

“It was fine, except for the part where William was on his phone the whole time,” Bob said.

I frowned. William was usually pretty good about compartmentalizing work, but the last week or so he had been glued to his phone. “Something going on at Gravity?”

“Nothing we need to talk about right now,” he said with a poor attempt at a reassuring smile. I could tell from his eyes that something was bothering him though.

The five of us had lunch together before we took off, and William kept checking his phone. By the time we left, he was a bundle of nerves. We had tentative plans to check out a new museum exhibit but it wouldn’t be much fun for either of us if he was going to be distracted the whole time. The slightly good news was that William’s mood swing was distracting me from my own potentially earth-shattering news.

“You need to tell me what’s wrong,” I said when I finally had enough and confronted him. We were halfway down Lake Shore Drive and he hadn’t spoken a word.

“I don’t want to get into it right now,” he said, eyes focused on the road.

Very rarely did I lose my cool with William, but now was one of those times. “I don’t care. You either tell me what’s going on or take me home right now.”

A quick glance in my direction told him just how serious I was, and he sighed and pulled the car onto an exit ramp that led to the park.

“Fine. We’ll talk. Just let me park the car.” He found a spot and turned off the engine. “Let’s walk down to the lake.”

It was a chilly day, but not terribly cold. The crisp air felt good against my skin as we settled on some concrete stairs at the lake’s edge. The water was an icy blue, the same shade it always was before it began to freeze. The color almost perfectly matched William’s eyes when he looked at me.

“I’m selling Gravity,” he said, no hesitation and fluff.

“What?” I could’ve guessed a thousand things that might be plaguing William but I never would’ve guessed that he was thinking of selling his company. “When did you decide this?”

William shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but more seriously in the last six months.”

“Why? You love that company?” He had built the company from nothing; it was his pride and joy.

“No, Livy. I don’t love it. I love you. The company was just a hobby that turned into a career.”

“A very successful career,” I clarified. “How have you been thinking about this for six months? You’ve never hinted about this to me. Isn’t this something we should’ve talked about together?”

“You would’ve tried to talk me out it.” William shook his head in frustration. “I don’t want to be talked out of this, Olivia.”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t understand where this is coming from. Why do you want to sell Gravity?” My head felt like it was spinning.

“I’ve been doing this for years. Long before you and I ever met. I’m ready for the next chapter of my life.”

“Doing what?”

“Whatever I want. That’s kind of the whole point.” William’s tone was borderline hostile. “I shouldn’t have to justify this to you.”

“It’s not about justification, William. I’m just trying to understand where your head is at right now. This is coming out of the blue for me since you never once bothered to mention your plans to me before today.”

William’s face was stony and unreadable. “I didn’t say anything because it was just something I was idly thinking about. It wasn’t really a plan until recently.”

“What changed?”

“I found a buyer.” He leaned away from me reflexively. “A company that handles global accounts but is based in the United Kingdom. They made a solid offer and I’m planning to accept.”

I was even more dumbfounded. “So you’re ready to sign on the dotted line? Just like that?”

“We’re in the middle of negotiations, but yeah, I’m hoping to close this deal.”

“What’s the biggest sticking point?” As annoyed as I was that William hadn’t discussed any of this with me, being angry at him wasn’t going to help the situation. Now that he was opening up, I wanted to keep him talking until I had all the details.

“You’re not going to like it,” he said. I glared at him until he continued. “They want me to move to London for the first year of the acquisition as part of the deal. They will need help transitioning accounts and closing some cases.”

“Are you telling me that you are moving to London for a year?” I felt queasy again and hoped I wouldn’t have to throw up in the lake.

William shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m telling you. But it doesn’t have to be just me. You can come with me. Or we can take turns visiting each other. A year really isn’t a long time.”

“I can’t just ‘come with you’ and you know it. I have a life here, a job that I love.” I felt very much like crying and I wondered if it was possible that pregnancy hormones were kicking in. That made me think of the unread plastic stick in my purse and the potential fetus growing inside me and tears pooled in my eyes. “Do you have any idea how much can change in a year?”

William’s tough façade faded away. “Don’t cry, Livy. You know that kills me.”

“I can’t exactly help it.” I angrily wiped away a tear. “Only a few weeks have passed since you asked me to marry you, and now you’re choosing to leave for a year?”

“Hey, we are still getting married. I still want to be with you more than anything. Selling the company is what will best for us as a couple.” William reached over and wiped away a second tear. “This job is requiring more and more of my time. I need to put in some time now to make it a smooth handoff, and then when that is done we can start talking about having a family.”

“Some time? That sounds longer than a year, William.”

“A year in London is required but I may need to stay on at the company a little longer. There’s no way to know for certain right now.”

The stress of the day had taken its toll on me. I was exhausted. “I want to go home.”

“
Liv-”

“Take me home, William,” I said firmly, tears replaced by anger.

Even after we were home, I couldn’t bring myself to look at the test results. William had directly admitted that he wasn’t thinking about having a family for at least a year, possibly longer. If I really was pregnant, I was carrying an unwanted child, and that was too depressing to acknowledge.

I wanted to block that thought from my head, so I turned on a mindless movie and made myself busy ignoring everything else, including William.

“You have to talk to me eventually,” he said when the movie ended. He was sitting next to me on the couch, arm thrown over the back, twirling my hair absently in his fingers. It was a calming gesture for him, something he did when he was nervous or I was upset. In this case, it killed two birds with one twirl.

“I’m not
not
talking to you. I just don’t have anything to say right now.”

William sighed. “Fine. I’m getting a beer. Do you want one?”

Boy did I. But it seemed like a very irresponsible choice, so I shook my head no. William dropped a kiss on the top of my head, either out of habit or as an attempt to ease my annoyance with him. I would never have admitted it to him, but it worked. I was still mad that William had kept all of those secrets from me, but it didn’t change the fact that I was crazy about him.

“I’ll get it for you,” I said, jumping to my feet. I poured myself a glass of water and drank it slowly in the kitchen while I tried to convince myself to look at the test. I was unsuccessful, so I returned with William’s beer and sat next to him, closer than before. “I still love you,” I said, kissing his cheek. “Just thought you should know.”

William smiled for the first time all day. “I’m not sure I deserve it, but thank you.”

We stayed that way for a while, snuggled together without talking. Somehow those were always my favorite moments- the small, ordinary moments of love. It had to end eventually, as it always did, but I still wasn’t ready when William excused himself to do some work. I couldn’t begin to imagine losing him for an entire year.

Aside from William, one of the other things that had a great calming effect on me when I was stressed was a long, hot shower. Once my head was under the scalding water, I could feel the tension in my shoulders start to ease. After a little time to reflect on the day, I knew it was time to discover my fate. I needed to know if the answer was yes or no before I could figure out how to handle William’s news.

Unfortunately, that plan was quickly railroaded in another direction when I stepped into the bedroom. William was waiting for me, and I could tell from the smile on his face that he
had other plans for me. He hooked a finger at me, a gesture to come forward. I feigned uncertainty and then dropped my towel in a puddle at my feet. William’s smile grew.

My stride was slow and purposeful as I made my way across the room. “You are insatiable, Mr. Connor,” I said when he grabbed me, crushing me against him so that I could feel his eagerness press against my hip.

“We’ll see.” He lifted me so swiftly I let out a yelp of surprise.

He stepped over to the bed and spread me out on top of it. I pushed up on my elbows to watch William undress but he had other plans. Fully clothed, he climbed over me. He kissed me very softly and said, “I’m sorry about today.”

Then he pushed me back gently until my head rested on the pillow. Slowly and carefully, he began to cover every inch of my skin in hungry kisses. He paused longer in all the right areas, drawing out the foreplay until I wasn’t sure I could take it any longer. When his mouth reached my hip, he traced its curve downward with his tongue, stopping just above my pubic hair. His head popped up and I thought he was returning for a kiss but instead he pulled the pillow out from under my head and lifted my pelvis, slipping the pillow under my butt.