Page 62 of Second Chances

“Okay,” she finally agreed, before turning away from him and leaving. If she hadn’t left then, she doubted she would have been able to. He was warm and it felt so good to be held by someone she cared for. Someone she loved. Completely.

When she walked into Kayla’s house ten minutes later, there was a blanket fortress in the living area and all three kids were taking turns jumping from the back of the sofa onto the pile of sofa cushions.

“Just in time,” Kayla said with a smile.

“Looks like you guys have been having fun,” Olivia said as Simona rushed over to give her a hug.

“I can jump higher than CJ,” Simona said loudly.

“No, you can’t,” CJ countered. He proceeded to climb up and jump off the back of the sofa in a great show. “See!” he said as if his actions were all the proof he needed.

“I jumped higher than that,” Simona screamed, rushing over to show him and the room.

Kayla rolled her eyes. “This has been going on for half an hour. They actually wanted me to judge who was higher.” She leaned in. “Don’t fall for it. You can’t win, no matter who you pick.”

Olivia chuckled. “Thanks for watching Simona again.”

Kayla smiled as she ran her eyes over her face. “I see you had a good time.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Your hair is messed up and your shirt is on backwards. Must have been a real good time.”

“It is not…” She started to deny it, but then she looked down and groaned when she noticed her shirt was indeed on backwards, which only caused Kayla to laugh.

“Oh, trust me, I know how it is. Those first few months of seeing someone.” Kayla’s smile turned wishful. “With Rowan, every day feels like the first few months.”

She wondered if she would always feel this way with Todd. Somehow, she knew that she would.

Kayla turned back to her with a smile. “Yeah.” Her friend pointed to her face. “That’s the smile, that right there is what bliss looks like.” Kayla surprised her by wrapping her arms around her. “I’m glad you finally found it. You deserve happiness.”

That night, Olivia lay in bed replaying the day’s event. How had she gotten so lucky to have friends like Kayla? To have a wonderful daughter, and now, to have a man she trusted and loved?

Even though Todd hadn’t said the actual words to her yet, she understood well enough that he loved her. Or at least he cared deeply for her, enough that he wanted her and Simona in his life. Which meant more to her than if he had said those three words that neither Brock nor anyone else in her life had ever uttered to either her or Simona before.

Chapter 18

Over the next couple of weeks, he continued to work on turning his place into a home. Not just for himself, but for Olivia and, more importantly, Simona. Which meant his old schoolroom had to be updated and made safer. He couldn’t believe some of the old things in there and how hazardous they were for kids of any age.

First, he found out that the paint on the walls was lead based. He’d hired a crew to come out and strip the walls so that he could put a fresh coat of safe paint on and hang up the old chalkboards. He’d thought about replacing them, but since the old ones were still in good condition, he figured they would do for now.

Olivia was true to her word. Not only did they have one night a week where it was just the two of them, but now, at least two to three nights a week, he got to hang out with both her and Simona.

It was becoming the standard that the two of them spent every Friday night at his place, which worked out perfectly, since Olivia’s work schedule allowed them to spend all day Friday together.

On two occasions, they had gone out to East Haven Resort to go swimming and have picnics on the beach. He could tell that it was Simona’s favorite place in the whole world because she often mentioned it two or three times when they were out there.

Since their talk, he’d noticed a huge change in Olivia. She was more open with him and seemed less afraid to tell him about her past. He felt more relaxed as well. He even opened up to her about how his life had changed after his father had passed. How his mother had twisted and grown colder and more distant.

They sat on his back patio, watching the sky change colors as the sun set over the town and talking about Olivia’s fears about Simona going into second grade.

“Isn’t second grade a lot like first?” he asked, unsure. He couldn’t really remember anything before fifth grade.

Olivia rolled her eyes at him. “Seriously?” She smiled. “That’s what Simona does if you ask her the same question.”

“She’s a diva all right.” He smiled.

Olivia chuckled. “I wonder where she gets it?”

He reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He glanced through the sliding doors to where Simona was watching cartoons on the television and eating a yogurt. He could see she was totally engrossed in the show and smiled.

“She is pretty amazing,” he said, turning back to Olivia.