by T. K. Chapin
Chapter 19
OLIVIA’S THOUGHTS CONSISTED OF ONLY Tyler in the weeks and months that followed his meeting her parents. When they were together, they were inseparable. When they were apart, they’d text and call one another. Tyler made her feel like the queen of his world, and she soaked up every moment and feeling he cultivated inside of her. She felt what the two of them had was the closest to magic she’d ever get. She felt like he was the one like no other man had ever come close to. He cared for her and her emotional wellbeing in a way she hadn’t ever experienced in her life. And after three months of dating, Olivia was ready for the next step in the relationship.
Lying on their backs one sunny Saturday afternoon on a blanket sprawled out in the yard behind his house at Diamond Lake, Olivia’s thoughts were on him and on Molly. “I think it’s time you met her.”
He jumped up and turned to her, excitement in his eyes. His joy wasn’t a surprise to Olivia. She already knew he loved Molly, just like he loved her. He would listen carefully every time she spoke about her, and he even asked about how she was doing when she wasn’t brought up in conversation by Olivia.
“Are you sure?” Tyler held out his hands as he sat down onto his knees. “I know this is a big deal.”
She sat up and turned to him, crossing her legs over one another. “Yes. I think it’s overdue. I think I’ve been nervous because once you meet Molly, then you’ll have every part of my heart.”
Tyler smiled, touching her cheek gently with the palm of his hand. Reaching for a strand of hair, he grabbed it between his index finger and thumb, rolling it between them. “You can trust me, Olivia. You can always trust me.”
“I know I can. I’m ready.”
He smiled, then stood up. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To get Molly. I want to meet her now. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while. I even know exactly what I want to do. I want to take her to that park near your parents’ house. You know the one.”
“All right, yeah. Let’s go.”
He grabbed the blanket and tossed it over his shoulder, then grabbed ahold of Olivia’s hand.
At her parents’ house, Olivia let Tyler go in the front door first. As he walked in, she followed behind him and watched. He smiled deeply as he lowered himself to his knees to see Molly eye-to-eye as she lay in the swing.
“Hi, Molly,” he said with a gentle voice. “I’m Tyler, a friend of your mommy. It’s nice to meet you.”
He offered his index finger to Molly, and she giggled and smiled, then latched her little hand onto it. Olivia’s heart was filled with so much joy that it was spilling over in tears coming down her cheeks. She sniffled as she wiped her eyes. Tyler glanced over with a concerned expression on his face.
Shaking her head, Olivia shooed a hand. “Don’t mind me.”
Kora came into the living room and looked over the event unfolding before her eyes. She smiled, then looked at her daughter Olivia and mouthed, “I love him.” Then she proceeded to point at the unaware Tyler.
Standing up from the couch, Olivia smiled and mouthed, “Me too.” Then Olivia traveled into the kitchen and her mother followed. Olivia opened a cupboard and pulled a glass out, then retrieved the half-gallon of orange juice from the fridge. Taking the glass and juice over to the island in the kitchen, she poured a glass and then took a long drink.
“You’re glowing with joy these days, Daughter.” Her mother’s head was tilted, her lips curved in a ‘satisfied with your decisions’ kind of smile. She brought both arms up to the island and rested her elbows on the surface as her eyes stayed on Olivia. “When are you two getting married?”
“Mother!” Olivia jerked her head toward the doorway leading into the living room where Tyler was only a few feet away. “You can’t talk about that so loudly! It’s only been three months.”
“Sorry.” She shrugged. “For people like your father and me, that is what dating is for, Olivia.”
“Maybe, but not for me.”
Kora came around the island and touched her arm gently as she spoke softly. “Honey, he’s just like your father and me. Marriage is on his mind whether it is for you or not. Obviously, not right this second. You two have only been seeing each other for a few months, but eventually, it’ll come.”
Olivia wasn’t obtuse. She had thought of marriage with Tyler and had even fancied the idea. But all the good that she saw in Tyler was eclipsed by worries that loomed nearby in her mind. She and Bruce were good too while dating—not this good, but pretty good—and look how that turned out. “I don’t even want to think about marriage, Mom. It’s bad to go there.”
“Is your father’s and my marriage bad?”
“No. That’s not what I meant.” Olivia fumbled in her thoughts, and without thinking, she gave her mother what she really thought of her and her dad’s marriage. “But you two are a little on the boring side.”
Her mom blinked and was quiet for a moment. She smiled. “Oh, honey. Being an adult is boring most of the time, if you’re doing things correctly.”
“Rachel’s life isn’t boring. She has plenty of fun and she’s an adult.”
Her mother lowered an eyebrow as she narrowed her look at Olivia. “Is Rachel’s life what you want for yourself?”
“Don’t judge her, Mother!” She immediately regretted her outburst in tone as reality filed through her mind. She thought of her schooling for the dental assisting certification. She only had another month and a half or so left and she’d be graduating. If she would’ve fallen in with Rachel’s lifestyle after she and Bruce separated, Olivia would be in a darker place. A shudder ran the length of her spine. “But you’re right about not wanting that life. But I also don’t think life has to be boring.”
“Of course, it doesn’t.” Tyler’s voice startled her as he walked into the kitchen. “Life isn’t boring. Well . . . maybe some parts, but that’s maintaining all the different things in life while waiting for the next big thing. Life is full of hills and valleys and trials and blessings and good times and bad times. That’s life.” His eyes fixed on Olivia the next moment, warming her from the inside out. “By the way, Olivia, you make quite the cute children.”
Children? Her heart leaped at the thought of a child between the two of them, then it backtracked remembering her mother’s words moments earlier about Tyler being the marriage type. Olivia already knew Tyler wasn’t the kind of guy who would take a dive beneath the sheets before the wedding night, and that meant there would be no children before marriage.
“Thanks, I think so too. How about we head to that park you suggested?” Olivia let out a succession of quick nods as she walked away from her mother and toward Tyler in the doorway. Her eyebrows bounced up and down, trying to signal in some sort of Morse code to Tyler that she wanted to leave.
Tyler let out a gentle laugh, then tipped her a nod. “Yes, let’s get going.”
Olivia strapped Molly into the stroller out on the front porch while Tyler grabbed the diaper bag from inside. He soon joined the two of them and helped lower the stroller over the curb and onto the sidewalk.
As they headed down the sidewalk toward the park, Tyler put his hand atop Olivia’s that was holding one of the handles on the stroller. She peered over at him and smiled, and he leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips.
“I like this. I like us.” Olivia beamed as she pushed her baby along with Tyler by her side.
“I do too.” He smiled warmly.
At the park, Olivia stayed on a bench with the stroller nearby as Tyler carried Molly on his shoulders over to the playground. She looked so small up there on his shoulders. Olivia smiled as she watched Tyler hold Molly’s little hands and guide her around the playground, looking at everything before he finally put her into the baby swing at a slow pace.
Olivia’s hand had a sudden pulse of pain rip through it, and she clutched it tightly with her other hand, waiting for it to subside. Fear tangled around her heart as the pain intens
ified. She hadn’t had even a sliver of pain in months, and its sudden return was unnerving. She stared at the cement path beneath her feet and focused as she tried to slow her breathing and wait for the pain to go away. Wave after wave, all within a few minutes. She could hardly think because it bothered her so much. Then, it started to fade, slowly leaving like a tide going out to sea. She sat upright and rested her back against the bench. She started to cry softly.
“Babe?” Tyler said as he approached with Molly. He looked upset, distraught. Quickly, he placed Molly into the stroller and then sat close to Olivia’s side and held her hand gently. “Talk to me. What’s wrong? What can I do?”
Shaking her head, she wiped her tears and forced a smile. “I’m fine. It was just an old friend coming back for a visit.”
Tyler smoothed a hand over his face and stood up. He wasn’t happy, starting to pace, and she felt uncomfortable.
“Tyler.”
He stopped and looked at her.
“I had some hand pain for a minute. I think I was more startled than anything else. I’m fine, really. Please calm down.”
Slipping back to her side on the bench, he grabbed her hand softly, compassion in his eyes. “I have a natural desire to want to protect you, Olivia. To take your pain away. To make you smile. And this pain, it’s something I can’t do anything about, and the thought that it’s returning drives me a little mad. Does that make sense?”
Olivia’s lips trembled. She hadn’t seen Tyler this worked up since they had started dating, and she didn’t like it. She didn’t want her pain to hurt anyone else. It had already hurt her enough. She loved Tyler’s concern and care for her, but she didn’t love how it had hurt him in the process.
“I understand. I’m sure it was just a random bout of pain, Tyler. If it shows up every few months and leaves again, I’m fine with that. Key word being leaves.”
He nodded in agreement, the wild look in his eyes settling. Then, he lifted her hand to his lips and slowly pressed a kiss on top of her hand.
“My love, wouldst thou gift me a pleasure by walking with me roundeth thee park-eth?”
Olivia tossed her head back as she busted into laughter. “What was that?”
He laughed too, then he kissed her on the lips by surprise. She melted by the sudden brush of her lips against his. He pulled back from the kiss, smiling, and said, “That was Shakespeare. It’s romantic.”
Shaking her head, she laughed again and smacked his shoulder. “You don’t need Shakespeare.”
Rising from the bench, they journeyed the park’s paths, Olivia pushing the stroller. As they traveled, Olivia’s thoughts gravitated to the faint pain still present in her hand. She hadn’t revealed that the pain was still there to Tyler on purpose. She knew from his reaction just now he’d probably want to fix it, and it would cause him pain when he couldn’t. This time, she’d have to do things on her own so no one else would be bothered by it. She resolved by the end of the day that she’d make an appointment for another acupuncture visit on Monday to see if that would resolve it.
Chapter 20
DR. HALL DID LITTLE TO comfort Olivia over the phone on Monday, two hours after her appointment. She had called him on break at the dealership when waves of pain radiated from her hand while she was typing on the keyboard. The acupuncture hadn’t worked, and she hoped there could’ve been a mistake. With tears in her eyes and all hope draining from her, Olivia ended the call and cried bitterly as she leaned her back against the brick wall out back behind the dealership. She lowered herself down to sit on the pavement. She thought the pain was gone for good, and now that it had returned and stayed, it sent her into despair. She felt as if it would never leave her.
“Olivia?” Jasper’s concerned voice carried from a few feet away at the back door of the dealership.
She wiped her eyes and straightened her posture, doing her best to put on a show. “Yes?”
“You okay?”
“I’m okay enough. What’s up?”
“There’s a customer who needs you to look up some information on their warranty, and tons of people in line behind her. We are super-swamped with this back to school special going on.”
Olivia dug deep for strength, scraping against the bottom of the well, and rose to her feet. She wiped the dirt away from the backside of her flowered skirt, wiped her face tear-free one more time, and then went inside. She’d have to work through the pain, at least for today.
After her shift, she was tempted to go to Rachel and see if she could help her get some pills like before, but she didn’t want to travel down that path again. Rachel had almost accused her of being an addict last time. She didn’t like it and she didn’t like putting her daughter in harm’s way like she had done previously. On her way to her mother and father’s house to pick up Molly, she stopped at the grocery store to pick up Ibuprofen, milk, bread, cereal, and a few other essentials she needed at the apartment. The pain had left her for a moment in the store, and she was relieved when it did. Then, as she was turning down the aisle for water, the pain came on again, this time worse than all the other previous times, and she stopped in the aisle and clenched her eyes closed. Why can’t this be over? Why does it have to hurt so much? What is the point?
A moment passed and the pain subsided. She opened her eyes and continued pushing the shopping cart down the aisle. Glancing over, she saw wine bottles. She recalled a time earlier in her life when she went with Rachel to a birthday party for a friend and Olivia had fallen off the trampoline and hurt her shoulder. The girls at the party sneaked her a few glasses of their mother’s wine and the shoulder pain went away. A lot safer than street pills, she thought, grabbing a couple of bottles. She continued through the store and got all the items she needed.
She picked up Molly with little conversation with her mother due to the exhaustion and pain and went home. Olivia put the groceries away, fed Molly a bottle, and then placed her daughter in the high chair to play with some solids that she was recently approved to start. As she zipped the spoon of rice cereal around in the air, pretending it was an airplane to find its way to Molly’s mouth, she smiled and did her best to enjoy the little time she had with Molly before bed and the milestone of her eating solids now. Another shock of pain hit her, and she dropped Molly’s spoon, the plane crash landing on the tray. She fought back tears as she waited for the pain to stop, then resumed feeding Molly.
As she cleaned the tray a short while later, her phone buzzed over on the kitchen counter. Wiping Molly’s face with some baby wipes in her hand, she unbuckled her and set her down on the blanket in the living room to roll around and let her tummy settle for a bit.
She arrived at her phone in time to answer the call.
It was Tyler.
“What you up to?”
“Just got home and fed the beebs. I’m going to lay her down soon and then probably binge on Netflix.”
He laughed. “You want to hang out? I can bring a movie over and we can just chill.”
She peered over into the kitchen and thought about the wine she had bought and about the acupuncturist and the emotional toll the day had inflicted on her. “No, I think I’m going to relax tonight. I’m really tired, Tyler. Though it does sound wonderful. Raincheck?”
Olivia did desire to see him, but she was exhausted from pretending lately. Whether it was at work or with her parents, or even with Tyler. Nobody knew the struggle she was dealing with right now, and she wanted it that way. She didn’t want to burden others with her pain. She’d handle it and not put the pressure on those she loved.
“No problem. I need to probably get some more work done on this new client proposal I’m working on anyway.” He let out a sigh, then shifted to a new topic. “You have a good day?”
Such a simple question, yet only a complex answer existed on the other end, locked up in Olivia’s heart. She gave him a half-truth. “It was work.”
“Ain’t that the truth?”
Her phone’s call waiting beepe
d in on their call. It was Rachel.
“Hey, Rachel is calling me.”
“Okay, have a good night. Take care.”
Switching the call over to Rachel, she greeted her as she went over to Molly and scooped her up from the blanket on the floor.
Rachel was full of energy and using her valley-girl voice. “Hey, giiiiirl.”
Olivia laughed lightly and looked at Molly, drawing comfort in her baby’s eyes. “I’m not going out or doing anything, before you even ask.”
“Um, why?”
“Stop doing your valley girl impression. I’m not in the mood. I want to be alone and at home. You can respect that, right?”
A honk came from outside, drawing Olivia to open the apartment door and go out. She walked out with Molly on her hip and peered down the steps and out to the parking lot. She saw Rachel’s car parked and she was waving obsessively through the windshield. “I guess I can’t respect it. Come on. You’re dressed and Molly’s ready. Let’s go.”