“Awesome. Thanks for that. You know he’s going to freak out on me.”
“Olivia, this impulse you have for putting yourself in danger lately is starting to really scare me.”
Olivia steps off the porch and stands in the wind. The storm is close; she can smell it. The cool damp air brushes across her skin, giving her goose bumps. Over the sound of rustling fall leaves as the wind blows with force through the trees, she can hear it. It’s not thunder; it’s the rumbling of a well-maintained eight-cylinder engine. The Hellcat. She stands nervously facing the road, waiting. “I have to go, Meg. He’s here.” Within seconds, she gets a glimpse of bright orange as it turns with precision and slides to a stop on the loose dirt of the driveway.
Their eyes lock. Olivia swallows hard, feeling like she might just pass out. She takes slow calming breaths, trying to keep control of her anxiety. As he exits the car and makes his way toward her, a gentle spattering of rain begins. She stands frozen as the wind begins to gust angrily around her. He stands in front of her, toe to toe: tense, anxious, quiet. It’s terrifying. Reaching up, he runs his fingertips across her cheek. Closing her eyes, she exhales the breath she’s been holding.
“Are you okay?” he asks, looking concerned.
“Yes,” she squeaks in a quiet voice.
Ethan brushes her windswept hair away from her face, and then brushes his thumb across her bottom lip. The rain comes harder, soaking through their clothes.
“I tried to get there.”
“I know.”
“They said you’d left.” Ethan’s voice cracks as it fades off. “I should have been there.” He caresses her arms, trying to calm himself. He’s oblivious to the, now heavy, downpour around them.
Olivia self-consciously moves her hand to her stomach. The look on his face is heartbreaking. She didn’t think it would be this hard. She didn’t think that she’d ever have to tell him. “I know. You would have been there to support me,” she says, trying to speak over the thunder.
Ethan shakes his head. “No. No, I wouldn’t.”
Olivia looks at him confused, as he moves her hand away from her stomach and kneels in front of her. Leaning forward he presses his cheek against her stomach. “I would have stopped you.” Looking up, the torrential rain pounds against his face, but it doesn’t hide his tears. “I was too late.” Soaked to the bone, kneeling in a muddy puddle, he wraps his arms around her tightly, trying to soothe his pain.
Olivia holds her hand over her mouth, heartbroken. Her own tears merge with the falling rain. Trembling, she reaches down and strokes her fingers through his sopping wet hair.
“You said you didn’t want kids.”
“I didn’t, until I met you. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve found my happily ever after. I want to have a family. With you.”
“Oh, Ethan.”
“It’s too late,” he repeats, shaking his head and trying to stop from breaking down.
“Ethan,” she says again, competing with the sound of the storm. Lowering herself to her knees, she brings herself to the same level. She’s never seen him look so defeated. Ignoring the sting of the pelting rain, she presses a tender kiss against his lips. Pulling away, she wipes the rain from his face. “Ethan, I didn’t do it.”
His eyes flash upward looking for clarification. “Do what?”
“It. I didn’t do it,” she confirms.
Alarmed, Ethan stands. Taking her hand, he pulls her to her feet. The rain begins to slow, but the cold fall wind shows no mercy, making her shiver violently.
“What are you telling me?”
“I’m telling you that I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.” A moment of panic flashes over her as she says it out loud. She waits for some kind of a reaction from him, although she’s not quite sure what it will be now that he knows the truth. She burned that bridge, so she can’t go back across it. She’s having this baby.
His long silent pause makes her nervous.
“We’re having a baby?”
“Yes.”
She gets a momentary feeling of relief as a smile starts to flash across his face. Then a troubled expression quickly takes its place. “What the fuck are you doing outside in the rain? You’re pregnant. You’re going to get sick. Christ, woman! Have you no sense at all? Get your arse in the house!”
“Yes, Ethan.” She rolls her eyes and begins toward the house.
“Wait!”
Olivia screams as he lifts her off the ground, scooping her into his arms.
“It’s too wet and dangerous. You might fall.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she holds on tight as he effortlessly carries her to the door.
When he closes it behind him, he lowers her to her feet and then begins to undress her.
“Ummm… O’Connell? What are you doing?”
“Survival training.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, we need to get you out of these wet clothes.”
“I see,” she says amused.
“Since I can’t start a fire, I’ll have to use my own body heat to get you warm.” A playful grin washes across his lips, as he pulls his soaking wet t-shirt over his hand and drops it on the floor.
“Well then, I can’t argue with that.”
He lifts her into his arms again and heads to the bedroom. On the second stair, he stops in his tracks.
“What’s wrong?” she asks concerned.
“Is it safe?”
“Safe? Are you worried about bears?” she teases.
“No, I’m worried about the baby. Is it safe for you to have sex while you’re pregnant?”
Olivia laughs. “Dear God, I hope so. Otherwise it’s going to be a very long eight months.”
Ethan continues up the stairs. “Are you sure?”
“You used to be a medical student, right?” she giggles.
“Quiet, woman.”
“No, really,” she snorts.
“Keep it up,” he warns playfully, as he unzips his trousers. “I know exactly how to stop you from talking.”
Chapter Five
The new receptionist gets to her feet, delighted to see him. “Mr. O’Connell! I didn’t know you were in town until John showed up this morning.”
“It was an unexpected trip.”
“I would have prepared your office, if I’d known you were coming.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mona. I don’t need anything.”
“I’ll bring you down a pitcher of ice water.”
Ethan nods and smiles. “Thank you.”
John meets him halfway down the hall. “There’s a meeting scheduled in a half an hour. I’ve emailed you the current sales stats.”
“What’s this meeting about?”
“I’m not entirely sure. However, you’ll find yourself sitting face to face with the new kid. So be nice.”
Ethan flashes him an unimpressed look. “I’m always nice.”
John grins. “No, you’re not. Until we know what the agenda is, you need to develop a good working relationship with him.”
“Why the fuck would I want to do that?”
“Ever heard the expression keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”
“I despise fake people.”
John raises an eyebrow. “Mmhmm, and just how many genuine people have you run across at this corporate level?”
“Good point.” Ethan makes his way to the huge bay window and takes in the view.
“Take a minute to get settled and then I need you focused.”
Ethan glances sideways. John holds his hands in the air, acknowledging the message behind the chafed look. “Sorry, I’m concerned.”
“It seems you have cause to be.” He nods. “Let’s find a way to sort this guy out. I was thinking that he needs to be the point man here in Toronto, so that I can take Olivia back to Ireland and raise my family.”
“And have you asked Miss James if that’s where she’d like to raise her child?”
John tries to stop an amused smile. “Riiiight. Your family; the ones who barely talk to you or each other?”
“That will change when Shannon clears my name. Besides, they love Olivia. There’s nothing keeping her here, John.”
“Oh? Scott and Rachel? Her career? Her sister? Her home?”
“They can come to visit whenever they want,” Ethan says agitated. “And as far as that house is concerned, there’s way too much violent history there. As soon as it’s sold, she can start to put all that behind her.”
“Sold? I didn’t know she was selling.”
Ethan gathers papers on his desk, ignoring John’s last comment.
“Ethan? What have you done?”
Ethan walks out of his office and heads toward the meeting room, without saying a word. John shakes his head and follows.
When he swings open the boardroom door, an awkward silence falls over the room. A common occurrence when Ethan O’Connell attends a meeting, usually because of the overwhelming intimidation peers feel in his presence. That’s not the case today. Both John and Ethan feel it. All eyes turn to the young man sitting at the end of the boardroom table. He gets to his feet as Ethan starts toward him. Extending his hand, he offers a cordial greeting. “Bonjour, I’m Jean-Pierre Lebeau.”
“You’re in my chair.”
John lets out a loud exasperated sigh. “New record. That took all of two minutes,” he says, looking at his watch.
“Ah. Monsieur O’Connell. Je m’excuse. I didn’t know you would be attending today.” Glancing down at his empty, extended hand, he lets it fall to his side.
“What do you do here, Jean-Pierre Lebeau?”
“Sales.”
“I mean what’s your job title?”
Everyone in the room begins to fidget uncomfortably. “I’ve not been given a title yet. I report to Monsieur Hammond.”
“Oh, I believe you’re mistaken.”
The tension in the room becomes unbearable. Chairs drag across the floor as, one by one, people begin to get up and leave the room to avoid the confrontation about to take place.
“Oh? About what?” Jean-Pierre asks without breaking eye contact.
“If you’re in sales, then you report to me.”
John stands at the door, holding it open for the last of group to leave. Jean-Pierre stands confidently, face to face with the man he intends to dethrone, oblivious to the fact that the room has cleared. He doesn’t back down. “Let’s not start off…how do they say? On the wrong foot. Yes?”
Ethan’s stance becomes more rigid, causing his shoulders to rise and square off. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Ah, good. So we agree, then.”
“We agree that you report to me, and once you’ve moved out of my spot, you’re going to bring me up to speed on why you’re here, and what you’re working on. Every detail.”
A brief moment of silence passes, neither man breaking eye contact. “Yes, of course.” Jean-Pierre finally concedes, moving down to the next spot at the boardroom table.
Hours pass, it seems, as they review and discuss the current business plans. Despite totally despising the boy, Ethan has to admit that he’s very bright, and he’s interested in his thoughts on improving market share in some of the smaller international subsidiaries. He’s so engaged in the conversation that Ethan doesn’t even answer his phone when it rings several times.
John’s phone rings and he gets up from the table, moving to the other side of the room to answer it. “Hello, Olivia. Is everything okay?”
Ethan’s eyes turn toward John and waits for the confirmation.
“I’m glad everything is going well. He’s in a meeting right now.”
Ethan holds up one finger, indicating he wants John to wait. “Going forward, Mr. Lebeau, you’ll run everything past me first. Understood?”
After a brief hesitation, he nods.
“Good, we’re done here then.” Ethan gets to his feet and walks away. As he takes the phone out of John’s hands, he glances back at a very stoic looking J.P. Lebeau. “You can leave.”
Ethan’s dismissal doesn’t sit well with him. It appears that there’s something he’d like to say. He locks eyes with John as he exits the room. John closes the door behind him and gives Ethan a frustrated look.
Turning and walking toward the window, he ignores him. “Sorry, Love. What do you need?”
“My work has put together a baseball team for a fundraiser. They’re hosting a tournament this weekend. Do you want to play?”
“Baseball in October?”
“This is Canada. They have tournaments here in the middle of winter.”
“You’re all bloody crackers.”
“Do they play baseball in Ireland? I’ve never heard you talk about it.”
“They play a similar game called rounders. But it’s considered a girls’ game. In university, many of my fellow students were from North America, so they organized games sometimes.”
“So do you want to play?”
“Sure. When’s the first game?”
“Ummm… six p.m.”
“Tonight?” Ethan looks at his watch. “That’s two hours from now.”
“I’ll see you there. Get the details from Scott. He’s playing too. Love you.”
Ethan looks at the phone screen and grumbles when he realizes that she’s hung up.
“I take it that we’re going to buy a baseball glove?” John asks, amused.
“Apparently.”
“Good. Tonight you can hit things with a baseball bat to work out some of that anger. A refreshing change from punching things.”
Everybody turns when Ethan flies into the parking lot at the baseball diamond at top speed and comes to a screeching stop.
He approaches Olivia and the rest of the team with his usual confident swagger. “Hot damn, he’s hot,” Rachel murmurs.
“Ahem,” Scott protests.
“Oh, not as hot as you, baby,” she adds.
“Mmhmm,” Scott answers, not convinced. Looking over the clipboard, he calls out the line-up. “Olivia, you’re batting clean-up.”
“Say what?” Ethan asks as he approaches. Leaning in he kisses Olivia on the lips. “Tell me that you’re not actually going to play.”
“Of course I am,” she answers annoyed.
He knows that look a little too well. “Would it make any difference if I told you that I’d rather you rested? You’ve been through a lot lately.”
Olivia answers with an expression of unmistakable indignation. Ethan sighs, “I didn’t think so.”
“Nice of you to finally show up, O’Connell,” Scott teases as he tosses him a team jersey. “You’re up after Olivia.”
“Right, about that…” Ethan puts his arm around Scott’s shoulder and ushers him a few steps out of earshot. “Do you think it’s a good idea to have Olivia bat clean-up?”
Scott narrows his eyes, looking confused. “You’re kidding right?”
“Well, I love her and all, but this is a sport, Scott.”
“Yes, but it’s just for fun. It’s to raise funds for charity. And Olivia…”
“Charity or not,” Ethan interrupts. “I play to win.”
“Ethan, Olivia…”
“Is a girl. And a pregnant one.”
Scott scratches his head. “Surely, you’re not suggesting that I don’t let her play. She’s the only one of us…”
“No, I’m not suggesting that at all. Let her play. Maybe let her bat later in the line up. You know?”
Scott looks past Ethan at Olivia. She smiles at him, and shrugs. “Well, I’m afraid that I’ve already given the line up to the scorekeeper and the game is starting.”
Ethan frowns. “Okay then, I’ll just have to do what I can to help her.”
“Help her?” Scott asks amused. “Help her what?”
“Hit the ball, get on base.”
Scott can’t help himself, and he begins to chuckle. “Okay, O’Connell, you go ahead and do that.”
The first few innings go past quickly. Ethan takes the time to give Olivia pointers whenever he can. She graciously accepts his advice, enjoying his attention and how hot he looks in those grey baseball pants. She has no objections when he presses up behind her to show her how to hold the bat or throw the ball. She manages to put forth a suitable performance. A few times, she flashes an amused grin at Rachel who rolls her eyes.
In the last inning, the score is very close. The other team has become very intense. Everybody is feeling the pressure. With the bases loaded and two men out, Olivia comes up to bat. Ethan paces the dug out. His competitive nature becomes an overwhelming source of anxiety.
Olivia waits for her pitch. Two strikes in and a mouthy man on the other team starts to chirp, certain that they’ve won the game. Then he makes a horrible mistake. “Hey, Sweetheart. Why don’t you just go home now and save yourself the embarrassment?”
Ethan gets to his feet, but Scott holds his shoulder.
Olivia steps away from the plate and turns to look at him. She’d like nothing better than to knock that cocky grin off his face.
“Oh? You don’t think that I’m going to win this game?”
“I’m fairly confident that you won’t.”
“Care to bet on that?”
His grin widens. “How much?”
“How much can you afford to lose?” she quips.
Ethan starts out toward the plate and stands protectively behind her, like the big bad wolf. He watches the man take a wad of cash out of his pocket and unfold it. Carefully he counts through it.
“I’ve got $200 that says you strike out.” He holds the money in the air so she can see it.
She turns over her shoulder and looks at Ethan. “You can cover that, right?”
Ethan raises his eyebrows. “You’ve engaged him in a bet, and you don’t have any cash?”
“Shut it, O’Connell. I don’t carry that much cash with me. I know you do.”
“That’s a lot of money, Love.”
Olivia crosses her arms and scowls at him. “You spend more money than that on a dinner.”
The crowd becomes restless and begins to yell about the delay in game. “Just trust me,” Olivia grunts.
Indivisible Souls: Book 3 of the Bound4Ireland Series Page 5