by T. K. Leigh
“Holy shit!” Alexander said, thrusting into her faster, turned on by her shaking body underneath him. He soon found his own release, screaming out Olivia’s name, forgetting that his mother was just down the stairs and could probably hear everything that they were doing.
Once their breathing began to slow, he placed his hand over her stomach, helping to lower her onto the bed. She lay on her back, utterly spent. She turned her head to see Alexander in the same position. “Sex with you is always fucking fantastic,” she said, smiling, her body still tingling from her orgasm.
Alexander was still breathing heavy as a sly grin crept across his face. “It absolutely is.” They both stared at the ceiling for several long minutes, trying to get their breathing under control.
“Hey, Olivia?” Alexander said, breaking the silence.
“Yeah?” She turned her head to look at him.
“Have I told you today how much I love you?”
She dragged her finger up and down his sculpted chest. “Yeah. But you can say it again.” She repositioned herself so she was lying on her side, propping herself up with her elbow. Alexander followed suit.
“I love you, Sarah Olivia Adler.” He ran his hand up and down the length of her body.
“I love you, too, Alexander Thomas Burnham,” she replied, pushing him onto his back and climbing on top of him.
Alexander growled, loving the feeling of her soft flesh on his body. She placed her legs on either side of him and he could feel the warmth emanating from between them. He raised his eyebrows.
Olivia nodded before slowly lowering herself onto him, his erection hard again.
“You’re going to be the death of me, Olivia,” he exhaled as she started moving up and down, moaning.
CHAPTER THREE
LETTING HIM IN
OLIVIA AWOKE FROM AN afternoon nap, admiring the beautiful man sleeping peacefully next to her. She glanced around the large bedroom, the duvet and several pillows thrown on the floor. A grin spread across her face, thinking about the amazing sex she had with Alexander just a few hours earlier. She pried herself out of his arms and went in search of a much-needed bathroom.
Grabbing her jeans and sweater, she threw them on before quietly walking over to the door, thankful when it didn’t creak and wake up Alexander. After finding a bathroom, she went to see if his mother needed any help getting things ready for that evening.
The house was eerily quiet as she walked down the stairs searching for Colleen. “They must all be outside,” she said to herself. She headed in the direction of the back door, when a room off the hallway caught her eye. She stopped dead in her tracks, a memory rushing back. Her fifth birthday. Her mama had made her a cake in the shape of a Care Bear. She could have sworn she remembered her mama and the green-eyed boy from the dream sitting beside her in that very room, singing to her as she blew out the candles on that cake.
Turning, she headed toward the ornate dining room, the table and chairs all covered with sheets. Walking around the room, she felt as if she had been there before, but that was impossible. She hadn’t even known Alexander for a year and this was the first time he invited her home with him. Still, the smell and sounds in that room were strangely familiar.
She scanned the walls and her eyes settled on a large picture frame covered with a white sheet. The other portraits weren’t hidden. Curious, she slowly made her way to the center of the room where the enormous frame hung. She gingerly began to raise the sheet, wondering what was underneath.
“Olivia, dear! There you are!” Colleen called out, startling her.
She jumped, placing her hand over her chest. “Colleen. I’m sorry. I came downstairs to see if you needed any help, and I guess I got a little sidetracked.” She shrugged her shoulders, feeling guilty that she was caught snooping around.
Colleen walked over to Olivia and placed her hands on her shoulders, trying to lead her out of the room and away from the large family portrait of Alexander and Olivia as children. “I understand. It happens to the best of us.”
“Colleen,” Olivia said, raising her voice. “Why is that portrait covered up?”
She stopped, turning to look at her. She hated having to lie to the poor girl, particularly when her son should have simply told her the truth by now. He swore he would tell her, and she didn’t want to interfere…not yet, anyway. “I’m sorry, Olivia. It’s just that whenever Alexander comes home, I try to rid the house of any memories of…”
“Oh,” she said, understanding. “I should have known.” She turned to head back upstairs, her shoulders slightly dropping.
“Olivia, dear!” Colleen called out.
She stopped and faced her.
“He loves you very much. I’ve never seen him so happy in all his life, even when he was a little boy.” She smiled before retreating back outside, leaving Olivia alone with her thoughts about Alexander and why the dining room in that house brought back memories of her fifth birthday.
~~~~~~~~~~
“LIBBY, LIBBY, LIBBY!” KIERA shouted, running up to her friend as she stood underneath a string of Chinese lanterns in Alexander’s large backyard.
Olivia couldn’t believe her eyes when she walked outside that evening. The transformation was remarkable, particularly after such short notice. White party lights were strung all across the lawn, casting a subtle glow on the backyard. Tables and chairs were set up, but most of the guests milled about socializing with each other as servers walked through with trays of hors d’oeuvres. Olivia was shocked that Alexander’s mother could pull something like that off in a few short hours. But she was even more surprised to see Kiera walk in with Mo and the rest of the guys in the band, followed by Melanie and Bridget.
“Oh, my god! What are you guys doing here?!” She looked at her friends and then at Alexander.
“I called Kiera while you were in the shower before we left Boston,” he explained. “I figured it would be nice for you to have a few familiar faces here.”
Olivia leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you. You’re the best boyfriend ever!”
“He’s not your boyfriend anymore, slut!” Kiera exclaimed, her green eyes brimming with enthusiasm.
She laughed. “That’s right! I’m never going to get used to that.”
“Guys,” Alexander interrupted, talking to Mo and the rest of the band. “You can set up your gear over on the stage. You can play for five minutes or five hours. Doesn’t matter to me. Just enjoy yourselves.”
Olivia looked at Alexander again, noticing a make-shift stage set up that she hadn’t seen earlier.
“They asked if they could play at the party tonight. My mother was thrilled that I was able to find a band at the last minute.” He winked.
Over the next hour, more and more people started arriving. Alexander introduced Olivia to his relatives, as well as several family friends. A few people seemed to look at her awkwardly, almost as if they were silently questioning Alexander. Olivia couldn’t help but feel that he wasn’t being entirely truthful about something. She thought they were past that but, now, she wasn’t too sure.
“Come on, Libby,” Kiera said, waking Olivia from her unsettled thoughts. “Let’s go dance. I’m stealing your girl, Alex.”
“Enjoy it while you can, Kiera!” Alexander said, brushing his lips against Olivia’s temple before Kiera dragged her away.
They made their way through the party guests mingling on the enormous lawn, soon finding Melanie and Bridget. Kiera pulled her deep red hair back and started to move to the rhythm of an Allen Stone tune the guys were playing, the rest of the girls soon joining in.
“So, I’m thinking bachelorette in Vegas. You game?” Kiera asked above the music.
“We haven’t even set a date yet. It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m getting married.”
“Oh!” Melanie squealed. “I’m just so excited!” The tall, skinny blonde jumped up and down animatedly.
“And don’t even say you’re picking someone else for your Maid of
Honor because I’ll make a scene right here in front of everyone,” Kiera joked.
“Of course I want you to be my Maid of Honor,” she responded. “I think I’m going to keep the wedding party small, though. Just you, Bridget, and Melanie.” She smiled affectionately at her other two best friends who were brimming with enthusiasm. “I’m not really close to anyone else. Well, not close enough that I’d want them standing by my side on the most important day of my life.”
“Awww, Libby,” Kiera exclaimed, hugging her and nearly spilling both of their drinks. “I love you, too, bitch.”
“So, what’s the deal with you and Tyler?” Olivia asked Melanie, wanting to change the subject. She nodded toward the younger version of Alexander as he stood by the bar, discreetly checking out Melanie.
“Oh, when they’re together, he can’t keep his eyes off her,” Bridget explained, grinning. “But neither one of them will make the first move and ask the other one out.”
“Shut up, guys! He’s just so flippin’ hot!” Melanie exclaimed.
“Mel!” Kiera shouted. “So are you. He’s probably intimidated. Make the first move. Sometimes you have to. I had to make the first move with Jack!”
Bridget looked at Kiera, a questioning look on her face.
“Oh, I mean Mo, but Libby’s the only one who calls him Mo. Well, I guess now you guys, too.” Kiera rolled her eyes.
“Come on, Mel. Go talk to him,” Olivia said, nudging her friend toward the bar.
“If you don’t, I’ll drag him over here so you have to talk to him,” Kiera said. She almost felt guilty, forcing her. She remembered how she felt talking to guys when she was only twenty-one.
“Fine. Fine. I’m going.” She stormed off and the girls giggled a little as they watched their friend nervously interact with Tyler.
They continued to dance the night away, Olivia thinking how drastically different her life seemed from just twenty-four hours ago. Every so often, she would find Alexander in deep conversation with an old friend or neighbor, but their eyes would always meet. No matter who he was talking to, he always seemed to keep an eye on her. For once, she was happy about that. She felt truly loved.
“Thanks everyone,” Mo said into the microphone after playing for a few hours. “Can I just get your attention, please?”
Olivia looked around at the party guests as servers walked through the backyard carrying trays of champagne and distributing them to everyone. Alexander walked up next to her, snaking his arm around her waist.
“Miss me, love?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
“Of course,” she responded, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. “How did your mother put this together today?”
“You have no idea how easy it is to do something like this if you’re willing to throw money at people,” he laughed. “And my darling mother can be very persuasive.”
“I see that.”
Alexander grabbed two glasses of champagne, handing one to her before they turned their attention back to the stage.
“We’re all here to celebrate the engagement of my good friend, Olivia Adler, to Alexander Burnham,” Mo continued. “I’ve known Livvy since she was a freshman at Boston College and, to be honest, I never thought I would see this day. Livvy’s not the easiest person to get along with.”
Olivia pinched Kiera, her face turning red as she listened to the crowd roar with laughter. “He better not think this is a fucking roast,” she hissed quietly.
“He wouldn’t. Don’t worry.” She gave her a reassuring look.
“Olivia was always sort of an enigma when she was in college,” Mo reminisced. “She worked as a bartender at this bar called Scotch, where we all had the pleasure of meeting her. Guys would fawn over her and she would send them packing with their proverbial tails between their legs, never letting anyone get close to her.
“But, eventually, she let me and Kiera in and, of course, the rest of the band here. Although we may all have had our disagreements in the past, that doesn’t mean we love each other any less.”
Olivia listened to his words and didn’t cringe when he said the word “love”. She finally realized that she had begun to love people again. She loved Kiera and Mo, and she loved Alexander more than she thought her heart was capable of. Love no longer scared her.
Mo looked over at Olivia as she stood in Alexander’s embrace. A smile spread across his face, reaching his dark eyes, and he thought back to all the drama of the past several months. “Something changed in Olivia after she met Alex. She lost some of her edge, in a good way. She slowly began to let him into her life, and she finally realized how truly special it is when you find your soul mate.” He raised his champagne glass. “I’m so happy for you, baby girl.” He faced the audience. “To Alexander and Olivia!”
Everyone raised their glasses, toasting the couple.
Alexander looked down at Olivia. “Thank you for letting me in, Olivia.” His lips met hers, coaxing her mouth open, the taste of champagne making her tongue taste sweet.
“I love you, Mr. Burnham,” she said, surprised at how easy it was to say those three words over and over again. She never wanted to stop telling Alexander how much she loved him.
“Looks like you’re empty. Refill?”
Olivia looked down at her glass, noticing that she had finished all her champagne. “Yes, please.”
“You got it. Be back in a second.” He kissed her neck before heading across the lawn, surprised to be met with jealous eyes as he approached the bar.
“Adele. What are you doing here?” he asked nervously.
“Your mother invited my parents. I found out about your little engagement and left Boston to get here to celebrate with you, Alex, dear,” she responded, placing her hand on his arm.
He took a step back, cringing from her touch. “Why are you really here?” he demanded.
“No reason,” she replied rather nonchalantly. “Just wanted to offer my congratulations to you and your bride-to-be.”
“Well, you’ve done it. So please leave,” Alexander growled, his eyes frantically searching for Olivia, relieved when he felt someone come up next to him.
Olivia slinked her arm around his waist and planted a kiss on his cheek before turning her eyes to the tall blonde. “Hello, Adele. What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice sweet.
“Just came to offer my congratulations to the happy couple,” she replied with a smug expression.
“Well, thank you, Adele. That’s very kind of you.” Olivia faced Alexander. “Excuse me, darling. Nature calls.” She retreated toward the house.
“If you’d rather I’d left, I understand, Alex,” Adele said once Olivia was out of earshot.
“Adele, I appreciate you coming, but there’s too much bad blood between you and Olivia, and I’m here to look out for her,” he said softly.
She shot daggers at him and took a step closer. “Making up for lost time, Alex?”
“What are you talking about, Adele?” His mind raced.
“Oh, nothing. Imagine how little Olivia will react when she finds out that you’ve been keeping secrets from her.”
He stared at her, the tension building.
“I know, Alexander,” she spat out, answering the question that was so clearly written on his face. “I know she’s your Olivia and that you’ve been keeping that secret from her. Do you think you can keep it from her forever?”
Alexander looked at her in complete shock. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. “How did you find out?” he asked quietly.
Adele’s voice softened. “Alex, I knew she looked familiar. Granted, it’s been over twenty-one years, but the similarities were too much,” she lied, placing her hand on his arm. A compassionate look crossing her face, she continued, “Do the right thing before it’s too late. I’ll keep it to myself for now, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll remain quiet forever.”
He hung his head low. “I know, Adele. Just give me some time. She needs to know.”
&n
bsp; She walked away, smiling. She knew him well. He would keep his secret from Olivia as long as he could. He couldn’t bear to lose her, and telling her would make her run. Hell, it would make any woman furious to know that they had been lied to, and that’s what Adele was counting on.
When she received that phone call earlier in the day, she thought the man on the other end was full of shit when he said that the woman Alexander was now engaged to was Olivia DeLuca. But he had just confirmed that it was true and that he was aware of her real identity. Adele had no idea why the man on the other end of the phone was concerned with Olivia’s true identity and she didn’t really care. As long as she got her money once Olivia found out about her past, she was fine with whatever was going on.
CHAPTER FOUR
STARTING NOW
“DO YOU EVER THINK you’ll move all your things into my place?” Alexander asked one warm evening in early May as they enjoyed a relaxing dinner out on his balcony. Since their engagement party several weeks ago, Olivia and Alexander attempted to adjust to the change in their relationship. There were quite a few arguments. Both had been so fiercely independent for the majority of their adult lives that it took time to acclimate to their new living arrangement…an arrangement Olivia was still having trouble with.
“Alexander, we’ve already discussed this. Every day. It’s just taking me some time to adjust.” She looked down at her plate, slowly losing her appetite.
“I know, love, and I’m trying to be patient. I know this isn’t easy for you, but we’ve been engaged for over a month and you’ve refused to agree on a date or move the rest of your stuff over here. What’s really going on?” He looked into her eyes, a soft expression on his face. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“No!” she said forcefully. “Of course not.” She lowered her voice. “I love you, Alexander, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Damn it, Olivia. Then why don’t we start the rest of our lives now? Please?” He stood up and walked the short distance to the other side of the table, kneeling in front of her and grabbing her hands. “I want to wake up to your beautiful smile every morning. I want to feel your body next to me as I fall asleep every night. I want to finally experience all those little quirks of yours. The way you take one last look in the mirror when you’re getting ready. You simply sigh and shrug your shoulders, and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. And I want to see that every single day for the rest of my life, Olivia. I know you like your space and that you’ve been on your own nearly your entire life. I know this is going to take some adjusting, on both our parts, but we’ll work through those things. Together.”