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“Olivia, are you okay?”
“It just gets better and better,” she whispers.
“You’re going to give me a superiority complex,” I joke with a chuckle.
“As if you don’t already have a bad enough case of sex fiend syndrome.”
We finish washing each other. I soap her body with care, lovingly washing her thick locks. I love her hair and take my time getting all the shampoo out. By the time we finish drying ourselves, it’s close to 7:45 AM. I want to get in early so I can clean up my desk. If I remember correctly, it was a mess when I dropped everything and left.
“Did Zane give my office away? I forgot to ask.”
“Nope. It’s just as you left it. He had faith that you would be back.”
We share a cab, and I play with her fingers as we head to work. I’ve spent almost an entire week alone with her, and I know that it’s going to be hard to concentrate on work. As we get off the elevator, we go our separate ways, but not before I pull her into my arms and give her a passionate kiss. Olivia pulls away, and her cheeks are flushed with embarrassment. She scowls at me as she heads to the programming department.
My office is just as I left it three weeks ago. Not a paper has been touched. I was working on a spreadsheet with a breakdown of all the projects we have in the works. I’m sure my figures are obsolete and that I’m going to have to start over again.
After I straighten up my desk, I go to Zane’s office. I’m surprised he’s in because it’s before nine. He looks up as I knock on the door and enter.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in. I can’t believe you came to your senses.”
“Cut the crap, Butler. Between you and my brother, you knew exactly what you were doing. Perfect day to send Olivia to my place.”
He crosses his arms. “And? Did my plan work?”
“Yes, you smug bastard. It worked.”
“Did you spend the week in bed or having one of your deep conversations?”
“Both, but mostly in bed. I love her, Zane.”
“Finally! It’s about time you stopped being so stubborn. She was a mess after you left. Luckily your brother knew where you were, or I was going to have to let her take a leave of absence to find you.”
The information of her being as miserable as I was makes me uncomfortable, but I brush it aside.
“She’s good now, very good. I’ve asked her to marry me.”
Zane raises his eyebrows. “Congratulations, I think.”
“She declined. For now. She said we need some time. I can live with that as long as I know she’s mine.”
“How do you feel? You weren’t exactly open to marrying again when you came here in March.”
“I know what I was. It was stupid. Cassie wanted me to move on with my life, and I’m open to starting a new one with Olivia.”
I occupy the chair in front of Zane’s desk and scratch at my stubble.
“I know that look. Something is bothering you. What is it?”
“She mentioned her cancer and if it comes back. She told me she wouldn’t fault me if I took off running from our relationship.”
“Does that scare you?”
“I told her that I would rather cherish the days I do have with her than lament over the ones I don’t. I could never be separated from her knowing she was in the world. Does it make sense to be apart for something that might never happen?”
“Are you prepared if it does?”
“Can you ever be prepared for something like that? If it happens, then we will take life one day at a time. I’ve been through it before.”
Zane’s desk phone interrupts our conversation with his assistant telling him he has a call.
“I need to take this. Are you good, or would you like to have lunch to discuss it further?”
“I got it. I can deal with what comes. Take your call.”
I get up and leave his office, heading to the accounting department to get the figures I need to redo my spreadsheet.
