Or had we stumbled into something real?
It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to reach for her hand as we strolled. She didn’t pull away, didn’t even flinch. Olivia just slid me a look in the dark, her smile something I’d remember when I was white-headed and overcome with years. Then she held my hand all the way to the car, as if we were a couple.
As if we were in love.
ChapterForty-One
LACHLAN
Five minuteslater Olivia stopped the car, this time parking right in the driveway.
“Last one,” she said. “Get your grabby hands ready.”
She opened her door, but I reached for her arm, halting her departure. “Olivia?”
“Yes?” A cacophony of children’s voices swelled outside.
“Thank you,” I said.
She smiled, a small gesture that sent an arrow straight to the bull’s-eye of my heart. “Happy birthday, Lachlan. No one should be deprived of one of the best holiday traditions ever created.”
I thought of my mother and the insane hours she’d worked, something I hadn’t truly appreciated until I was out on my own. I wished I could go back and tell her it was okay, that I loved her and was so grateful for all she’d sacrificed. “My mom did the best she could, you know?”
“You bet she did.” Olivia placed her hand in mine.
“I missed out on a lot growing up, but she missed out on more.”
Her eyes softened. “She’d be very proud of you.”
“I hope so.” I glanced down at my tights. “Maybe not at this exact moment. But in a general sense.”
“Every moment. You’ve accomplished so much, Lachlan. And you’re just getting started.”
“Olivia.” I swallowed against a strange pressure, rearranging thoughts until they might come out right. “Why did you do this?”
“Your pants? They didn’t carry your size. Did I try very hard to find another pair? Hm, maybe not.”
“I mean all of this. Breakfast this morning. Giving me a childhood wish come true tonight.”
“Because…” She paused, her gaze dropping to the console between us.
I slid a hand up the column of her neck, easing along the angle of her jaw and resting against her cheek. “Because why?”
Her pink tongue made a slow swipe across her top lip. “I wanted you to have a real birthday. I couldn’t think of anything to get you that you couldn’t buy yourself, so I created an event. That’s what I do.”
It was more than that. For her, for me.
I brushed my thumb across her velvet cheek. Saw her lips part and her eyes ignite. “I’m not sharing my candy,” I told her.
Olivia leaned closer. “What’s yours is mine and mine is yours. It’s the law.”
I was desperate to touch her, to taste the hope and possibility. “You can have ten percent.”
“Twenty,” she whispered.
I would’ve given Olivia everything I had. “Deal.” Angling my head, I pulled her to me and lowered my mouth to hers.
Olivia’s lips parted beneath mine, and relief and joy sang in my veins. Kissing Olivia was now my favorite thing. Forget game design. Who cared about movies and making money? All I wanted to do was remain in the bubble that was this car and hold Olivia in my arms until my limbs gave out.
