“We played with the hermit crabs on the beach and we let him keep one in a tank while we were there.” I lower my voice to a whisper, so Alex doesn’t hear. “We told him it had to stay in the beach house and we would visit often, but we set it free.” Now, listening to Derek make STD jokes, I wish I’d been inclined to leave his door open so his beach house would be filled with crabs when he went to visit.
“Olivia, how is your eyesight improving? The last time we spoke it was still a little fuzzy.” Derek hesitantly asks.
“20/20. It was clear within three days of my vision coming back so it was really nice to take in the sights I was only hearing about. Thank you so much for letting us stay in your home. It was a much-needed vacation.”
I am impatient to get Livvy to my home, to see her reaction and know if she will be comfortable here with me in Boston. “Let’s have them take us home so we can get cleaned up before the barbecue.” The women talk all the way to my house with little Alex adding his two cents. Ren wanted to know all about the beach house that she has never been to, which has Derek promising a vacation soon. Livvy wanted to know all about The Safe House, asking if there is still room for her there. I want her to stay with me, choose me, and I will use the power of sexual persuasion to convince her.
~Olivia~
Alexander’s house is a New England-style cottage that looks too big and homey for a bachelor pad. It is gray and white with a swing on the front porch and massive trees that adorn the front lawn. He helps me from Derek’s SUV and then reaches in and unbuckles Alex to pull him from the car. Handing Alex to me, he returns to the back seat to get the car seat. I stare in awe of this incredible man who has taken on the parenting role so quickly. I am so used to doing everything by myself. Even when I was with Jerry, he never helped me with anything that had to do with Alex, except for punishment.
“Thanks for the ride; we’ve got it from here. We will see you at Jax and Tori’s house at 6:00 pm.”
I hug Ren and move to follow Alexander, but she hangs on and whispers in my ear
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean, us leaving you here? Don’t get me wrong; I love Troy to death and he is the best kind of people. I just know you’ve been through a lot and had to make choices out of necessity that may not have been what you wanted or what was best for you. We have room at the penthouse, or one of the apartments is available at The Safe House. You can stay there. What about your mom, do you want to call her? ”
I can tell that she is nervous for me and she’s trying to make sure that I know I have options, but calling my mom isn’t one of them. Ren doesn’t understand a parent like mine because she has a loving, attentive father who wants to be a part of her and Tori’s lives along with their husbands and babies lives.
I know that one of my options is to stay at The Safe House, but after searching for Alexander for the last two and a half years, I don’t want to be separated from him for another minute.
“Thank you for caring so much about me, but calling my mother is not an option. She has chosen not to have a relationship with my son or me; believe me, I’ve tried. I also need to discuss things with Alexander, but I will let you know about needing a place at The Safe House. I want to reassure you that I feel completely safe with him. For the second time in my life, I have no reservations about what I’m doing. The first being the night I spent with him in Miami two and a half years ago. The two weeks in the Bahamas was the best kind of therapy and it allowed us to reconnect; I can’t thank you enough for providing that for us. We can talk more when we meet up at Jax and Tori’s house for the barbecue.”
I hear a giggle and see that Alex has found the bench swing and his father is pushing him on it. My heart swells to bursting and I can say that for all I have suffered if this were the path that needed to be taken to get right here at this moment, I would suffer again.
I meet up with them on the porch and Alexander turns and kisses me softly.
“Welcome home, Beautiful Girl.”
As he takes my hand, there is a feeling of being whole that takes me back to the day we met. Almost like this was meant to be all along. Most people would think I’m crazy for feeling this way, especially my mother, but I am done with worrying over what other people think.
He unlocks the door and pushes it open to a sprawling great room and kitchen. The light hardwood floors continue as far as my eye can see, including through the disappearing glass doors and onto a massive covered patio. It makes the house extend into the back yard, and with the sliding doors open, it would become a welcoming part of the house. From the outside, it looks as if his home has two stories but now that I’m inside, I see a ceiling that reaches to the sky. It is open and airy with four large skylights in the roof in between massive beams that follow the pitch of the two-story ceiling. A large fur like rug covers the floor in front of
