Considering that’s exactly how their first kiss went down, Olivia knew Piper had heard correctly. But Olivia was more interested in the fact that he was discussing her with his cousins. That was something she’d talk to him about later. Because Olivia wanted to know exactly what he thought he was doing and where he thought all this attraction would lead.
Okay, she knew what his answer would be, but she wanted to know what he thought they’d accomplish by acting on this attraction. They still had the airport between them and it appeared they were going to move forward with renovations. Letting personal emotions and hormones interfere would surely just cause a mess in the long run.
At least, that was the only reason she could come up with to keep her distance because everything in her wanted to ignore the red flags and take what she wanted.
And she wanted Jackson.
* * *
“Can I have my hair your color?”
Piper’s wide eyes zeroed in on Jade’s crimson hair. Olivia had brought the eager toddler home after Jackson gave the okay. Now they were getting ready to have a hair session and some girl talk—toddler-level girl talk.
“I’m not sure your daddy would appreciate if I brought you back with colored hair,” Olivia answered with a smile.
Melanie plugged in the curling iron and patted the seat to the vanity. “Come on over, Piper. Let’s see about making you a princess.”
They’d congregated in Olivia’s old bedroom where there was still an old antique vanity with a large oval mirror. She’d loved this station when her father had found it for her. Her mother had wanted something fancier, but when her dad brought the vanity set home from a yard sale, he’d sanded on it for days, then repainted it a crisp white and added new hardware.
Those memories kept creeping up. The ones that forced her to realize that her father did love her, that he did things for her that went against her mother’s wishes. But being a child and spending most of her time with her mother, Olivia hadn’t seen things from his perspective.
She swallowed back her emotions. Now wasn’t the time to face them, not when she had an adorable little girl waiting for this much-needed female bonding time.
“I don’t just want to be a princess,” Piper said as she settled onto the cushioned bench. “I want to be a pilot like my daddy.”
“That sounds like a perfect goal,” Jade replied as she sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you like when your daddy takes you on trips in the plane?”
Piper nodded. “Yeah, but we don’t get to go many places by ourselves. We want a new plane, so we’re saving money. Well, daddy says it’s not brand-new but even used ones take a lot of money. I told him he could have my piggy bank. I have almost four dollars saved. I was going to buy a Play-Doh set I saw on TV, but I’d rather have a plane.”
Melanie and Jade shared a look before both women turned to Olivia. She merely shrugged. She didn’t know what to say—she didn’t know Jackson wanted a new plane. The fact Piper was offering all her savings just proved children were so much more giving and precious than Olivia thought. There was definitely something to be learned from hanging out with a chatty toddler.
“I’m sure your daddy appreciates you offering your money.” Olivia went over and sat on the floor next to the vanity, her back against the wall. “But I bet he’d rather you keep that for yourself.”
“I really want the new plane,” Piper whined. “He has a picture of it hanging on our fridge. It’s so pretty and shiny. He said he wouldn’t have to keep sinking money into the old one.”
Olivia pulled in a deep breath. “It is old,” she agreed. “That plane was one my daddy bought used and I learned to fly in it.”
Piper’s eyes widened. “You’re a pilot, too? I love you so much. You’re the coolest girl I know.”
And that was the second time this precious girl professed her love and Olivia still wasn’t sure how to respond.
“My first plane ride was with Olivia,” Jade chimed in. “She’s an awesome pilot.”
“Will you take me?” Piper squealed. “I know Daddy won’t care.”
Melanie wrapped another long strand of blond hair around the barrel of the curling iron and met Olivia’s gaze. She hadn’t piloted since leaving Haven, but there were some things that were just engrained in you and you never forgot. She didn’t know why, but she’d always renewed her pilot’s license and now she was glad she had.
Olivia had to admit that being back made her want to get behind the controls again. She wanted to know that freedom, because the only place she’d ever felt that was when she was in the sky.
“I’ll have to talk to him,” Olivia stated, not committing to anything just yet.
“Tell me about the birthday party.” Melanie sat the iron down and parted off another section of Piper’s hair. “I love that purple on your fingers and toes.”
Piper held up her hands and smiled. “Purple is my favorite color. Daddy paints my nails sometimes, but it doesn’t look this good. He’s a boy so don’t say anything.”
Olivia realized she could learn quite a bit about Jackson simply by spending more time with Piper. But on the flip side of that, she didn’t want to get any more involved than she already was.
“What is your friend’s name who had the birthday?” Jade asked.
“Molly Ann. She’s my best friend. We have cubbies next to each other and we put our cots together at nap time. We don’t nap, though. That’s for babies.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Jade shook her head and smiled. “I never turn down a nap when I get the chance.”
“I hate naps,” Piper insisted. “Me and Molly Ann whisper. I
