“Yes, sir.” Olivia swung her hand to her forehead to salute. “Thank you for checking on me.”
Dion crossed the floor to the front door. “Neighbors need to take keep an eye on things for each other.”
“I appreciate you. Have a good night.” Olivia closed the door behind Dion.
She picked up the cell phone and tapped on the screen to dial a number.
“Malcolm, I need you to come to my house. Now,” she demanded and tossed the phone on the stained sofa.
THIRTY
Olivia
“What makes you think Mariah did this?” Malcolm crunched through Olivia’s living room assessing the vandalized house. He stroked his chin before asking, “You said you didn’t see who it was, right?”
Olivia folded her arms and stared at Malcolm. “Who else would have someone cuss me out in Spanish and tell me to leave their cousin’s man alone? I have cameras, which I’m sure caught everything. I haven’t even checked them out yet.”
“Oh. I guess you’re right,” Malcolm grimaced. “Did you call the police?”
“No. I called you. I wanted you to find out first-hand how crazy your future baby mama is. This is the chick you have around our children.” Olivia seethed.
“Well, she’s still mad at me about the other night.” Malcolm rubbed his hand along the back of his head.
“Is the lump on your head one of the results of the pot beating you got from her?” Olivia asked with a slight chuckle.
“It’s not funny. Yes, she hit me hard when she found me in the pantry. I didn’t see it coming.”
“Did she attack you anymore after I called to check on the kids?” Olivia snickered.
“She called her cousin and had him come get her. I haven’t seen her since.” Malcolm scrunched his eyebrows appearing to be distressed. “She’s not answering my calls.”
“Hmm. I wonder why.” Sarcasm saturated Olivia's voice. “By the way, what kind of car does her cousin drive?”
“An old Thunderbird,” Malcolm responded.
“Unh-huh. It was definitely, them. My neighbor, Dion, spotted the car. She’s loco en la cabeza.” Olivia swirled her forefinger in the air on the side of her head to make the point.
Malcolm’s face sagged with regret. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I had no idea she would go this far. You know some women don’t handle things too well…” Malcolm stopped talking and dropped his eyes from Olivia’s face.
“Go ahead. I know what you’re thinking. I’m one of those women. Yeah, I’m not proud of how I handled situations in my past when someone activated my triggers. I can relate one hundred percent. Although I destroyed our house by setting it on fire and she only threw rocks, she’s still crazier than I am. You may want to watch your back. Don’t leave any matches around your house.” Olivia wagged her finger at him as a warning.
“Stop talking like that. No one is going to burn down any more houses,” Malcolm stated with exaggerated firmness.
“I’m just sayin’. You’ve got yourself a wild one,” Olivia teased.
Malcolm covered the distance between the two of them. He removed the broom and dustpan from her before grabbing
Olivia’s hand. Desire filled his face. “All jokes aside, do you mind if we sit in the kitchen for a moment? We need to talk.”
Surprised by his actions, Olivia nodded with uncertainty. “Sure. About what? Do you want to tell me about how you’re going to pay for my window?”
“You know I don’t have any money to help. Your insurance should cover this, right?” Malcolm asked.
“Whatever.” Olivia waved her hand to dismiss his words. “I see ain’t nothing changed. What do you want to discuss?”
“What I need to tell you has nothing to do with what happened tonight.” Malcolm waited until the two of them sat at the kitchen table. His eyes softened as he gazed with intent into hers. “Olivia. I know I haven’t called you since I stopped by the other night. I’ve been thinking about everything we did.”
Olivia searched Malcolm’s face listening to the words coming from his mouth. “I’ve been thinking about it, too. I’m struggling with what it all means.”
Malcolm nodded. “I prayed about it. About us. I know I did a lot of wrong things throughout the years. I made stupid mistakes.”
“Okay. What are you trying to say?”
Malcolm dropped to his right knee and took Olivia’s left hand. “Olivia. I want us to be together again.”
Olivia leaned back in her chair to get a better look at Malcolm. She had to make sure he wasn’t high on drugs. “Excuse me? What do you mean by us being together again?”
“Liv, I realize I want you, actually, need you in my life. We need to be a family for the sake of our kids.” A tear slid down Malcolm’s face. “I’m not a perfect man, by no means. You have to believe I will do everything to make sure I do right by you.”
Olivia placed her right hand on her mouth. She couldn’t believe the scene playing out before her eyes. A response stuck in her throat.
Malcolm dropped his head before gazing up at Olivia with his face wet from crying. He massaged her knuckles with his thumb. “Olivia. What I’m saying is, I don’t want us to go through with the divorce. I want you to still be my wife. I’m going to end things with Mariah. I’ll raise my son when he’s born but, I’m not going to marry her. Let’s get back together and make our marriage work,” Malcolm stated with optimistic determination.
Emptiness filled Olivia’s brain. No word, sentence, or paragraph would form in her mind. She rocked in her chair and gripped Malcolm’s hand.
Malcolm continued. “I know we have a lot to grind through. We’ll get marriage counseling and find a way to make it work. You and me. We can conquer anything. I love you and I know you still love me, too. Please tell me yes, Olivia,” Malcolm pleaded.
Olivia fixed her eyes on Malcolm. She marveled at how less than a year ago, their lives together had been destroyed. Now, the
