“No, you can’t.” He turned away, crossing his arms and refusing to budge from his spot in front of the door, blocking her exit. “And this isn’t a partnership, Olive—not really. This is still my case. Mine and the local police. That’s it. I’m sorry if you thought any differently.”
Her throat constricted so hard she thought she might choke. Where anger had flamed within her moments earlier, now ice froze her blood. She gripped the back of the sofa for support as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. She’d wanted an answer earlier about their future and it looked like she’d gotten one. Still, she had to be sure. Lips numb, she forced herself to ask, “And what about after this case is over? Are we partners then?”
Levon looked at her as the question hung heavy between them and the air grew taut. At last he turned away, raking his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know, Olive. I can’t think about that now. There’s too much going on with the case. I have to concentrate on what’s in front of me. It won’t do either of us any good to jump too far ahead.”
He stalked off into the kitchen to grab a bottled water from the fridge, downing half the contents in one long swallow, his expression preoccupied, distracted. Olive sank onto the sofa before she fell down.
Well, she had her answer. On his list of priorities, she and the baby came after his job and his case. That was fine. Good. After all, she’d known as much going into this, right? He was here on a mission, nothing more. The fact that they’d been reunited after all these months had just been a happy coincidence. Or maybe just a coincidence—not happy at all. Because what she felt inside at the moment was anything but happy. In fact, she seriously thought she might throw up. Stomach churning with regret and self-recriminations, she stumbled to her feet and down the hall to the bedroom, closing the door behind her, then leaning back against it as tears tumbled down her cheeks.
She’d been a fool. A total and complete fool to think Levon Asher would ever be her happily ever after. The truth was, he saw her as nothing more than a nuisance, another situation to handle on the road to his future. And his future didn’t lie here, in Harper’s Forge, with her and the baby. He had bigger things ahead, like his new life in Arlington. Maybe he even had a girlfriend there. A wife, kids, a new beginning. Leaving Olive to pick up the pieces of her foolish, heartbroken life.
God. This was why she didn’t get involved in anything as messy as a romance, why she was better off in her facts and figures bubble. Love did nothing but sucker-punch you in the gut. Love was irrational and stupid and heartbreakingly unfair. Love sucked, pure and simple.
Swiping the back of her hand across her damp cheeks, Olive sniffled and pushed away from the door to flop down on the bed, her thoughts whirling a mile a minute. There was no turning her brain off now. What she had feared all along was coming to pass. Levon didn’t see her as forever material. Baby or not, she was just a burden to him now, a negative variable that was turning out to be not worth the energy. One that was drawing him away from his real focus, which had never been her, nor the baby, nor the potential life they might build together.
All of the fantasies she had formed in spite of herself burned away in an instant. Olive rolled over and buried her face in her pillow, crying softly until, exhausted, she fell asleep alone.
17
“I’m going out,” Olive informed Levon two days later.
“Oh?” Dread pooled in his stomach like he’d just taken a swift gulp of ice water, but he played it cool. It wasn’t a brilliant response, but it left him room to work from.
He was seated at the kitchen table, laptop open, poring over the most recently compiled update from headquarters. Unfortunately, the case wasn’t moving as swiftly as he’d hoped. The Reapers must have caught a whiff of something amiss, and while they had no concept of the hell that was coming their way, the SSoF needed to act before they went to ground. “Where?”
He had been so absorbed with his reading that he hadn’t even noticed Olive until she spoke. Mostly it had been deliberate, since they’d been avoiding each other, practically walking on eggshells, since their argument. Still, he couldn’t help noticing she still looked lovely, dressed in a soft sea-green knit dress that draped her body fetchingly. Her hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders and framed her pale face, hiding her expression.
“My neighbor Tom and his wife are taking me shopping to get some stuff for the baby in Norfolk,” Olive said, her tone chilly.
A twinge of remorse pinched his chest. If he’d handled things differently the other day, it might have been him going with her to buy stuff for their baby, but now he’d pretty much blown any chance she’d let him be involved. He tried to tell himself it was fine. Up until a few weeks ago he’d not even known he’d fathered a kid and his life had been all good.
Hadn’t it?
He frowned down at his computer screen without seeing it, uncertainty churning inside him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure how good it had been. Honestly, he wasn’t sure of anything anymore, except his continuing responsibility to protect Olive and the baby.
