Olivia’s POV Tucking myself safely in between the massive teddy bear’s arms, I took a deep breath and slid my finger across the screen, answering the call from my big brother that I hadn’t spoken to in quite some time. A small smile curved my lips at the thought of him as I placed the phone to my ear. “Hey, Lukey!” “Oli! What took you so long to pick up? Are you having a boy over?” my brother screamed through the phone before bursting out into laughter. Oh, how I’ve missed his voice. My head shook at his usual crazy antics. “Lukey, no! I was just looking for my phone. Anyway, what’s up with the sudden call?” “Oh, do I need a reason to call my baby sister now, Miss New York?” he asked sarcastically. A loud exhale escaped my lips. “Lukey, I know you. There must be something important for you to call me.” “Yeah, you’re right. I hate you for knowing me too well,” he said in surrender with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice, much to my delight since I always loved annoying hi
Olivia’s POV My knee bounced nervously under the table as Ms. Priya read through my rejection letter. Her forehead furrowed as her eyes scanned the contents of my letter. Technically, there was no need for a letter in the first place, since I had just finished my internship period and was waiting for the offer letter from Firebrand Marketing Incorporated. But, since Ms. Priya had kindly offered me a permanent position based on her word of mouth, I knew she deserved a proper letter stating that I wouldn’t be able to accept her offer. “Where did this come from, Olivia? I thought that you were looking forward to working with us?” she asked as she placed the letter on her table. Shit, she’s mad. Nodding gently, I sighed. “I was, Ms. Priya. This is my dream job and I’m grateful that you offered it to me. But, my circumstances have changed.” “Changed how?” she questioned, arching her eyebrow at me inquisitively. Standing up, I pulled back the loose shirt I was wearing until my baby bu
Olivia’s POV My breath hitched and my heart clenched at the pleading look Sam was looking at me with. To be honest, judging by the way he walked off after I revealed that I was pregnant, I never expected to see him again. I knew it must have been hard for him to hear that I was with child with a guy he hated and then to find out that I was raising the child alone, but it wasn’t as challenging as what my life has turned into, which made me a little annoyed with him. “Sam, what are you doing here?” I demanded as I folded my arms in front of my chest. Sam gulped and flashed me an apologetic smile. “I came to talk to you, Oli. Also, I brought dinner.” As much as I wanted to be angry with him and deny him from entering, the smell of the food pierced my nose and my tummy growled with hunger. So, I stepped aside and opened my door for him. “Fine. Come in,” I said before closing the door behind him. Sam took off his raincoat and placed the food on the coffee table while I headed to my r
Olivia’s POV My eyes teared as I watched my big brother get down on one knee to propose to the love of his life. The happy couple’s close friends and family hid behind some bushes as we observed them enjoying their moment in the sunset. It still felt unreal that Luke was officially engaged to become someone’s husband and I would have been lying if I said that I wasn’t a tad jealous. Still, I had my Little Bean and I was satisfied. The news that I was pregnant received mixed reviews from my parents. Just as Luke said, at first they were disappointed in my decisions that led me to that point, but a little later, they were super supportive. All of them wanted to know who the baby’s father was, but just like in the version of my story that I told Luke, I hid his identity and insisted that they don’t bring him up again. Assuring them that I was happy with the way things were, I forced out a big smile to hide my pain and thankfully they bought i
Olivia’s POV The minute I exited the airport with all my luggage like a camel, the familiar smell of the California air instantly hit my nose, reminding me that I was home. The sunshine, the salty air, and the sea breeze welcomed me, but they were not all there was. “Olivia May Jamerson!” I heard a familiar voice shout out my full name as soon as I stopped outside the main airport doors. It was a voice I knew all too well and true enough, when I turned towards the source of the sound, I saw the familiar 6-feet tall male in a short-sleeved t-shirt and blue jeans leaning against his SUV. “Lukey!” I screamed as I desperately attempted to walk as fast as I could while pushing my luggage cart. Eventually, I reached him and he immediately scooped me into his arms for a hug. “Oh, Oli! It’s so good to see you!”. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” I exclaimed as he squeezed me ev
Joshua’s POV It had been almost four months since I woke up on the hospital bed with a pounding headache. The last thing I remembered was riding my beautiful sports bike along the California coastline highway the night of my birthday when I saw an oncoming truck lose control. When I woke up from what I was informed was a short coma following brain surgery, I found myself like a completely different person. The clothes I was wearing when I was brought into the hospital were not the ones I was wearing on the night of my birthday. My hair had grown rather messily and so did my beard, which was weird since I was usually clean-shaven. What happened? How long has it been? My parents stood by my hospital bed as I awoke and was plagued with confusion. According to Dad, my motorcycle accident happened more than a year ago, 16 months to be exact and I had actually woken up from a coma two months after that accident. Apparently, I had amnesia and couldn’t remember anything or anyone, includin
Olivia’s POV Everything felt like a dream as Joshua ran towards me when the ground under my feet disappeared to catch me before I fell. I never thought I would see him again and frankly, never wanted to, but the mere sight of him made me feel like a boulder had slammed right into me. As if that wasn’t enough, the minute he called me by a name that I hadn’t heard in years and that I detested to my very core, my whole world collapsed. The man in front of me was no longer the man I loved and the father of my child, instead, he was the devil himself and my ruthless bully that made my life a living hell. The fact that he addressed me as that made me realize that he had no memory of the moments we shared and the love we felt for each other, which made that moment even more excoriatingly painful. My whole body shuddered as Joshua caught me in his arms and for a mere second, I thought my Joshua had returned, but no. The ruthless CEO’s eyes were emotionless and as cold as the last time I sa
Joshua’s POV It had been two weeks since I regained my full memory and was reunited with Olivia. I was thankful that she accepted my job offer, both because I felt I owed her that much for disappearing without a trace and uprooting her life, but also because I couldn’t seem to stay away from her. She’s got me wrapped around her finger. Part of me kept insisting that she was Outcast Olive and that it was ridiculous that I was even interested in her, but the memory of her and the feelings I had developed for her over the span of my amnesiac months were strong. Though I was a completely different person, now that I had regained full memory and both versions of myself had combined into one, so did my attraction toward her. However, I had to admit, she was nothing like how I remembered her to be back in Westminster High. She was feisty now and I loved how much hotter it made her. Was she that hot in high school? Unfortunately, before I could spend more time with her and annoy her by c
Olivia’s POV About five years had passed, yet Westminster High School was still standing strong but the only difference was that it was now an elementary school. The place I used to call my own personal living hell was now about to have a new student, Nia Marie Jamerson-Taylor. “Mommy, will it be scary?” my Nia asked as her little hand held onto my hand as we got out of our car. Letting out an exhale, I knelt down and adjusted her brunette hair. “Yes, at first. But then you’ll start to enjoy it so much.” Despite having my own unpleasant experience, the last thing I wanted was to unload that burden on my daughter. So, the day I said ‘I do’ to Joshua Taylor, I buried all my bitter memories away and vowed to look forward. To be honest, it felt like just yesterday I agreed to marry him and then, six months later, I walked down the aisle with Nia to Joshua as our friends and family witnessed us. Adrina took some time to warm up to Joshua but she eventually did and stood as my maid of h
Olivia’s POV “You’re doing great, Olivia. Keep pushing for five seconds,” Dr. Kingsley instructed as Joshua held onto my hand tightly in the delivery room. Shaking my head, I leaned back against the head with a grunt. “No, I can’t. I can’t push anymore, I can’t.” “You’re going to have to if you want to see your baby girl. So, push for me, Olivia!” Dr. Kingsley ordered, patting my thighs. Joshua kissed my forehead and gripped my hand. “You are doing great, baby. Just a little while longer, okay?” “Okay, Olivia. I see her head. Now, you’re going to have to push even harder. Go! Push!” the doctor yelled, but I couldn’t take it anymore. Tears streamed down my face and sobs escaped my mouth at how guilty I was feeling that I was unable to push my own baby out easily. I felt useless and unfit to be a mother before my child even came out of me. “Via, no. I know that look. Listen to me, I know you can do this. You endured my bullying, you gave me the middle finger proudly, you moved t
Olivia’s POV I slowly opened my eyes to a blue hospital room and a pounding headache that echoed in my ears. I fluttered my eyelids as I desperately tried to remember what happened but I was so confused and I couldn’t remember how I got there. The last thing I remembered was being in the cab and the light changing green, and then, there I was, in horrifying pain as I lay motionless on the hospital bed. Then, I recalled why I was in the taxi in the first place and my hand immediately reached out to my belly as an indescribable feeling of fear paralyzed me. But, as soon as my palm touched my swollen belly and felt the faint movement inside, relief washed over me, making me finally release the breath I didn’t know I was holding in. Gently moving my neck to look around the room, I caught sight of a few flower bouquets, balloons, greeting cards, and finally, a head resting by my hand. At once I knew who the head belonged to, but just as I was about to lift my arm and touch the head, I f
Joshua’s POVEverything happened so fast that I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. A couple of hours ago I was introducing Olivia as my girlfriend and the mother of my child, and everything felt fine, perfect even. Then, one minute I was looking around for Olivia who had suspiciously disappeared then, and the next minute the hospital was calling me.Am I dreaming?The minute the nurse’s words reached my ears about an accident, I felt a thundering echo within me. Part of me felt a gut-wrenching pain knowing exactly who she was calling me about, but another part of me refused to believe it.Terrified to hear her answer to my question, I stuttered out my question, “W…who is it?”“According to her ID in her purse, it’s Olivia Jamerson,” she answered.&nb
Joshua’s POVAdjusting my suit, I strolled into the hall majestically as the sound of my shoes tapping against the marble floor echoed through the noisy hall. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Olivia following me secretly, but I didn’t get a chance to call out to her when people started huddling around me.“Joshua Taylor, as I live and breathe! F*ck! Look at you, you beautiful b*stard! You cleaned up nicely, a*shole!” Will, one of my football team members exclaimed as he patted my back strongly.Were these really the kind of people I was friends with?Almost everyone in attendance approached me to hug me and shake my hand, which was expected given how popular I was back when we were in high school. But, as much as it was interesting to see how they had grown up in a matter of a few years, I quickly dismissed them and headed further into the h
Olivia’s POVMy hand glided across my lips as I appeared a layer of red lipstick on it before my lips chapped together. Letting out a long exhale, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and smiled. Joshua had bought me an off-shoulder red dress that curved around my pregnant bump perfectly and that had a mid-thigh slit, making me feel both comfortable and sexy at the same time.“Are you sure about this, Oli?” Luke asked as he leaned against my door frame.Turning to look at him, I nodded as my eyes scanned him dressed sharply in a blue suit. “Yes, Lukey. It’s going to be super awkward for sure, but I promised Joshua and myself that I would do this since I missed prom.”“Alright then. I and Raina will swing by after her friend’s engagement party. Will you be okay till then?” he questioned, adjusting my twisted earring.
Olivia’s POV A smile curved my lips as I watched the big and proud businessman, Mr. Joshua Taylor, pick up a pink strawberry onesie and place it in front of his chest as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. “So, what do you think? I can totally pull this look off, right?” he asked, turning towards me as he danced his eyebrows playfully. Narrowing my eyes at him as I scanned him from top to bottom, I nodded my head. “One size bigger and it would be perfect for you. Though you may have to fight with our daughter over it.” “That’s the plan,” he replied with a wink before turning towards the store employee. Folding the onesie carefully with his big brawny hands, he passed it to her. “Here, pack a set of this onesie in every single color available and send it to the car.” “Yes, Mr. Taylor,” she responded and disappeared to the back. After pushing me towards the exit of the store, Joshua walked beside me as I waddled slowly like a penguin. “You practically bought the whole stor
Olivia’s POV The air in my hospital room turned tense and Luke glared daggers at Joshua. His jaw locked and his palms balled into fists at the mere sight of my ex-bully in my hospital room, about to kiss me. All the sugar-coated story I had created about my pregnancy had been shattered in just a second and now I owed Luke an explanation. “What the f*ck, Olivia? Are you insane?” Luke shouted as he stormed towards me, reacting the same way Adrina did when she found out I was dating Joshua. Pulling myself up to sit upright, I reached out to Luke to calm him down. “Lukey, I can explain. Just calm down and listen, okay?” “What possible explanation can you possibly have, Oli? He’s the father, right? And don’t you dare lie to me again?” Luke snapped at me, gritting his teeth. But, instead of de-escalating the situation, his response made Joshua furious. “Hey! Don’t shout at her, Luke!” “You! Don’t you dare poke your nose in this. Haven’t you done enough to her already? Yet, you impregn
Olivia’s POV Two weeks had passed since I found out that my little bean was a girl, well technically ‘we’ found out, since Joshua had barged into my consultation room. To be honest, seeing him so upset and angry that I hid his child from him twisted my insides with guilt, making me realize that it was wrong on my part to do that to him after I realized that he didn’t leave me on purpose. Things between us were just borderline normal but, I was warming up to him. Annoyingly, I didn’t know if it was the after-effects of falling in love with another version of him, or if Joshua was indeed turning into the version of him that I loved, but there was something about him that I couldn’t hate. Although, I detested every time my office phone rang with instructions for me to see him in his office. “What now?” I blurted out as soon as I walked into his penthouse office. Joshua arched his eyebrow at me from behind his huge table. “Do I need a reason to see my two favorite girls?” “Yes, Joshu