Olive's P.O.V. "What's wrong?" Lucas asked. "Nothing, sorry. Just trying to navigate your phone." I lied, smiling sheepishly at him. "I thought Leo got you a new iPhone when he broke your last one?" Lucas arched a brow. "He did, but I really am not an iPhone person, so I traded it out." I held up my Samsung to show him. Lucas laughed, making me smile. His laugh was beautiful, bouncing all around me in the car. "You're something else, Rose." I finally got to his music and decided to just play the Deftones. We sang along for the last few minutes of the ride. Lucas was actually an excellent singer. I had pushed my insecurities, and feelings of betrayal, deep down. I didn't know what was said on that text thread. It could have very well been the message that broke it off between them. I tried to trust that what Lucas was telling me was true. I was just having a really hard time doing so. Lucas opened my door for me when we arrived. I handed him his phone when he held out his han
Olive's P.O.V. **Trigger warning for sexual assault** "Tell me, Olive, how did you manage to get this guy so wrapped up in you?" Rachel asked, leaning forward, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "Um, I am not sure what you mean. I haven't done anything. I don't think he's that wrapped up in me." I mean, yes, he's told me he wants me and he wants to get serious. Is it really that shocking for his friends and family? Has he not had a serious relationship before? "Oh, sweet girl, he most definitely is." I just shook my head, not believing that Lucas, of all people, could be that into me. "You're the first girl he's been serious with since Ivy," she said. I didn't fail to catch the grimace that played on her face for a split second. I furrowed my brows at the mention of Ivy. I've never heard her name before. Honestly, I don't know many of the names of the women Lucas has been with aside from Janessa. "Who's Ivy?" I asked. "Ivy was Lucas' girlfriend in college. She
Lucas' P.O.V. The alarm startled me awake. I had almost forgotten what happened last night. I had told my darkest secret to Rose. She had comforted me in a way I was not expecting. She stole my heart last night. It only beats for her now. I looked down to find her still laying on my chest. I remembered waking multiple times to her inching closer to me anytime she had moved away in her sleep. Her small muscular body curled nicely around me. "Rose, we need to get up. I need to take you to the hospital." I rubbed her back as I spoke softly. She is cute when she first wakes up. Her face scrunched up in complaint with her lips in a slight pout. She furrowed her brow, annoyed at the fact she had to wake. From what I've learned, on the few occasions I have slept all night with her, she likes to sleep in. "Can we just pretend the mass isn't there?" She groaned, making me chuckle. "I think it's best if we get it removed. Come on, we don't want to be late." I sat her up as she rubbed her e
Olive's P.O.V. I woke up shaking all over. The nurses laid warm blankets over me, even though I was sure that I wasn't cold. I kept swallowing, feeling like I would throw up at any second. The nausea was something I was not expecting. My brain felt foggy, trying to recall where I was and what was happening. Anesthesia is a strange thing. I feel like I just lost time in my life. I was neither asleep nor awake. It feels like I just have this enormous gap in time that I can't account for. As if I closed my eyes in the surgery room and then opened them back up to find myself in an unfamiliar room. It doesn't feel like time passed between closing my eyes and opening them, but I know that it did. Hailey was at my side, holding my head. She gave me her sweet smile, but I could see the worry behind her eyes. The nurse handed me a throw up bag and monitored me for a little while. Hailey let me know that Leo and Lucas had been waiting with her the whole time. It made me feel better knowing
Olive's P.O.V. Leo kept me on his lap, unwilling to relinquish me. He buried his head into my neck, almost tickling me every time he breathed out. I felt goosebumps start to erupt down my body when his lips lightly grazed over my collarbone. His nose rubbed against my neck as he continued to place small kisses on my skin. Something inside my stomach twisted, and not in a good way. "I am so sorry you have to go through all this, Liv." Leo kept his voice low as he spoke. "It's not your fault." "Still." He kissed my neck this time, and although it made my body react with goosebumps. I knew I needed to talk to him. I needed to set this straight. I know mom said that dating more than one guy is okay as long as neither of them have asked me to be exclusive. In this case, they've actually asked me to date them both. I agreed, but after yesterday I don't think I can go through with it. Leo is sweet and respectful. He is kind and beautiful, and I would hate to hurt him. I just know
Leo's P.O.V. Leo: Thanks for being honest with me, Liv. Don't worry about me and get plenty of rest. You have your health to care for. Like I told Liv when she told me how she felt. I am crushed, but I'm not heartbroken. Of course, I wish she would have gone out with me. I thought I was saving her from Lucas' womanizing, but I started to see how Lucas was changing, too. He was being serious about her. Liv is right. Had this gone on, Lucas and I would have eventually started to argue or grow resentment towards one another. She's a wonderful woman and well worth the trouble, but Lucas means more to me than anything. If he's really being serious about her, I can't stand in the way. It's monumental if he's willing to finally move on from Ivy. "Hello Mr. Darius. The board is waiting for you in the meeting room." Tiffany, my assistant, greeted me right outside the elevator. She led me into the meeting room where board members were sitting, waiting for me to start. I took my spot at
Olive's P.O.V. I watched Lucas leave, feeling embarrassed about the way I allowed him to kiss me in front of Leo. I think I need to talk to him about that. He can't kiss me in front of Leo like that. It just seems wrong, especially after I rejected him. I could still feel the heat of the blush against my cheek. "Here you go," Leo said, handing me my large container of wonton soup. "Thank you." I smiled up at him. The container was nice and warm against my hands. I sniffed the soup, closing my eyes, and letting my mouth salivate. I sipped the broth first before eating the wontons. Leo ate beside me as we watched the scary movie I chose. I remembered Leo telling me he liked to watch scary movies. I jumped a couple times, but somehow managed not to spill the hot soup on myself. Leo tried not to laugh at me whenever I would squeak."I think my new favorite thing is watching scary movies with you," Leo laughed. "Why's that?" I asked. "Because you make it more entertaining with your j
Olive's P.O.V. Hailey styled my hair in a curled pinned low bun with a braided crown. She pulled out a few well placed loose strands of hair to give it a sort of neatly messy look. She kept my makeup neutral, accentuating my natural beauty. She tinted my cheeks a light pink, painted my lips with a shiny lipgloss to make my red lips pop more. She highlighted my cheek bones as well as the tip of my nose while contouring the edge of my jaw and the sides of my nose. I felt like a damn princess. My heart was racing with the flutter of a hummingbird's wings. My stomach was twisting with nerves, yet giddy to see Lucas. It felt like a stampede of horses were trudging along inside my stomach. I think Hailey could sense my nervous energy. "Here, you put the mascara on. I know how you are with other people getting things too close to your eyes." Hailey handed me the mascara with a sigh. I leaned forward to get a better look in the mirror. I always felt like I looked so stupid when applyi
Olive’s P.O.V. “We have to wait until he leaves, and then we can go in through the back. There’s a window that never locked and I’m pretty sure he never fixed it,” I instructed Daisy and Lucas. Little David sat in Abi’s car seat in the back, peacefully sleeping while we adults felt like we’d received adrenaline shots. Joe had called me yesterday to tell me that Daisy had showed up at his door. She’d lost my number but remembered where he worked. She had David in one arm with the other cradled to her chest, broken. According to Joe, and now I see for myself, she had a black eye and a cut on her eyebrow. I know dad is going insane searching for her and David right now. I was glad that she didn’t leave David behind the way mom left me. Of course, David is only a small baby, and maybe that’s why she couldn’t leave him. I know it will complicate things, but since Joe took her to the police station to press charges, it will make things easier on the David custody front. Lucas is hiring on
Olive’s P.O.V. **Song Suggestion: To Build A Home by Holly Henry** “Can I open my eyes yet?” I asked Lucas, feeling so impatient. I wanted to know what this surprise was. When we arrived home from our honeymoon, he said we had one stop before we were going to get Abi. I was ready to see my daughter, but he said this couldn’t wait. He tied a tie over my eyes. I’m pretty sure it was the tie he wore at the end of the aisle as he waited for me. I will forever remember that moment, when our eyes met and the rest of the world faded away. My husband. “Almost,” he said with his hands on my hips as he guided me. I could see cobble stone steps through the small slit left between my cheeks and the tie. Where are we? He finally stopped pushing me forward. I could feel him step around me and stand before me as he slid the tie off my face. My eyes squinted as they got reacquainted with the light. “I had this made for us when I found out you were pregnant. I used what I knew from your jou
Lucas' P.O.V. **Song Suggestion: Only You by Julia Westlin** I felt so antsy as I waited for my Rose at the end of the aisle. Everything looked spectacular, the flowers in the garden were vibrant and beautiful. Their floral scent was carried in the cool September breeze. Mom was holding Abi in her arms sitting in the front row before me. Abi's strawberry blonde hair was almost hidden behind the large white bow she sported. The white dress almost swallowed her whole, but she looked so adorable. My Rose bud has stolen my heart completely. She and I have late night talks as I work and rock her back to sleep. Her mother and she are everything to me. They are the sun that I revolve around, the lights of my life. I am the luckiest man on the planet. I know this, and right now I'm the luckiest man, waiting for his beautiful bride to emerge. The music began to play and everyone stood as Rose came into view. My heart stilled and raced all at the same time. My eyes misted as this moment too
Olive's P.O.V. "You need to sit, Rose. The doctor said to sit and elevate your feet. You're starting to swell around your ankles again," Lucas reminded me as I waddled around the flat trying to get last minute things together. The bassinet was put together and sat beside the bed. The bottles were sanitized and put away already. All the clothes were washed, folded and organized. My hospital bag was ready to go, along with Abi's. I packed her the cutest take home outfit. I love all the frills, laces, and colors on little girl clothes. Of course, I bought a shit ton of bows that are way too large for her head, too. I have those neatly organized as well. I still feel like I'm forgetting something, or missing something, but I'm not sure what. Daisy had my baby brother a few months ago, and according to Joe everything is still going well. It made me wonder if Dad really had changed, but then I remembered that he's dad and it's only a matter of time until his ugliness resurfaces. I hope
Lucas' P.O.V. I finally finished her journals from junior year of college. This was it. I was finally getting to her journals about me. At the beginning of all this, I wanted to only read the journals about me, but I'm glad that Rose made me work for it. I have such a better understanding of her now that I've read her innermost thoughts about her past. She was a cherry tomato red as she handed me these journals this morning. She asked that I not read them while she's awake. Her embarrassment was adorable, but completely unnecessary. She was currently asleep beside me, lightly snoring with her peacefully beautiful face. Rose is tired from interviewing around town, trying to find an engineering job for experience until the place she really wants is hiring again. I wanted to use my connections to help her, but she told me if I did, she’d be really mad at me. She wants to get her job from her own hard work. I find it very noble, but I wish she’d let me help. I placed my hand over our Ab
Olive's P.O.V.Olive: You're coming to my graduation, right?#1 Best Friend: I wouldn't miss it for the world.Ian's reply made me feel better. He and I hadn't spoken much since Christmas. I know he meant it when he said we were still friends, but he needed time to get over me. We text every now and then but it wasn't daily like it had been before Christmas. It made me a bit sad, but I know it's for the best.Hailey on the other hand, texts and calls multiple times a day and drops by every other day with something new. Yesterday it was a little red bracelet that looked like it was made of yarn. I'm meant to put this on our child when she's born. Hailey made me swear, so I did."I've been thinking a lot about what we should name our little Rose bud," Lucas said, as he rubbed his hands over my growing baby bump. He'd been reading my junior year journal of college. He's just a couple of journals away from the one he's been desperately wanting to read…his journal."Okay, what have you come
Olive's P.O.V. The morning sickness has been easing as time passes. I wake every morning and stare at the now outdated ultrasound pictures. Today we are going to a ultrasound place that does gender reveals. We'll get to see our little bean again. I wonder what it'll be? Boy or girl. "I can't wait to see my little bud again." Lucas smiled at me. I nodded, leaning against him, feeling the same excitement. "What do you think, boy or girl?" I asked him. "Girl. She'll be my little Rose bud." He nodded looking only at the ultrasound picture held onto the fridge by an old floral magnet. "I say Boy. He'd be my little knight," I countered with a smile. We walked hand in hand towards the shop that does the gender reveal. The place felt like an overly decorated doctor's office with pink and gold frills. They seemed to want to freeze their clients stiff as I froze my ass off waiting to be called. Lucas held me close, providing me with some warmth. About 15 minutes later we were called to f
Lucas' P.O.V. Christmas was more than I could have asked for. She had said yes, and despite Dad's threats, I've been on cloud nine ever since. I need to get back to work before Dad discovers I'm trying to marry Rose. I get the feeling he'd try to stop it by any and all means necessary. He doesn't need to know until it's done and over with. I won't put Rose, or my bud, through any unnecessary stress. "Good morning, my future wife." I kissed her forehead as I woke her. She says she's not a sleepyhead, but she most definitely is. "Today's the day." Sleep evaded me last night, even with Rose in my arms. I was too excited for today. It's our first doctor's appointment for our bud. We'll get to see our growing baby on an ultrasound today, and be sure of Rose's due date. I've been giddy all night. "Today's the day." She smiled as her eyes opened. That had been the fastest she'd ever woken up, aside from the time she had to bolt to the bathroom to throw up. She is excited too. I can only
Olive’s P.O.V.“Are you okay, my Rose?” Lucas asked as we finished cleaning up the place. Everyone was long gone now, but the evening was spectacular.“Yeah, I’m fine, just thinking,” I answered, grabbing a cup off the coffee table that had only been half drunk. The marshmallows had disappeared in the heat of the coco, leaving this sort of froth at the top.“What about?” He asked, taking the cup from my hands and washing it.“I think I need to read Ian’s letters,” I admitted, biting at my cheek. “I need to know what he said.”Lucas went silent, which only made me nervous. He turned the sink off, facing me. He dried his hands as he held my gaze. When he approached me, his eyes softened, feeling sympathy for me. He pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my forehead.“I’ll go see my mom for a little while. I am sure she’s still awake. Text me when you’re done,” he said, letting me go.“You don’t have to leave.”He shook his head no at me before speaking.“You should read them alone, Rose. I