Logan

I took a sip of the almost cold coffee as I stole glances at Olivia through my eyelashes. I failed to understand why she was so invested in Quinn's speech. She made me stand on stage and take a picture with other kids' parents. Like I didn't see that coming. I thought we'd just sit and watch everything unfold within a short hour or so, but the way Olivia went the extra mile really touched me somewhere that wasn't supposed to.

It is rare for the Nero family to get entangled with such things. I can't recall the time my father attended any of our school events. We always do things alone, unless it involves something that will benefit him, then he would assign someone to tag along—his secretary, for that matter. Seeing Quinn standing on stage ignited a past memory inside me, but that will be a discussion or rather a distraction for another day. I don't want my anxiety to start kicking in.

"Why don't you hang the photo frame in your clinic then?" I said, dropping the cup and intertwining my hands together. That gesture made my mind wander off to earlier. I don't know what had come over me. The way her hand was secured over mine made it look as if it were meant to be there. And when she withdrew it, I knew letting it go would be the foolish thing I'd do. Because I wanted her touch. I wanted to feel the warmth radiating from her body whenever she's around me. Whenever she gave me that smile of hers.

Are Brian's words getting to me? Do I like Olivia?

"No. It's meant to be hung somewhere around the house. A particular place for everyone to see," Olivia cheered, getting my attention back to her. I found myself smiling, even though that wasn't what I intended to do. I was supposed to be at the office, working on my next schedule. But here I was, seated with Olivia, and smiling like a fool while my heart warmed up. Will this ever get any better for me?

"You really shouldn't have gone through that hassle, Olivia," I said, my voice sounding serious this time around. There's no point in trying to give life to a family that is just there. I don't think they will even appreciate the gesture. I'm sure of that.

"I did what I wanted to do. It brought a smile to Quinn's face. And then this!" she said, dropping the photo frame we had taken. Olivia and I standing side by side, with Quinn in the middle. A true definition of a perfect family picture.

Funny enough, the thought that graced my mind at that moment was Olivia and me with our own kid. What would it be like to have a family picture like that? I instantly brushed the thought off my head. There are complications regarding Olivia and my relationship. I haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet for me to have all sorts of thinking.

You fool, you are not doing anything wrong by having that thought!. I scolded myself internally.

"Thank you," I said genuinely, looking straight into her eyes. We locked gazes, a kind of gaze that spoke words. Olivia offered a smile. "It's nothing. I didn't do it for anything, but because I feel like Quinn needed someone to be there for her."

"Is that why you were in tears?" I asked, leaning back on the chair with an amused smile playing at my lips. Maybe she had forgotten, but I couldn't help but get curious as to why she was in tears because of a mere speech.

"I wasn't in tears. My eyes were just watering," she exclaimed, fisting her hand on the table. That made a short laugh escape from me.

"You can't make a fool out of me, Olivia. What is the difference between tears and watering? As far as I'm concerned, there were tears in your eyes. Care to tell me why?"

"It's nothing," she answered, but I somehow didn't find her answer convincing enough. This time her eyes indicated something. And for the life of me, I wanted to know more about the woman sitting in front of me with a smile on her face. Was I asking too much?

"Like I said, it's nothing. I had a flash passage of my childhood memories. That was just it."

"Okay?" I said, much like a question, hoping she'd shed more light on my curiosity. Yet, none came. Instead, she rose up to her feet. "I think you should get going. I'm sure your secretary will be on the tight end trying to take care of your missed meeting," she went on as her back was facing me. There was something I noticed about her within the span of time we spent. Whenever she was nervous about something, she blabbers a lot. And that was exactly what she was doing. Also, that made me more convinced that there was more to the woman that I didn't know about.

"Olivia," I called out, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around, shooting me a questioning brow. "You should take a rest," I said, then turned around and left.

That wasn't what I intended to say or do. Nevertheless, I was glad I didn't make any move because I'm damn going to be embarrassed for the rest of the day.

I had ignored Abigail's calls on purpose, knowing it'd be about the meeting I was supposed to attend but I ditched it for Quinn's school. I found myself letting out a smile as I drove back to the office. Olivia being the reason for that. "I should really treat her to a nice meal for this," I said out aloud, putting on more speed.

"Abigail, schedule the meeting I missed earlier for tomorrow. It should be what I would work on first thing tomorrow morning," I said the moment Abigail walked into the office. Her face was held in a frown.

"I was worried, Sir. You weren't picking up your calls."

I slightly stopped mid-air and spared her a look. "But you always know how to handle the situation. What has changed?"

She bit her bottom lip, and that was when I noticed the woman had something under her sleeve. "What is it?" I asked, focusing my attention on her fully.

"It's Mr. Liam."

"What about him?" I don't think I had assigned her the responsibility to report whatever Liam does around the company.

"He came over and asked me to handle over the project reports from last year. I couldn't stop him because he said it was urgent."

I closed my eyes and opened them again. I thought it was something serious. "That shouldn't make you worry. It's fine. Get back to work," I said, dismissing her.

"I'm sorry, sir, for allowing him into your office without informing you. I just didn't-"

"Get back to work, Abigail," her muscles relaxed as she realized I wasn't going to scold her. At the moment, I couldn't find the strength to worry about Liam. I didn't know why he needed my project reports, but the only thing I wanted from him was for him to do his part of the job without putting the company at risk.

Inhaling a deep breath, I immersed myself in work. I better get it over with and call it a day. By the time I parked my car in the driveway of the house, I knew my day had come to a stop in terms of work. At least I wouldn't have to go over some paperwork for the night. I would just head straight to my room and crash for the night.

Soon enough, my little plan was disrupted by the noise coming from the living room as I stepped inside the house. There, I found my family chatting around the dining table. The box of cake on the dining table didn't go unnoticed by me. That was rare.

"Congratulations, Quinn. Mommy is so proud of you," came Amelia's voice as she hugged her daughter. Seated beside her was Scott, eyes glued to his phone. Liam and Olivia were sitting side by side.

Why are they always so close to each other?

I maneuvered my way towards them. "Uncle Logan, Aunt Olivia gave me this," Quinn cheered as she showed me a princess crown on her head.

"That's nice. You did a great job. Congratulations," I said, slightly pinching her cheeks. That was the first time I had made such a gesture around them.

My eyes briefly met Olivia's, and she flashed me a smile. At some point, I felt like she was taking everything too seriously. The fact that she was here for the sake of the baby growing inside her, and none of the family members knew about it. When they do find out, things will become complicated.

I excused myself and allowed them to enjoy the moment. It might be a normal thing for Olivia, but I wish it could make a difference in the family. The hallway was growing quiet as the voices of the family faded into the background. A hot shower was what I needed at that moment, a nerve-wracking one.

Just as I was about to turn the doorknob to my room, Olivia called out to me. "Logan," she was holding a plate with a slice of cake on it. It better not be for me.

"Here," she said, pushing the plate forward. My eyes traveled from the plate back to her. "I don't eat cake," I said, trying to distance myself from the situation.

She frowned. "I won't buy that. Who doesn't like cake?" she said, her eyes darting left and right.

"Just because you do doesn't mean I do. Enjoy yourselves," I said, taking the silence as a cue to walk into my room. But then, I felt a tug on my arm. Olivia was holding my wrist, which she lowered down to my hand resting on the doorknob. "I love cake. You will too," and with that, she kicked my door open and dragged me away with her.