Stephen’s not the man for her. While he’s a great doctor, he’s also a manwhore. Elizabeth deserves someone who hasn’t been with half of Texas. He’d use her, then leave her brokenhearted because commitment has never been his thing.
Olivia still has Elizabeth under interrogation. “Can you stay in here with me for a while?”
“If your dad is okay with it.” Elle turns and looks at me with a grin.
“Mommy leaves me alone all the time, and I’m a good girl. I don’t want to be by myself.”
There’s a long pause as I try to comprehend what she just said.
“Home alone?” Elizabeth finally asks, and I’m grateful she doesn’t let the info slide.
Olivia’s never admitted anything like this before. Anger brushes over me, and I’m two seconds from calling my lawyer.
“She only leaves for a little while. I don’t get into trouble,” Olivia explains.
“You should tell your daddy about this,” Elizabeth offers, her voice still light and cheery.
“Mommy said Daddy can’t know. But she didn’t say you couldn’t.”
Elle laughs softly. “Okay. It’s our secret.”
Soon Elle gets up to see the next patient, and I enter my office.
Her emerald eyes meet mine. “We should talk later.”
“It’s okay.” I nod and point at my ear when Olivia isn’t looking. Elizabeth understands and gives me a sad smile before going to the first exam room.
As Elle handles the next few appointments, Olivia talks my head off about getting a pony.
“And who’d feed him every day?” I ask.
She points at me. “You, Daddy!”
“Me? But you’d need to feed him if he’s your pony,” I say with encouragement.
“I would when I’m here, but you have to do it when I go back to Mommy’s. I asked her for a puppy, and she said no.” Olivia sticks out her bottom lip, and guilt floods me. If the tables were turned, and I had Olivia as much as Vivian does, she’d have all the animals she wanted.
I tell Olivia I need to grab a file from the front, and she follows me.
“Do you have any Thanksgiving plans?” Beverly asks Elle, who’s leaning against the front desk.
“Oh yeah. I’ll have a big turkey lunch with my parents and brother, then afterward, we’ll go to the B&B for a dessert buffet. My cousin Maize and her employees make a ton of pies, bars, and cookies. Since she’s pregnant now, I’ve kinda volunteered to help her bake.”
“I love pie! Can I come?” Olivia asks.
“Olivia,” I interject, finding the file I needed. “We have plans with Grammy and Poppy,” I remind her.
Her smile falls and her bottom lip quivers, which means she’ll start crying at any moment. Since she was up early and didn’t sleep well last night, I knew she’d eventually get cranky.
“I want a dessert buffet!” Olivia crosses her arms, then stomps her feet. She rarely makes a scene, especially in front of other people, but luckily, Elle goes to her and kneels.
“You know, I bet if you asked your daddy nicely, he might consider it. Perhaps your grammy and poppy can come too?” Elle looks up at me with an apologetic expression, then continues, “Everyone’s always welcome, but it’s up to your daddy, okay?” Elizabeth stands and glances over at Beverly and Trina. “You two are invited as well. Grandma would love to see y’all.”
Beverly thanks Elle for the invite, then explains she’s making a big dinner for her family this year. Trina tells us how busy she’ll be too.
“Can we, Daddy? Pretty please?” Olivia puts her hands together in a prayer hold.
“I’ll think about it,” I say, hoping she’ll forget between now and then. The last thing I need is to witness Stephen’s slimy hands touching Elle even though she said they weren’t dating. I’m not sure I could handle seeing it again
Somehow I’m able to cheer up Olivia before she can bring it up again, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until she does.
“I’m sorry, I hope I’m not too late,” Mom says, rushing in before my lunch break.
“Not a problem, Ma. Just appreciate you takin’ her for the afternoon.”
Thanksgiving isn’t for another three days, which means I have to work until the holiday.
“You got everything?” I ask Olivia.
She nods and grins. I imagine she shoved three hundred crayons in the bottom of her backpack. “Okay. See you after work. Love you.”
“Love you, Daddy.” She waves before grabbing my mother’s hand, and they leave.
The rest of the day passes by quickly. As I’m scrolling on my laptop, I look up and see Elizabeth leaning