Go Away, Darling - Alexis Anne Page 0,65
watching a show on his iPad and “taking a nap” since he didn’t sleep much last night.
“Everything’s great!” Oh my god, I sounded insane.
Olivia stared at me.
“Fine, everything isn’t great. Everything is bad. Very bad and I’m afraid when I tell you what’s happening you’ll be mad and leave me and never let me love you again.”
Now she really stared at me.
“I think I need some coffee before whatever this is,” she waved her hand at me, “happens.”
I whimpered a little and handed her a mug. I didn’t want any. I had enough nervous energy and adrenaline running through my system to power a small country.
Olivia sat at the counter and watched me finish assembling sandwiches. Okay, watching is probably the nicest way to say she was studying me. Probably searching for signs I’d taken drugs or been taken by aliens.
I repacked all the meat and cheese, plated our food, and set it on the bar. “Do you want to eat first or last?”
She picked up a chip and took a bite. “How about I eat while you talk?”
I whimpered again, paced the kitchen, pulled my stupid hair some more. None of it told me how to share this new information with Olivia in a way that wouldn’t freak her out.
“Chris? Start at the beginning.”
Right. The beginning. “Roman called. He’s my agent.”
“Are you being traded?”
“No! It’s nothing about baseball.” Thank God.
“You’re the new spokesman for a cereal box?”
No wonder Roman had a hard time breaking the news to me. This was fucking impossible. I pulled out my phone and called up the images he sent me. “Roman received this letter. Ben and Scott’s agent received the same thing.”
She took my phone tentatively, scowled at the image, swiped the next, and the next.
“What kind of fucked up shit is this?”
God, I loved her. “We don’t know but we don’t like it.”
“No kidding!” She stood up, taking her sandwich with her. I thought she was going to pace around too, but instead she came to me and wrapped her arms around my middle. “I’ll cut anyone who hurts you.” Then she took a bite of sandwich like getting threatening letters happened everyday.
“Really?” I stroked her hair, thankful that she was touching me.
“You should probably know now, I may like my nice quiet days at home, but I’m a Momma Bear. I’ll take anyone out who hurts my family.”
I squeezed her against me because, if I wasn’t mistaken, she was saying I was family. “Don’t leave me.” Celebrating last night I was all caveman, but I couldn’t caveman Olivia about her life. In this I was powerless. I really preferred when I got to be a caveman.
She pushed back enough to look up at me. “You’re stuck with me now.” She shrugged. “No take backs.”
I crushed her to me all over again and I think I heard some sandwich hit the tile floor. “Oh thank God.”
She nuzzled against my chest. “I’m worried, Chris.” She squeezed me tighter.
I held her just as tightly. Hell, I wanted to crush her into me so we could become one. “I’m worried too. Mostly about you and Linc. Come with me on the road, or go stay with Beau.”
“Linc has camp this week. He’s been looking forward to it all summer.”
Crap. “I’m getting you both bodyguards then. Don’t fight me on this. If you won’t leave and I can’t be here, then this is the way it has to be.”
“Okay.”
“And I’ll have to tell my brothers about us. I’ll want them to look in on you too.”
“Okay.”
“Please don’t argue with me,” I sighed. “You and Linc are my whole world and if anything happens to you—”
“I’m not fighting you.” She shook me.
I thought back over the last few things she said. “You said okay?”
“I did.” She smiled up at me.
“You’re not fighting me.”
“I’m not.” Then she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed me. “If there’s someone out there watching you and your brothers then they’ve seen you spend all your spare time here. Yes, I want protection and you better have some too.”
“I will.” God, she was so beautiful and smart and way too good for me. I brushed back her hair and just stared at her. “Maybe I can call in sick with the stomach flu. Pretend I’m not fit to pitch for the next week.”
“And what if this goes on and on? Are you going to quit pitching for the rest of the season to stay by my side?”
“Maybe.” Honestly it sounded like the best