Love Like Her (Against All Odds #3) - Claudia Y. Burgoa Page 0,26
as she loves her other two parents,” I assure him. “This isn’t something she’s told me. It is what I’ve observed.”
He stares at the floor and takes a sip of his coffee. “We never talked about it. I fell in love with her the moment I met her. I never regretted leaving Otto because I wanted her to have a happy family. When he came back to me, I didn’t know what my role was. I never asked, afraid he’d say you’re nothing to her. I just tried to be a part of her life. I love her as if she’s mine. She’s so loving and happy. Also, she’s a part of him.”
“Concentrate on Otto’s recovery. Then you three might want to talk about your family,” I suggest.
He’s about to speak when Liv comes out. Her eyes are red and swollen. She’s so broken.
“Dan, he wants to talk to you.” She sniffs.
He hugs her. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise. Nothing is going to happen to him.” After kissing the top of her head, he enters the room and closes the door behind him.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I assure her.
“Dad gave me instructions in case he doesn’t make it.” She sniffs.
I set the cups and pastries on a chair and take her into my arms. I press her against my body, trying to create a cocoon to protect her from this moment.
She’s gasping for air. “Why do I feel like I can’t breathe?”
“Take in some air and count to six before you exhale,” I order, cupping her face. I connect our gazes. “You are okay. Otto is going to be fine. In about six hours, he’ll come out of surgery good as new. Do you believe me?”
She closes her eyes and nods once. I press a gentle kiss on each eyelid, then her nose, and I brush my lips against hers. I can’t help myself. I slant my mouth on hers and kiss her. I’m not sure what I want to accomplish with this kiss. I want to take away her pain, give her my oxygen, or make her forget for a moment that life is unfair. The sound of the door handle moving makes me stop immediately.
Olivia’s attention goes to her shoes. Her breathing is shallow, but the tears are gone. I release her.
“Liv,” Dan’s voice is a low whisper. “He’s going to be okay. He promised me he’d be okay.”
“I don’t know what we’ll do if we lose him.” She sniffs. “I can’t lose either one of my parents. You three are all I have.”
Dan hugs her, closes his eyes, and kisses the top of her head. “We’ll be around for years. Otto is going to be fine.”
I squeeze his shoulder lightly. “Of course, he will, and then you’ll be fighting with him because he’s going to demand his bacon, and you’ll be giving him cantaloupe with ricotta cheese instead.”
There’s no way I can leave them by themselves while Otto is in surgery. I excuse myself and go outside the hospital to make a couple of calls. It’s easy to switch my flight.
When I try to reschedule the interview, I’m told that it’s impossible. They have stronger candidates for the position whose salary matches what they are offering. In other words, they weren’t planning on paying me what I asked for. I should take another look at Liv’s idea. I could try to approach Gil and see if he could lend me the money.
Around lunchtime, I run to the pub for sandwiches and drinks for the three of us. Liv barely touches her food. Dan doesn’t even acknowledge it. According to the doctor, the surgery could last up to six hours, and it’s been only three.
“At what time is your interview?” Liv asks.
“I canceled it,” I respond.
She gasps. “Why? I can lend you my car.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
“Have I told you that you’re like some kind of guardian angel?”
“Maybe I’m a guardian yeti.” I wink at her.
“But the job…” she mumbles. “I’m so sorry.”
I lift her chin and give her a peck. “Hey, it’s fine. It wasn’t for me. Maybe we’ll figure out a way to start the other business.”
“Dad needs me to run his company.” She gives me a sad smile. Leaning her head against my chest, she whispers, “Promise you’ll make it happen.”
“Promise that one day you’ll come and work for me, and we have a deal.”
Otto comes out of surgery around two o’clock. The doctor gives Dan and Liv