Olivia
June 2nd, 2022
Ireleased a slow breath and headed back for the porch where Evelyn and Baily were playing on the steps, Stella sitting in one of the chairs with a pitcher of lemonade and glasses sitting on the table.
I gave Baily a small smile and met Evelyn’s eyes briefly on my way up the stairs. “I’m sorry,” I told Stella. “Stomach bug.” I felt absolutely humiliated. I jumped to the worst conclusion possible and humiliated myself in front of them all. It was embarrassing, but the only thing I could do now was move on. Pretend it never happened.
Maybe mom was right. Maybe I did need to be put on medication.
She nodded, sympathy in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it, darling, it’s been going around. Are you okay? Here, some fresh lemonade, made this morning. My mama’s recipe,” she smiled, pouring me a glass. “She always made the best lemonade.”
I sat across from her, thanking her for the drink. “Is that an accent I hear?” I could do this. I could get whatever it was I was looking for and move on.
Her smile widened. “Yes. I’m originally from Louisianna. The accent never did completely fade.” She cocked her head gently to one side. “Parden my pushing, but who are you again? Olivia? Have we met before? My brain sometimes gets a little foggy. I tend to be forgetful sometimes.”
Yeah, unfortunately, that was the side-effect of dating someone like Steven. I couldn’t help but wonder if he did the same things to her as he had done to me. It was hard to believe because they had been together for 10 years and she was still smiling.
I felt like I had lost the ability to smile a long time ago. I felt as if I would never get it back.
Everett took a seat on the wide wooden railing of the porch, watching us carefully, watching me, as if he believed I were in some sort of danger.
I didn’t think he had the capacity to care about something like that, let alone for me.
Even so, I studied those cold eyes for a few more seconds before slowly turning back to her, suddenly realizing the truth behind why I was actually here. “No,” I replied softly. She didn’t know about Steven. Not one thing. Not about what he did or what happened just two weeks ago.
Where did she think he was?
“I’m a…I know him—Steven,” I told her, watching as her eyes lost a little of their life. “I know him.” I knew that feeling too.
Her smile slowly fell, and after a moment, she nodded, sucking in her lips and looking over to Baily. She watched her kid play for a long time before her smile grew and her beautiful eyes found mine again, the light reigniting slowly.
It was then I realized how she still smiled despite everythinghe must have done to her. She had found her strength.
“The day I found out I was pregnant he came to my apartment with a girl. She was…she was a pretty young thing, like you,” she nodded, my heart falling to my stomach. “He thought it was his place. I had set up this small little…reveal, I guess you could say. A little box with a little bow, some tissue paper, the test sitting in the middle. I had always wanted a family. A big one with a whole litter of kids. I was so excited.”
I swallowed, hating him more than anything else in the world. “What did he do?”
She shrugged, her eyes filling. “He was drunk. He told me to get out and I did. I had to. He was going to do what he did no matter what I chose, so,” another shrug as her eyes found Baily. “He missed her birth. My mama, though,” she laughed, wiping away a tear, “my mama was there. Mama Anne Baily Voss. When I held that little girl in my arms, nothing else mattered. Not the rain or the shine, not the fact that the hospital was too cold or the blankets too itchy. Not even that my husband was off with some pretty little thing across town. All I cared about was those big ‘ole eyes staring right back at me. As if I were her whole world, because I was. I was everything to her and I decided right then and there that I would be everything to her for the rest of my days. She didn’t need a man like that in her life, and I didn’t either.”
The lump in my throat grew. God, she was a good person. She didn’t deserve any of this.
Was I the reason he missed the birth? Had he been with me that night or some other ‘pretty little thing’? Clearly, he didn’t have any qualms about cheating on both of us. Maybe that had been one of those nights when he had been busy with his friends. “Why didn’t you leave him?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know. He was never cruel. Sometimes he said mean things when he was tired or had a drinktoo many, but I mean, he bought us this house. He filled it with furniture. He didn’t let Baily want for anything. The good days were awfully good. Too good, I suppose. Maybe he was making up for all those times he stepped out. I thought to myself that maybe dealing with it was better than trying to do it all on my own.”
It was never better. Ever. She thought of herself as being worthy of less than what she deserved, and I absolutely hated that. She deserved everything. She deserved a man who would put her on a pedestal and kiss her toes.
My brows furrowed a moment later though, and I glanced towards Everett, who gave nothing away, but I knew. That’s what the loan was for. For them. For Stella and Baily.
They must have waited a little while before they went after him for the money, but that was a lot. It was a lot of money. To buy a house, to fill it with furniture, to spoil them?
“When did you meet him?”
I turned back to Stella, her eyes wide, a napkin in her hand that she had used to dab her tears. “Three years ago,” I told her, hating each word as I said them. “I had just moved to town. He was kind.”
Stella smiled softly, a light laugh escaping her light pink lips. “Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry,” she told me, causing me to straighten. “I’m sorry you had to find out about it. He’s been gone for a couple of weeks now on business, I think, but if he was here, I’d make him apologize, I would, I amsosorry.”
“You’re sorry?” I asked in complete disbelief. I leaned over the table. “No, listen to me. You have nothing to be sorry for, he’s the f—” I stopped myself, glancing to Baily and back. “Jerk,” I finished, causing her to laugh again. “Look at you. You are beautiful. You have a beautiful daughter and a beautiful house, and you live on a beautiful street. You have a good life. You’re going to have an amazing life,” I whispered, my eyes filling.
