Page 57 of Capturing the Captain

Olivia’s face drops, “What do you mean? We haven’t-”

“All I’m saying is, if you want to have secret office sex, maybe hide the jersey and the big man's feet from under the desk. I have eyes, you know.”

Ollie groans while I stifle a laugh. Yeah I can see it now, how we weren't being subtle at all.

“You’re sounding a little hypocritical there, Kat.” Her eyes widen at my statement. I’m pretty sure I found a pair of Coach’s boxers lying in his office after he had a ‘meeting’ with Katherine. I give her a wink as we leave her office and a sense of satisfaction fills me at the tomato red colour painting her cheeks.

Our next stop after our meeting with Katherine is my aunt Diane’s cafe. It’s time to tell her and my sister the truth. It’s weird though. With Katherine, Olivia and I were risking our careers but I’m still a lot more nervous about telling my family.

“Do you want me to wait out here for a bit?” Olivia asks me as we reach the door to the cafe.

“Uhh,” I flap my hands out trying to ease the tension in my body, “Fuck, I dont know.”

“Hey, baby.” Olivia starts, taking my hands in hers. “You need to calm down. Everything is gonna be okay.”

“I know, I know.” Raking my hands through my hair, I squeeze my eyes shut. “You know that look your mom gives you when she’s disappointed in you? That’s what it feels like when Diane looks at me.” She’s been a mother figure to me since my own mom passed away and the thought of disappointing her kills me. When I take in Olivia’s sad eyes, guilt surges through me. “Shit, baby. I’m so sorry.” Of course she wouldn't know what it’s like. Her mom checked out when she was ten years old and they haven’t spoken in about eleven years. I feel like a dick.

Ollie gives me a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it. Plus, I know exactly what you're talking about.” She pauses, rolling her eyes but lets out a soft chuckle, “Sasha gave me that look today.” She explains but doesn't tell me why. “Look, why don't we go in together? I'll be there for you the whole time.” She places a gentle kiss on the palm of my hand. “Plus, your aunt loves me. And she can't get mad at me. I’m growing her great niece in here.” She places a hand over her stomach and I itch to do the same.

“Come on.” I tug her behind me into the cafe, the familiar sound of the bell overhead a welcome reprieve.

“Oh, hey Button.” Aunt Diane calls from behind the counter. When her eyes catch Olivia behind me, she pauses. “Well if it isn’t Miss Olivia.” She beams at my girlfriend. “We’ve missed you around here.”

Ollie smiles back at her warmly. “Yeah, I’m sorry. Things got a bit… busy for a while.” I squeeze her hand to offer her some comfort.

“Is Charlie here?” I ask when I don’t see her in the cafe.

“Not anymore, love. We were quiet so I told her to go home. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to speak to you both.”

“I’m here. Why don’t you two find a table and I’ll be over soon.” It’s only now that I realize she hadn’t questioned why Olivia and I were together. I look behind my shoulder at Ollie as we walk to a quiet spot in the back and she just shrugs, seemingly having the same thoughts as me.

Five minutes pass before aunt Diane strolls over to our table. “So, what’s going on?” She asks, eyeing me and Olivia closely.

I clear my throat before speaking. “Well, I,” I clear my throat again while Olivia squeezes my thigh under the table, grounding me. “Olivia and I are together.”

The smile that lights up my aunt's face brings back so many memories of when I was young. It’s the same smile she had when I told her I’d been drafted for the Flames and then again when I made captain. “We’ve actually been together for a while.”

“Oh.” Is her only response, her smile faltering. “And how long is ‘a while’?”

Shit. “Since I told you I ended things.” I cringe as I say the words, waiting for that look but it doesn't come. She’s giving me a look that I can’t decipher. “Why don't you seem surprised?”

“Oh, Joshy.” She says in a child-like tone. “I knew the second that you walked out of here that day that you wouldn't end it with this one.” She nods towards Olivia who has a blush spreading across her cheeks. “You proved that when I saw you the next day and were happier than a kid on christmas day.” She squeezes my hand over the top of the table. “And you, Miss Olivia, are a terrible actress.”

Ollie covers her face with her hands and I laugh, taking her hand in mine again.

“Then something happened and all of a sudden you stopped coming in here and my Button boy was acting like he had something stuck up his ass for months on end.”

I gape at her, my jaw almost hitting the table and now Olivia is the one who’s laughing.

We tell her everything. Why we hid it from everyone. What happened with Ryan. And about how we went to Katherine this morning. She was very understanding about all of it and I realize that I had no reason to be nervous. Aunt Diane was always going to be supportive. As long as I’m happy, she’s happy. It's something she has always told me but it isn't until now that I understand how true that was.

“There’s one more thing.” Olivia says, fumbling around in her purse, pulling out a small photo of our baby. She hands the photo to Diane with shaky hands.

I eye her carefully, gauging her reaction. Her eyes instantly well with tears as she looks between Ollie and I and back down at the photo. She lets out a loud squeal, pushing back from the table so fast that her chair clatters to the floor, gaining the attention of every single person in the cafe. “Congratualtions!” She rounds the table, pulling Olivia into a long hug before wrapping her arms around me. She kisses my cheek and the urge to cry is so strong. The back of my nose burns and I have to blink away the tears. “I’m so happy for you, Joshy.” She embraces me again in a warm hug that feels like home.

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