She became even more organized, more controlling of what happened around her, especially when it came to taking care of her family. And that didn’t let up, not even when she went to university or began teaching. No, she continued to supervise and encourage her siblings’ career aspirations, pushed them to apply for student loans and to enter university while working part-time jobs to help cover their living expenses just as she had. It was only after the youngest of them had graduated, and Olivia was teaching full-time at an Auckland high school, that she began to relax—and then she’d met Xander.
There’d been an aloofness, a self-sufficiency about him that had appealed to her. While in some ways it had reminded her of her father and how he kept himself emotionally detached from his children, it also meant Xander wouldn’t need her as much as her siblings had needed her. For the first time in years, she could focus on herself. She could be independent, to a point, and do what she’d always wanted to do. Paint and create her own family on her own terms. And she had done all that—but she’d forgotten the vital ingredient to a truly happy marriage. Making those big decisions as a couple, not as a pair of individuals.
She had a lot to make up to Xander for. Caring for him once he’d been released from the hospital had been a start. Repairing their marriage was next.
Xander’s hand skimmed the curve of her buttocks even as he slept, and she smiled and closed her eyes again. She had plenty of time to work out when she would tell him everything. For now, she’d just revel in the moment.
Ten
When Olivia woke again, the sun was streaming into their bedroom windows. The space beside her in the bed was empty, and she could hear the shower running. A smile of deep satisfaction spread across her face as she stretched and relished the sensation of her naked skin against the sheets. Everything was going to be okay; she just knew it.
A perturbing memory flickered on the periphery of her mind. The condom Xander had used last night—she’d completely forgotten about them being in his bedside drawers. After Parker’s birth, Xander had taken control of that side of things. They hadn’t discussed it, but she suspected it was mostly because he didn’t want to be hijacked into parenthood again. She’d had no objections. But how old would those condoms have been? And was the fact he’d reached for one so automatically an indicator that windows on the past were subconsciously opening for him again?
She leaned over the bed, slid open the drawer and squinted a little as she tried to make out the date printed on the box. As she read the numbers her stomach somersaulted. Expired. Well and truly. She quickly put the box back in the drawer and closed it, her nerves jangling. Surely they’d still be safe, but just in case, she’d buy some more and replace the expired box.
Olivia grabbed her robe and shrugged it on. A big breakfast, she thought. Maybe pancakes made from scratch with maple syrup and bacon. She did a mental inventory of the contents of the refrigerator and her pantry as she made her way downstairs. After using the downstairs bathroom to quickly freshen up, she went into the kitchen and began whipping up the pancake batter.
She’d just put bacon on the grill when Xander came into the kitchen. She looked up and drank in the sight of him.
“Well, you look better than you have in a while,” she said with a smile before crossing the kitchen to plant a kiss on his chin.
“I think we both know the reason for that,” he said, playfully tugging on the sash of her robe and sliding his hands inside to cup her breasts.
Instantly her body caught flame. How had she survived without him all this time? she thought as he bent his head and kissed her thoroughly. Her body mourned the loss of his touch when he pulled away and straightened her robe.
“You hungry?” she asked. “I’m making pancakes.”
“I’m always hungry around you,” he said. “Are we eating in here or outside?”
“It’s a beautiful day—why don’t we eat on the patio?”
“I’ll set the table.”
While Olivia ladled batter into the heavy skillet she had on the stove top, Xander gathered up place mats, cutlery and condiments, and took them outside. She was humming with what she knew was a ridiculous smile on her face when the phone rang. After checking quickly on the bacon, she reached for the handset and answered the phone.
“Mrs. Jackson? It’s Peter Clement here.”
Olivia’s joyful mood bubble burst instantly. Her lawyer. The one representing her in the divorce proceedings Xander had brought against her.