Page 96 of Accidental Theirs

I woke up this morning hungover and regretful, and I’ve been trying to apologize to her ever since.

She looks down at my hand and raises an eyebrow.

“Did I catch you in the middle of something?”

I look down to see an Allen wrench in my hand.

My cheeks burn, and I’m not sure I want her to know what I’m building upstairs.

But right now, she needs reassurance, and just because I’m embarrassed doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give it to her.

I take her hand and lead her upstairs to the guest room, where I’ve started to set up a crib and a changing station.

Olivia claps a hand over her mouth, her eyes watering. “Damien. This is...”

“Early. I know. But when the baby is here, I want him to have his own room.”

“Him?”

I smile sheepishly. “I don’t know. Just feels like a boy, I guess.” I pause, watching her face. “Are you okay?”

She sniffles, rubbing at her eyes. “I’m fine. It’s just the hormones.”

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“Some water would be nice. Or tea, if you have it.”

“Tea it is.”

I head downstairs again, and she follows me into the kitchen as I put on the kettle, taking two teacups down from the cabinet.

Olivia sits down at the small breakfast nook in the kitchen, looking around.

“You have a beautiful home. It’s smaller than I expected.”

I shrug. “I didn’t want to rattle around in a mansion. I only need so much space.”

She licks her lips, and I struggle not to look at her mouth.

“You’ve never had a live-in girlfriend?”

I scoff. “Me? No. Nothing like that.”

Her eyes search my face curiously, and I wonder what she’s thinking.

She doesn’t speak again, and I pour boiling water over the teabags. “Cream or sugar?”

“Just sugar, please. A lot of it.”

I chuckle and put the tea in front of her along with a spoon and a container of sugar. I sit across from her, and she mixes in a truly insane amount of sugar.

“Should have known you have a sweet tooth.”

“Because I’m so sweet?” She smiles, and my heart swells.

Maybe things are getting better. I would hate myself forever if I chased her away because of my actions.

“Listen, Olivia, I want to apologize.”