Page 4 of Daddy's Little Bunny (Ivory Mountain Daddies #2)

CHAPTER THREE

OLIVIA

O livia looked at the texts from Miles on her phone again. She knew she needed to reply to him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it just yet.

How did she explain to him that she didn’t run because of him, but rather something he said?Later that night, once Olivia was able to think with a clear head, she figured out what had caused her panic attack.

Miles called her darling. While for anyone else that might not have been a big deal, it was to her. Darling was the only pet name that David ever gave her.

It’s silly, she knew that. It’s just a word, but that word sent her right back to that man’s clutches and she freaked.

Miles deserved an explanation, but she couldn’t give him one. Not yet anyway. She had typed out a message to him several times before deleting them, repeatedly.

The words didn’t seem right no matter what she tried to say. Finally settling on something, she typed out a response to his last message.

Olivia: Hey Miles. I’m okay, I just wanted you to know so you can stop worrying.

The response was immediate which made her think that he was sitting by the phone just waiting for her to text him. That made her feel even worse about making the man worry for so long.

Miles: It’s okay, Little Bunny. I’m glad to know that you’re okay.

Miles: Can we talk about what happened on Saturday?

Olivia: I don’t want to talk about it. Just know I’m okay.

Olivia: I ask though that you don’t call me darling again. That’s not a name I’m okay with.

Miles: Okay, sweetheart. I can do that. Can we meet up for coffee one day this week?

Olivia knew that she shouldn’t accept the coffee date, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn him down anymore.

She was tired of running away from what could possibly be something good. It’s not like he would be her forever, but maybe he would be a good step in the right direction.

Olivia: Sure, we can grab coffee. Is Thursday okay?

Miles: Absolutely, I’d love that. I can’t wait to see you again.

They worked out the details of the date and Olivia felt like she was living her life for once, instead of running from it .

It had been nine months since she escaped, there was no reason to not have a little bit of a life. She was kind of excited for Thursday to get here.

She just hoped he didn’t think that she wasn’t worth the effort to get to know because she feared that, once he knew about her past, he would turn in the other direction. Maybe she was setting herself up for heartbreak, but she was trying not to care.

Today was a hard day. It started with Olivia waking to her usual nightmare. They were becoming more frequent and vivid.

It was becoming harder to distinguish between what was true and what wasn’t. Some mornings it felt as if she could feel his hands still wrapped around her throat.

The faint pressure lingered long after the nightmare was over and was a constant reminder of what was racing through her mind.

As if only sleeping for two hours wasn’t enough, she then had a rough day at work. Olivia usually didn’t mind working long hours.

It kept the thoughts at bay and allowed her to focus on something else. She also really loved working with her Dementia residents. They could be ugly at times, but mostly they were just funny.

Today it seemed like it was going to be an ugly day all around. The first resident she assisted in getting dressed today called her every mean name in the book.

Who knew that sweet old ladies could have such a colorful language? That Olivia could handle .

What she struggled with was when the next resident decided to pick a fight with her. Her arm would be sporting a bruise and it will be a miracle if she doesn’t have a black eye tomorrow.

Sadly, this was just part of the job and Olivia has gotten good at dodging the hits. If only she had these skills when she was still with David. Maybe then she wouldn’t have ended up so badly hurt.

Tomorrow is her date with Miles, and she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t a bit excited about it. They have been texting back and forth all week after Liv finally responded to his message on Monday.

It turns out that they have a lot more in common than she thought they would have. The chemistry is off the charts as well. Miles makes her swoon and that’s a scary thought at times.

Olivia is trying to keep her heart out of this. She has no reason to trust that Miles isn’t like David even though every bone in her body tells her they are not the same kind of man.

He hasn’t been anything but a gentleman since they started talking, but she keeps reminding herself that people can be good liars until they have you in their clutches. That’s when their true character comes out.

The pinging of her phone brought her back to reality. She wasn’t supposed to have her phone out while at work, but she never went without it being in her pocket

She could never know when she would need to make a quick exit and she didn’t want to be without it.

She keeps her new ID and a little bit of cash stashed in the back of the case. If she ever needed to run again she would have the important things on her and didn’t have to worry about backtracking.

That’s also the same reason why she has a go bag in her car and her home. It held a handful of essentials that would help her get out and get started again.

The only thing she didn’t carry in the bag was Nibbles. She could only hope that if she ever needed to run again she would be able to grab her first.

Liv knew though that if she had to leave Nibbles behind she would forgive her. She brought Nibbles with her when she escaped from David that dreaded night.

It had been a big risk to go back to the house to grab her, but Olivia couldn’t leave her behind.

She doesn’t know why she decided to stop here. Olivia had been studying a map when she stopped at one of the train stations while escaping and fell in love with the name. So, she came here and she hasn’t regretted that choice.

The small town was just big enough that she could go under the radar, but also still had the small town feel that she realized she loved. Glancing at her phone, she couldn’t help but smile at the text she saw waiting for her.

Miles: Little Bunny, I’m so excited to spend time with you tomorrow.

Bouncing on her tippy toes, Olivia let herself feel the excitement bubbling out of her. They had decided to meet at the same coffee shop that Rae and she frequently went to.

Even if the date ended up going wrong, she would at least get to have a cup of her favorite chai tea and a blueberry scone.

Olivia: I’m excited to see you too. I just hope that I won’t disappoint you.

Miles: You couldn’t disappoint me, Little one .

Miles didn’t know that she meant that in a different way. Her past will always exist and she wouldn’t be free from it.

She just hopes that when he finds out, he doesn’t hate her. Every part of her being is telling her that he isn’t going to care, but she knows better than to listen to those feelings.