Liv POV
I think they wanted me to help. The chatty little girl had all but demanded pizza and it didn't take Fitz much convincing before he had pulled out ingredients to make dough. I watched the father and daughter pair prepare dough for the pizza's they were making, but I hadn't accepted Fitz's invitation of "join in if you want." I was too busy thinking of what my next move would be.
It was a few hours after I had told Fitz my real name and I needed an escape immediately afterwards. I felt open and exposed simply by giving that small piece of myself. He understood my need for a moment of privacy and told me to take as much time as I needed as I walked upstairs. I went through my purse, making sure everything was still there and was happy to find my phone at the bottom of the purse. My happiness faded just as quickly when I noticed it was dead and the charger had been forgotten in the car.
I was grateful. Extremely grateful but it didn't stop the dread that crept up inside of me knowing that without the phone working, everything I needed to do, couldn't be done . If I didn't have the phone charger, I could use the phone. If I couldn't use the phone, I couldn't contact the one person that could really help me.
Knowing that sulking would do me no good, I slid off the stool I had been perched on, walked to the other side of the counter, and stared out the window. It's only when you're running from something do you realize how important freedom really is. I felt like a prisoner in my own body. Just being me, made me a prisoner and I couldn't escape it if I tried. But when I looked out a window, or a door, I would see a bird and realize that one day I would be free again.
When the pizza was done, we all sat at the small table, with CJ doing most of the talking. She was a spitfire and although I held my laugh in most of the time, I found her extremely funny.
"Daddy, can Olivia take me to school tomorrow?"
I stopped mid-bite to look down knowing that it was something that couldn't happen. I was not comfortable with leaving the house, let alone the neighborhood, so there was no way I would even be willing to take her to school. No matter how excited or disappointed she would look.
"No sweetheart. Listen, when you go to school tomorrow, I need you to promise me something, okay?"
"Okay fine, then I won't promise you anything" she said pouting and I wondered if Fitz would let her attitude slide since she was clearly upset.
"Cassandra Jane, you're going to listen to what I have to say. Olivia's leg isn't well enough to drive and you know only I drop you off at school. It's our time together, right?"
She nodded her head slowly, before she dropped her arms and picked her slice of pizza back up.
"Can she come eat lunch with me, then?"
"CJ, Olivia isn't going to leave the house for a while."
"Why not, it's so boring here." Her face was scrunched up and I had to laugh internally. She had everything a kid could want, but to her people mattered more.
"Olivia just is. Now listen to me, no one knows Olivia is here, so I need to you keep it that way. Do you understand that?"
Her head tilted up as she processed what her father told her and I wondered why he just didn't tell her in simpler terms that she couldn't tell anyone about me.
"You mean I can't tell anyone that she's here, right?"
"Yes, that's right." He clearly knew she would understand.
"Why not? Is she our secret friend, daddy?"
Fitz glanced at me for a second before looking back to his daughter and smiling.
Fitz POV
"CJ, I could tell you that she's a secret friend, but you know how we don't lie to each other?"
"Yes, daddy. We always tell the truth, even if it might get us in trouble."
"That's right. Olivia is kind of like a secret friend but she's just a friend that needs a break from other people so we need to keep her privacy and not tell anyone."
"Her privacy like when she goes to the bathroom?"
"Sort of like that. You know about privacy for the bathroom, but you remember when we were at your school and we signed some papers that says no one else can pick you up from school except me, grandma and Abby?"
"Yes, to keep me safe from strangers."
"Yes and what about when you learned my phone number and our address? Do we tell everyone that information?"
"NO!" she shouted with a serious expression on her face. "Those are privacy for only us to know. So strangers can't come to our house."
"Exactly! So privacy can be like that too for adults. So we are going to respect Olivia's privacy and not tell anyone that she's here because she needs some privacy right now. Does that make sense?"
"Yes. So I can't tell anyone about her being at my house?"
"No you cannot. We won't tell anyone about Olivia being here."
"But when I come home, can I see her or do I have to give her privacy still?"
Olivia shifted in her chair and finally looked up from the spot she had been staring at since I started speaking to my daughter.
"You can see me when you get home from school."
"Yes!"
That made her happy and the conversation was over. I made a mental note to remind her on the way to school tomorrow as much as I could just in case she forgot.
LIV Pov
The next morning I heard the two of them getting ready for their day but decided to stay in my 'room' for the time being. I didn't want to give CJ any ideas on me coming with them to drop her off and I wanted to have myself as far away from her thoughts before she went to school. They seemed to have a great routine down and I smiled hearing their muffled chatter through the hallway. CJ had given her dad a hard time when it came to getting out of bed and when she refused he reminded her of the fight she'd put up during bedtime last night. I had retreated to my room halfway into the movie they put on, and fallen asleep early so hadn't heard a thing, but with what he used as ammo, it must not have been too pretty.
They had breakfast downstairs, and I heard when CJ came up alone and began brushing her teeth. The toothbrush played a song I wasn't familiar with as she brushed and I could hear her muffled singing voice through the foamy toothpaste. The footsteps I heard in the hall had come to a sudden halt at one point and I knew that she had remembered that I was just behind the door and if I could make a guess, she was probably about to take a peek inside. I wasn't sure if I had time to turn to face the couch, so I closed my eyes so that she would think I was still sleeping when she peeked in.
"Bug"
The loud whisper caused my eyes to spring open and I was surprised when tears filled them as well. For as long as I could remember, my father called me Livvie bug and although I felt like I barely knew the man he really was, I would always be his Livvie bug.
"Daddy, I wanna say hi to Olivia" she didn't bother with whispering and I could only assume that Fitz had lifted her into his arms because after four heavy steps against the wooden floor, everything went silent.
It was almost fifteen minutes later that I heard the garage door being opened and closed alerting me that they were gone for the day. I ventured downstairs and grabbed a plate before making myself some toast and coffee. Waiting for it to finish, I went to the window and stared out the backyard. I had only been here a few days, but it was my favorite place in their home. I wouldn't dare go outside, but longed to be out in the fresh air, knowing that I was safe. Hearing the toast pop up, I turned to grab them out before getting the strawberry jelly out. It was my favorite and CJ made it a point to tell me it was her favorite as well. After fixing my plate, I went to sit my things at the island before I felt my bladder calling out for release and went to the half bath that was near the living room.
After doing my business and washing my hands, I came out and jumped when I opened the door and saw Fitz standing in the living room.
"You scared me." I'm not sure why I said that, but it just slipped out.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I saw that you made toast, would you like anything else to eat?"
I shook my head and walked towards the kitchen and to the island.
"I'll finish up and be out of your way."
"No you don't need to rush at all. I'm gonna grab some coffee and breakfast."
"Shouldn't you be at work?" I couldn't place why he was still home when he mentioned going to work today.
"I only have one meeting today and a ton of errands to run, so I figured I could just work from home."
I looked down and felt embarrassed. He must not have trusted me alone in his home and I couldn't blame him. Running out to grab my purse while I was half conscious was one thing and dropping his daughter at school just a few minutes away was another thing. There was no way he was comfortable leaving me to my own devices the entire day.
"Hey, it's not you. You're fine. I just hate going into work anyway, and I work from home anytime I can."
"Are you sure, because I can find someplace…"
"Hey, don't do that." His voice was soft and he had an almost defeated look on his face. "I thought we talked about this yesterday. You can stay here as long as you need, and I will help you in any way that I can. I'm not kicking you out and I really hope you won't just leave."
I nodded and went back to eating my toast after giving him an appreciative half smile.
"Besides, I just spent the last ten minutes promising my daughter she would see you when she gets home later. Can't make me into a liar." He said chuckling.
"I won't. I won't leave."
"Good" his smile was genuine and I liked seeing it. "After my meeting, I need to do a few things around town and then I was going to run to the store and wanted to know if could get you anything? Anything at all? I definitely have to pick up some things for the house like shampoo, conditioner, soap and everything but is there a certain kind you umm, need to use?"
His voice had become shaky and I wondered if he was nervous asking about the shampoo I used because I was black or because I was a woman and he hadn't both for either before.
"I have some shampoo and conditioner in my bag."
"What about…."
I knew what he was referring to, and cut him off immediately.
"I'm good on the other things."
"Okay, good, what about soap? Any specific kind you use?"
"You don't have to do this." I said warily. I didn't want him to feel that he had to take care of me any more than he already was.
"Olivia, I'm not doing this because I feel like I have to, I'm doing it because I want to. How about this, I'm gonna go check some voicemails I need to return today and be back in five minutes." He moved to the drawer that was closest to the back door and sifted through it before turning back to me. "Write down whatever you need. Clothes too. I'll grab you a few things, nothing major. Just pants and shirt size, any underclothes you'd want to have. I don't want to make you uncomfortable asking just want you to have what you'll need.
He left the paper and pen before leaving the room with his coffee in hand. I thought back to the last time I had someone actually take care of me and knew I could allow it to happen just this one time.
I started writing and handed the slip of paper to him when I was done.
"Alright, I'll be back in a little while. I'm gonna go get this meeting set up and finished. Shouldn't take more than an hour, then gonna run some errands before I get to the store and be back this way. I'll be back to drop everything off before I go pick CJ up from school."
Fitz POV
I'll be honest and say I've never been shopping for a woman before so after getting our usual necessities, I made my way towards the female section of Target and took out the list.
Pants: 6
Shirt: small
Undergarments: 32B, 4
I was used to shopping for a little girl and although it pained me to see my little girl grow up, she was more than capable of picking out her own clothes after I told her the sizes. In fact she preferred to pick out her own clothes and I usually didn't have many objections and picked up the slack by getting the necessities she'd forget about.
But this was different. This wasn't buying a shirt with a pony on it rather than a smiley face. This wasn't buying the pants that had 'sparklies' on it rather than the plain blue ones. This was me picking out clothes for a woman. An attractive woman. An attractive woman that I was completely attracted to and enamored with. I know she didn't expect me to buy her anything specific, in fact before I left she told me in a quiet voice that a t-shirt and jeans were fine. I didn't want to buy her just any ole clothes, but something nice. I moved through the racks of shirts and picked out four of them that I knew would look beautiful against her skin. She had the most beautiful complexion and it didn't take much for me to picture it in my head. I had been having dreams of her every night and being able to wake up to her the past few days was like living in a fantasy world that I never wanted to leave. I went to the pants and grabbed a black pair and a blue pair before getting two pairs of shorts as well. It was still warm outside and whether she stayed with us or not, she would be able to make use of them before the cooler temperatures came. Not sure of what type of pajamas she usually wore, I chose a satin material set and another set that was your typical cotton pajama pants and t-shirt.
I checked my watch to make sure I was still making good time before I needed to drop the things at home and get CJ from school. I picked up a pair of ankle cut socks and went to grab a pack of underwear but stopped noticing the variety. I had no clue there were that many different type of panties, and instead of looking through each one, I chose bikini because I at least knew what they meant. I double checked the paper to be sure I had gotten the correct size before getting three different bras in black, white and baby blue. I tried not to focus on picking them out, but couldn't lie and say I hadn't mentally pictured her in the baby blue one. I imagined her looking completely edible.
I felt my face heating up and knew my ears would soon be turning bright red. I got out of the section as soon as possible, and paid for everything before leaving.
By the time I made it home, I barely had twenty minutes before I needed to be in the pick-up line to get CJ. I hadn't noticed how time had flown by while I was shopping and needed to make it a quick drop off. I hadn't realized how late it actually was when I finally make it to Target. My meeting had run well over an hour and I had a walk in that swore they needed help right away, but I found the meeting useless. We hadn't decided on anything, and afterwards, I'd spent at least half hour in my office with the lights off fighting off a paralyzing migraine. When I felt like I could move again, I went to get my oil change which turned into getting new tires and my brakes done as well.
I hadn't bothered going through the garage and pulled up to the curb before shutting the car off and running around to grab the bags from the trunk. When I had them securely in my arms, I walked towards the front door. I knew Olivia wouldn't answer the door even if I rang the bell, so I fought with the bags for a few seconds before I was able to get the key out and the door unlocked.
"Olivia?" I waited until I was inside with the door closed before I called out of her and it didn't take long for her to appear at the top of the steps.
"You're back"
Her response was simple and almost silly but I refrained from channeling my six year old and replying with a "duh" and simply nodded and smiled.
"I actually am running very late and need to go if I want to get to CJ in time. I promised her we could stop pass the library today so we've got some books and movies to return. I'm sure we'll rent more then we will be back. I just promised we'd spend a bit of daddy, daughter time together so we won't be too long, but we also won't be right back."
I could feel her eyes on me as I set the bags down on the dining room table. I made sure that the cashier separated the items so that Olivia wouldn't have to second guess what I had gotten for her. When I had peeked into all seven bags, I walked three over to the stairs to leave them there, and gave her the remaining four bags.
She looked at me with wide eyes and shook her head, making me think she wasn't willing to accept what I had gotten her.
Liv POV
"Fitz, it's too much."
I could clearly see more clothes than I needed and more toiletries than I expected.
"It's not. It's honestly not enough, but I really need to run. I'll see you in a little while."
I didn't have to a chance to disagree if I wanted to because he was out of the door quickly. Grabbing the bags, I went upstairs and into my make-shift room before sitting down and opening up the first bag. He had gotten me Dove sensitive skin body wash just as i asked for and he'd also picked bought bottle of Jergens lotion. I hadn't mentioned that and had to assume he remembered the small travel sized bottle I had in my purse. There was a stick of Dove deodorant, a loofah, a brush and comb that I could tell he'd picked from the 'ethnic' section of the store. I smiled at that and imagined him in the aisle looking extremely adorable while searching for the specific brush. The last thing I took out was also something I hadn't asked for because I didn't want to be greedy, was a razor and shaving cream. I definitely needed one and was grateful. Balling up that bag and sitting it next to me, I dumped out the other bags onto the couch and was touched at the amount and variety of clothes he had gotten me. I was expecting something simple, but the thought that he put into shopping for me, left me speechless. He had no clue who I was, yet he cared and showed it in so many ways.
Taking the tags off of some of the clothes, I folded them neatly and stacked them on the corner of the desk before opening the packs of panties and laying a pair next to the pajamas I planned on wearing. I went to the window seal and lined the other toiletries up before grabbing the pjs and under clothes. I took them to the bathroom and sat them on the counter before going back for the body wash, shaving cream, razor and the shampoo and conditioner from my bag. I went into the bathroom and closed the door, fully intending on forgetting everything else that was going on and taking a moment to take care of myself.
Fitz POV
"Did you understand it after she explained it better?"
"Yes, but she should have explained it better the first time. She's not a very good teacher, Daddy."
"Bug, you gotta give her a break. It's her first year as a teacher and she's doing just fine. Remember that not everyone learns the same way, so she's teaching different ways. Just go easy on her."
"Okay, but I still don't think she should get paid very much"
I was embarrassed to say the least. Here we were sitting at the local Library going through her folder from school, and she insisted on complaining about her teacher. She used her inside voice that I reminded her about, but I still looked over my shoulder occasionally hoping that teachers nor other parents were anywhere within earshot.
"Did you finish your lunch today?" I asked wanting to change the subject.
"Mmmm" she nodded, focusing on the homework sheet in front of her.
The second she had gotten in the car, she'd asked about Olivia and if they could go home to see her. I had to remind her about our library trip, and after a promise of ice cream before dinner, she had stopped ranting about Olivia.
I could tell that CJ really liked Olivia with the way she was drawn to her. I didn't have many people in my life for my daughter to get attached to, so seeing someone in our home was foreign, yet exciting and welcoming. The thing about CJ talking about Olivia non-stop was that I already thought about Olivia constantly throughout the day. My mind never took a break from her and although I was completely okay with that, I knew it wasn't normal. I hardly knew anything about her with the exception of her name, but looking at her made me feel like I've been waiting to know her my entire life. There was something about her- her silent pleas for help, her hopeful eyes, her gentleness towards my daughter- that made me want to immerse myself in everything that was her if only she'd let me. But she wouldn't and I had to accept that and try to not get as attached as my daughter was.
"Finished! I'm gonna go get my books. How many can I get this time, again?"
"Let's only get four"
She nodded and skipped away to find the books she wanted to rent while I looked over her homework. It only took a few seconds for me to see that she had gotten all the math problems right before I stuffed her things into her backpack and went searching for her.
It had been almost thirty minutes since I'd picked her up and I was ready to grab the ice cream treat I'd promised her and head back to the house. I wanted to make a nice dinner for Olivia and hoped that she would appreciate it, and maybe find the gesture enough to open up even just the slightest bit. I wasn't betting on it, but I would be lying if I said my fingers weren't crossed.
Once we'd checked out the books, I ran into the small grocery store to pick up a few things I needed for the dinner I wanted to prepare. Afterwards, I drove through the Chickfila drive-through and ordered a kids meal with an ice cream cone, letting her eat the dessert first as promised. By the time we made it home, CJ had polished off the cone without making a huge mess and I opened the back door for her before instructing her to go directly to the bathroom to wash her face and hands. She was obedient and when she walked inside I grabbed the grocery bags from the backseat along with her dinner.
"Olivia?" I called out her name just to let her know we had arrived home and hoped she would come down. If she didn't she should know that CJ would be demanding to see her sooner rather than later.
I started emptying the bags and laid out CJ's food and told her to eat it once she was done cleaning up in the bathroom, receiving a pout right away.
"Eat. Now, CJ."
The stern voice did the trick and I told her to stay put as I walked to the bottom of the steps to call out for Olivia once again. When there still wasn't an answer, I became worried. Had she left? Had she fallen and re-injured her ankle? Had someone actually found her? Why wasn't she answering? I took the steps two at a time and first looked into the office where I saw the clothes I had bought her stacked neatly on the desk and the toiletries lining the window. She couldn't have left, right? I moved out of the room and planned on knocking on the bathroom door to see if she was inside, but my movements hadn't caught up with my reasoning and before I knew it, I was standing in the bathroom staring at a tub full of Olivia.
Her eyes instantly opened and connected with mine. She looked shocked but made no attempts to move and before my brain could process 'walking away' my eyes traveled south to the tops of her breast that were visible while the most were under the water. I stared much far too long and when a bright red light flashed in my mind reading, 'pervert'. I stumbled out an apology before clumsily walking out of the bathroom and slamming the door shut. My back fell against the wall next to the door and I vaguely heard water moving in the tub before the drain was unplugged.
"Way to go Grant." I chastised myself before slapping my palm against my head and walking down the steps.
Liv POV
I felt like an idiot. I had fallen asleep in the tub- something I was known for doing- and hadn't even heard them come in. I never let my guard down like that. I always heard what was going on around me and I knew there was only one reason that I would've been so reckless; I felt safe. There was something about Fitz taking care of his daughter alone that made me feel safe and it shouldn't have. Him being a good father wouldn't protect me from someone putting their hand over my mouth in the middle of the night and dragging me away. Or someone pulling a trigger that housed a bullet with my name on it. But somehow I still felt safe.
I sat up once he closed the door and moved to let the water out. I was definitely pruning and hadn't felt that good in a long time. Long baths were my weakness and I was grateful to have access to one considering everything going on. Wrapping the towel around my body, I went into my room and closed the door before I finished drying off. When I was done, I took my time moisturizing my entire body. I hadn't been able to cater to my body like I normally did and felt bad about it. Taking care of myself physically was a priority of mine and I wanted to continue with my usual routines as much as possible. Once my ankle was back to feeling one-hundred percent, I planned to practice my Pilates and yoga as much as I could. It kept me centered and feeling balanced.
It felt great being able to put on fresh clothes and I tried them on one-by-one to be sure it fit well enough. Even if things didn't fit, I wouldn't dare mention it to Fitz. Trying on the clothes just made me feel like I had an actual wardrobe again and that was normal. Any ounce of normal I could get was greatly accepted. When I finally slipped on a pair of pajamas and sat on the couch to do some ankle stretches. I knew my ankle was almost fully healed and tried to do simply exercises each day to strengthen it. I also knew the hot bath helped it as well. Before I had gotten in the tub, I had showered and washed my hair. Unlike when I was subjected to a gas station bathroom sink, I was able to fully wash and condition my hair the way I normally would and it felt amazing. I grabbed the tiny travel size tube of argon oil and squeezed just a little in my hands before rubbing them together and running my fingers through my curls. I need to keep them healthy. I always admitted how much I loved my own hair and valued it. It took a lot to get it this way but now it was easy to take care of as long as I was persistent.
I continued to cater to myself figuring Fitz might need a moment to himself where he didn't have to look at me after what had just transpired. I could smell food being cooked and wondered if my nose was playing tricks on me or not. The food I smelled was wholesome and my favorite guilty pleasure indulgence. But he couldn't have known that.
Fitz POV
You're an idiot. She's never going to come down now. You went straight pervert on her. You should call the cops on yourself.
I berated myself over and over as I placed the steaks on simmer and tended to the potatoes. It had been almost twenty minutes since I had stumbled down the steps still secretly fascinated by what I had seen upstairs. She was a vision. Her smooth skin was wet and shiny and her hair was different from how it had been earlier that day. It was curly and seemed to be much longer than I originally thought it was. I wasn't sure how I would look at her again without seeing her the way I just had.
I went to finished mashing up the potatoes and hoped that she liked them a little chunky because they were my favorite. I hated smoothed potatoes because it felt like I was eating baby food. Hearing the microwave go off, I grabbed the bag of steamed broccoli out- burning my fingers in the process as usual- and opened the bag to let the steam out. I grabbed two of the nicer plates from the top shelf, a couple of forks and knives and started to make our plates. I had just finished putting Olivia's steak and potatoes on the plate when I heard her light footsteps coming down the stairs and I held my breath. I hadn't been so sure that she would come down and on the inside I was fist pumping like a fool.
I heard her speak to CJ first. She was sitting in the living room watching tv and I could tell she must've put in one of her Mary-Kate and Ashley videos because she didn't talk as much and actually allowed Olivia to walk away. She was obsessed with the videos, so much that I had spent hours going from store to store just to find a vcr to play the tapes on. It was my go to bribe when I needed her to cooperate the most. She'd only seen two of the videos, and watched them repeatedly being none the wiser that I had the complete collection in my room waiting for perfect moments to use them as ammo. Or a bargaining chip might be more accurate.
When she finally walked into the dining room, my back was turned as I got two glasses down and grabbed the A-1 sauce. I turned to walk towards her and swallowed the lump in my throat at seeing her again. She was staring at one of the plates and I held my breath, waiting for her to respond. But she didn't.
Oh shit! Did she hate it? Had she already eaten while I was gone? I didn't even ask how she liked her steak cooked! Maybe she doesn't eat red meat? Dammit, is there anything else could I ruin for her today?
Liv POV
It was my food. My indulgence and it looked perfect. I could only guess it was a coincidence and I silently thanked every higher being for knowing what I needed tonight.
"This looks amazing."
I noticed him let out a breath at my statement and I sent him a small smile before sitting in front of the plate with the smaller steak and when he asked what I would like to drink, I asked for water. When he turned to fill the glasses, I bowed my head and said a quick prayer before I went to cutting my steak. I wasn't sure what had gotten into me, but I had no shame and went to town on the food. The broccoli was still very warm, so I stabbed a piece of it before dipping it into my potatoes and brought it to my mouth. I did the same thing with a piece of steak and almost groaned at the garlic, mesquite combined taste. Taking a second to let my food settle, I took a generous drink of water before wiping my mouth dry.
"Thank you for the clothes and everything else. You didn't have to get everything you did and I really appreciate it. You don't know how much. I finally feel- even just a little- like myself again."
He shook his head and gave me the smile I had become accustomed to seeing.
"It was nothing. I'm glad I could do it. I want you to be comfortable while you're here."
"I am."
I didn't say much else through dinner except to respond to his questions about my ankle and how I was resting at night. It was a school night so CJ had a much earlier bedtime. He explained to me how grumpy she always was in the morning so he was always strict about keeping her routine during the week. Once he had given CJ her five minute warning that bedtime was approaching, I stood next to him and helped load the dishwasher and clean off the table. I didn't finish the entire contents of my plate and was delighted to know I could indulge in the leftovers tomorrow for lunch. Or breakfast. It wouldn't be the first time.
"Thanks for the help. I'm gonna go put her down."
I nodded and heard him walk into the living room and turn the tv off earning himself a groan from CJ. I heard him reprimand her attitude before telling her that she had one chance to say goodnight to me and before I knew it, her little arms were wrapped around my waist and she was bouncing.
"Can Olivia tuck me in, please!? Please daddy! I'll be really good for her!"
I was shocked and didn't want to agree or disagree to anything and overstep any bounds. I normally would've felt the urge to flee, but somewhere deep down I was hoping he would say that it was up to me.
"Cassandra Jane"
His tone said it all. He didn't' like the behavior and she knew better than to disobey him.
"Fitz? If it's okay with you…." I trailed off unsure of why I'd spoken up in the first place. I had no right to interrupt any kind of parenting going on and I immediately felt in the wrong. "Nevermind, I, I'm sorry for.."
"No it's fine. What were you gonna say?"
I swallowed and ran my hands up and down CJ's back as she stayed pressed against my thighs.
"I really don't mind if it's okay with you."
He looked shocked but masked it quickly and nodded his head.
"One book, CJ. I'm gonna jump in the shower, then I'll be in to say goodnight."
"YES!" I hadn't expected her arms to squeeze me tighter, nor did I expect her short skinny legs to wrap around my legs while giggles escaped her little mouth.
This was new territory for me.
Fitz POV
I felt completely refreshed after my shower and dressed quickly before going into CJ's room. It was obvious that Olivia made sure my one story rule was followed because my little girl was knocked out, letting me know that Olivia had left her bedroom a while ago. After kissing her goodnight multiple times- it was something I could never do once- I peeked my head into the office and when I noticed it was vacant, I went downstairs in search of Olivia. She was sitting on the kitchen floor facing the sliding glass door with her knees hugged to her chest. I was completely confused why she would be sitting there. The view she currently had- since she was sitting on the floor- was of the patio furniture I had outside and nothing else.
"I didn't want anyone to see me"
I didn't necessarily understand what she meant but I knew with the way she constantly stared out any window that she wanted to go outside so bad. The only thing that was holding her back was fear.
"I have never killed anyone."
"Okay"
"I'm not a thief."
"Okay"
"And I don't do drugs."
"I didn't think that you did… I never said.."
"I know"
She interrupted me and I could see the pain in her eyes.
"I just wanted you to know I'm personally not a danger to you or your little girl….. but my being here… it could possibly be."
I moved to face her and cautiously brought a hand to her cheek and turned her to look at me.
"What can I do, Olivia?"
Her eyes shifted and she took a deep breath before licking her lips and saying something I hadn't expected at all.
"Do you know any good lawyers?"