Stranger in my Ass-Chapter 305

Olivia’s POV

The third month had been unbearable.

Dad was home and recovering well. The initial crisis was over. And without that distraction, all I could think about was Maxwell.

How much I missed him. How much I needed him. How much our baby needed both of us.

I’d driven past his office building countless times, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Had stalked his company’s website for any news about him. Had even, in one particularly desperate moment, called his office and hung up the moment his assistant answered.

I was losing my mind.

And then this morning, I’d woken up with our baby doing gymnastics in my belly, and I’d looked down at my pregnant stomach and thought: Enough.

Enough fear. Enough waiting. Enough letting pride and uncertainty keep me from the man I loved.

So I’d gotten dressed, taken a taxi to his house, and stood at his gate trying not to throw up from nervousness while I waited for him to appear.

And now I was here, sitting on his couch, watching emotions play across his face as he processed my confession.

"Maxwell," I said gently, when he just kept staring at me like he couldn’t believe I was real. "Say something. Please."

But he didn’t say anything.

He stood up so fast he nearly knocked over the coffee table.

And then he was crossing the space between us, and before I could even process what was happening, he’d grabbed my face in both hands and kissed me.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss. Wasn’t tentative or questioning.

It was hungry. Like a man who’d been drowning for three months and had finally found air.

His lips moved against mine with a fierce intensity that made my toes curl, and I could taste salt - tears, though I wasn’t sure if they were his or mine or both.

I tried to stand, to meet him halfway, but it was kinda awkward and he seemed to realize this at the same moment I did because he broke the kiss just long enough to kneel in front of me instead.

"I love you," he said, his voice rough and broken and beautiful. "God, Olivia, I love you so much. I’ve loved you since I was twelve years old. I’ve loved you through twenty years of searching and waiting and hoping. I’ve loved you through every lie and every mistake and every moment we were apart." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

His hands moved to my belly, spreading across the curve where our baby grew, and his expression crumpled.

"I love you both," he whispered. "So much it hurts. And these past three months have been the worst of my entire life because I thought I’d lost you. Thought I’d destroyed any chance we had. Thought you’d be better off without me and my cursed family dragging you down."

"Maxwell..."

"I stayed away because I thought that’s what you needed," he continued, the words pouring out like he’d been holding them back for too long. "Because I thought my presence would only bring you more pain. But God, Olivia, it killed me. Every single day. Not being able to see you. Not being able to know how you were doing. Not being able to be there for you and our baby."

He pressed his forehead against my belly, his shoulders shaking, and I realized he was crying.

Maxwell Wellington was actually crying.

For me. For us. For all the time we’d wasted.

I threaded my fingers through his hair, my own tears falling freely now.

"I needed you too," I whispered. "I missed you so much, Maxwell. Every single day. I kept driving to your house, sitting outside your gate, trying to find the courage to come in. But I was so scared."

He looked up at me, his eyes red and wet. "Scared of what?"

"That you’d moved on," I admitted. "That you’d realized you were better off without me and all my baggage. That you’d found someone else who wasn’t as crazy as I am."

Maxwell made a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob.

"Move on?" he repeated incredulously. "Olivia, I haven’t looked at another woman since the moment I saw you at that concert again. Hell, I haven’t been able to fall in love with another woman since I first fell in love with you twenty years ago. There is no moving on from you. There’s no better than you. There’s just... you. Always you."

He cupped my face again, more gently this time, his thumbs brushing away my tears.

"You’re it for me," he said fiercely. "The only one I’ll ever want. The only one I’ll ever love. And if you’re willing to give me another chance - if you’re willing to let me spend the rest of my life proving that I can be the man you and our baby deserve - I promise I will never, ever let you down again."

"You didn’t let me down," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "Your father tried to destroy us, but you stopped him. You protected me. You almost died saving me. That’s not letting me down, Maxwell. That’s loving me."

"Then let me keep loving you," he whispered. "For the rest of our lives. Let me be there for you and our baby. Let me wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep beside you every night. Let me be yours, Olivia. Completely and forever."

I pulled him back up to me, kissing him through our tears, tasting salt and love and three months of longing.

"Yes," I whispered against his lips. "Yes to all of it. Yes to forever."

Our baby chose that moment to kick, hard enough that Maxwell felt it against his hand still resting on my belly.

He pulled back, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Was that..."

"Our baby," I said, smiling through my tears. "Rebel seems rather happy we are finally getting our act together."

"Marry me," he suddenly blurted out. "Please. I know it’s fast and I know we’ve been through hell and I know I don’t deserve..."

"Yes," I interrupted, laughing and crying at the same time. "Yes, I’ll marry you, you ridiculous man. I’ve already said forever. Did you think I was planning to live as roommates?"

He laughed and kissed me again.