Chapter 2

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Olivia repeated the silent mantra, willing herself to stay calm.

Connor and Logan would be home next week.

She should have been happy. There was nothing to panic about. Life would go on like it has been. Aiden and college as her main priorities.

“Olivia,” Her mother, Selene’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Are you all right, sweetheart? Aren’t you happy they’re coming home?”

Olivia forced herself to smile.

Everyone in the room knew why she was anxious.

Her parents, along with Logan’s family, knew Aiden was Logan’s son. The only people still in the dark were Connor and Logan themselves, and if she was being real, she knew sooner or later, they’d find out. She just didn’t think she was ready for it.

On cue, Aiden’s soft cry filled the room, saving Olivia from further questions she wasn’t ready for.

“I’ve got him.” She said, hurriedly taking Aiden from Selene’s arms. She offered her family a grateful smile before carrying him upstairs.

~~

When Olivia slipped out of her room an hour later, the whole house had gone silent. Aiden was taking his morning nap, and everyone else seemed to have gone on with their own lives.

Normally, she would have appreciated the peace but today, it only left her alone with the thoughts she’d been trying so hard to avoid.

Logan and Connor were coming home after nearly a year away.

Neither of them knew Aiden existed.

She hadn’t spoken to Logan since discovering she was pregnant.

And worst of all, Logan was Aiden’s father, completely unaware he even had a son.

Closing her eyes, Olivia leaned against the hallway wall.

She should have told them months ago about the pregnancy. She could have spared herself this mess if she’d simply admitted she was pregnant from the beginning. But she feared her older brother’s reaction.

Throughout her teenage years, Connor had constantly warned her that boys their age were nothing but trouble. He spent years making sure she was the most undateable girl in school. Every boy knew better than to risk facing his wrath.

All of them except Logan.

Olivia wished she didn’t have to tell him either. Telling Logan felt even harder. He’d always dreamed of accomplishing so much, and becoming a father at nineteen had never been part of those plans.

Logan left for boot camp in august with the promise to return safely. Two months later, Olivia learned she was eight weeks pregnant.

She hadn’t contacted him once since then.

He’d written to her, but every letter remained unopened on her bookshelf. The newest one had arrived only a week ago.

~

“Olivia!” Her mother called out from downstairs. “You’ll never guess what was on sale today.”

“One minute. I’m putting away the last of the laundry.” Olivia responded from Aiden’s nursery. She folded the tiny onesies into the dresser and went to Aiden’s crib.

“Come on, sleepyhead,” She whispered, smiling down at her baby who’d just woken up from a nap. “Let’s go see Grandma.” Lifting him up into her arms, she hurried downstairs to see what her mother had bought.

“You’ll never believe this, but the store had diapers on for 20% off so I bought two giant boxes for Aiden.” She found her mother beaming proudly when she reached the kitchen.

“Wow, mom. Thank you but you really didn’t have to.” Olivia laughed softly, pulling her mother into a careful hug with Aiden on her hip.

“You don’t have to thank me, sweetheart. I’m just spoiling my favorite son and helping out my favorite daughter.” Her mother replied dismissively, smiling.

“Mom. We are your only grandson and daughter.” Olivia jokingly reminded her, unable to help herself from chuckling at her mother’s excuse for spoiling she and her grandson.

Her mother shook her head and laughed. Their laughter gradually faded as they sorted the groceries together.

Then Selene spoke again, breaking the silence.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do when Connor and Logan come home?”

Hearing her mother ask the same question she had been conflicted about brought back Olivia’s dread.

“I don’t know,” Panic clawing at her throat, she faced her mother and admitted helplessly. “You, Dad, and Logan’s family already know Aiden is his son. But Connor…” She shook her head, her voice catching in her throat. “And Logan…”

By this time, tears were already blurring her vision.

“I’m terrified they’ll hate me. What if Logan never forgives me? What if Logan decides he doesn’t want any part of Aiden because this wasn’t the life he planned?” She shook her head again. “He’s had plans of going to college, doing something with his life and none of those plans includes being a parent so young. I keep imagining the worst, Mom.” Olivia said through tears and snort, not the most attractive sight.

Selene immediately wrapped her in a hug.

“Honey, look at me.” Her mother asked as she withdrew from the embrace.

Blinking through the tears, Olivia reluctantly met her mother’s eyes.

“You don’t have to decide everything today. I can imagine what’s going through your head right now, and as your mother, I want you to make the right decision. Your brother should be the least of your worries. Instead, I want you to do what’s best for Aiden. When Logan and Connor come home, tell them the truth. Whatever happens after that, your father, Everly, and I will be right beside you.”

Olivia could only nod along to her mother soothing words.

She tried her best to smile despite the constricting knot in her stomach.

She only hoped her mother was right. Hoped that everything would be over soon, and they could all end up happy.

~~

At three o’clock the next morning, Aiden’s cries pulled Olivia from sleep. After feeding him and settling him back into his crib, she struggled to sleep.

With a quiet sigh and heart hammering in her chest, Olivia slipped out of bed and went to her bookshelf.

Tonight, she decided to read the letters Logan had sent during the months she’d been ignoring him.

Olivia grabbed the first one and switched on the bedside lamp. Pushing her anxiousness aside, she broke the seal, unfolding the letter.

She could feel the air gradually being sucked out of her lungs as she began to read through Logan’s messy handwriting.

June 16

Dear Olivia,

We’re finally being released, we’re coming home for good. I can’t wait to see you.

I know you haven’t been writing lately, but I hope you know I love you. When I get home, I want us to start over, if you haven’t already found someone else.

I want to take you on a real date, visit you without pretending I’m there to see Connor, and stop hiding our relationship.

No more sneaking around. No more secret….

At the sight of the word ‘secret’, past memories came rushing back in a dizzy blur. Olivia was taken back to the day she and Logan made their confession.

“So, you’re telling me you’ve liked me all this time?” Olivia had asked, still struggling to believe the boy she’d secretly admired for years felt the same way.

Logan nodded, a shy smile tugging at his lips.

“For longer than I can remember.”

Her heart skipped a beat before reality came crashing back.

“But… what about Connor?” She whispered anxiously. “He scares every guy away from me. What do you think he’ll do when he finds out about us?”

Logan’s smile faltered, absorbing her words.

Then he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers.

“Maybe we shouldn’t tell him yet. Let’s make sure this is real first. When the time is right, we’ll tell him together.” Logan suggested.

Olivia looked unconvinced at first. She searched his eyes before slowly nodding, and throwing her arms around him.

Logan felt washed with relief. “Then I guess I should ask this properly.”

He took a deep breath, before whispering into her ear.

“Olivia… will you be my girlfriend?”

She nodded against his chest and he had held her tightly, smiling against her hair.

Keeping their relationship hidden hadn’t been easy. They had stolen every chance they could to be together without Connor noticing.

At Connor’s annual spring party, hidden beneath the glow-in-the-dark lights, Logan had pulled her into his arms and kissed her before anyone could see.

Later that night, he’d quietly slipped into her room, claiming he’d only come because he wanted to see her again.

She’d been wearing one of his shirts, and he’d smiled as though it was the most beautiful sight in the world. That was also the night Logan had first told her he loved her.

Olivia blinked, the memory dissolving as the letter trembled in her hands.

“No more secrets.” She whispered bitterly to herself.

If only it was that simple.

Her eyes fell to the final line.

‘I love you, Olivia. I’ll see you soon.’ It reads.

The letter was from a month ago, and if anything, it confused her.

Olivia was probably overthinking it but maybe he had only wanted to stick around for her, and not a family.