Chapter 3

Knock! Knock!

Olivia woke up to the sound of persistent knocking on the front door.

She peeked through her bedroom door to see the front door had been opened. Her mother was speaking to someone whose face she couldn’t see. She assumed it was Everly.

Before Olivia could catch a glimpse to confirm if her suspicion was right, Aiden started whining, woken up by the noise.

Having no choice, Olivia turned back to soothe him.

By the time she’d finished her usual morning routine, she’d completely forgotten about the visitor.

Carrying a bright-eyed Aiden downstairs, Olivia headed straight for the kitchen.

She waved a quick good morning to her mother, who was sitting in the living room looking strangely tense, then focused on making breakfast.

While waiting for the coffee to brew, Aiden cooed happily in Olivia’s arms as she sang softly to him, earning a smile.

“Olivia? How rude. You didn’t even come to say good morning to your big brother.”

Olivia’s entire body froze, suddenly conscious to the intense gaze on her back.

That voice…

Olivia felt screwed and confused.

Connor wasn’t supposed to be home for another few days.

“Oh no. Olivia, did we wake you?” Her mother asked quickly. “I’m sorry. You were up all night with Aiden.”

Olivia silently thanked her mother for being her savior, until Connor spoke again.

“Aiden? Who’s Aiden?”

Her stomach instantly dropped to the pit of her stomach.

Her mother stepped forward, reaching for the baby, but Olivia instinctively held him closer. Slowly, she turned to face her brother.

“A-Aiden is… my son.”

The words barely made it past her lips.

Please don’t freak out, she begged silently.

Her heart pounded as she searched Connor’s face.

To her surprise, he looked… calm?

For a brief second, hope swelled inside her.

Then her brother turned without a word.

A moment later, the front door slammed shut.

Olivia stared after him before looking helplessly at her mother, who looked just as stunned. It was the first time Olivia had ever seen her mother completely at a loss for words.

~~

Olivia’s brother didn’t come home until mid afternoon, just as the Clark family arrived for their usual Sunday dinner.

Olivia felt Logan’s eyes on her the moment he walked through the door. Standing beside her father, who kept shooting her worried glances, she forced herself to smile as Everly, Noah, and Logan’s fifteen-year-old sister, Lily, greeted her with warm hugs.

Connor avoided looking at her entirely.

Before Olivia could even meet Logan’s eyes, Connor quietly led him out to the backyard.

Needing a distraction, Olivia escaped to the kitchen to help with dinner. Everly, Lily, and her mother joined her, while both fathers headed outside to check on the boys.

As she helped Lily prepare dessert, Olivia couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was watching her. The attention only made her more anxious, but she refused to fall apart. Whatever happened, she’d survive it, for herself and for Aiden.

The back door suddenly opened.

Everyone looked up.

Connor and Logan entered last, bringing an uneasy silence with them.

Then Aiden’s cries crackled through the baby monitor just in time.

Olivia hurried upstairs without a word.

The moment she saw Aiden’s tear-streaked face, her own composure cracked. She couldn’t help but feel guilty as she scooped him into her arms.

“Shh… it’s okay, sweetheart.” She whispered, gently rocking him before changing his diaper.

Once he had calmed down, she glanced at the clock. It was time for his feeding.

As she prepared, she heard the bedroom door open.

She turned to find the one person she didn’t think she could handle facing, standing there.

“How are you?” Logan spoke as he saw her staring at him.

Olivia’s stomach twisted, but she managed to push the anxiety out. “I’m good. How about you?” She voiced, barely able to keep her voice from cracking.

Logan simply nodded, his attention flicking to Aiden as he stepped closer. Crouching beside him, he offered a finger, smiling when Aiden’s tiny hand wrapped around it.

“How old is he?” Logan asked, never taking his eyes off the baby.

“Two months.”

Logan’s eyes flitted to her for a second. Then he smiled.

“You don’t even look like you had a baby recently.”

Olivia let out a small, nervous laugh. For a moment, she simply watched him entertain Aiden with silly faces, almost forgetting everything waiting downstairs.

If the sight did anything, it tugged Olivia back to the day Logan had broken the news of his acceptance into the military.

She’d smiled and congratulated him, pretending to be happy. But the moment they parted, fear took over.

For weeks, she avoided him. Most of his messages went unanswered, and when she did reply, it was with short, one-word excuses.

Then graduation came.

For the first time since learning he was leaving, she finally met his eyes and smiled.

After the ceremony, while Logan and Connor prepared to leave for the graduation party, Olivia gathered every ounce of courage she had and quietly slipped into Logan’s room.

The moment she saw him, she broke down in tears against his chest, apologizing for pushing him away.

“The truth is… I just got you, and now you’re leaving for the military.” She sniffled, desperately trying to hold back her tears. “I couldn’t help but panic. What if you never come back?”

Logan gently brushed away her tears.

“I will come back to you, Olivia,” He promised her. “Nothing is going to keep me away from you… unless you or your brother decide otherwise.”

Just as she relived the warmth of Logan’s lips against hers, the memory slipped away, and reality came crashing back.

Aiden needed to be fed.

She had to stop getting lost in the Logan-induced haze that always clouded her thoughts.

“Aiden needs to eat,” Olivia said quickly, trying and failing to steady her voice. “I’ll… see you downstairs for dinner.”

Logan looked puzzled for a second before understanding.

He gave a small nod and left the room, closing the door gently behind him to go and join the rest of the group.

~

“Aiden, careful. That’s Mommy’s hair you’re pulling.” Olivia said, gently loosening her son’s tiny fingers from her hair as she descended the stairs.

The moment she reached the dining room, seven pairs of eyes settled on her and Aiden.

She forced a smile.

“Sorry I took so long. Is dinner ready?”

Despite the unease Olivia was feeling from the inside, she forced herself to be brave.

Soon, everyone but Connor and Logan who just learned she have a baby chitchatted away as if nothing had changed in the last year. Olivia played along.

“Can I hold him?” Lily came over, beaming excitedly.

Olivia nodded gratefully, passing Aiden into her arms. Moments later, their mothers announced that dinner was ready.

Olivia’s heart raced when she realized everyone had taken their old seats.

Against her luck, she ended up directly across from Logan and beside Connor.

Lily handed Aiden back before sitting down, and Olivia balanced him on her lap as she ate, hoping to draw as little attention as possible.

For the first few minutes, the conversation stayed safely on the adults. Then it shifted to Connor and Logan’s year away. They admitted it was a life-changing experience and they were glad to be home.

Then silence fell over the table. Only the sound of silverware against plates remained.

“Olivia, how are your online classes going?” Everly asked.

Olivia swallowed. Of all questioned she could have asked, it had be to that one.

“You didn’t even graduate high school?” Connor interjected angrily, looking directly at Olivia now.

She suppressed a sigh. This was exactly why she’d hoped no one would ask about her. One question always led to another, and she wasn’t ready for any of them.

“Actually, my online college classes are going really well.” Olivia mustered the courage and replied, deliberately emphasizing college.

Before anyone could ask further questions, Aiden saved the day as he started fussing in Olivia’s lap.

She casted apologetic look at everyone and asked to be excused. Then without waiting for a response, she carried her baby upstairs.

~

Later that night, Olivia carefully lowered Aiden into his crib.

“Night, sweetheart. I love you.”

After switching off his nightlight, she changed into comfortable clothes, having no intention to return to dinner.

Then she curled up on her bed with a book, determined to keep her mind occupied.

Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open.

She looked up.

Logan.

For a fleeting moment, she was reminded of the countless excuses he’d once invented just to sneak into her room for a few extra minutes together.

Although that had been before she got pregnant. Before he left, and before everything changed.

Logan paused but only for a second. “Do you know who the father is?” He asked, the words soft murmurs.

The question stole the air from Olivia’s lungs.

She couldn’t tell him.

He had his whole future ahead of him. She couldn’t be the reason it changed. But merely looking into his eyes, Olivia couldn’t help but imagine the life they both could have had together.

One where Logan had never left. One where he’d been by her side through the pregnancy and everything was great but they would never happen.

“I-I, uhm…” She stammered, unable to find the right words. Logan’s steady gaze was pinning her in place, making her unsure if she could do this.

Logan studied her for a long moment before giving a small nod.

“You don't have to tell me. I think I already have an idea who it's for.”

Olivia’s heart dropped there and then. But Logan didn’t hesitate to continue.

“When you are ready, you can tell me. I want to be there for him, even if you don't want me as anything more than a co-parent.” With that, Logan started to walk out of the room.

As she watched him leaving, Olivia sank her teeth into her bottom lip, seemingly in thought. And just then…

“Wait, Logan.”

Olivia’s voice stopped him just before he could completely close the door.

He paused, then slowly turned back to face her, once again looking more handsome than ever.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Olivia’s heart pounded erratically in her rib.

“H-He…” She glanced at Aiden before forcing herself to meet Logan’s eyes. “Aiden isn’t your son… if that’s what you’re thinking.”

The lie tasted bitter.

Logan studied her for a long moment, his expression quite unreadable.

“Really?” He questioned doubtfully.

Olivia nodded, praying he wouldn’t see through her.

After a few seconds, Logan gave a slow nod of his own and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Olivia squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the tears threatening to spill.

She was doing the right thing.

She had to believe that.