Chapter 160

Nathan

“You were a fool, Nathan,” I said out loud to myself, staring up at my ceiling. “A real moron.”

These were words that I had repeated to myself countless times over the past few days. During those months when I was apart from Olivia, I thought that I was doing the right thing. I thought that I was protecting both of us, no matter how much I missed her.

But now, I just knew that it was hurting both of us more than I ever thought possible. And seeing her with Levi at the grocery store, those brief hours when I thought that she had moved on for good, only solidified that for me.

I really was a fucking idiot.

But I was determined to make things right again. Because more than anything, more than seeing Olivia and Levi standing together by the deli counter, I saw how she was struggling with her pregnancy.

Her belly was swollen, her back aching, her breath ragged when she sat down and got up. She was putting on a brave front, but I knew that her due date was just around the corner, and she was scared.

Seeing her like that awakened something in me, creating a craving deep within me to man up and be there for her.

Yes, maybe I did purposefully jog outside of her villa that morning. Maybe I wanted to run into her and get the chance to talk to her, to begin making amends. I wasn’t proud of how I had been so distant, but I wanted to make things right.

…

I was lying in bed that night, my mind drifting into that calm space between waking and sleeping, when the sudden glow of my phone on the nightstand pulled me back into reality.

Blinking against the sudden brightness, I reached over and grabbed my phone, curious to see who would be texting me at this hour.

The name “Olivia” on the screen sent a jolt of surprise through me, followed by a warmth that I hadn’t felt in quite some time. Swiping the notification, I opened her message, my heart beating faster than it should have been.

“Hey Nathan, thank you for coming to yoga with me. It was fun. Can you come to the next class too? It’s in 2 days.”

My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I stared at her words.

The yoga class had been an experience, to say the least. Watching Olivia, beautiful and glowing with the life growing inside her, moving so gracefully despite her large belly, had stirred something deep within me.

I wanted to be there for her, but at the same time, the attention from the other moms, their assumptions, their teasing... it was a little unsettling, in a strange way.

And besides, my approval ratings had skyrocketed. I was an official member of the Alpha Council now, just months away from being titled the Supreme Alpha in my father’s stead. It was a title that I didn’t know if I was ready for just yet, but I was willing to try.

Flip-flopping back and forth on a ‘relationship’ with the same woman could cause problems, not just for my approval ratings and chances at becoming the Supreme Alpha, but for Olivia’s feelings. I couldn’t do that to her again.

What if I made my way back into her life, only for both of us to get confused again and push each other away?

I tapped the call button before I could think twice about it, needing to hear her voice. Somehow, I knew that that was the only thing that could make me think straight right now.

“Hello?” Olivia’s voice, slightly sleepy yet warm, filled my ear.

“Hey, it’s me,” I said, my voice a little shaky. “I just got your text about the next yoga class.”

“Nathan?” she asked. “Did I wake you? Why are you calling instead of texting?”

“I was still up,” I assured her, my mind racing with what I wanted to say. “I… I just wanted to talk. Listen, about the yoga class, I enjoyed being there with you, but don’t you think that people might get the wrong idea? I mean, they seemed to think we’re dating, and I don’t want to confuse anyone after what happened last time.”

There was a pause on the other end, and I could almost hear Olivia’s thoughtful expression. I heard rustling, and imagined that she was sitting up, her brow delicately furrowed.

A small part of me wanted to picture what her nightgown looked like, how her breasts had grown from the pregnancy… But I quickly pushed those thoughts away and chose to keep myself civil.

“Nathan, it’s just a yoga class,” she finally said, her voice gentle but firm at the same time. “Don’t read too much into it. You’re overthinking this.”

“But Olivia,” I pressed, frustration building, “what if it’s not just that? What if it starts to mean something more, not just to them, but to… us? What if it confuses our relationship again?”

She sighed softly, and I could imagine her rolling her eyes.

“Don’t jump the gun,” she said quietly. “You’ve only just come back into my life after being gone for three months. I just want you to join me for yoga. That’s it.”

Her words, although firm, sent an undeniable thrill through me. For some odd reason I found myself smiling, even though she couldn’t see it.

“Alright, Olivia,” I said, my voice softening. “I’ll see you in two days.”

“Thank you, Nathan,” she replied, her voice filled with genuine warmth mixed with a bit of trepidation that I couldn’t fault her for. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Olivia,” I said, hanging up the phone.

I lay back in bed, my mind a whirl of thoughts and emotions. Olivia’s invitation, her insistence that I join her, had stirred something in me. I couldn’t deny the connection I felt with her anymore, nor the growing desire to be a part of her life again.

The images of her at the yoga class, the glow in her eyes, the gentle curve of her belly, kept playing in my mind. The laughter we shared, the warmth of her touch, the way she looked at me... it all felt so right.

And as I lay there, my heart pounding in my chest, I realized how much I missed her all this time. How much I wanted to get her back into my life, whether it was just as friends or… something more.

I turned to my side, pulling the pillow close, and smiled to myself. The thought of being a sort of father figure to her baby, of building a kind of family with Olivia, filled me with a longing I hadn’t felt in a long time.

But there were obstacles, uncertainties, past mistakes that still haunted us. Was I ready to step into this new role? Was Olivia ready to accept me back into her life?

The questions lingered, but deep down, I knew what I wanted. I knew that I was willing to fight for it, to prove to Olivia that I was serious about being there for her and her baby.

I closed my eyes, the smile still on my lips, and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a future that felt closer than ever before.

To be continued......