Chapter 326

Olivia

I watched Nathan as he welcomed Cade into our home with forced politeness.

“Cade, please, make yourself comfortable. Can I offer you a drink?” Nathan gestured toward our mini bar that was a part of the dining room setup.

“Sure,” Cade answered, his voice lacking any real enthusiasm as he followed Nathan.

Seizing the moment, I gave Layla a quick, discreet wave and tilted my head toward the living room. “Let’s talk.”

Carrying her little boy in her arms, Layla followed me. Once we were safely out of earshot, I turned to her, my voice dropping to a whisper. “Is everything okay? Has Cade said anything?”

Layla looked slightly distressed. “He just got here yesterday, Liv, and we’ve barely talked. He even got his own hotel room and said that he won’t stay with me until he figures all this out. To be honest, I’m really nervous about how this whole thing will unfold.”

My gut tightened with concern for her. I already felt bad enough that she was taking care of her son by herself, but the fact that her fiance wouldn’t even share a hotel room with her made me feel even worse for her.

“Layla, whatever happens, you’re not alone,” I said gently, reaching out to brush a little stray hair out of her son’s eyes. The little sweetheart grinned up at me, cooing, completely oblivious to the strife going on around him.

But that only made me lower my voice even further as the next most pressing question popped into my head. “Do you have a backup plan if Cade turns out to be less than supportive?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

Layla sighed, her eyes drifting to her son as she placed him gently in the playpen beside Elliot and Aurora. Elliot almost immediately pushed himself up onto his elbows, his eyes widening with wonder at the new friend in his space.

I couldn’t help but smile, and neither could Layla, as the two boys instantly became gravitated toward one another. I could already picture them as two little kids, running around and creating memories together.

“Well,” Layla finally said, “there’s always my family back home. But they’re traditional, you know? So they’re not exactly thrilled that my son turned out to belong to my ex, and my mom already warned me that a ‘woman without a husband should be ashamed to be raising a child on her own’. So… I don’t know how helpful they’ll be if things with Cade fall apart.”

The vulnerability in Layla’s voice pulled at my heartstrings. Hearing how some parents treated their children always broke my heart, because my parents never would have looked down on me for something like that.

And even though Elliot and Aurora were just infants, I already knew that I would never treat them like that, either.

“Well, listen,” I said. “If you need to, you can come stay here. This town is a great place to live. Hell, you can even take some time in the villa with us until you sort things out. We have a spare room.”

Her eyes met mine, and for the first time that evening, I saw a glimmer of relief wash over her face. “Oh, Liv, thank you. Really, that means the world to me.”

We were about to continue our conversation when a sudden rise in voices from the dining room interrupted us. The tone was unmistakable—things had taken a heated turn.

“You’re a real bastard, you know that? I’ve never liked you!”

Cade’s voice.

Our eyes met with immediate concern, and without another word, we both dashed back into the dining room. What we found made my heart skip a beat.

Cade’s face was flushed a deep shade of red, and Nathan, normally so composed, looked wide-eyed and as if he were biting back his words, his fingers turning white as he gripped the edge of the bar.

The atmosphere was thick, filled with tension that you could cut with a knife. Both men looked like they were on the edge of saying something that could potentially make a bad situation a whole lot worse.

“What are you two doing?” I blurted out, unable to contain my shock.

Nathan took a deep breath, clearly trying to stay calm. “Olivia, it’s fine—”

“It’s absolutely not fine!” Cade snapped, his face still flushed red. “You’re a bastard for knocking up Layla. I thought that little boy was going to be my son, but no, you just had to ruin our chances at a happy family. Now I can’t even look him in the face without seeing you.”

I was stunned by Cade’s audacity. “Hey!” I interjected, taking a step forward. “Don’t speak to Nathan like that.”

Cade whipped around to face me. “But it’s the truth,” he hissed. “Your fiance—or whatever the hell he is—is a manipulator and a liar.”

I was aghast by Cade’s implications. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” I said before Nathan or Layla had the chance to interject. “Nathan hasn’t done anything wrong. You should be glad that he manned up and took the paternity test, then invited you here—to our home—to figure it out.”

His eyes locked onto mine with an angry glare. “Oh, you must be an expert at this, huh? Your twins are from your ex, and Nathan here isn’t even their biological father.”

Nathan’s face turned a shade darker, and he raised his voice. “You’re a jackass, Cade. That was uncalled for!”

The atmosphere was electric, like a spark away from a full-on explosion. Layla, her eyes brimming with tears, looked like she was on the edge of breaking down.

I stepped forward, looking directly into Cade’s eyes. “Yes, my twins are from my ex, and no, Nathan isn’t their biological dad. But let me tell you something, he’s been more of a father to them than my ex ever was. So what are you going to do, Cade? Are you going to step up and be a man, help Layla raise her son? Or are you going to walk away like my ex did?”

Suddenly, Layla let out a choked sob. We all whipped around to see her standing there, shaking, her face wet with tears as two black streaks trailed down her face from her mascara.

“See what you’re doing?” I said, gesturing to her. “You’re making your fiance cry by fighting like this, Cade.”

Cade’s eyes flickered, and he was dead silent. It felt like an eternity passed in those few seconds. Finally, he looked over at Layla, whose face was turned down toward the floor, as though she was trying in vain to hide her tears.

Walking up to her, he put his arms around her. “I didn’t mean to make you cry, honey. I’m sorry. I’m just... angry.”

I shook my head, not willing to let him off the hook so easily. “Being angry is no excuse for acting like a child.”

For a split second, Cade’s face showed a twinge of embarrassment. He knew I was right, and in that moment, I could see a complicated swirl of emotions wrestle within him.

Glancing up, I saw Nathan’s gaze meet mine, and there was a mutual understanding there between us. No matter what, we had to be there for Layla and her son—Nathan’s son—right now.

They needed at least that much.