Julian’s POV

    Even more curious than the look Chase was giving Olivia, was the one she was giving back to him. After

    all the years I had spent knowing Olivia, whether when we had been together before Amber, or our tense

    friendship afterwards, I would say that I hade to know her fairly well.

    So I knew the look she cast toward Chase had meaning, telling him something with her eyes that she

    didn’t speak aloud. And, though I didn’t know Chase as well, he seemed to be speaking that same silentnguage back to her.

    My only problem was that despite Olivia’s many attempts to have me learn thisnguage, I had never been bothered to. So while I could tell they were speaking with their eyes, I didn’t have a clue what they

    were actually saying.

    Yet, for Chase to know what she meant, to be speaking back…

    “You two know each other,” I said, ncing between Olivia and Chase as Olivia came closer to our group.

    “Don’t be ridiculous,” Olivia said, just as Chase said, “Yes.”

    Olivia’s gaze added disappointment, bing something of a glower. That look, I did know well. She

    gave it to me whenever I did something she did not approve of, which was fairlymon, especially

    when it came to my decisions about Amber.

    Chase immediately looked away, dropping down his gaze like he’d been scolded.

    “I meant,i” /iOlivia rified to me, and to the others who had been listening. “Of course I know Chase. We

    attended the same types of high society parties back in our own pack. We’ve been introduced, rubbed

    elbows a few times, and likely donated to the same causes. That kind of thing. But I wouldn’t say I know

    him, in any true capacity.”

    Having her answer, I nced at Chase for his. I noticed with some amusement that Ca and a few of the

    other nurses were doing the same. They were probably enjoying the unfolding drama. Me? I felt like I was

    seeing more of a puzzle I’d been trying to put together for years.

    But I still didn’t have all the pieces.

    “Right,” Chase said quickly, taking an obvious cue from Olivia. He looked back at her, then quickly away, focusing instead on Ca and the other girls. He tried to sh his charismatic smile, but it seemed off, nervous. “That’s what I meant to Olivia’s not a stranger.”

    Ca immediately ate up the words. “Oh, high society parties? Those sound lovely? What were they like?”

    Chaseughed then, as if he was returning to himself now that he had Ca’s focus and flirtations. He seemed to thrive on being the center of attention. It recharged him like plugging a phone into an outlet.

    “They were divine, Ca,” Chase said, and began regaling her with descriptions of decadence and luxury, from chandeliers made from crystal to eating rare foods that cost more than some people’s yearly sry.

    As he did, I turned my own attentions back to Olivia. With most everyone else distracted, I whispered to her, “What are you doing here?”

    “I came here for dinner,i” /ishe said, clearly annoyed by my having asked. “That’s what people do at

    restaurants.”

    “Yes, but for you to be here, at this particr restaurant, and to arrive so soon after me…”

    She rolled her eyes. “This is a small town, Julian, and it is dinnertime. Where else did you expect me to go?”

    Maybe she was right. Perhaps I was being paranoid, but all the coincidences were starting to pile up, making me ask questions that I hadn’t really thought of in a long time.

    Things like, what had happened that night where Olivia and I had our one night stand? And… Did Olivia have other suitors that she kept me in the dark about?

    She was a conventionally beautiful women. She went to high society parties all the time, often without me. And she seemed to know Chase very well…

    I wasn’t jealous at all, merely curious. If she was seeing other men, then…

    No, it was a dishonor to our deceased baby to start questioning their parentage.

    Olivia could be maniptive. And she did like her nning. But that didn’t mean that she would do

    something likei… /i

    I had to push the thought from my mind. Going down that path would cause nothing but heartbreak for everyone, as well as reopen old wounds.

    “If you’ll excuse me,” Olivia said. “I will ask the hostess to get me a table.”

    “Nonsense!” Ca said, overhearing that part. “Friends of Julian sit with us. Won’t that be nice, Julian? What did you say your name was again, dear?”

    “Olivia,” she said. “But I couldn’t intrude…” She smiled softly, sadly, looking something like a kitten caught out in the storm.

    “It’s no intrusion. You must sit with us. Right, Chase?”

    Chase hesitated, but for a moment, Olivia’s eyes sharpened. After, Chase was quick to say. “Yes, that would be wonderful. The more the merrier, I always bsay/b. Oh, hostess!” He turned to the hostess station.

    She seemed very annoyed by the addition. He was going to have toy on the charm even thicker than before to convince her not to hate him.

    With that settled, Olivia looked back at me, smiling. “What a nice surprise. We’ll all have dinner together.”

    Nice surprise wasn’t what I would call this.

    Amber’s POV

    In the parking lot, Anna and I had to circle twice before we finally found an open spot, with someone

    pulling out.

    “They are busy tonight,” Anna mused.

    “I hope Chase called ahead,” I said.

    “I’m sure it’s fine,” Anna replied.

    From the backseat, Alice was singing along with the song on the radio. Suddenly, she stopped to ask, b“/bIs Daddy going to be here?”

    She meant Julian. We had yet to be honest with Alice about Julian truly being her father, but Alice had

    already taken to calling him such. She’d done that for a while now, and though it had made me

    somewhat ufortable at first, I was used to it now.

    Even if I wasn’t sure having Julian in our lives was any good for either of us.

    No, I wasn’t going to think about him at all tonight. This was an opportunity to have a nice time with my

    friends and colleagues, I wasn’t going to let stray thoughts of Julian ruin it.

    “No, Alice,” I said. “This is just for my work friends. Ca will be there. You like Ca.”

    “I like Ca,” Alice said. Softer, she added, “But I love Daddy.”

    My heart clenched a little.

    After pulling the car into the spot, Anna threw it into park and then cut the engine. Looking over, she asked, “Ready?”

    I nodded, as Alice called, “Ready!”

    As we all got out of the car, I made Alice hold my hand. Walking toward the entrance, we could already see a crowd gathered at the front near the hostess station. That was probably our party. Maybe our table wasn’t ready yet.

    Opening the door, my suspicions were confirmed when I saw Ca and a few others.

    But then my heart dropped.

    Was that…? And Olivia?

    Alice tugged at my hand, shouting, “Daddy! You’re here!”

    Olivia sharply looked over, and straight at Alice.