Dare to Touch (Dare to Love 3)

“Good luck,” Olivia said.

“Thank you. And thanks for seeing me. And being so understanding. Maybe we can grab lunch on one of my rare days off? Or on a weekend,” Meg said in one of her rushed statements.

“I’d like that,” Olivia said, meaning it. She reached into her desk and pulled out a business card and scribbled her cell number on the back. “Call me.”

Meg treated her to a genuinely warm smile. “Thank you.”

Olivia rose and walked Meg to the door, opening it only to find her sister-in-law, Madison, on the other side.

Meg walked out and Madison walked in. “God, this day is crazy. It’s been one meeting after another.”

“Want me to come back another time?” Madison asked.

“No! I always have time for you.” Olivia gave her a hug. “You look fantastic.” She stepped back and took in Madison’s long blonde hair and glowing cheeks. “I take it my brother’s still treating you right?”

Over time, it had become easy to refer to her half siblings the same way she did her full-blood ones. They weren’t to blame for her father’s actions, and she really did like Alex and the rest.

Madison nodded. “Yes, he is. Marriage has been good for him. For us.”

“I just wish you hadn’t eloped. We all wanted to be there for you.”

Madison met Olivia’s gaze. “I know. But without any family to speak of, I just wanted it to be Alex and me. I didn’t want to feel like I was walking down the aisle alone, you know?”

Olivia understood. Madison had grown up in foster care and had deep abandonment issues that Alex had had a tough time overcoming. Then again, considering he’d dumped her once, he’d deserved to have to work hard for his second chance.

“Our family is your family. You know that, right? And there’s a lot of us,” she reminded her brother’s wife.

Madison nodded, her blue eyes filled with grateful tears. “I’m good now. It was just the idea of the wedding and all those traditions I didn’t want to deal with. But going forward? I’m all in with you Dares.”

Olivia laughed and hugged her sister-in-law again. She released her and gestured to the chairs.

“Want to sit?”

Madison nodded, and they both settled into the seats in front of Olivia’s desk. “I’m really here to fill you in on Marcus.” Madison ran the new educational seminars and program Ian had instituted for players to learn how to function post-football career. She had been a social worker first, treating Riley after a bad run-in with her abusive father, which was how Alex had met her.

“How is he doing?” Olivia asked. “I haven’t seen or heard from him since the Pro Bowl.”

Madison raised her shoulders and lowered them again. “On the one hand, he’s willing to do whatever we ask of him. He’s started working with the financial counselor, and he’s agreed to let us sign him up to talk at colleges about the difficulties of turning pro.”

“That sounds really positive, right?”

Madison nodded. “But I’ve been meeting with him about breaking ties with bad influences in his life, and he’s really torn up about sending his cousin home. His family is giving him a hard time.”

Olivia blew out a frustrated breath. “I can’t imagine his parents wanting him around someone who’s a problem.”

“I don’t know. I just know he’s still susceptible to the man, and that could be an issue. I hope he stays away.”

“Got it,” she said glumly, wanting Big to be a success in more areas of his life than just on the field.

“All we can do is give him the tools to fix his life. The rest is up to him. You’re doing all you can for him. We all are.”

She nodded. “I know. Thanks for letting me know.”

“So how are things with you and Dylan?” Madison asked.

Although Olivia shouldn’t have been surprised by the question, she wasn’t prepared to dig into her own feelings. “We’re good,” she said as she rose and headed back behind her desk.

“Oh really? Then why did you just beat a hasty retreat behind your desk?” the one-time social worker asked.