Nothing But This (Broken Pieces 2)

“Yeah?”

“So I’m in love with your brother,” Tina said with a huge smile. “And he’s in love with me. We’re together. We’ll probably get married someday. Harris wants the world to know; I thought we’d start with you.”

“That’s truly fantastic,” he said, genuinely delighted for them. “And if I may say so, about damned time. Be happy.”

“Yeah,” Harris said. He kissed Tina’s neck, and she sighed softly. “I think we will be.”

“Right. I think . . . I’ll head out for a drive,” Greyson said, not wanting to ruin the moment for them by stating that he was taking Olivia to the airport. They deserved to have their happiness remain bright and untarnished for as long as possible. They didn’t seem to hear him, and feeling like an awkward third wheel, he hurriedly left the porch. Leaving them to their privacy.

He couldn’t help but be a little envious of their happiness. Things were just beginning for them, but it felt like everything was ending for him and Olivia, and his gut twisted at the thought.

He was unutterably drained, like a drowning man who had been desperately fighting to keep his head above water only to have a giant wave sweep in and pull him under. It felt like all his efforts had been futile and everything from the instant Olivia had so joyously told him she was pregnant had been leading to this moment of ineffable loss.

She was uncommonly quiet when he picked them up. And the drive to the airport wasn’t much better. Neither of them could find much to say.

“Harris is back,” he remembered, halfway through the thirty-minute drive to Plettenberg Bay Airport.

“Oh?” she asked, and he nodded, grateful to have something to talk about.

“It looks like they’ve reconciled.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said, her voice brimming with sincerity. “I’m so happy for them.”

Greyson nodded again, not sure what else to add to the conversation, and they both petered off into silence once more.

“You should leave your key with me,” he suddenly said, his voice overly loud.

“Why?” she asked curiously.

“So that we can finish the renovations on your house while you’re gone.” And it would help keep him sane and remind him that she would return. She had to. She had a life here.

She dug around in her purse and produced the key, dropping it in the coin tray on the dashboard. No argument. At least they had made progress on that front.

They reached the airport much too soon for his liking. The chopper had been fueled and was ready and waiting. It had been reserved for some other purpose, but Greyson had pulled rank. Something he would never have done if it were for anyone other than Olivia and Clara.

“Well . . . thank you for bringing us,” Olivia said with a strained smile at the security checkpoint, and Greyson nodded, finding himself quite unable to speak. He was holding Clara, and he gathered her close, hugging her small sturdy body probably a little too tightly and for a little too long. He breathed in her powdery, clean baby smell, memorizing the warmth and softness of her. Clara squirmed and made a protesting sound, and he forced himself to loosen his grip and hand her over to her mother.

He kissed the top of the baby’s head and directed his blurry gaze to Olivia.

“Greyson,” she said, her voice so quiet it was barely audible above the noise of the airport. “We’ll be back soon. I promise.”

He nodded, his jaw taut. He couldn’t speak. If he tried to talk, he was quite sure he’d break down and bawl like a baby. His whole world was walking away from him. For the second time. And he wasn’t sure he could stand it.

She turned to leave, but he couldn’t let her go—not like this—and caught her hand in his, halting her movement. She turned back to face him, and he palmed the side of her face before he dropped a hard, desperate kiss on her beautiful, lush mouth. It was over in seconds, and he pressed his forehead to hers.

“I love you, Olivia.”

Her hand lifted to where his was still cupped over her cheek, and she gave his fingers a soft squeeze. Acknowledging his words with a small smile.

“Goodbye, Greyson.”

She left him standing there with his shattered heart at his feet, helpless to do anything but watch as she walked away from him.

“Hey, I have someone here who wants to say hello to you,” Olivia said in deliberately jovial tones, and Greyson grinned at her words. She had been FaceTiming at the same time every evening so that he could speak with Clara, who always reacted with excitement at the sight of him.

“Hello, Clara,” he greeted her, inserting the genuine excitement he always felt at the sight of them into his voice. “It’s Daddy.”