Ch.15 Chapter 14 - Rejected Lovers

Chapter Fourteen - City of Love part #2

Saturday.

I wake up to the feeling of feather-light kisses being peppered to every inch of my exposed skin. Smiling in total bliss I open my eyes to the sight of someone heavenly. Atticus Bauer. He looks even more handsome in the morning light as the top of his brown hair is now golden. His honey eyes burn with barely restrained desire as they roam over me intensely. And to top it all off he's shirtless which gives me a full view of his chiseled body.

"If only I could be woken up like this every morning." I hum in appreciation as I trail my fingers over his abs.

"Your wish is my command." He teases with a laugh as he shows off his toned body.

I giggle at his behavior before pouncing on him. He cries out as he loses his balance and falls backward but is immediately shut up by me pecking his lips. A husky moan escapes him as I nip and kiss his jawline before moving down the curve of his neck. But as he pulls me back to his lips I jump off the bed with a laugh.

"Livi!" He groans as he rolls over to watch me walk towards the bathroom.

"We're going to be late for Disneyland!" I call from the bathroom before brushing my teeth.

"Fine." He grumbles as he walks in before wrapping his arms around my waist. "But you won't have anywhere to hide tonight."

"I bet I'll find someplace in this gigantic suite." I wink teasingly before washing my face. "Now, get ready while I get us breakfast."

I quickly call room service and order us some food before getting changed into a graphic hoodie, black jeans and sneakers. I put my hair up into a messy bun because we don't have that much time today and right after I've finished with my makeup breakfast arrives. Thanking the staff for bringing it up I call Atticus before setting everything down on the coffee table.

He joins me and we eat quickly before making our way downstairs to the car. We spend up until late afternoon at Disneyland and I enjoy every bit of it. The rides were so much fun as well as meeting the characters, visiting the gift shop and snacking on so much food. I felt like I was transported back to my childhood!

But sadly, the time comes when we must leave and I do so reluctantly. Atticus chuckles at how bummed I am as he guides me to where we parked the car. We drive back into the city and grab some lunch before deciding to do some more sightseeing. My mood certainly cheers up when we visit the PanthÃ©on, Palais Garnier and the Rodin museum. And since it's our last day in Paris we get some more shopping done too between visiting the landmarks.

"How about a last dinner date tonight?" He asks just as we get back in the car.

"Sure, I'd love that." I smile excitedly as he rests his hand over my thigh.

We arrive back at the hotel and I make my way towards the room with a spring in my step. I grab the red, velvet slip dress from the wardrobe and put it on. My makeup just needs some extra touches to make it more suitable for night time and I apply a red lip with winged liner. After curling my hair and running my fingers through it to loosen them up I spritz some perfume on before pairing my look with jewelry. For tonight I wear black heels and grab a black clutch to put my phone into.

I look in the mirror and smile happily over the finished outcome. The dress looks incredible and I feel quite confident in it. It reveals a bit of cleavage too but nothing that would be classed as distasteful. After making sure I'm ready to go I finally leave the room just as Atticus calls me.

"Livi! Come on, we need to go or else â holy fuck!" He breathes as I enter his line of sight.

"What do you think?" I ask shyly as I twirl on the spot.

"I think we should cancel dinner and just stay here." He replies as his eyes dark significantly. "You look amazing, Livi. I'm so lucky."

"Thank you." I whisper as he cups my face and pecks my forehead. "You look really good too."

He honestly does as he's dressed in black slacks and a button-down shirt. His hair is styled perfectly and the scent of his cologne isn't too overpowering to wash out his own delicious scent. Goddess, I can't believe he's all mine, I think to myself as my eyes roam over him appreciatively.

We head to a fancy restaurant in the city center and the decor truly blows me away. We're in a private booth for the night and enjoy the most delicious food. But right after the waitress takes our plates and while we're waiting for dessert I notice Atticus staring at me with a different look in his eyes.

"What?" I laugh in confusion as I take a sip of my drink.

"I love seeing you smile." He murmurs and I find myself biting my lip.

"Well, I'm really happy."

"And I want to make you happy every day." He takes my hand in his as he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small box. "Which is why I wanted to give you this."

"Atticus..." I breathe in surprise when he opens it to reveal a thin, rose gold band with tiny diamonds set into it. "What's this for?"

"It's a promise ring. I want you to know that I'm yours and someday I'm going to give you a proper wedding ring." He chuckles in amusement when my eyes widen. "I know this may seem fast but my feelings for you are very real. I want to be with you for eternity, Olivia. Do you want me as much as I want you?"

Is this real? I think to myself. Or am I dreaming? Yes, our relationship does seem to be progressing quite fast but we did date for two years. Rekindling our relationship just brought back everything I felt for him and makes me want to go through life with him by my side. Now that Vincent is out of the picture I need to move on and who better to start that chapter with than the man I have fallen in love with again.

"I do." I nod with a wide smile as he puts the ring on my finger. "Thank you, Atti. It's beautiful!"

"Anything for you." He grins as he takes my hand and presses a light kiss to the top of it.

I sit back and just reflect on how much my life has changed ever since I left Red River. I feel so much happier and everything is looking up for me. Just a few months ago I was miserable and felt like I was treading on eggshells around everyone, waiting for the next hit or abuse. Happiness felt so foreign to me and now I finally have it.

Sure, the threat of Vincent attacking still looms above me like a time ticking bomb but I don't feel so afraid of him anymore. I know I will gladly go down fighting for the family I have found here who have accepted and loved me.

I glance at Atticus to see him staring out the window at the twinkling city lights with a content smile. His honey colored eyes that I love so much meet mine and I find myself falling more in love with him in that moment. He makes me feel so happy, protected and loved. I can only hope that I make him feel the same way.

"I love you, Atticus." I whisper and my heart races giddily when his eyes light up in excitement.

"I love you too, Olivia. More than words can ever express." He grins before leaning over to kiss me.

***

Sunday.

"We're ahead on schedule and the furnishings inside will be done by next week. Soon, we'll be ready to have the hotel decorated." Sierra, the project manager behind Atticus' new hotel, states as she walks us through the building.

Atticus and I are leaving for Ontario today so before our flight he wanted to check in on the hotel's progress one last time. And this time he asked me to come along.

"Is the HR team getting the job briefs ready?" He asks as we make our way back to the front.

"Yes. We'll have those sent to the head of department to finalize and we should be ready to start the recruitment process in February." She replies with a confident smile.

Atticus takes my hand and we step away to take a closer look at the place. "What do you think?"

"Atticus...this is amazing. I'm so proud of you!" I breathe in amazement as I look around. "So, this is how you expanded the pack? By running hotels and your own company?"

"Thank you and yes. I've always loved architecture and everything to do with it so designing these hotels and supplying steel to them and other projects is really cool." He grins as he stares at everything with pride.

"Wow." I mumble as I walk further into the building and look up at the numerous of floors built.

We spend some time admiring the new building. With the structure fully completed and just features like windows and doors being placed in everything is really starting to come together. I know it's going to be just as luxurious as his first hotel and the fact that it's closer to the airport makes it more accessible.

Atticus shows me the interior designs he worked on with another designer and I'm completely wowed by what he has planned. I can't wait to come back and see this place when it's fully open to the public.

Eventually, our driver notifies us that we need to leave now to make it in time for our flight. We make our way back to Sierra and the team who wait by the doors for us.

"Keep me updated as I'm going to head back home now." Atticus explains before shaking her hand. "Thanks for everything, you guys. I'm very impressed with the progression."

"I'm glad to hear that. Have a safe flight." She smiles and waves at the both of us before we get into the car that will take us to the airport.

"Time to go back home." He sighs as he pulls me close.

"I'm going to miss this place. It was so much fun." I murmur as I look out at the scenery passing us by.

"Well, we're going to be spending the rest of our lives together. I'm sure we'll be back soon." He smiles before pressing a firm kiss to my temple.

I feel excited at the thought before continuing to stare out the window for the duration of the ride while chatting to him. We reach the airport after a twenty-minute drive and check in before eventually boarding. Atticus sleeps like a log throughout the entire flight while I watch movies and work on assignments for school.

When we land in Ontario around eight at night I'm a little tired whereas Atticus is as energetic as ever. Bastian greets us at the airport with a huge sign like a dork and laughs at my face before giving me a hug. He immediately spots my promise ring and wiggles his brows teasingly. I swat his arm with a playful glare before getting into the car.

Thankfully he's grabbed some food for us because that flight meal wasn't enough for someone with as big as an appetite as werewolves. We eat and chat to Bastian about our trip and all the sights we saw.

Eventually, we reach the pack house near nine o'clock and I gather my things. I smile happily as I get out of the car but it immediately drops when I smell some familiar scents. Atticus steps up to me with a grave expression on his face as Bastian gets our bags. But once he rounds the car and notices how quiet we've become he frowns in confusion.

"You guys have guests over?" He asks once he inhales the scents.

"Just my family." I reply with dread coursing through me.

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