Chapter 23: Chapter 23

ODETTE

The morning sickness had mostly subsided. Now, I found myself eating constantly, and the heartburn was relentless.

I was also finally starting to show, and Reece seemed to love it. He was always either rubbing my stomach or staring at it.

I had to admit, it had been wonderful with Reece. He took care of me but also allowed me to live my own life.

It felt good to be in a relationship where I felt like an equal.

I enjoyed being able to go out with a friend without having to justify it. Currently, I was out having brunch with Olivia, and I didn’t have to worry about what would happen when I returned home.

“How is everything going?” Olivia asked.

“I think it’s going well. I’m still nervous about everything, but I’m happy. How about you?”

“Good, I started seeing this guy, and he’s great.” Olivia’s smile stretched across her whole face.

It made me happy to see her like this.

“Where did you meet him?” I asked.

“At a bar. I kept turning him down, but he was so sweet about it, and I eventually gave in.”

“I’ll have to meet him soon,” I replied.

“How is the pregnancy?” Olivia asked.

“Now that everything doesn’t make me sick, it’s going well for the most part. The whole issue with my ex is another story, though. He kind of threatened me at the last appointment.”

“Did you tell anyone?” she asked in a worried tone.

“I told Reece, but unfortunately, since there weren’t any witnesses, the court will see it as my word against his.”

“Maybe you should start recording your interactions,” Olivia suggested.

“I would be required to tell him, and then he would be on his best behavior,” I stated.

“I’m sure everything will work out in the end.”

I didn’t answer Olivia because my attention was drawn to the man who just walked into the café. Tyler entered with a smirk on his face, staring straight at me.

~What the fuck is he doing here?~

To make matters worse, he had the audacity to walk over to our table.

“Odette,” he greeted.

“What do you want, Tyler?”

“Nothing, I was just coming to pick up some food, and I happened to see the mother of my unborn child, so I wanted to say hi.”

“That’s bullshit. Now go away,” I demanded.

Instead of leaving, he continued talking.

“Who is this beautiful lady?” Tyler asked, trying to charm Olivia.

“Fuck off, Tyler. She isn’t single.”

“Let’s just go, Etta,” Olivia replied.

We got up to leave. As I walked past Tyler, he grabbed my upper arm.

“Let go of me,” I yelled.

“You can’t ignore me, Etta. You belong with me,” he whispered close to my face.

“I don’t belong with you. You’re hurting me. Let go before I yell again,” I threatened. The thought of him claiming me made me sick.

The only person I wanted to hear that from was Reece.

“She said to let go, jackass,” Olivia snapped.

With a grunt of frustration, Tyler released his grip, and I stumbled back, my skin still stinging where he had held me.

“Stay away from me outside of the appointments,” I snapped.

I quickly walked out with Olivia.

“Are you okay?” Olivia asked.

“Yeah,” I replied with a shaky voice.

She pulled my arm to her.

“You’re already bruising.”

I was shaking, and I felt helpless, ashamed, and embarrassed. Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to steady my breath.

Olivia’s concern only made my emotions swirl more intensely.

“Let me drive you home and let me see your phone.”

Olivia took my phone, typed furiously, and then handed it back to me. She had sent Reece a text telling him what happened and that she was bringing me home.

“I’m sorry,” I said, apologizing to Olivia.

“Etta, you don’t have to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Olivia replied.

“It’s embarrassing, and I feel like I need to apologize.”

“That asshole should be embarrassed, not you.”

***

“I’ll kill him for touching you. You’re already bruising.” When I got home, Reece checked to make sure I was all right and then switched into lawyer mode.

He took photos to document the finger-shaped bruise forming on my arm and asked Olivia to come by his law firm tomorrow to provide a statement about the incident.

After he took care of the legal aspects, he shifted into boyfriend protection and guilt mode.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” he apologized.

“It’s okay; we didn’t know he would be there.”

“The only good thing is this happened in public around people. We can use this in our fight for custody,” Reece stated.

“Reece? Calm down.”

I sat next to him on the couch and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for always taking care of me,” I whispered.

“He’s going to be a problem, but we don’t need to do anything extreme,” I stated.

“So, you don’t want to do anything?” Reece asked.

I flinched at the tone of his voice and the movement of his hands. Reece took a deep breath—lowering his hands. His expression softened slightly.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I just can’t stand seeing you hurt. I didn’t mean to scare you. I would never hurt you.”

“The quick movement startled me,” I admitted. “I know you would never hurt me.”

Reece quickly pulled me to him and held me close. “I love you, and I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

“I want him out of my life, Reece. I was doing so well, and having him around is making my anxiety worse.”

“I don’t want you afraid of me,” Reece said soothingly.

“I’m not afraid of you, Reece. I love you.” My words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, his eyes softened with relief.

“I love you too,” he whispered, pulling me into a gentle embrace.

I melted into his arms, the fear and tension of the past moments dissolving in his warmth.