The House Keeper

41

I felt his arms around me as I pressed in deeper to Oliver.

I was happy, until I thought of Cody.

I pulled away from Oliver and let my hands drop.

"You have to move away." I told him.

Oliver looked at me in confusion. "I just told you I am."

"No, now." I said. I rubbed my bare arms and even my legs were cold.

Oliver noticed the action and went to pick up his jacket, placing it back over me.

"Why now?" He asked.

I looked around at the park. It was nearly empty, it was getting darker and I wanted to leave here.

"Can we go first?" I asked him.

Oliver nodded and led me back to the car. He opened the door for me and I slid in. He quickly went to the driver's side and turned the car on before adjusting the heater.

It felt so nice, the heat warming me up. "You need to take Cody and go, as soon as possible. Leave this town. Hell, leave the state." I said to him. Oliver frowned at me as he pulled out of the gardens parking.

"Why so urgent?"

I took a breathe. "Oliver, there are many reasons why I didn't do what I did today." I couldn't bring myself to say the actual word, married. "I played a part in it as much as you did." I didn't look at him, I kept my focus straight ahead. "But the biggest reason was Cody."

"Cody?"

I nodded and turned to him. "I do adore him, so much. I tried not to, but it was so hard. It was really hard not to love him. Care for him. I was fighting myself about it. About my feelings for him, as I was with you." I turned back to the road, watching the other cars around us, looking anywhere but his face. "It was so hard, fighting two of those battles." It was exhausting.

"But why do we have to leave so quickly?"

I heard him say we, not I, not Cody, we.

It warmed me even more.

"Oliver, I swear, I did not know till earlier today." I warned him. I noticed the streets weren't to my hotel, but then I never told Oliver where I was staying.

We were going back to where I had called home.

"What is it?" Oliver gritted out. He could sense it.

"I didn't say anything, I acted dumb, like I never knew any connection to it." I added as we got closer.

"What is it?" Oliver asked again.

I took a shake breathe and closed my eyes. I wanted to say it, but it wouldn't come out. "I... It's.... Uh..." What the hell? Spit it out!

Oliver drove past the security gate.

"Percy's cousin is Sarah!" I finally blurted.

Oliver applied the brakes and as soon as the car stopped, he turned to me. His face dark, and I leaned back in my seat, towards the door.

"What?" Oliver's face was still, showing me just how serious this matter was.

"Well, I think." I whispered.

"You think?" Oliver growled out. "What gave you that notion?"

"He was waiting for his cousin, he told me, that she and her mother, his aunt, they weren't on talking terms. His cousin does drugs and then he added that his aunt, he said her name is Sarah, his aunt, she couldn't forgive her daughter, because she gave her child up for adoption." I confessed.