P.S. (Please Stay)

Eighteen

Olivia let out a loud yawn as she awoke before rolling onto her side and wrapping her arms around Harry. She rested her chin on his shoulder but he didn't stir. Given the intensity of the tour – not to mention the not-so-quiet tryst the night before – it made sense he would still be sleeping.

Rather than waking a tired Harry, Olivia pressed a gentle kiss against his shoulder before slipping out of bed. She found an old receipt in her wallet and scribbled out a note for him. She wanted to make sure the coast was clear before her joined her upstairs. Denise had assured Olivia the day before she and Olivia's father had to run errands all morning, but Olivia didn't trust her word.

Olivia pulled on her robe before ducking out of the bedroom and climbing the stairs to the kitchen. To her chagrin, both her parents were sitting around the kitchen table. Judging by their attire and dishevelled hair, they weren't about to begin their errands any time soon.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Denise chirped, her voice high-pitched with exaggeration. "Where's our Prince Charming?" she wondered, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Still sleeping," Olivia answered, reaching into the cupboard for a mug. "He doesn't get much rest while touring," she added before Denise offered a disapproving scowl.

"I see..." Denise mused, the simple sentence saying more than just the two words. "Well, I'm hoping I get to meet him!"

Olivia refrained from rolling her eyes. "He's only just downstairs," she reminded Denise. "I promise, you'll meet him."

Denise let out a short chuckle. "I think it would embarrass me to be the last one to rise at my girlfriends parent's house!" she chuckled, her humourless laugh grating Olivia to the core. It would mortify Harry when he discovered he was the last to wake up, but Olivia would not subject him to her parents any sooner than necessary. She only hoped they would tend to their errands before long.

"Ah, let the boy sleep," Mark Hayes piped up. Olivia shot him a grateful look. Her father was a man of few words, but when he spoke up, even Denise listened to him.

Denise shrugged. "I'm just saying," she replied, standing up and putting her cup in the sink. "Anyway," she continued, turning back to Olivia. "Your father and I are going to Costco and the hardware store, and then to Auntie Julie's. She has a couple projects for Dad. Can I leave you in charge of preparing the lasagna for tonight, or will Mr Loverboy distract you too much?"

Olivia let out a sigh. "I think I can pull myself away from him for a minute or two," she retorted, though it would be a challenge. "When are you leaving?" she added pointedly. She didn't want to leave Harry in the basement for much longer. She also didn't want him to venture upstairs, mere hours after fucking her, and meet Denise and her threadbare robe from 1997.

Denise snickered. "Soon," she promised. "I just need to have a shower and do my hair. Then you can let your lazy love muffin out of the dungeon."

"Mother, he's not lazy," Olivia snapped. "He's exhausted! You try working his schedule! Christ, you want a nap and two glasses of wine after an hour at Home Depot!"

"I've got a few years on him, dear," Denise reminded Olivia. "Anyway, it doesn't matter," she said, dismissing Olivia with a wave of her hand. "Hopefully I get to meet him and you don't run off to the airport while we're gone!" Before Olivia replied, Denise patted her arm and disappeared down the hall.

Olivia huffed out a sigh as she refilled her coffee cup. "She is infuriating," she said to Mark, filling a second cup for Harry. "Please, please, please talk to her and make sure she's nice to him! He's super nervous about meeting Mom, and her being a cow won't help."

Mark looked up from the newspaper. "Don't call your mother a cow," he chastised. "But... I'll make sure she's nice. She'll like him, you know she will. She's just... being Mom."