The Man She Should Have Married

“We’re at your mom’s house, waiting,” Eve said.

“Be there in ten.”

“Is everything okay?”

Olivia sighed. “We’ll talk later.”

When Olivia pulled into the driveway at her mother’s house, Eve and the twins were waiting on the front porch. The cousins exchanged looks as the twins boisterously greeted Thea.

“I’ll tell you everything tonight,” Olivia murmured as the screen door opened and the rest of the family emerged. While her mother, Eve’s mother and Stella hugged and kissed Thea and told her not to ever scare them like that again, Eve just watched and smiled. But she covertly took Olivia’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“So I guess this was all a big misunderstanding?” Eve’s mother said carefully.

“Yes,” Olivia said in an equally even tone, “Thea’s Mimi couldn’t find us, so she made sure Thea was safe, didn’t she, sweetheart?”

Thea nodded happily. “Mimi said you wouldn’t care, Mommy.”

“Well, I did care, and I was worried because Mimi didn’t call me, but I’m just glad you’re okay. We all are.”

Olivia knew they all understood what she wouldn’t say in front of the children, so the subject was dropped, and the matter of the birthday cake and presents were introduced, much to the excitement of Thea. The twins gamely joined in the fun, and Olivia was able, for a little while at least, to relax and just enjoy being with the people she loved most in the world.

Like Thea, she did wish Matt could be there, though. She wished she could have invited him, but her family, especially Eve, were too sharp, too aware of Olivia and her emotions, especially since Mark’s death. It was hard enough to keep the right tone and distance when it was just the two cousins together, but Matt amongst her family? Olivia was afraid she’d somehow give herself away. And having her family know how she felt about Matt would make a tough situation impossible.

“Auntie Norma, Mom said this is a special birthday,” Natalie said after the cake and ice cream had been consumed and Norma was preparing to open her gifts.

Olivia’s mother beamed. “It is. It’s my social security birthday, so I can retire now, if I want to.”

“You mean from your job at Dr. Ross’s?” asked Nathan. Dr. Ross was a popular veterinarian in Crandall Lake, and Norma was his office manager.

“Yes,” Norma answered.

“Are you going to, Grandma?” Natalie persisted.

“I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway,” Olivia’s mother said. She grinned. “I like my job. I’d miss the animals.”

Nathan nodded. “I thought so. And Grumpy would miss you.”

They all laughed, agreeing. Grumpy was a rescue cat Dr. Ross had adopted, and he’d turned into the office mascot, living there 24/7. All the pet owners who visited the office enjoyed Grumpy.

Olivia hoped her mother stuck to that decision. Sixty-seven was too young to retire nowadays. Plus it wasn’t as if her mother was wealthy. She had some savings, Olivia knew, and some insurance money left from when Olivia’s dad died, but her mother could live another twenty years...or longer. No, it was better if her mother stayed on the job as long as she could, and not just because of finances. Everything Olivia knew from her hospital job showed that remaining engaged and active was good for older people, that they lived longer and healthier lives because of it.

Olivia continued to think about her mother while Norma opened her presents. When she finished, it was time to gather everyone and head for home.

“Will we see you at church in the morning?” Eve’s mother asked as Olivia, Eve and the children said their goodbyes.

After agreeing they would, the cousins took their leave and headed for Olivia’s house, just minutes away.

It took nearly forty minutes, but finally the twins and Thea were settled in the living room with the movie Frozen, although Nathan was also playing a game on his iPad. Olivia and Eve headed for the kitchen, where Olivia put the kettle on so they could have tea.

“Tell me everything,” Eve said quietly.

So Olivia did. By the time their tea was ready, she’d finished with her blow-by-blow account of the scene at the elder Brittons’ home.

“She’s unbelievable,” Eve said, shaking her head. “I just don’t know what she thought she was accomplishing by keeping Thea there and not telling you.”

“With her twisted logic, she probably thought she was reinforcing her belief that I’m an unfit mother.”

“Doesn’t she realize you could keep her from seeing Thea at all?”

Olivia shrugged. “She probably knows I wouldn’t do that unless there was no other alternative.”

“But why not?” Eve said. Her blue eyes flashed with anger as she stirred milk into her tea.

“Oh, Eve,” Olivia said resignedly, “you know why not. If I tried to keep Vivienne away from Thea, she’d make a world of trouble for me.” She drank some of her tea. “I just... Life can be hard enough. I can’t deal with constant stress and all the drama that comes with any conflict with my mother-in-law.”

“So you’re just going to ignore what she did today? Listen, why don’t I ask Austin to—”

“No! You’re not going to ask Austin to do anything. Matt said he’d take care of things...talk to his dad and to Chief Donnelly.”

“Yes, but that’s just today. What about tomorrow? What about next week? What about you? What if this vendetta against you escalates? She seems to be capable of anything!”

Olivia rubbed her forehead. “Eve, please. Can we talk about something else? I’m so tired of thinking about Vivienne.”

Eve looked as if she wanted to protest, but all she did was sigh and give Olivia a reluctant nod. “Okay. I’m sorry. I just...well, I hate this for you. After all you’ve been through, it sucks.”

“I know you worry about me, and I love you for it.” Olivia smiled at her cousin and thought about how grateful she was that Eve was here today.

“I want you to promise me something, though,” Eve said.

“What?” Olivia said warily.

“If she tries anything else, anything, you’ll call me immediately. Okay?”

Olivia shook her head. “Eve, what can you do about it? You’ll be a thousand miles or more away.”

“Just promise.”

“Oh, all right, I promise.”

“Good.” Eve’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not without resources, either, you know. As Queen Vivienne will soon find out if she messes with you again.”

On that note, the conversation turned to Olivia’s mother, then to what the cousins might feed their offspring...and themselves...for dinner. Soon Olivia was laughing and had managed to temporarily wipe Vivienne out of her mind.

But down deep, she knew Vivienne would always be a threat to her peaceful existence with her daughter.

And unfortunately, for now at least, there wasn’t a thing Olivia could do about it.

* * *

Matt decided golf game or no golf game, he would try to reach his father on his cell phone.

His dad answered almost immediately. “What is it, Matt? I’m playing golf.”

“I know that, Dad. Just wondered when you’d be finished.”

“I don’t know. Around five, I guess.”

“Can we meet for a drink before you go home? I need to talk to you.”

“Can’t you just come to the house?”

“No. I’ll explain later.”

Matt heard his father sigh. “Where do you want to meet?”

“How about The Grill?” He’d named a popular restaurant and bar near the golf course.

“I’ll call you when I finish here,” his father said.

“All right.”

Good, Matt thought as they hung up. He wanted to be the first to tell his father what had transpired today. Certainly before his mother got a chance to, since she would spin the story in her favor. Even so, Matt knew his father was too smart not to realize Vivienne’s stories were always spun in her favor.

Matt had tolerated the way his mother treated Olivia because he’d known any interference would only make Vivienne more vindictive toward her daughter-in-law. But today’s debacle had changed something in the way Matt saw things. Something had to be done before his mother escalated to something even worse than she’d done today. And the only way anything could be done was if he could somehow persuade his father to join him and unite against her.

Would his father go along with that?

Matt would just have to wait and see.

* * *

Vivienne was furious. How dare Matthew take that woman’s side against his own mother? The fact Olivia wasn’t fit to raise a Britton grandchild was indisputable—anyone with any sense could see it—especially after what had happened today. Yet Vivienne’s own son refused to see the truth. Vivienne gritted her teeth. She could just scream.

Matthew had always taken Olivia’s side, from the very beginning when Mark brought her home to meet them. Vivienne had seen through the girl immediately. A wannabe. Someone not fit to shine the shoes of her youngest son, let alone marry him. But neither Mark nor Matthew would listen to her. And now look where they all were. Her beautiful Mark was dead, struck down before he’d had any chance of showing the world how special he was. And her willful oldest son—who really couldn’t hold a candle to Mark—was still defending Olivia.

Well, Vivienne had warned him. And he’d ignored the warning. Matthew would be sorry. Very sorry. Did he really think he could get elected to the US House of Representatives without his parents’ support? If he did, he was going to be sorely disappointed, because it wasn’t possible. All Vivienne had to do was talk to a few people, drop a few hints that Matthew would not have his parents or his parents’ money behind him, and the race would be over before it ever began.

Did he think she wouldn’t oppose him? Ha. He had another think coming. She would not only oppose him, she would actively work to see he was defeated by openly and financially backing his opponent, whomever that turned out to be.

Not only that, she would make sure both her and Hugh’s wills were changed. They’d been changed once, right after Mark married that...woman...and they could be changed again. Would be changed again, because Hugh would do whatever she told him to do. He liked his easy, no-questions-asked life too much to buck her, not when she and she alone controlled the purse strings.

And...if Matthew changed paths and decided not to run for the House but instead to go for the district attorney’s slot when Carter Davis retired...well, Vivienne would have something to say about that, too. No one, absolutely no one, opposed Vivienne Marchand Britton and survived to tell about it.

* * *

It was exactly five fifteen when Matt’s cell rang.

“Matt?”

“Dad? You done?”

“Yes. I’ll be at The Grill in about fifteen minutes.”

“Okay. I’m leaving now, too.”

Matt pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant just before his dad’s Lexus. Getting out of his car, Matt walked over to meet his father.

At sixty-two years old, Hugh Britton looked a good ten years younger. Tall, tanned, still slender and fit, with a thick head of salt-and-pepper hair, he was the picture of health. Matt often wondered just how his dad had managed it, especially married to Matt’s mother. Then again, Matt knew how. Hugh took the path of least resistance. As long as he could live the way he wanted to live and Matt’s mother turned a blind eye to the other women Matt suspected his father of being involved with over the years, he didn’t seem to care what she did.

“What’s up, son?” Hugh said as they walked into the entrance to the bar side of the crowded place. “Problems with the campaign already?”

“No. Problems with Mom.”

His father frowned. “Matt, you know I try to stay out of—”

“This isn’t something you can ignore.”

His father pointedly looked at his watch. “I only have about twenty minutes.”

Matt waited until they were seated and had ordered their drinks before telling his father an abbreviated version of the story.

Hugh toyed with his drink. “Is Thea okay?”

“Thea’s fine. She didn’t even know anything was wrong.”

“Well, then—” Hugh shrugged. “All’s well that ends well.”

Matt stared at his father. “All’s well that ends well? Dad! Olivia was sick with worry. So was her family. And possibly a hundred other people, not to mention the police, were involved. This time, Mom’s gone too far.”

His father didn’t meet his eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, Matt said, “Don’t you think we need to do something? You know she won’t listen to me, but can’t you make Mom understand that she can’t continue this vendetta against Olivia? You know, if Olivia wanted to, she could get a court order barring both of you from even seeing Thea. Any judge, hearing about today’s incident, would be hard-pressed not to rule in Olivia’s favor if she decided to go that route.”

His father finally looked at him. “Would Olivia do that?”

“In her shoes, I would.”

“You haven’t suggested anything like that, have you?”

Matt shook his head. Not that he hadn’t felt like it.

His father sighed heavily. Drank more of his Scotch. Then turned worried eyes to Matt. “I just don’t know what you want me to do.”

“Confront Mom. Tell her you won’t stand for any more of this unfair treatment of Olivia.”

“Easier said than done,” his father muttered.

“C’mon, Dad. Can’t you at least try? Maybe if you tell her what could happen if she doesn’t stop this behavior, she’ll think twice next time she’s tempted to do anything else.”

His father still didn’t look at him. “I can’t promise anything, but I will try.” So saying, he finished off his drink and looked around for their waiter. “I need to get going. Your mother will be upset if I don’t get home soon. She said the Hoopers were coming for dinner, and I still have to shower and change.”

Matt said he’d settle the bill and watched as his father left. A few minutes later, as Matt left, too, he didn’t feel optimistic. Oh, he figured his father would try, but Matt could pretty much predict that his mother would roll right over Hugh and, ultimately, nothing would change.

* * *

Olivia and Eve and their children went to nine o’clock Mass at Saint Nick’s, the church where they’d both made their First Holy Communion and their Confirmation. It was also the church where Eve and Bill Kelly, her first husband and the man who had raised the twins as his own, had been married, and where the twins and Thea had been baptized.

After Mass, Eve and the twins left to meet Austin Crenshaw for breakfast, while Olivia and Thea headed to the activity center where coffee, juice and doughnuts were being served. Once they got there, Olivia looked for her mom and Eve’s mom.

“You know, honey,” Olivia’s mother said once they were all seated at one of the tables, “I’ve been thinking about what happened yesterday, and it really bothers me.”

Olivia shook her head in warning. “Little pitchers,” she said under her breath.

“I just think you should do something about it.”

“Mom...”

“Okay, fine. But let’s talk later.”

Olivia should have known her mother wouldn’t be content to drop the subject. And, as it turned out, neither was Eve. Later that day, after Olivia and Thea were back home and Eve and the twins had returned from their breakfast with Austin, Eve suggested they drop the children off at the local multiplex, where a new Disney film was showing. “We can sit in the food court while they’re seeing the movie,” she said, “have something to drink and be free to talk.”

Olivia wasn’t surprised to find Vivienne was the subject uppermost on Eve’s mind.

“I can’t go back to California unless I know you’re going to be okay,” she said once they were settled with Frappuccinos from Starbucks.

Olivia sighed. “Eve, please stop worrying. I can handle Vivienne. Haven’t I been handling her for years now?”

“Seems to me her campaign against you is escalating. What she did yesterday is atrocious. And both your mom and mine agree with me. That woman is out of control.”

“She does seem to be getting worse.”

“At least Matt is on your side,” Eve said. Then, shocking Olivia, she added, “You do know he’s in love with you?”

Olivia stared at her. “That...that’s crazy. He’s just a friend. He’s...he’s Mark’s brother!”

“So?” Eve said. “It’s not like he’s your brother.”

“You’re wrong,” Olivia insisted. “He doesn’t think of me that way.” But inside, she was trembling. Did he? Was it possible?

“I’m not wrong, and you’re blind. Actually, your mother agrees with me.”

“My mother? When did you talk to her about this?”

“Yesterday, before you arrived at the house. She said she’s been thinking this for a while now. My mother agreed.”

“No. It’s crazy.”

“Why is it crazy?”

“Because...it just is. He...he’s never acted like anything but my brother-in-law. Anyway, even if he was interested in me, in that way, it could never work out.”

“And why not?”

“You know why not. One word. Vivienne.”

Eve laughed. “Oh, Liv, think about it. It would be so perfect! I can’t even imagine the look on her face if you and Matt should—”

“Stop it!” Olivia said. “Just stop it. Matt is not in love with me.”

“Actually, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t in love with you. After all, you’re beautiful and smart and the two of you get along like a house afire. Plus, he adores Thea...”

Olivia scoffed. “Matt is around beautiful and accomplished women all the time. Much more beautiful and accomplished than me.” She couldn’t help but think of Jenna Forrester, a fellow attorney whom Matt had dated for nearly a year until their breakup in the summer. Jenna was gorgeous!

“Why are you constantly putting yourself down?” Eve persisted.

“I’m not. I’m...just being realistic.”

“Uh-huh, just like you were being realistic when you said Austin wasn’t interested in you. And you were totally wrong there, too.”

“What do you mean? Did you say something to Austin today? Eve, you promised you wouldn’t.”

“I promised I wouldn’t mention you were ready to date again. I did not promise I wouldn’t even mention your name.”

Olivia closed her eyes. What had Eve said?

Eve started to laugh. “Come on, Liv. It’s no big deal. I didn’t say anything other than telling him what happened at the festival.”

“You told him that?”

“Why not? It isn’t as if no one else knows. There must have been a hundred people involved in looking for Thea.”

“I know, but—”

“Don’t you want to know what he said?”

Olivia sighed. “What did he say?”

“He said if you have any more trouble with Vivienne—anything at all—to call him. He said he would be happy to represent you, if it ever came to that.”

“Why would he say that?”

“Why?” Eve said. “Because he’s a nice guy.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Did you somehow suggest I might take legal action against Vivienne?”

“Liv, you know I wouldn’t do that. It’s just that he’s a lawyer. That’s the way lawyers think.” Eve smiled. “He also asked if you were dating anyone.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him you hadn’t been, but I thought you might be ready.”

Olivia guessed she couldn’t be mad at Eve for that. But still, she felt uncomfortable.

“Don’t you want to know his reaction to that?”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Whether I do or not, I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“He asked me if I thought you’d go out with him.” Eve grinned. “See? I told you he was interested in you.”

Olivia wasn’t sure what to think. “And what did you say?”

“I told him I didn’t know, that he’d have to call you and find out on his own.”

Olivia had begun to feel as if everyone, Eve included, was pushing her in a direction she wasn’t sure she wanted to go. Unfortunately, she also didn’t know how to stop this momentum.

“What’s wrong now?” Eve said.

“Nothing.”

“Look, no one’s forcing you to do anything. If you don’t want to go out with Austin, just say no when he asks.”

Olivia bit her lip.

Eve frowned. “What?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just feeling a bit pressured.”

Eve threw up her hands. “I don’t understand you, Liv. What’s the problem? Honestly, I don’t care if you go out with Austin...or anyone, for that matter. I just thought that’s what you wanted.”

She hadn’t said, make up your mind, but Olivia knew that’s what Eve thought. And actually, she’d have a right to feel that way. Because Olivia had been blowing hot and cold. Trouble was, she just wasn’t comfortable moving back into the world of dating. In fact, it scared the you-know-what out of her to even contemplate dating again.

She made a face. “I’m sorry, Eve. You’re right. And I’m not mad at you or anything. I guess I have to make up my mind what it is I really want right now.”

“Yeah, you do.”

Olivia took a deep breath. “And I will.”

“Good. And, Liv...”

“What?”

“Austin’s a good guy. You could do a lot worse.”

“I know.”

“But if you decide you’re not interested in him, it’s okay. I won’t be upset with you. Just...be nice. Let him down gently.”

“I promise I will.”

“Okay, good.” Eve looked at her watch. “And now I think it’s about time to go get our kiddos.”

As the cousins headed toward the theater, Olivia’s thoughts were all over the place, and she wasn’t sure about much. But one thing she was sure about was how her life was changing, whether she wanted it to or not.

Chapter Four

“Mommy?”

“Yes, sweetie?” Olivia finished tucking Thea into bed. Eve and the twins had left for home earlier, and Olivia had just finished giving Thea her bath.

“Nathan and Natalie have two daddies.” She pronounced Natalie’s name “Natlee.”

Gazing down into her daughter’s brown eyes, Olivia felt her heart swell with love. “I know.”

Thea’s forehead knitted in thought. “Why do they?”

Olivia sat on the side of the bed and took Thea’s hand. “I explained that to you, honey. It’s because their daddy Bill married someone else and now their mommy is married to their daddy Adam.” Olivia had decided this was the only explanation Thea could understand right now. When she got older, Olivia would explain the situation properly.

Thea thought about this for a few minutes, then said, “My daddy died.”

Olivia swallowed. “Yes, he did.”

“But he loved me a lot.”

“Yes, honey, he did. Your daddy loved you so much.”

“Mommy, tell me the story about my daddy.”

By now Olivia had to blink back tears, but she managed to keep it together and launch into the familiar story of the handsome daddy who was very brave and very strong and who had loved his little girl more than anyone else in the world. “And your daddy is now watching over you from Heaven,” she finished with a tender smile.

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