Forbidden

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The last few months had been a whirlwind for Olivia. It seemed that there was something new popping up out of every corner. She couldn’t understand how even with her father gone, he was still here making things better for everyone he cared for. Honestly though, Olivia expected nothing less. He wouldn’t let his family suffer for any reason and he was taking care of them now just as he had when he were still alive.

            Olivia pulled into Nick’s driveway and climbed out with the orange envelope in hand and watched as Nick shut off his John Deere and wiped his face with a shirt he had flung over his shoulder. His body glistened in the sunlight like the diamonds on her finger. He gave her a peck on the forehead and was careful not to get any sweat on her.

“So what happened?”

            Olivia smiled and started walking towards the front porch where she sat on the wooden swing. Nick followed her lead and Olivia handed him the contents of the envelope. He carefully skimmed over every piece of paper before coming to the last one. His eyes shot to Olivia and she nodded.

“This is over three million dollars, Olivia,” he said breathlessly.

“Yes. It is.”

“What is this from? A trust fund?”

“Yeah. It turns out Daddy had one put in my name the day I was born and it’s been buildin’ interest all this time. The attorney, Mr. Hamilton, said Momma has no idea about it and it was basically in my discretion if she found out or not.”

“What are you gonna do with it all?”

            Olivia leaned back and sighed. How bittersweet.

“Daddy did this so I could live comfortably. What he would want me to do with it is go to school, which is already paid in full with the scholarships, buy a home, raise a family . . . Of course now, I really don’t need to go to school after graduation, do I?”

            Nick laid the papers down next to his glass of iced tea on the wicker table in front of him.

“You can’t be askin’ me that seriously. Yes. You need to go to school after graduation. You know what your father would say. You might have all this money now but you have values and morals and I’m not gonna let you throw away your dreams because of this.”

“You’re right, aren’t you? Daddy would kill me if I didn’t go to school. Plus, I’d get awfully bored just sittin’ around watchin’ the wind blow by.”

            Nick nodded.

“You’re goin’ to college. Period.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied sarcastically feigning a salute.

“I’ve been thinkin’, about what I want to do, I mean. I used to think maybe I’d go and be a surgeon, a teacher,” she said with a wink, “or a million other things. But I know what my calling is.”

“What is it, babe?”

“I’m goin’ to law school. Who’s better footsteps to follow in than my father’s?”

“There are no better footsteps, darlin’.”

“There’s somethin’ else I’ve been wantin’ to talk to you about too.”

“Shoot,” he said.

“Do you think I should stick it out with Momma in the house until after graduation or do you think I should just maybe liv—“

“Live here? You can’t live here, Olivia.”

            Her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t expect an answer quite like that one.

“If you moved in, think of all the fun we’d be havin’. Think of the lack of sleep that would occur because of our conversations going into the early hours of the mornin’. Think of how impossible it would be every mornin’ just gettin’ out of bed because I wouldn’t be able to leave your side.”

            Olivia smiled, and slapped him nervously on his arm.

“You can’t do that to me!”

            Nick laughed and wrapped his strong arm around her shoulders.

“Nothing in this world would make me happier than you livin’ here. Go pack your stuff . . . right now. I’ll call for a truck.”

“I can’t just do it right this second! I have to talk to the devil first. You sure you’re a’right with it? You’re not gonna get sick of me?”

“Sweetheart, you’ve lost your mind if you honestly believe that. All I want is to spend every second of every hour of every day of every mon—“

            She held up a hand to his mouth.

“It’s settled then,” she smiled.

“Let’s go talk to your Momma then. You and me. We’re in it together.”

“What if I go and tell her I’m movin’ in with you and she gets the locks changed or somethin’ and then I’m left with nothin’?”

“Then like I said, I’ll call for a truck. And don’t forget about the money your father left you. It’s more than enough to get you whatever you need and then some. We can go do this right now. You can put whatever you need in the garage and we’ll go from there.”

            Olivia sighed heavily. She didn’t want to move out of her father’s house, but she knew she couldn’t stay with her mother either. Their relationship was over. In order to keep the peace and start her life, this was the route that needed to be taken.

“A’right. Call for the truck, we can pick it up and head over there.”

            Nick fetched his cell phone out of his front pocket and called to reserve a moving truck. Olivia paced back and forth on the front porch wondering how this situation would end up. She knew her mother would throw a fit and she wasn’t sure if she was emotionally strong enough to deal with it, but it needed to be done.