The Path To Her Heart

Chapter 12

Maya and Drew offered to drop Heather off at school while Jason and I are out. I paid my shorts with my restaurant's polo tee and a pair of black sneakers. I pull my hair into a messy bun and put on some accessories while fixing the stud I have on my nose.

Just as I take a seat on the couch with my phone, I hear a knock on my door. A smile spreads across my face as I walk towards the door, knowing who would stand behind it.
"Jason." I say as I open the door. The corner of his lips twitches upwards.

"Good morning, beautiful." He says making the blood rush to my cheeks. I smile at him as I turn my back on him to lock my apartment door. We walk to the car while discussing about picking Heather up from school together. I sit down in the car beside him on the driver seat.

"So where are we going?" I ask, placing my bag on the side of my seat.

"A coffee shop near your restaurant." He says then we sit in silence. The tension between us was bothering me after a while.

"Jason, you do know we have to talk about something right." I state. He nods and pulls over in a parking space. "Can we start the conversation now, because there are so many questions running in my head and I really don't think the coffee shop is a good place to talk about that."

"Alright. I will just run in and get our coffee." He steps out of the car while I look at my shoes before taking them off and cross my legs on his seat and get comfortable. I know this is gonna be a serious conversation.

Jason and I have clearly been through a lot. From getting married to each other forcefully because of a business deal my dad made with Jason's mom to save his company, to falling in love with each other and having his kid without him knowing as he kicked me out of his house and got a divorce.

I loved Jason so much. I would've done anything without thinking twice for his happiness, health and safety. We were free to get a divorce one year into our forced marriage but we fell hopelessly for each other. I needed him, wanted him, desired him. I have not stopped thinking about him even for a minute since our divorce. I know I still love him and there is no point denying the fact but I can't take him back just like that cause six years without him was dreadful enough. I don't trust Jason anymore.

I want him to earn my trust back, I want him to earn me back in his life. I have self respect and I refuse to let him in too fast and have myself go through the same thing again. A part of me wishes more than anything to have my family together. Heather, Jason and myself.

"Earth to Olivia!" Jason snaps his fingers in front of my face making me snap out of my thoughts. He passes my drink over to me and I thank him.

"Your favorite caramel frappe. With extra caramel sauce." I giggle as he says that.

"Of course you remember." I roll my eyes.

"I could never forget anything about you, Liv."

There we go.

I look at him as he takes a sips of his coffee. "Jason, what is going on between us?" I ask him.

He lets out a deep breath. "Olivia, hear me out okay?" I nod. "Olivia, the past six years have been hard for me. I didn't take our divorce well. I used to come home drunk and my sister and Kai were mad at me for leaving you. Mom was the only one who still worried about me. I couldn't sleep or eat properly for almost 9 months into the divorce. I then started getting one night stands. I wasn't in my right mind and mom made me understand that drinking, getting wasted and having one night stands over everyday wasn't gonna help. I was so angry at you. You were my first real love, Livy. I couldn't get over you. I started therapy, went to a rehab center. I planned on focusing on work and only work. I made amazing new friends at rehab. They were all going through similar stuff and I felt like I wasn't alone. But I broke down so many times, Olivia. Almost every night I would think about the words I said to you and whether I was very sure you cheated on me or not. Here I am now, two years after healing completely."

I place my hand over his on his lap as he looks up at me. I see the pain through his eyes. "Jason. I am sorry I put you through that. I don't know how to prove it to you, especially after six years now that I didn't cheat on you. I don't even know what made you get that idea." I let out.

"You have no need to apologize, Liv. I can't imagine what you went through. You had our child. Alone. Remember the night we were just talking about having kids?" I nod. "You remembered that I would want my daughter to have that name." He says with a smile before he continues. "You went through nine months with our little angel in your womb. You had to go through labour and you had to deliver her without me beside you like I promised when we had that conversation. You raised her to be such a beautiful, kind and sweet little girl. She is exactly like you. Strong and beautiful. I'm so proud of you for raising her but I can't help but feel like I'm dying inside cause I missed that."

My eyes were brimming with tears at his choice of words. I knew he meant each and every word he said. To my surprise, he raises my hand that was resting on top of his and places a gentle kiss on my palm. I take a deep breath and wipe the tear that slipped down my cheek. "Hey, look at me." I softly say as he shifts his gaze from my hand to my eyes. "Heather means everything to me. I have seen how happy she gets around you. She has always asked me about you. I promise you, Jason, I won't stop you from even spending a second with her. But we are gonna have to take it slow. You can come over to our place anytime, she can stay over at your place three days a week. But that is if I can follow her, I'll sleep on the couch even just I have to follow her Jason. I'm sorry Jason but I really hope you don't mind"

He smiles brightly at me before placing his hand on my cheek. I lean in to his touch. "Olivia, I would never let you sleep on my couch alone, you know that." We both chuckle. "And of course you can come over, that's our home you know. You don't ever need to ask. You are always welcome."

I smile. "I trust you with Heather. You really do love her." I say. "I was surprised you didn't ask me for a paternity test. When you met her." I laugh.

"She looks like a carbon copy of m except for her long hair. I just felt this connection with her the second she sat on my lap in the hospital when Oliver was born. She spoke like me, acted like you. I didn't have the need for any proof. I knew her for like 2 weeks but I feel like something in my knew she was in my life the day she was born. I love her so much, Olivia." I look at him talking with so much adoration. I smile at him. "Alright, I should drop you at work."

"Yeah, that sounds good." I say. "So pick me up at 12:30 so we can go get Heather?" He nods with a smile. "Bye Jason."

"See you later, Liv."