The Ceo's Contracted Mistress
The Ceo’s Contracted Mistress Chapter 30

Bobbie blinked at Olivier who was grinning widely at their son’s logic. She rubbed her forehead, “Jesus Christ.”

“One,” Olivier’s lips turned up as she g*****d with the realization their game was back on. “I’ve let you off the hook for days now.”

“Mom! You have to k**s Dad!” Ollie grinned and clapped her hands exuberantly.

“Later,” Bobbie nestled further into the bed and kept the stuffed toy against her. “We’re still talking, and we’re distracted.” She waved at Olivier, “let’s keep this going please?”

“Certainly,” he winked at her. “Where were we?”

“Your papa thought mom was a thief so he made a plan to take us away from her so you could have us all to yourself.” Ollie reminded him with a flourish.

“Ah, right. Well, my papa thought he was protecting me. He was very scared I would never get to see you again and so he made a very stupid decision. He has said to me many times he was sorry. He said he was simply very scared we would lose the ability to be with you.” He sighed, “my father will make an apology but not a minute before this entire family is ready to hear it. Until then, he can wait and think about the bad things he’s done.”

“What about Timon?” Max made a face, “he said mom wasn’t pretty and she couldn’t be good at her job. She’s a great paralegal. Grady says so.”

“Timon will be making an apology to your maman for his rude comments, I promise you. I’ve been with your maman when she is working, and she is exceptionally good at her job.” He said earnestly and looked to Bobbie, “I told him this morning when my sister called part of his apology will be to make a significant contribution to the non-profit organization your sister was on a waitlist with.” At her surprised gasp he shrugged, “words to Timon mean nothing. Money on the other hand speaks in volumes. He’ll lose a sizable chunk of his bank account if he wants to ever be part of my family again.”

Bobbie’s heart clenched at his comment. “Olivier,” she breathed his name at his words.

“It is important to me he knows I will not tolerate anyone disrespecting the mother of my children. I will not have it.”

“Thank you,” she smiled at the sincerity in his words.

“All of this, Max, brings me to the most important thing.”

Bobbie watched as Max slunk down as if waiting for something dreadful to happen now and she wondered what Olivier was going to say next. She watched as he focused his gaze on Max and crooked a finger at him.

Max slid off the bed and hesitantly moved to sit on Olivier’s knee.

“You need to talk to me, Max,” he reprimanded him softly. “I love you fiercely. When you are away from me, I cannot stop thinking of you. I do not love Ollie more than you. I do not love you more than Ollie. I love you both. My heart is big enough for both. Do you understand this?” When Max nodded, his eyes watering, Olivier wiped the tears away from the small boy’s cheeks. “This also means, when you are scared and it all feels too much, you need to tell me. Just like Ollie isn’t allowed to randomly throw punches at people, you can’t hide your feelings from me. I will try very hard to be aware and try not to be too pushy and too bossy, but I am not perfect, and I need you to tell me when I’m making you uncomfortable Max. It’s important. It’s so important.”

Bobbie’s heart was on the verge of explosion as Olivier talked to his son as if he were the most precious thing in the world. She listed to every word he said and felt her affection for him grow by the seconds.

“Max, if you think we are going to fast, you tell me we are going too fast. If there are too many people in the room, you tell me. If you don’t want to do anything you think is scary, you tell me. Do you understand? I will get better at reading you as we learn more about each other, but we are still learning, and I cannot learn unless you help me. Can you help me?”

Max nodded.

Olivier continued, “when I was a little boy, around your age, I went away to school. I was terrified all the time. I didn’t use my words and I kept things all bottled up inside.”

“You did?” Max was surprised at his father’s words

“I did. I was very shy and incredibly quiet. I was so shy, in school, there were many times I would go to bed hungry because I was too timid to ask for a snack.”

“Really?” Ollie was clearly interested in how this was even possible. “Why didn’t you just ask?”

“Because I didn’t know how.” Olivier shrugged. “When I was home, my maman and papa, they spoiled me. I was shy and quiet, and they thought that was okay because they could give me everything I needed. When I went to school though, they weren’t there and so, I was very lonely and scared, and I didn’t speak up. I also don’t like big crowds of people, especially strangers. I prefer to sit and read books and do puzzles more than I do going out and because of it, I felt I had nothing in common with anyone at my school.”

“What happened?” Max asked seriously as he played with his father’s fingers curiously.

“Well,” he looked to Ollie, “people started picking on me because I was so quiet. They would call me names and say mean things.”

“Did you talk then?”

“Not with words,” Olivier shook his head. “I would get angry and start hitting people.”

Ollie clapped her hands over her mouth and laughed loudly. Max’s eyes shot open wide.

“You did?” Ollie was beaming.

“I am not proud of it.”

Bobbie saw Ollie’s smile diminish at his words.

“When you hit someone, like I was doing back then, it is not right. I hurt a lot of people. There are better ways to solve a problem or an argument than fighting with your fists. Like talking and sitting down and discussing what is wrong.”

“But Riggs gets into fights,” Ollie said quietly.

“No.” Olivier shook his head, “Riggs does everything in his power to not get into fights. It is not about fighting but it is about being safe. Riggs doesn’t try to fight, Ollie, he tries to stop the fight. He talks and uses other ways to stop the fight before it begins. Often times it means he’s made a plan and a way to avoid the conflict. It is much cleverer to replace a way to stop the fight than to start it. If Riggs is in a fight, it is a last resort and the only way to keep us safe.”

“Oh”

Ollie was clearly perplexed by Olivier’s words. Bobbie pulled the stuffed toy to her face to hide her grin. She knew the child was now contemplating every punch she’d ever thrown.

“Max,” Olivier continued, “I need you to understand, I know how you feel when you’re scared and overwhelmed. I made a mistake bringing all of my family to you all at once. It was too many people and it made you feel as if I was not protecting you the way I should have protected you. Am I right? It made you uncomfortable to be around everyone?”

Max nodded quietly, letting a raspy sob out. “I wanted to like everyone, but they were so loud.”

“This is my fault Max. Next time we meet our family, we will do it in little bits. Do you like Mamaw?” he used the word he heard the kids call his mother. It was what his nieces called her.

“Yes,” he agreed. “She’s funny and she tells good stories and she made jambalaya last night for dinner and it was delicious.”

“If we met more people a little bit at a time would that be, okay?”

“Are they going to be mean?” He asked seriously.

“No, I won’t let them. Max, I made a mistake. I took too long to stick up for my family, you, and Ollie and your maman and I will never make the same mistake again. If anyone says anything mean to you, they will have to answer to me. I won’t tolerate it. You are the most important people in my life.”

Bobbie watched Max as he absorbed the words his father spoke and saw his bottom l*p tremble. The child was on the verge of a crying jag, and she wasn’t sure why. Olivier too noticed it and stroked his cheek.

“Max, what’s wrong? It is time to talk. Talk to me,” Olivier gently coaxed the boy.

“You’ll be mad.” He sniffed as he wiped tears off his cheeks.

“At you? Not ever. I mean I am sure at some point in our lives I’ll get irritated with you,” he teased him tickling his sides, “but angry? Highly unlikely.”

“I threw my toy in the garbage,” the words came out in a rush followed by a loud wail as he threw his arms around Olivier and sobbed openly. “I was so mad, and I threw it away.”

Olivier met Bobbie’s eyes with stunned surprise. Evidently, this was not what he was expecting from the child who now had violent sobs racking his body as he spilled his heart out over his missed beloved toy.

Ollie raced over and rubbed his back, “it’s okay, Max. We can share mine. Daddy can put a new message in mine for both of us.” Ollie started crying too, hating how devasted Max was over his actions.

Bobbie got off the bed and walked out of the room, letting the trio hug it out. She got to the top of the stairs and shook her head at the couple sitting halfway up the stairs clearly spying on the conversation. “You two are terrible,” she hissed at Meri and Everly.

Everly shrugged, “if you’d just stayed down here, we wouldn’t have had to get on the stairs.”

“Make yourself useful then and go get Max’s doll from over the fridge.” She waved at Meri and then pointed at Everly accusingly, “nosey busybodies.”

Meri grinned broadly, “I knew you wouldn’t have thrown it out.” She almost ran to the kitchen.

Bobbie leaned against the wall and looked at the photos there. “So much is changing,” she said quietly to Everly.

“I love how you told him it was his mess and he got to fix it.” She grinned, “we were just starting to walk in when the doorbell rang. We stepped back outside but not before I opened the window to the porch so we could hear.”

Bobbie smacked at her, “he’s fixing it.”

“Poor Max. I almost peed my pants when Olivier said ‘tough.’ Who knew he had it in him? I thought for sure he was just going to be a good time party dad. Grady should have been here to take notes.”

“I just left the room and all three of them were sobbing,” Bobbie frowned at Everly. “Grady’s a great dad. It’s not his fault his kid has the master manipulator as a role model.” She gave a pointed look at her best friend.

“True,” she grinned over her shoulder as Meri reappeared with the stuffed toy.

“Thank you,” she took it from her and went back up the stairs shaking her head as the two women moved up several stairs to eavesdrop more. She entered the room and saw Olivier watching the door for her. He was struggling to get Max back under control, the boy now spewing words nonstop about all the things he’d been thinking all week long and how guilty he felt for being mean to his dad. She couldn’t help but smile at the look of panic on his face. He must have thought she’d just abandoned him when the kid erupted like Vesuvius.

She grinned and squeezed the toy, and the sound of Olivier’s recorded voice made the boy pause in his blabbering.

“You saved it!” Max screamed and raced at her and ripped it from her hands and hugged it to his chest.

“Well duh,” Bobbie laughed and tickled his neck. “I knew you didn’t really want me to throw it away. Though, next time, I’ll remind you to think about your actions.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he shrieked and waved it in his father’s face. “I got it. It’s right here!”

“So it is,” Olivier grinned and hugged the boy back and then rose from the chair. “Saved by maman.” He reached an arm out and tugged her closer, wrapping his arms around her, squeezing the kids between them. He kissed her temple.

“Papa,” Max whined as he wriggled in between them forcing Bobbie backwards, “I’m sorry I didn’t talk on the phone. I did miss you too.”

“I know you did, mon chère,” Olivier cupped his cheek.

“Are you going to stay with us forever now?” Ollie asked quietly as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

He looked to Bobbie with a sad smile, “I think this needs to be something I talk to your maman about privately after. It is not fair of me to just push myself into your house and I have already made too many mistakes forcing you and your maman to do what I want without checking what is best for you.”

“Don’t you want to stay with us?” Max asked, his lower l*p trembling. “Is it because I was bad?”

Olivier squatted in front of both children and gripped their hands, “no. Neither of you are bad nor will there ever be anything either of you which will ever make me want not to be with you. I do not want to miss another moment of any bit of your lives. I want to spend as much time with you as I possibly can.”

“Then why can’t you live with us?” Ollie interrupted furiously.

“Nobody is saying he can’t live with us,” Bobbie shook her head as she frowned at Olivier. “You’ve been a pushy son of a b***h since day one. Don’t stop on my account. I want you here. I just don’t want to marry you yet.”

He looked to her seriously, “Are you certain, chérie? I messed up quite badly this week.”

“Dad,” Ollie tugged his sleeve, “don’t argue with her. She’ll change her mind.”

Bobbie’s lips twitched at the words as Ollie knew her mother far too well.

The sound of Lark calling for the twins from the back door made Ollie jump up and down.

“She’s going to be so excited you are home.” Ollie raced to the door and yelled into the hall, “Lark, Lark, my dad’s home. He’s up here.” She frowned as she looked out the door, “Mamaw, why are you and Everly sitting on the stairs crying?”

Bobbie g*****d, “they’re spying and not even trying to hide it.” She looked to Olivier who was chuckling.

“Papa,” Max started talking to Olivier, “I want to show you around my room. Can I show you, my things?”

“I would like to see your room, very much.” He let Max take him by the hand and show him his ribbons and trophies from science fairs and his badges from scouts and his favorite figurines.

“Coffee?” Bobbie interrupted and looked to Olivier.

“God yes,” he called over his shoulder as he studied intently Max’s most recent experiment of a crystal growing kit, he’d bought at a toy store.

She moved into the hallway and nearly was trampled by Lark who jumped over Meri and Everly on the stairs and lunged into the room. She heard the crash as the child latched onto her ‘Uncle Olivier’ and screamed she was so glad to know he was home so her friends wouldn’t be sad anymore.

Bobbie looked to her best friend and Meri and shook her head. Both of them sported reddened eyes as if they’d been crying on the landing. “You both look worse than me.”

“He’s so good with them,” Meri whispered as she sniffed and wiped her cheeks.

“Oh, my goodness,” Bobbie reached out and drew the woman upright and wrapped her arms over her shoulder and hugged her tight to her side, “you’re a wreck.”

“We’re all wrecks,” Everly m****d as she took Bobbie’s proffered hand and stood up.

The sound of happy chattering and Olivier’s loud laugh made them all smile at each other. Bobbie looked to Everly, “you should text your husband and let him know his boyfriend is home. He’ll be sad to miss this.”

Everly grimaced, “do I have to?” Her voice sounded incredibly like Lark’s, and it made Bobbie laugh as they made their way down to the kitchen. Everly was sending the text message before she hit the bottom stair.

“That went well,” Meri said as she plunked down at the dining room table. “I thought for sure Max would hold out longer.”

“Pfft,” Bobbie flicked her wrist, “he simmers and stews, explodes and then it’s over.”

“Like his mama,” Everly mocked her.

“I am who I am. Just call me Gumbo.” She laughed at the two women’s confused expressions and then recounted what Olivier had said the week before about her temper.

Meri stared at her, sneering, “seriously, how did you miss how awkward the man is? He’s my son and I love him but he’s strange. He compared you to boiling stew.”

“Meri,” Bobbie giggled at her.

The sound of the back door opening made the three women look up and then g***n as Grady paused over Max’s breakfast plate and grabbed a leftover piece of bacon before rushing up the stairs. The echo of the two men laughing and saying hello made the three women roll their eyes.

“I swear if he f***s Grady before you, I’m going to be pissed off,” Everly grunted at Bobbie, smirking as Meri gasped at her words.

Bobbie chuckled and made a pot of coffee. She knew she was one of the few people in the world who still brewed full pots of coffee outside of a coffee shop but when she was working, she drank far too much of it for one of those single-use dispenser machines.

“Mom, mom,” Ollie’s voice as the kids tore down the stairs reverberated off the walls in a shrill shriek. “Dad, wants to see our treehouse.”

“It’s pouring rain,” Everly complained as the kids rushed to the door and slipped into their rain boots.

Bobbie noted Max was still shirtless but he grabbed his raincoat. She jumped as the back door slammed behind the kids and then looked upwards towards the ceiling as the sound of men’s footsteps carried down the overhead staircase.

Olivier and Grady were grinning ear to ear as they entered the open area of the living space.

“He’s definitely getting laid before you,” Meri said to Bobbie as she took in the way the men had their arms over each other’s shoulders. “Maybe I was wrong on the heterosexual thing. Maybe he’s bi?”

Olivier stopped and stared at his mother his mouth hanging open, “what did you just say?”

Meri lifted her coffee cup to her lips and eyed her son over the edge, “I’m just saying, you’ve been home for almost an hour, and I haven’t seen you so much as touch the girl but your hands all over Grady.”

Bobbie and Everly were doubled over with laughter as Meri spoke to her son in a way she’d never done before and it clearly had him perplexed and stunned.

“Maman, what has gotten into you?”

Grady slapped him on the back as his own mother came through the back door and he pointed at her. “They’ve been spending a lot of time together. Mom took her out to a dance hall last night and they didn’t get back until one in the morning. My mother is wearing off on her.”

Prue came in carrying her own coffee cup and holding up a bottle of Irish Whiskey. She clinked her mug against Meri’s and grinned, “it’s five o’clock somewhere!”

As Grady pulled a stammering Olivier out of the house into the rain-filled back yard, the four women erupted into gales of laughter. Bobbie almost felt sorry for Olivier. Almost.