The Baby Battle (14 page)

Olivia swallowed the knot in her throat. Why was Tag acting like this? The way he used to. Didn’t he realize he
was only hurting her more? Worse yet, didn’t he care? “I—I can’t do this,” she said. “I can’t pretend everything’s great between us when nothing could be further from the—”

Tag silenced her with a kiss. Not just any kiss, but an epic one that turned her knees to jelly and her soul to mush. “I’m sorry. For all of it.”

“Just like that?” She wanted to believe him, but couldn’t.

“I’ve been a fool. But I put all of Maria’s pictures away and now I’m ready to try committing to you.” He kissed her again, but she pushed him away.

“Are you even listening to yourself? You can’t flick your feelings on and off like a switch.”

Conking the heel of his free hand against his forehead, he said, “Why did I even bother? I should’ve known if I opened myself up to you, you’d shoot me down.”

“I’d shoot you down? Do you even remember me proclaiming my love for you, and you pretty much telling me to get lost?”

“I never said that,” Tag protested. “You’re mixing my words. You’re not even being logical.”

On that note she would agree. But the time for logic was long gone. Being around this infuriating man made her crazed. One side of her was so busy thinking about how strong and handsome he looked in his suit, carrying Flynn, that her rational side could barely reach through with its message for her to run.

“Liv, please, honey.” Stepping closer, he extended his
hand to touch her, but she flinched away. “Think this through. The whole time we were together, I’ve been the holdout to us being happy. Why would I now show up to beg you for a second chance if I weren’t sincere?”

Having no answer, only crippling pain and confusion coursing through her, she said, “I appreciate the fact that you believe you’re ready to try being with me. But I don’t want a man to
try
. I want someone who loves me wholly and completely or I don’t want anyone at all.”

“You should’ve heard her,” Tag said that night to his big brother, Liam. They sat at a corner table at Hulihan’s, their favorite bar. “The woman was one hundred percent certifiable.”

“Give her time,” Liam said, using the bottom of his Killian’s Red to nudge their shared plate of hot wings closer to Tag. “Eat and drink. If it’s meant to be, it’ll sort itself out.”

Tag shook his head. “I agreed to pick up the tab, and that’s the best advice you can give me?”

“Beer’s cheap,” he said, finishing off his fourth bottle. “Now, if you want to spring for Midleton, you’d be amazed at the knowledge I’d impart.”

Sighing, Tag said, “Remind me next time I’m in crisis mode to call Fiona.”

“What’s she going to tell you? Camp outside your lady’s front door, apologizing and singing ballads? Pfft.” He signaled to the waitress to bring another bottle. “Ask me, Olivia needs to knock off this whiny crap and take it like a man.”

Oh, boy, here it comes
. One could always tell Liam had had a bit too much to drink when he started in with his take-it-like-a-man speeches.

“Point of fact,” Tag said, “Liv’s a woman. A seriously hot woman.”

“In that case, all you have to do is apologize and camp on her doorstep. Maybe sing something. Works every time.”

Tag rolled his eyes.

T
HE NEXT NIGHT
Tag followed his gut instinct and invited Fiona out for dinner at her favorite seafood place. While Fiona called it a night with one piña colada, the woman could eat twice her weight in crab legs. “When you have time for a break,” Tag said, “I’d love to talk with you about Liv.”

“Sure,” she said, wincing while bearing down on her cracking pliers. “Just let me get this claw open, and I’ll be right with you.”

“Jeez, my life’s in shambles here—can you throw me a bone?”

After dredging her prized chunk of meat in drawn butter, then popping it into her mouth, closing her eyes and groaning with pleasure, she said, “I’ve actually been giving this a lot of thought. What you need to do is something outrageous. Something so big and exciting that she won’t be able to stop herself from falling into your arms.”

“You’re not about to suggest I camp on her doorstep and sing, are you?”

She blanched. “That’s a horrible idea. Is that what Liam told you to do?”

“Possibly.” Tag had to laugh to himself over his big brother’s advice getting shot down by the master. He should’ve just come to Fiona first. Out of the whole lot of O’Malley kids, she’d always been the one with the longest, happiest relationships. “So anyway, what’s this megaplan of yours and how long’s it going to take?”

“Patience, pumpkin. This will require finesse.”

“Don’t you have any plans that get straight to the point? Like shaking sense into her.”

Pausing midbite, she said, “Shaking would not be advised.”

“I
THINK SHE’S BEING
unreasonable,” Steph said, sitting on the edge of Olivia’s backyard pool. “Tag came to her, apologized, claimed to have put away all of his wife’s things…what more does she want?”

Gabby pitched a tortilla chip at her. “What she wants is the prince charging up on his white stallion.”

“That whole prince thing is highly overrated.”

“Ladies,” Olivia interrupted, “would you mind letting me handle my own problems?”

“We’d be happy to,” Steph said, “but you’re not handling anything. You’re hiding. I know I say this all the time, but if I had a second chance with Michael, I’d give anything for just one more day. I get where Tag was
coming from on having a tough time separating himself from his memories of his wife. But he did, Olivia. For you. If you ask me, the ball’s now in your court, and if you’re even half as smart as I believe you to be, then you need to let us take care of Flynn while you go get your man.”

Gabby clapped. “Hear, hear. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“You both need to mind your own business. Obviously Tag and I were never meant to be.”

“Why?” Steph asked. “Because at this point, the only thing I see standing between you two being together is your fear.”

“Fear that I remember all too well from Phil,” Olivia argued. “I know we hadn’t met back then, but trust me, I was a mess. I can’t—won’t—go through that again if Tag should one day decide he’s tired of me.”

“Would you listen to yourself,” Steph said, kicking her feet in the glistening water. “You’re planning your divorce before you’re even married.”

“Tag didn’t propose. All he said was that he was willing to try working things out between us.”

“But that’s not good enough for you?” Steph asked. “Flip it around. What if you were the one trying to let go of your past, but having a hard time. What if you were honestly trying, only Tag flat-out rejected you?”

“He did.”

“Oops.” Steph at least had the good grace to look guilty
for having rubbed Olivia’s nose in the embarrassment of Tag’s rejection. “Okay, well, let’s just go with Plan B.”

“Which is?”

Steph looked to Gabby. “We’re not sure. But as soon as we dream it up, you’ll be first to know.”

“I
T’S ABOUT TIME
you got back in the office.” Despite Tag’s best efforts to avoid Alice, she dogged him all the way to his desk chair. “You’d better see this,” she said. “I think it’s important.”

Without even looking at it, Tag took the envelope and set it atop the pile he planned to spend the day trying to tackle.

“Boss, you really should take a look. It’s from the Georgette County Court.”

Rubbing his closed eyes with his thumb and forefinger, Tag exhaled sharply. What now? He really couldn’t take much more fun.

“Want me to open it for you?”

“Sure.” The letter was probably just a formalized statement concerning Flynn’s custody.

“Oh, my.” Hand to her chest, Alice said, “This can’t be good.”

“What?” he asked, wishing she’d leave him in peace to get on with his day.

“From the sound of this, Ms. Marshall is seeking full custody of your son. You’re due in court on Friday.”

Barking at Alice to leave the letter and get his lawyer on the phone, Tag felt his head begin to throb. Hadn’t
Liv already put him through enough? Why would she do something so deliberately hurtful as to try barring him from his son?

“W
HY IS HE DOING THIS
, Dane? He knows Flynn means the world to me.” In Dane’s chambers, Olivia dropped onto one of the two burgundy leather guest chairs in front of his imposing desk.

“Relax,” Dane said, punching in a number on his desk phone. “Judge Marsbury’s a fair man. I can’t imagine him doing anything rash or…” He waved to her when whoever was on the other end picked up.

A brief exchange provided nothing more than Dane discovering that the judge was out of town. “Really?” Dane asked. “You don’t even show him as having his court in session on Friday?” More chitchat, and then “Well, thank you for checking for me…No, that won’t be necessary…Yes, you, too.” He hung up. “Strange. Let me see your letter again.”

While he looked over her document, she said, “I can’t believe this is happening. I thought I knew Tag better than this.”

“I’ve gotta say…” Dane scratched his head. “Putting the court-docket-scheduling dilemma aside, this second custody case is unorthodox, but not unheard-of. There is a segment of the population who use children as weapons. Maybe Tag’s one of them?”

“No. I refuse to believe that of him. I’ll bet his family put him up to it.”

Clearing his throat, Dane said, “I hate to state the obvious, but did you ever think of calling him? Asking him point-blank why he’s taking this route?”

“I suppose I could call, but that would mean actually speaking to him, which is totally out of the question.”

W
ITH
T
AG’S ATTORNEY
out of town and none of his firm’s partners even taking his calls, Tag showed up solo at the Georgette County Courthouse Friday morning. None of this made sense. He’d tried calling Liv a million times, but she never answered. He took her lack of communication as an admission of guilt. She knew what she was doing was wrong, and she didn’t care.

Well, if that was the way she wanted to play it, bring it on. He’d never backed down from a fight and wasn’t about to start now.

The courthouse lobby was quiet. The only person present other than him was a janitor pushing a rolling trash bin down the hall.

Tag checked his watch—8:55.

The hearing was supposed to start at nine. Where the hell was everyone?

Behind him, the courthouse door swished open. Liv, dressed to kill in a black power suit and matching heels—also on her own—entered the building.

Not bothering to hide his hostility, he asked, “Where’s your lawyer?”

“Family emergency.” Taking off her black sunglasses, she asked, “Yours?”

“Couldn’t make it on such short notice. Thanks for the heads-up.”

Setting her briefcase and purse on the center of three pewlike benches, she stuck her index finger in his face. “Don’t you dare talk to me about not giving you a courtesy call when we wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you suing for full custody.”

“That’s B.S.,” he said, so angry he felt on the verge of losing control. The woman made him crazy. “You’re the one demanding full custody. It says so right here.” From his suit’s chest pocket he took the letter that had summoned him to appear.

As Liv scanned it, her expression transformed from enraged to confused to…laughter? “It appears we’ve been played. Check out my official notice.”

They were identical, with the exception of their different addresses and the party suing.

“Surprise!” From out of the courtroom where they’d first battled erupted balloons and throbbing, awful disco music and just about everyone he’d ever known on the planet. His parents, brothers, Alice, Liv’s aunt and uncle…Hell, even Tabitha the punk sitter they had yet to use.

Groaning, Tag spied his sister. “You did this, didn’t you?”

“With help.” All smiles, she pulled in her accomplices. “Tag, meet Stephanie and Gabby. Olivia, I presume you’ve already met my cohostesses?”

“The more I think about it, the less funny this is,
guys.” Waving her letter, Olivia looked to Gabby. “And I’m pretty sure Dane would eat you alive if he knew you’d not only snatched official courthouse stationery, but forged a judge’s name.”

“No, I didn’t,” Gabby said. “If you weren’t so caught up in how miserable you are, you’d have noticed that the letterhead might be similar to the county’s, but it’s nowhere close to exact.”

“You covered all the bases, didn’t you?” Tag said. “Once in all of this scheming, did it ever occur to the three of you that Liv and I were genuinely hurting? This isn’t a game.”

“It’s about time you figured that out,” Tag’s mother said. “I love you, son, but think of this as an intervention—for both you and Olivia. You two are headed down a dangerous and unnecessary path. Yes, those letters you received weren’t real, but they could be if you don’t admit you’re perfect for each other and get on with your lives. Look how much time you’ve already wasted. Do you really want this to go on anymore?”

Tag looked at Liv. Lord, she was pretty. He’d forgotten how just waking up with her in his home had brightened his days. Holding out his hand, he asked, “Want to blow this joint and find somewhere private to talk?”

For Olivia, walking hand in hand with Tag in warm, late-spring sun felt like a fragile dream. “That was some scene in there, huh?”

“Yeah,” Tag grumbled. “I feel played. I’m never speaking to my sister again.”

“If you think about it, we should both take all of that effort as a compliment. We have great family and friends.”

“Buttinsky family and friends. How did they fit so many people in that courtroom? How did they even get the key to that courtroom?”

A faint smile playing about her lips, Olivia said, “Little known fact, but the county’s always in a budget deficit, meaning for the right price, plus an additional cleaning fee, they’ll rent out a courtroom for business meetings and such. Being the wife of a judge, Gabby would know the logistics.”

“Swell.” Stopping on a park bench facing a splashing fountain ringed with red, white and purple petunias, Tag motioned for her to have a seat.

She did. And suddenly, staring up at the man she loved, at his brown eyes and mussed hair, his square jaw and slightly crooked nose, reminded her all over again of why she’d first fallen for him. It wasn’t because he was movie-star gorgeous, or always said the right thing. It was because unlike Phil, Tag was real. He didn’t lie. He didn’t play games. He was just his goofball, lovable self. How had she gotten so caught up in her fear of repeating the past that she’d failed to see what an amazing future she and Tag would share if only she’d give him a try?

“I’m sorry,” she said when he’d sat next to her, warming her thigh with his. “When you came to me, telling me you’d put away all of Maria’s things, I should’ve right then and there hugged you and never let you go. I’m ashamed that I ever doubted your commitment to Flynn and me.”

“I’m the one who’s ashamed,” he said, cupping his hand to her cheek. “You snuck into my heart so quietly, yet so completely, I never even saw it coming. I love you, Olivia Marshall. I love our son. I want you to marry me and be by my side as long as God allows.”

Nodding and crying, she kissed him, then pulled him into a hug. “I love you so much. I never want to let you go.”

“That can be arranged,” he said with his slow, sexy grin. “Now, seeing as how our self-appointed facilitators have spied us kissing and are headed this way, what would you think about picking up Flynn and running off to our cabin at Rolling Rock?”

“Why, Mr. O’Malley, you wouldn’t be planning on breaking Ms. Eleanor’s commingling rule, would you?”

“Hell, yeah…” He kissed her again, melting her through and through.

Once they came up for air, she asked, “One more thing. Can we stop off at a store along the way?”

“What do you need?” he asked as he rose and held out his hand to help her from the bench.

Easing her fingers between his, she said, “I need everything
but
killer meat loaf.”

S
TANDING ON
the courthouse steps, hands on her hips, watching Tag and Olivia run toward the parking lot, Stephanie was not a happy camper. “Where do they think they’re going? Are they trying to ditch us?”

Gabby put her arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Look on the bright side—though they might not be eating any of the breakfast casseroles and breads we slaved over, we did fully accomplish our goal of getting them together.”

“I guess you’re right, but I’m still bummed. I never have gotten to see them as a happy couple.”

“Pace yourself.” All smiles, Gabby said, “I have a feeling they’re going to be together for a nice long time.”