26. Oliver

Chapter 26

Oliver

I couldn't help but feel depressed over the situation with Lexie.

How could I tell her how I felt, how sorry I was, if she wouldn't talk to me? I moped around the house for the next week, only leaving to go and check in on Lexie during her shifts at the Pig.

I pretended to be helping out behind the bar, or back in the office doing paperwork, but in reality, I was just watching her. I paid attention to the way she moved, to see if she was getting too tired. I was worried about her and the baby.

Not to mention, I was madly in love with her and needed her desperately.

"Daddy, why are you sad?" Trent asked me when I came in from work and got him settled for dinner.

He looked up at me with wide eyes as he ate his chicken nuggets.

"I'm not..." I started, but then I realized he clearly was picking up on my mood, and I needed to be honest with him. I'd always taught Trent not to be like me, not to push down his emotions until he blew up. It was a flaw in myself I'd always disliked. "Actually, I am a little sad," I admitted.

"Why?"

"Because I lost a friend."

"Where did they go?" he asked incredulously, and I couldn't help but bark out a surprised laugh.

"Well, they didn't actually go anywhere, they just don't want to be my friend anymore."

"That is sad," he said glumly. "Maybe you can make up with them? When me and Aiden aren't friends anymore, I just say I'm sorry. And then we're friends again."

Aiden was his best friend from summer camp who he kept in close contact with.

I smiled, ruffling Trent's hair. "I'm going to try that. Thank you for the advice, kiddo."

Trent grinned. "You're welcome."

I hesitated. Was it the right time to tell him about his new little brother or sister? I decided it was. It would cheer him up, at least.

"I have some news for you, Trent."

"News?" he looked up at me blankly.

"You're going to have a little brother or sister," I told him quietly, and Trent's eyes widened.

"I am?" he gasped, bouncing in his seat.

"You are."

"Does that mean I get a new mommy, too?" he asked hopefully, and my heart clenched in my chest.

"I don't know about that, buddy," I replied gently. "But you are going to have a little playmate in a few months."

"I hope it's a boy," he said excitedly. "We're gonna be best friends."

"You can still be best friends, even if it's a girl," I assured him .

He grinned up at me. "I'm so excited!"

"I know you are," I chuckled. For the next half an hour, he babbled about all the fun things he was going to do with his sibling. It made my heart soar to know how thrilled he was about it.

He was still talking about becoming a big brother when I put him to bed, and I couldn't stop smiling. I was glad I told him; it raised my mood a lot.

I continued to text Lexie, asking her to speak to me, but she kept ignoring me. If I wasn't a single father, I might have thrown myself into a bottle the way I did after we broke up the first time, but I had responsibilities now.

I knew what I needed to do next, but it was a hard pill to swallow.

I needed to talk to Tristan. To apologize to him. I'd hurt Lexie and myself by my actions back then, but I'd also hurt my best friend, a man who'd always been there for me. He didn't deserve what happened.

The next morning, after I dropped Trent off at school, I looked in my files and found Tristan's number. I took in a deep breath and dialed.

"Hello?" he answered after a few rings. I was relieved. I knew my number had probably shown up as unknown.

"Trent, it's Oliver." There was nothing but silence, and for a moment, I thought he'd hung up.

"You've got some nerve—" he started, but I cut him off.

"Tristan, please. Just hear me out. Can we get a drink or something?"

He went quiet again. "Are you serious right now? You tried to kick my ass, more than once."

"I know," I sighed. "But I really need to talk to you. I want to apologize. Please. "

"The only reason I'm entertaining this is because you were my best friend for years," he warned.

"Fair enough. Meet me at the new Irish pub downtown?"

"O'Malley's?"

"That's the one."

"See you there," he grunted, and hung up the phone.

I let out the breath I'd been holding. At least I would get a chance to apologize.

When I arrived at O'Malley's, Tristan was already there, sitting in a back booth. I slid into the seat across from him and let out a long breath.

"I should clock you one, you know."

I winced. "Do it, if it'll make you feel better."

"It won't," he said flatly.

"Tristan, I'm sorry," I said mournfully. "I know now that you never laid a hand on Lex."

"You should have known it then," he snapped, and I quickly nodded in agreement.

"You're right. I should have. I fucked up. Badly. But I'm asking you, as my old best friend, to forgive me."

He glared at me. "And why should I?"

"Because I need you," I said quietly. "I don't know which way is up. Lex is pregnant and I'm in love with her, but she won't talk to me."

"So you wanted to apologize so that you'd have someone to talk to?" he asked, but he was smiling.

"That's not the only reason, but..." I trailed off, and Tristan laughed.

"All right, Ollie, you moron. We can be friends again."

"Thank God," I groaned, banging my head against the table as the server walked over with a raised eyebrow.

Tristan snickered and ordered a pitcher of light beer .

"She isn't as forgiving as I am, I take it?" he asked, pouring us each a glass when the server returned.

"Not even a little," I admitted, taking a slow sip.

"You can't exactly blame her," he pointed out.

"I know," I sighed. "But all I want is a few moments to explain things to her."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "Explain things to me, Ollie. What happened back then? Why were you so sure that we were fooling around behind your back?"

"My father," I said flatly. "He told me that he saw you two together. Kissing."

Tristan's blue eyes widened. "There's no way."

"He didn't, obviously. He admitted he lied about it. He said he was suspicious of how much time you two spent together." I sighed heavily. "And I guess I was too. I wasn't the jealous type before, but I couldn't stop thinking about it after he told me, and I suppose that's what made me become that way."

"You should have trusted us, Ollie. We were just friends. You, me, Lex… we were like the Three Musketeers."

"I know that now," I told him. "But at the time, I was young and jealous and stupid. And I don't know how to explain that to Lexie."

"Grovel," he said, taking another sip of beer, and I stared at him blankly.

"What?"

"You have to grovel," he told me. "You've got to throw yourself at her feet and beg her forgiveness. You've got to let go of your pride and just... grovel. Elena makes me do it all the time." He grinned. "Sometimes all that groveling turns into something more fun, too."

I blinked. "I don't know if I can do that," I admitted. I thought I'd do anything to get Lexie back, but at the same time, showing that kind of emotion outwardly was hard for me. I usually just pushed everything down.

"Lex is a great girl. If you don't do any and everything to get her back, you're an idiot," he said, frowning.

"You're right. But how do I grovel when she won't talk to me?"

"Not sure, but I'm guessing you'll need to convince her to meet you somewhere. Maybe tell her that she left something important behind at the cabin then suggest she meet you there so you can return it to her."

"That might actually work. That's a good idea."

"Of course it is," he replied smugly. I chuckled in return.

"Enough about me. Tell me about your love life."

Tristan groaned. "Absolutely not."

"Absolutely not because it's so kinky?" I teased.

"Oh it's kinky enough, I guess," he admitted. "Working on the offshore rigs as much as I do keeps me busy. I don't have much time for romance, but Elena puts up with me."

"The Tristan I knew had a new girl on his arm every week," I said, surprised that he was sticking with dating just one woman.

"Well, that Tristan grew up."

I nodded. "I get it. I feel like I'm a totally different person from who I was back then."

"Hopefully you are. But attacking me at the Pig told me that guy is still in there somewhere."

I laughed nervously. "I'm really sorry about that."

Tristan shrugged. "We all make mistakes, old friend."

We finished the pitcher and by the time we left, I was tipsy enough that I had to call an Uber. We had parted on good terms and it felt good .

My best friend was back. Now if only I could get Lex back, too.

I looked toward the cabin as soon as I got home. The lights were all off. I sighed heavily; a part of me was hoping she would be there, but I doubted it. She must be staying with her sister. I couldn't just show up there and grovel but ultimately if I had to, I would.

Tristan was right. I had to do everything in my power to get her back.