Chapter 44

Monday morning, Michael headed off to work, a smile plastered on his face. The day before had been a blast, just him and Anelise, with Ashley taking care of Ollie. They’d made the most of their kid-free afternoon.

He planted a soft kiss on Anelise’s cheek, peeked in on a still-sleeping Ollie, and then he was off, ready to tackle another workweek.

Anelise and Ollie spent the morning running errands and returned home with rumbling stomachs. She whipped up grilled cheese sandwiches and apple slices for the two of them.

They were in the middle of a giggle fest, with Goat waiting eagerly for any scraps that might fall his way, when the doorbell rang.

“Is that Nana?” Ollie asked, his eyes lighting up. “She said she was coming over today to meet Goat!”

“I’m not sure, sweetie. Finish your lunch, and I’ll go see who it is,” Anelise told him, planting a kiss on his head as she passed by to answer the door. She opened it and froze, taking in the woman standing there.

“Hi, um, I’m sorry to just show up like this, but could we talk for a bit?” the woman asked Anelise.

Anelise nodded, stepping aside to let the woman in. She straightened her back, trying to muster up some confidence for the conversation that was about to happen.

Facing the woman, Anelise offered a polite smile. “What can I do for you, Kara?”

Kara blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know if Michael would have told you who I was…”

“He told me right after you left. But even if he hadn’t, I would have guessed. You and Ollie have the same eyes,” Anelise replied.

Kara licked her lips nervously. “Yeah, that’s about the only thing he got from me.”

“Why are you here, Kara? Michael will be furious if he finds out!” Anelise said.

“I just wanted to see for myself that Ollie is happy and well cared for,” she explained. “To reassure myself that I made the right decision three and a half years ago.”

“Ollie is one of the happiest people I’ve ever met. He’s always laughing, always making others laugh. Everyone who meets him falls in love with him. He brings joy wherever he goes,” Anelise told her.

As she spoke, Anelise watched Kara’s face. She saw a muscle twitch near her lip. Kara sniffed, but before she could say anything, Ollie came running in. “Mommy! I finished my apples!”

He ran to Anelise, who scooped him up and nuzzled his neck. “Good job, love. How much did you give to Goat?”

“Only one piece. He gave me sad eyes, and I had to give him a little bit!” Ollie explained, making Anelise chuckle.

“Who are you?” Ollie asked Kara.

“Ollie, this is a friend of your daddy’s from Chicago. She knew that we moved and wanted to check in and see how you were doing,” Anelise said, trying not to clutch the little boy too tightly, even though every instinct was telling her to grab him and run.

“Hi Ollie... How are you today?” Kara asked, her voice shaky.

“I’m good. Mommy and I went to the store and got treats for Goat and other food at the store. My Nana is coming to see me and play today!” Ollie said, smiling at the woman.

“That sounds like so much fun,” Kara said, her voice still wobbly.

Before anyone could say anything else, Naomi burst through the front door. “Where is my little man?!”

“~Nana!~” Ollie squealed and wiggled, so Anelise put him down. He ran to her and threw himself at her legs.

Naomi kneeled down and smothered his face in kisses, making him giggle. She picked him up and looked at the two women. She figured out who was standing with Anelise after JJ told her about what had happened on Saturday.

“Ollie,” she said, her eyes never leaving Anelise’s, “Show me your new puppy! I heard all about him from Uncle JJ.”

Ollie wiggled down again, grabbed her hand, and dragged her to the kitchen, talking a mile a minute about the newest member of their family.

“He is a beautiful little boy,” Kara whispered, wiping a tear from her face. “You and Michael have done a good job with him.”

“Thank you, but it was really Michael who set the foundation,” Anelise said. “He is an amazing father, and Ollie adores him.”

Kara nodded her head but didn’t say anything.

“Kara, are you ok? You seem really emotional, and I wasn’t expecting that after Saturday,” Anelise asked gently.

She nodded her head. “I’m um...my boyfriend wants to get married, and I don’t know what to do…”

“Oh... Does he know about Ollie?” Anelise asked.

Kara shook her head. “I haven’t been brave enough, and I’m terrified that he will end it when I tell him. I still don’t want kids, which is fine because he can’t have any. But I know that I have to be honest with him.”

“Yes, you do... If he loves you, Kara, he will see that you made the best choice for everyone involved. And now you can tell him that the little boy is loved, happy, and thriving,” Anelise replied.

Kara nodded her head, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself. “I better go, I know you have a busy afternoon with your son.”

Anelise smiled softly. “I promise to love him always and will protect him with my life.”

“I know. I can tell you will. Thank you for the closure. But if he or Michael would like to get in touch with me, I still have the same number and won’t get rid of it…,” she said, her voice filled with sadness.

Ani nodded. “I’ll let Michael know. Good luck, Kara.”

Kara gave a nod, a sad smile, and then she was out the front door, closing it softly behind her. Anelise waited until she heard the sound of a car pulling away before she returned to the kitchen. Naomi, Ollie, and Goat were by the fireplace, playing ball and laughing.

Naomi looked up, her smile warm as she watched the woman she loved like a daughter tidying up the kitchen. She leaned in to whisper to Ollie, “I’ll be right back. I need to tell your mommy something.”

She crossed the room to where Anelise was standing by the sink, staring out the window. “Anelise Whitlock, you are an incredible young woman. I’m so proud of what you did.”

Anelise gave a sad smile. “I just hope Michael feels the same way.”

Naomi kissed her temple, wrapping her in a tight hug before returning to play with her grandchild. “I’m here for a while, go take a nap.”

Without arguing, Anelise headed upstairs to their room and laid down, praying that Michael wouldn’t be too upset.

***

Michael was slicing meat when Anelise brought the salad and rolls to the table. She took a seat as Ollie chattered on about all the fun he had with Naomi and Goat. Michael couldn’t help but smile as they ate, listening to the little boy’s stories.

“...And then your friend from Chicago came over and said hi, and then I went outside to throw the ball to Goat…,” Ollie said, taking a big bite of potato.

Michael froze mid-bite, turning to Anelise. “What friend from Chicago?”

Anelise licked her lips nervously. “I was going to talk to you about that when Ollie went to bed. Kara came over again. She was trying to process some things…”

Michael gently set his fork down, struggling to keep his temper in check. “So you talked to her? Became good friends?”

“I couldn’t ignore her, Michael. She was crying!” Anelise said, feeling her own tears starting to well up.

“I don’t care if her head was spinning 360 degrees and she was speaking in an ancient Babylonian dialect! She gave up her right to care about me or Ollie three years ago!” Michael snapped.

“And you let her in our house again, and she talked to our son! That’s just fucking great!!”

He pushed back from the table, tossed his napkin down, and stormed over to the hallway table. He grabbed his keys and headed out to the garage, slamming the door behind him. Anelise was left stunned.

Ani sniffed and continued to eat.

“Mommy?”

“What, baby?’ Anelise asked, trying to hold back her tears.

“Where did Daddy go?”

“He had to get something at work. He’ll be back later,” Anelise said, forcing a smile. “Finish your dinner, love. We can watch ~Cars~ again after dinner, ok?”

Ollie cheered and finished eating. Anelise discreetly wiped away her tears as they got into their pajamas and watched his new favorite movie about talking cars. She tucked him in and then climbed into bed herself, finally letting her tears flow.

She laid there, trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. She sincerely hoped that Michael would understand that she was in a difficult position and had done what she thought was best to protect them. As she thought, she slowly drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Michael felt like shit for the way he had reacted to Anelise. He drove around aimlessly after grabbing some drive-thru dinner. He was embarrassed and waited until he was sure that his wife was asleep before he went home.

He quietly entered the kitchen from the garage and turned off the lights that she had left on for him. He climbed the stairs and checked on his son, making sure the covers were up and Goat was keeping watch.

He affectionately rubbed the mutt’s head, whispered how much he loved his son, and then crept back out. He took a few deep breaths on the way to the master bedroom and went in to find her asleep on her side of the bed.

He quickly changed into his pajamas and slid under the covers, pulling her close and rubbing her baby bump. He kissed her neck and whispered, “Ani, my love, I’m so sorry! I love you so much, and I’m so sorry for the way I acted.”

Anelise heard him, waking up when he came into their room, and turned to look at him. “What happened?”

He sighed, rolling onto his back and pulling her to his chest. “I was so scared when Ollie said she was here. I was terrified she was going to try and take him from us. I know that’s not logical and she has no legal standing, but that has been my greatest fear.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” she asked, looking up to see the distress on his handsome face.

“Since she left, I’ve been terrified that she would change her mind and want Ollie and fight for custody.”

“And with her being a lawyer, she would know people who could manipulate the system. A lot of judges aren’t kind to fathers. But I won’t lose my son. ~Ever!~” he said passionately.

“Oh Michael,” she whispered, touching his face and moving up so their faces were level. “I would never let that happen either! If something crazy like that ever happened, we would fight tooth and nail to keep Ollie here with us.”

“He is my son too now. And do you honestly think that our parents would let that happen?”

Michael knew his fear was irrational, but when was fear ever rational? He smiled a little at the thought of their parents, fighting to ensure that Ollie stayed with them. He thought about how similar Ollie and Anelise were in their lives.

Kara had abandoned Ollie, and Anelise had stepped in to become his mother. Kim and Neil had cast Anelise aside when she wouldn’t do what they demanded, and the Rothschilds had been there to love and care for her.

They both had found safe havens and families to love them. He loved how Anelise truly considered Naomi and Jonathan as her parents and had even started calling them Mom and Dad before the wedding.

He loved even more how they had accepted Ollie without a second thought and considered him their grandchild. It was the most amazing experience, and he felt so blessed to be a part of it.

He brushed his lips against hers tenderly. “I get it, sweetheart, but fear can make us do crazy things. I’m really sorry, Ani. I swear I won’t ever do something like that again. I won’t ever abandon our family again.”

“Thank you for saying that. But you have to promise me that you’ll talk to me next time. I can be there for you, be your rock. I’ll always stand by you,” she promised him.

He kissed her once more. “I love you, Anelise. Now, can you tell me what Kara said?”

“I love you too,” she replied. She then nestled her head back onto his chest and relayed Kara’s words.

“Michael, as much as I hate to even think about it, we should consider telling Ollie about Kara when he’s older. That way, he can decide whether he wants to reach out to her,” she suggested.

Michael let out a sigh, “I’ve been thinking about that too... But we don’t need to worry about that for a while. When he’s older, we’ll discuss it and figure out a plan on how to handle it. Together.”

Anelise wrapped her arms around him. “Enough of the sad talk. Let’s get some sleep.”

And so, they both drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.