15
OLIVIA
Over the next few days, the men were extra attentive, ensuring that one of them was with me at all times. I had not recognized my need for their presence, or that I was worried that they, too, might leave me, but they had. While I could not blame my parents for their untimely deaths, I did blame them for leaving me. As for Uncle Allen, I couldn't deny him the woman he loved or the family he'd made. I couldn't be selfish. But what of Simon, Rhys and Cross? Would they want to leave me as well? Did I crave them in a way that had me taking their attention however I could get it, even if it were to bicker?
I wanted to be the center of their focus because they wanted to give it to me, not because I was needy, and that was the crux. It was hard to be confident in our slowly forming b
