The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 281

“Not at all,” Oliver replied, walking in. “My mom woke up and asked for Suzie, so I came downstairs. I could hear you ranting about men from the top of the stairs.”

At the mention of Helen, Suzie quickly rose from the couch. “I’ll go check on her. You two talk.”

They both nodded. As Suzie headed upstairs, Oliver slowly sat down beside Stella. After a moment of silence, his voice dropped to a low, serious tone.

“Is Suzie… is she okay?”

Stella took a sip of her coffee, wiped her mouth, and gave him a mischievous smile.

“Do you want her to be okay, or not okay?”

Oliver’s brow furrowed. “I’m being serious.”

Stella gave him a light slap on the arm and laughed. “Are you going to wait until you retire to make a move? I have no idea if that Hayden guy is interested in her or not.”

Oliver was clearly getting anxious, his words tumbling out faster. “Doesn’t that guy have a girlfriend? What? Is he into Suzie?”

“I said I’m not sure,” Stella corrected. “But he’s been incredibly good to her.”

With that, Stella pulled her phone from her jeans pocket, opened her social media app, and handed it to Oliver.

“Look. Someone snapped this picture of them when they landed today. He’s got his arm around her shoulder. If you don’t make your move soon, you’re going to lose her to someone else.”

“And when it comes to helping her, Hayden has done more than both of us combined. He’s the one who helped her establish a foothold in the photography world, and he’s the one who single-handedly launched the kids’ careers. Not only is he good to Suzie, but he also adores the children. From a woman’s point of view, it’s very easy to fall for a man like that.”

After her earnest speech, Stella added one final jab. “You… I swear, you’ve been pining for Suzie for years. When she got married, you had no say. But she’s been divorced for years, and you still can’t even open your mouth… If you keep dragging your feet, you won’t even get a chance in the next lifetime. Oliver, you’re just a coward.”

Oliver was stunned into silence by Stella’s tirade.

He had a plan back when Suzie first escaped the Baylor Manor and moved to Cherryblossom Town. He was going to live there and take care of her. Once they had spent some time together and she had healed from her past, he would propose.

But Suzie didn't want him to stay. Every single day, she would tell him to go back to Mornhaven.

Afraid of wearing out his welcome, he eventually left.