You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 727

“Why are you up so early?” Oliver asked, his voice still a little rough from sleep.

Patricia shrugged. “I woke up, so I got up. Did you go play basketball with your brothers?” She tossed the question out, hoping to change the subject before Oliver could dig deeper.

But Oliver wasn’t ready to drop it. He answered her first, then circled right back. “Is it the bed? Or are you just not used to being here?”

“I slept fine,” Patricia replied, glancing at him. Before he could slip away into the bathroom, she caught him with another question. “You seem kind of annoyed that I’m up early.”

“Not annoyed,” he said. “I just worry you’re not comfortable here.”

“And if I’m really not?” she pressed.

“Then we’ll go back to Riverdale,” he said simply.

“But this is your home,” she reminded him.

He looked at her, his expression so serious it made her chest tighten. “It’s my house, but it isn’t our home. As your husband, I should give you a place where you feel safe and comfortable, not somewhere that makes you uneasy or anxious.”

“If you keep acting like this, your parents are going to think I’m difficult,” Patricia said, trying to lighten the mood.

Oliver paused in the doorway, turned to face her, and let out a slow, heavy sigh. “Pattie, you always look at me like I’m just any other man. Let me say this again.”

He kept his voice low and steady. “You’re my wife. For the rest of your life, the only person you ever need to care about making happy is me. Don’t bother worrying about anyone else.”

Patricia blinked, caught off guard. She knew Oliver could be bossy, even overbearing sometimes, but when it came to looking out for her, he never failed. He took on every responsibility a husband should, and even the ones he technically didn’t have to. If she needed something, he’d move mountains to get it done. He had firm values and always stepped up. Just those two things alone put him above most men she knew.

Lydia had whisked Patricia away early that morning. She’d insisted they needed to go pick out a dress, and even though Patricia wanted to say no, Lydia was so enthusiastic that she couldn’t refuse. It was Patricia’s first time out with her mother-in-law, and she was so nervous her palms were sweaty. Thankfully, Lydia was easygoing and didn’t fuss about rules, which helped Patricia relax a little.

Even though the outing was supposedly for Patricia, she didn’t come home empty-handed. On the way back, Lydia smiled and started sharing stories about Oliver when he was a little boy.

“Oliver isn’t easy. It must be exhausting, being with someone like him,” Lydia said with a laugh.

Patricia shook her head. “He’s actually really good to me. Very patient.”

Lydia gave her a knowing look. “I raised him. I know exactly what he’s like. On the surface, it looks like he’s the one being patient, but honestly, you’re the one who puts up with more. I know my son.”

Talking about Oliver made Lydia sound both guilty and a little sad. “His dad and I were always working when he was little. When Oliver was two, his father got transferred out of town. I stayed in Golden Bay. By then, our oldest, Jimmy, was already ten and could look after himself, but Oliver was still so small. I was busy and barely had time for him. Those were rough times, and Oliver grew up mostly with nannies. Later, when his grandfather retired and needed company, Oliver was so full of energy that his dad just sent him over to live with him.”