You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 292

Two hours later, Patricia finally finished unpacking every last box and sorting everything into neat piles.

She eased herself onto the couch, rubbing her lower back. Oliver noticed and came over, his hands warm and steady as he began to massage her shoulders.

“Want to take a bath?”

“Yeah,” Patricia said, getting to her feet. “I’ll go run the water.”

As the sound of water filled the apartment, Oliver stood in the living room, looking around at all the new clutter. It wasn’t just the space filling up—his heart felt less empty too. Everywhere he looked, there were signs of Patricia, little pieces of her life mixing with his own. The more she settled in, the more at home he felt.

In the bathroom, Patricia stood in front of the mirror, taking off her makeup. She leaned on the sink, gently rubbing circles on her cheeks with her fingertips.

Downstairs, Sara lounged on the couch, a mug in one hand and her phone in the other.

“Barbecue tonight?” she asked.

Colton jumped up, instantly interested. “I’m in.”

Roger drove them down the hill, watching the road, but he couldn’t help asking, “Didn’t Aunt Patricia hate shopping? What made you all go on a spree today?”

Sara sighed. “It’s a long story.”

Colton grinned. “Give us the short version.”

Sara thought for a second, then explained everything—how Patricia had to change her habits just to keep up with Oliver’s moods.

By the time she finished, Roger was frowning. “So Uncle Oliver gets weird and Aunt Patricia has to rearrange her life for him. That’s just messed up.”

Sara hugged her arms around herself. “Marriage is scary.”

Especially if you end up with someone who’s got a possessive streak.

Colton’s lips twisted as he remembered meeting Patricia for the first time. Uncle Oliver had people look into her as soon as she’d shown up at Cloud Peak. Back then, Colton thought it was because he cared. Now he realized it was something else—something more controlling.

“It looks like Aunt Patricia’s always running around and Uncle Oliver’s just waiting for her, but really, she’s the one trying to fit into his life,” Roger said. “If that’s what marriage is, no thanks.”

Love’s supposed to be about two people moving toward each other, not one person doing all the adjusting.

Sara nodded. “Exactly.”

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