Chapter 1: Adjusting

Olivia turned in Fitz's arms and kissed him. "Wake up," she whispered as she rubbed her hand across his cheek.

"You're like clockwork," he mumbled.

"What?"

"I'm willing to bet it's almost two o'clock."

"I'm willing to bet you're wrong."

"What time is it, then," he said and looked at the clock. "Five o'clock," he said with surprise. "So, we get five a.m. sex, instead of two a.m. sex?"

"No sex," she told him.

"No sex? What's on your mind, Mrs. Grant?"

She smiled. "I want to watch the sunrise with you."

She kissed him and then turned over and picked up the remote and opened the shades.

Fitz wrapped his arms around her and kissed her shoulder. "Can we do this all day?" He whispered in her ear.

"No," she said, shocking him. "We've been hiding out here for a week. It's time for us to go out and face the world. And, you know what you have to do. You can't put it off any longer."

She was right. He had been dreading and looking forward to what he had to do. It was time for him to finally make those steps. His first order of business was talking to his mother.


"Mom, I have to tell you something," Fitz said as he sat down and motioned for Edith to join him.

"That sounds so ominous," Edith said as she sat next to him.

"It's good news," Fitz assured her.

"Good." She sounded more relaxed.

"You know how Phil stole the team from dad," he began.

"Yeah. I didn't know that you knew."

"Yeah. He told me the night he died. It was the last conversation we had. Anyway, I got it back."

"What do you mean? How?"

"Liv found language in the contract that said that the team was still his, well ours now."

"Are you serious," Edith exclaimed.

"Yes ma'am."

Tears filled her eyes. And, it was a moment before she spoke. "You have no idea how happy this makes me."

"I think I do. I've been trying to figure out how to make this happen since I was fifteen. You know the last conversation I had with dad, he told me the truth. I stood at his grave and promised him that I would get it back. The path I was on wasn't the right one, but it was the only one that made sense to me."

"Wait. So, this is why you were with Mellie?" Edith asked, realizing what Fitz was saying.

"Yes," he confessed.

"Did she know?"

"No," he admitted.

"You're not going to like what I'm about to say, but you're just going to have to sit there and listen," Edith said sternly.

"Okay."

"I don't like Mellie. That's not a secret. But, your father and I did not raise you like this," Edith said.

"Mom."

"I said listen. You used her. I don't care that she had her own ulterior motives for being with you. You were raised different."

He lowered his eyes. "Yes ma'am."

"You wasted years of your life with Mellie, trying to fix your father's mistakes. That was not your responsibility. However, I can't be too angry with you. After all, that was the last thing your dad said to your before he died. So, I understand. I just wished you had talked to me about this. We could have figured out something together, instead of you wasting all those years in a loveless relationship."

"But, look what I got out of it."

"What?"

"Liv," he said with a smile.

Edith smiled. "I guess that's true."

Fitz smiled and nodded. "And, she's the one who looked at the contacts and found that we were still part owners."

"I'm going to have to thank her when I see her," Edith said. "Have you talked to Phil yet?"

"No ma'am. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Do it soon. Like today. You know decisions are about to be made about the team. You need to be there when they're made."

"Okay."

Edith held her arms open and Fitz fell into her embrace. "Thank you for getting your father's legacy back."


"Olivia," Quinn squealed when Olivia walked into OPA. "Welcome back," she said and hugged her.

"Thank you.

"You have been in the sun," Abby noticed as she hugged her. "Where did you honeymoon?"

"Velaa Private Islands in Maldives. It was so amazing."

Huck smiled and quietly hugged her.

"Checking up on me?" Harrison asked with a smile.

"Of course," she said and hugged him. "How are things going?"

"Good."

"You miss me?" She teased.

"I'm adjusting," Harrison said.

"You handling the load okay?" She asked with concern. Most of her clients had decided to stay with Harrison while some went with Cyrus.

"Yes," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Okay," she said," holding her hands up in defense. She should have expected that. Just like when she was starting out, Harrison had something to prove. Mostly that he wasn't successful because of Olivia. She knew that, but she didn't know that he knew that yet. And, he was the youngest out of their bunch, and had been trying to prove since he was a kid that he didn't need his hand held.

"Why haven't you switched offices?"

"Because I like my office."

"Okay."

"Besides, we have a feeling, you'll be back," Quinn said.

"I won't," Olivia told her.

"Told you," Harrison said.

"Whatever, there's still time," Quinn shot back.

"Tell me about the honeymoon," Abby said, pushing her down in a seat at the conference table.

"Well, it was amazing," Olivia began as she talked about their time on the island.


"Fitz, what can I do for you?" Phil asked. He had a huge smile on his face. At the moment, he loved Fitz. Merchandise had been selling out since their Super Bowl win. He was his golden boy.

Fitz placed both contracts on his desk. "I want what's mine," he said.

"What is this?" Phil asked as he thumbed through the contracts.

"I think you already know."

"Listen, I feel bad about what happened between your father and me. Why do you think I drafted you and kept you around when any other team would have let you go? But, your father signed his share of the team to me. The only way you can get half is to buy it from me," Phil told him.

"I suggest you call your lawyer and have him look over those," Fitz said as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down.

Over an hour later, Phil's lawyers were sitting in the office with them, going over the contracts.

One of them took his glasses off and looked at Phil. "Mr. Grant is right. He owns half of the team," he told Phil. "Your old attorney never changed the verbiage of the old contract when he added the addendum."

"So, from here on, Fitz and I are joint owners of the team?"

"Yes. And, you also owe him half of the profits from the moment you took over the whole organization, since legally it was still his father's and ultimately his once his father died," his attorney explained.

"I'll be damned," Phil hit his desk. "I can't believe this shit."

"Listen Phil," Fitz began. "I want us to be able to work together. You know what you did to my dad was wrong. This is a chance for you to right that wrong. We can just tell the media I'm stepping into my father's role now that I've retired. And, that this was always the plan."
Phil sat down and rubbed his hand over his face. Fitz knew it was important to him that no one knew exactly what kind of man he really was. "Fine," Phil said. He stood back up and shook Fitz's hand.

"We'll draft up a new contract for you two," Phil's attorney said.

"Send it to Cyrus," Fitz told him. He wanted Olivia to look over it before he signed anything. He did not trust Phil or his attorneys. "And, I want my dad's old office."


Fitz smiled as he stepped in his office. He had been in his new role as co-owner of the team for a little over two weeks. The newness hadn't quite worn off yet. And, he was still getting used to the fact that the office that used to belong to his dad was now his. It had been a long road, but he had finally fulfilled his promise to his dad. And, he was going to do his best not to destroy his legacy. That's why he let Phil stay on as joint owner. There was so much that he didn't know. But, he did know that his dad was a hands on, in the office everyday owner. He wanted to be that too.

He ran his fingers over the leather chair before sitting down. And, the minute he sat down, there she was. It was almost as if she had been following him.

"What are you doing here Mellie?"

"Don't be so hostile. You had to know that you would eventually see me around," she said and took a seat across from him.

"Around. Not in my office."

"I'm here to help you," she told him.

"This ought to be good," he said.

"Daddy said your assistant is out sick. I can fill in for her, if you want."

"No thanks. They're sending a temp."

"Why go through all that? I would be good at it. And, you know it."

She probably would be good at it. But, Fitz wasn't going to even try to find out. "I don't trust you, Mellie," he simply stated.

"You don't trust me? You're the one who cheated on me."

"I'm sorry about that. I never wanted to hurt you. But, one has nothing to do with the other, unless this is why you're really here."

"I've moved on," Mellie said. "At least I'm with a stand up guy, and you're married to some random whore."

Fitz instantly clenched his Fitz. He jumped up and got in her face. "Don't you ever call my wife a whore again. You got that?" He was not going to allow Olivia to be disrespected. Not in his presence.

Mellie looked up at his angry face and swallowed. "Yeah."

"Good. Now, get out of my office," he said and sat back down.


To say Olivia was bored was an understatement. For the past several weeks, she had been trying to find things to do. She just did not understand the concept of not working. She had read a stack of books. She had watched old Alabama games on YouTube starting with 2007. She refused to subject herself to the Shula years. She tried watching some of Fitz's old game too, but all that was available was video game replicas of the games. Who the hell had that kind of time to recreate an entire game using a video game? Apparently, she did. She was certain that if she knew how, she would.

She stopped herself from going to OPA so many times. She didn't want Harrison to think she was checking up on him.

She needed some advice before she lost it. And, she knew just who to talk to. She got her work ethic from her parents. They weren't necessarily workaholics, but they took pride and pleasure in the work they did. She knew that her mother loved her job and loved being able to do what she did. But, she also knew that her mother temporarily stopped working leading up to her birth and was a stay at home mom until she started school.

"Mom, how did you do it?"

Carol chuckled. "It was a lot easier for me. I was nesting when I stopped working. Then, you were here. And, you kept me more than busy with your little curious self."

"So, I'm just going to be bored out of my mind until I start nesting," Olivia groaned.

"You don't have to be. Become that little girl again. Get curious again."

"What?"

"Find new things that interest you."

Olivia smiled. "I'll try."

"Although you should really enjoy this time alone. You're never going to have it again," Carol warned.


The sweet, mouth-watering smell of baked goods met Fitz the minute he walked in the house. He went in the kitchen and saw Olivia getting a pan out of the oven.

"Something smells good," he commented.

"Cinnamon rolls," Olivia said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"Our baby must have a serious sweet tooth," Fitz said. She had baked something sweet every day that week. He looked at the cookie jars full of chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, the cake plate full of brownies, and cupcakes.

"Not really," she said, taking the cinnamon rolls from the pan.

"Then, why have you turned into Betty Crocker? Not that I'm complaining," he said, taking a cinnamon roll from the pan.

She sighed and looked at him. "I'm bored."

"Oh," Fitz said.

"Go ahead and say it."

"Say what?"

"I told you so."

"Oh. I would never say that," he assured her. He picked her up and sat her on the counter. "I don't want you to be bored. What can I do to help?"

"Well, I had a plan But, you ruined that by going to work," she said and ran her fingers through his hair.

He smiled. "That never would have worked. You would have still been bored. We need to find you something to do. Something that doesn't involve the oven," he joked.

"I'll be fine for now," she told him. "As soon as we find out the sex, I'll be busy decorating the nursery. And, I have plans for tomorrow."

"Really? You want to share?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"Tell me. Or," He grinned mischievously. "I won't kiss you for a whole day."

She gasped and he smiled victoriously.

"You'll give in before me," Olivia said with a sly smile.

"Is that a challenge?"

She nodded. "It most certainly is."

"Does this just mean kissing on the lips or…"

"It means keep your lips to yourself."

"Damn. When does it start?"

"Now."

"Wait. Wait. Wait. No. We gotta kiss before it starts."

Olivia grinned. "You're not going to last an hour."

"Just to prove that I can, I'll up the ante. No sex either. Of any kind."

"Okay," Olivia said and left out of the kitchen laughing.

"Wait. I thought we were going to kiss before we started," he called after her only for Olivia to laugh louder.

Fitz wondered how the hell was he going to survive this stupid challenge. And why did he have to add sex to the mix. But, he was determined to win. So, his only solution was to make her give in first.

"Want to shower together?" Olivia asked when he came in the bedroom.

"Hell no," he said laughing. "You are not about to trap me. I am going to shower alone," he said and went in the bathroom. She knew if she got him in that shower with her, with water flowing over her naked body, he would be all over her. But, he knew how to make her give in.

Olivia looked up and saw Fitz walk out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of grey sweatpants with beads of water, glistening all over his perfectly chiseled body. She licked her lips, and looked up at his eyes. They were filled with desire, and she almost gave in until she saw the hint of mischief hidden in his eyes.

Olivia smirked. He was playing dirty, but two could play that game. After her shower, she came out of the bathroom wearing a satin, black, lacy chemise.

Fitz was pretty certain he was drooling as he watched Olivia step into the room. She walked over to his side of the bed and crawled over him to get to her side, making sure her body was pressed all against his.

"You're not playing fair, and you know it," Fitz said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she played innocent.

"Okay. So, what do we do before we go to sleep? Hi-five each other?"

"We hug," Olivia said. Fitz leaned over and embraced her. She felt so soft and smooth in his arms. And, she smelled so good.

Olivia had to stop herself from absentmindedly placing a small kiss on his shoulder. So, she just stayed in his arms, inhaling his scent, and rubbing on his muscular frame, biting on her lips, trying to keep from kissing him. He pulled back and then placed his hand on her stomach.

"Good night, little one. I know you're used to me kissing you goodnight, but Mommy is playing a cruel game with Daddy."
"You can kiss the baby," Olivia said, bending the rules just a little bit.

Fitz lifted her chemise, prepared to kiss her stomach only to find her naked underneath.

"Olivia," he groaned.

"Yes," she answered sweetly.

"Screw it. You win," he said.


Olivia and Edith strolled through Destination Maternity as Edith helped Olivia pick out a few things. The whole maternity shopping thing was new to her. And, she wasn't comfortable enough to do it on her own. She was sure she would be able to get help from a sales associate. But, she didn't want to walk through the store with her holding her hand. Besides, she was bored out of her mind, and it gave her a reason to get out of the house and spend some time with Edith.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Edith asked.

"Everything," Olivia said. "But, I specifically need yoga clothes."

"How is that?" Edith asked. "They didn't have all of that when I was pregnant with Fitz."

"It's great," Olivia said. "Minus the talkative mothers. Once you get past that, it's very relaxing."

Edith smiled. "It might not be so bad to get to know some of the other mothers," Edith said. "Of course, I'll always be here to help and support you, but I think it helps to have someone to talk to who is going through the same things as the same time."

Olivia hadn't thought about that. She just knew she wasn't a talkative or sharing person. But, Edith did have a point. "I'm sure they all think I'm stuck up by now," Olivia said.

"Maybe not. Give it a try," Edith encouraged.

"I'll think about it," Olivia said with little conviction.

She got a couple of pair of fold over leggings, some tank tops, jeans, dresses, and a Tiger's team t-shirt which she was very excited about and couldn't wait to show Fitz. She kept herself from venturing into the baby items. She had been suckered into that with Kasey. She wasn't about to fall for it again.

By the time they were done shopping, Olivia was hungry, and the barbecue restaurant nearby was calling her name. So, they made their way there.

While they were eating, the manager came by and introduced himself.

"How is everything, ladies?" He asked.

"Great," they both responded.

"If there is anything, you need or not up to your satisfaction, just let me know."

"Thank you," Olivia said.

"And, your meals are on the house," he added.

Olivia scrunched up her nose. She wasn't sure what either of them had done to warrant a free meal.

"I'm a big fan of your husband," he said. Then, he turned to Edith. "And, your son. He gave me bragging rights for a whole year. So, for the next year, Grant family meals are on the house."

"Thank you," Edith said.

"You ladies enjoy," he said and walked off.

"This is going to take some getting used to," Olivia said with a shake of her head. "He's just Fitz to me, so I forget that everyone here knows who he is."

"We'll help guide you through it," Edith told her. "Don't worry."


Olivia heard the garage door and a few moments later, Fitz walked in.

"Hi."

She smiled. "Hi. You're home early."

He kissed her. "Harrison called me. He said he's about to send you something, and he would prefer if I was home with you," he said as he sat down next to her.

"What could he possibly send me that he would want you home with me?" She asked just as her phone beeped to let her know she had a new email. She opened it and saw a blog site with pictures and video of her out shopping with Edith.

She frowned as she looked at it. How could people be so bold and insensitive? There was a "fan" video of her and Edith buying maternity clothes. And "news" commentary on it. She knew that football news was kind of slow with the season being over, but this was ridiculous.

"This is trash," Fitz said, reaching for her phone.

"No. Let me read it," she said.

"It seems like a baby is on the way for newly married Fitzgerald Grant and his wife. She was spotted out shopping for maternity clothes with the Super Bowl champ's mother. Could this pregnancy be the reason behind the secret and seemingly quick wedding? One thing is for sure, it's obvious that his mother likes her new daughter in law. We've only seen them out this one time, and it is one time more than she was ever out with his former fiancée, Mellie Adkins. Congratulations to the adorable couple."

She laid her head on his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head.

He kissed her forehead and let his lips linger. She closed her eyes and took in his love.


Fitz peeped his head in the bedroom while he kept the rest of his body hidden.

"Hi," he said, getting her attention.

She looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. "Hi." She furrowed her brow. He still hadn't stepped completely in the room. "What are you doing?"

"I got you something," he said. He stepped in the room with a brown and white Rough Collie on a leash tagging along.

Olivia screamed and horror and jumped up on the bed. Fitz paused and looked at her. The dog barked at her sudden outburst.

"Fitz, what is that thing doing here?" She exclaimed as she moved further away from him.

"Liv?" He looked at her in confusion as the dog continued to bark at her.

"Make it stop," she screamed.

Fitz reached down to pet her. "It's just a puppy," he said.

"That is not a puppy," she said, looking at the dog.

He took a couple of more steps towards her, only for her to take steps backwards until she was cowering on the bed.

"Fitz stop," she exclaimed.

He paused. "Liv, it's okay."

"Stop moving," she cried when he took another step towards her.

"Okay. I'm going to take it out of the room and close the door, so you can talk to me. Okay."

She simply nodded her head.

It wasn't until he was completely out of the room with the door closed that Olivia felt safe enough to breathe.

"Liv, what's wrong?" He asked through the closed door.

"Fitz get that thing out of here.'

"Liv, I don't understand. Are you afraid?"

"What do you think," she exclaimed.

"It's not going to do anything to you."

"I don't care. Get that damn thing out of here."

"Okay. Okay," he said. "I'm leaving and taking her with me."

"Good."

Fitz sighed and looked at the puppy sitting on the passenger side of his truck. "What am I going to do with you now? I thought all girls liked puppies."

He sat there, trying to think of what he was going to do with her. He didn't want to have to take her back. Truthfully, he wanted to keep her. She was adorable. He wondered if he could help Olivia get over her fear. He got out his cell phone and made a call.

"Harrison Wright."

"Hey Harrison. It's Fitz."

"What's up, man?"

"I got a bit of a problem. I got Liv a puppy."

Harrison started laughing loudly and hysterically. "You what?" He continued laughing. "Hey, Fitz got Liv a dog," he announced to the room in between laughs.

"I guess I'll be getting a call to draw up divorce papers, soon," he heard Abby say as she started laughing.

"Why didn't anyone tell me she's afraid of dogs?"

"I'm surprised she didn't tell you," Harrison said. "She didn't ask if you had a dog, the first time she went to your place?"

"No."

"Damn, she was gone," Harrison said. "Cause Liv never goes to someone's house without first asking if they have a dog."

"I wish I had known. She's demanding I get rid of it. Do you guys think I can maybe help her get over her fear?"

"Hell no," Harrison said, quickly.

"Has anyone tried?"

"Of course. Look, Liv's been afraid since we were kids. And, I can assure you nothing short of hypnosis is going to work."

"Damn. Well, do either of you want it?" Fitz asked. "It's a rough collie. She's a year old."

"Hmm," Harrison was quiet for a minute. "Yeah. I can give her to April."

"Great," Fitz said. "Thanks for taking her. I'll bring her by now. Liv wants her gone immediately," Fitz told him.

"Alright," Harrison agreed.

"I'm on my way," Fitz told him and hung up.

Olivia was still home when Fitz got back. He held both hands up to show he didn't have anything.

"I'm sorry," he said and kissed her lips. "I didn't know."

"How could you? I didn't tell you."

"So, you want to tell me why you're afraid of dogs, but completely fine with a big ass horse?"

Olivia laughed. "I know it doesn't make sense. But, I was bit. Harrison and I were playing in the neighborhood one day, and a neighbor's dog attacked me." She held up her leg and pulled her pants leg up. "You can't see it now, but I had a huge bite here." She pointed to the area just below her calf. "And, here," she pointed to her arm. "It was horrible. I had never been so afraid in my life. And I've been afraid ever since."

"Even puppies?"

"In my mind, they're all that dog that bit me," she explained.

"I'm sorry," Fitz said as he rubbed the spots where she had been bitten. "What happened to the dog?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course."

She eyed him. "Are you sure? How big of a dog lover are you?"

"I had one as a kid, but that's it."

"What do you think my dad did to the dog that attacked me?" She asked.

"Don't tell me he shot it," Fitz joked.

"Walked to the neighbor's house, shot it, and walked back home."

"Seriously? And the owner didn't try to have him arrested or anything?"

"All I know is when the police came, he told them if they didn't put the dog down, he was going to do it himself. So, I guess the owner expected it. My dad did have a reputation in the neighborhood for being the somewhat crazy marine," Olivia told him.

"So, why didn't you tell me you were afraid?"

"I forgot. And, I usually always ask before I go to someone's house."

"That's what Harrison said."

"Shamefully, the only thing on my mind was being with you. Sex with you is what I wanted that night."

Fitz smirked. "So you've said. What about when we went to my mom's?"

"I was so nervous, hoping she would like me, I forgot to ask."

"I'm sorry," Fitz apologized again.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know. But, why did you get a dog anyway? It's so random."

"I thought maybe you wouldn't be so bored and lonely, if you had a little Lassie to keep you company," he explained.

Olivia smiled and kissed him. "That's sweet. But, don't worry about me being bored. I just have to adjust."

"And, the lonely part?"

She looked at him. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice. But, it's not a big deal, because you come home every night."

"And, I always will."


Olivia was sitting on the fence watching Lightning. She was certain her horse was putting on a show for her as she ran and pranced around when the back door opened and Robbie stepped out.

"Mrs. Grant, you have a visitor."

Olivia watched as Mellie walked out of her house. Surprisingly, she wasn't even annoyed or upset when she saw Mellie. She quickly got off the fence and walked up to her.

"Mrs. Grant," Mellie mocked. "It's funny how that happened when you weren't even sleeping with him. At least that's the lie you told me."

Olivia sighed. "Mellie, we never wanted to hurt you," she told her. "But, to be fair, I didn't even answer your question when you asked if I was sleeping with him."

"It was all lies," Mellie said. "Even Cyrus. Are you even his goddaughter?"

"Technically no. But, yes. Cyrus is my father away from home," Olivia replied.

"I just want to know what you did to make him humiliate me like that."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Fitz never wanted to humiliate you."

"I know. So, what did you do to make him do it? That was one of the biggest stages in the world, and that's when you decide to announce your marriage and look like the perfect couple? What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. We met, fell in love and got married."

"He was mine," Mellie cried. "We were supposed to get married. If it wasn't for my father and me, he would be just some washed up football player, trying to find a team. I saved his career. Multiple times. And you just get to come in at the end and reap the benefits. He owes me," Mellie yelled.

Olivia knew Mellie had to be speaking from hurt. There was no way she could believe what she was actually saying. "Mellie-"

"And, poor Edison. You blindsided him too. You don't deserve him."

"You're right. I don't."

"So, is that what you do? Go around and find public figures to date? Are you some kind of gold digger? Or are you looking for fame?"

"I have my own money. But, thanks for caring. And, the fame thing, that's your territory. How's your reality show going?" Olivia knew that was a low hit. The league had stepped in and stopped production of the show, and made sure that nothing that was filmed ever saw the light of day.

She looked up when the door opened and watched Fitz walk out.

Fitz walked over and kissed Olivia. "Hi."

"Hi. As you can see, we have company."

"Yes." He kept his eyes on Olivia to make sure she was okay.

"I'm fine," Olivia told him.

"Mellie, what are you doing here?" He asked, finally turning his attention to her.

"Seems like congratulations are in order," she said, glancing at Olivia's stomach.

"Thank you," Fitz said, touching a hand to her belly.

"Well, at least now, I know why you had a shotgun wedding."

"I'm sure you saw the pictures as Robbie led you out here. Does it really look like we had a shotgun wedding?" Olivia countered.

Mellie scoffed.

"And, you only think you know why we got married," Olivia added. "Pregnant or not, Fitz and I still would have gotten married. We love each other, and I'm sure that's something you don't understand."

"Exactly," Fitz said. "And, if you didn't see our wedding pictures the first time around, make sure get a good look on your way out." He jogged up the steps and opened the door. "Robbie, can you see Mellie out?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Grant," Robbie said and waited on Mellie to join her.

"Get a good look," Fitz reminded her as she walked past him. "See what love looks like."

"I can't believe she had the nerve to show up here," Olivia said.

"Calm down." Fitz walked over to her and hugged her.

"I'm calm," she said. Then, she started laughing. "You poor thing. You were going to marry her."

"I know. I should drop to my knees right now, and thank God for you."

"You should," Olivia said and kissed him. "You really should."


Olivia went in their gym where Fitz was working out. He was on a weight bench lifting weights. She went over to him and straddled his waist.

"Hi."

"Hi."

She leaned down and kissed him. "Someone needs to go to the grocery store. And, by someone, I mean my sweet, amazing husband," Olivia said as she let her hand travel down his chest and abs.

"That's Robbie's job."

"Well, she's not here, and what I want isn't here either."

"And, what do you want?"

"A peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And we don't have peanut butter or jelly."

"That's because no one eats it."

"But baby wants it. And, milk."

"Your nasty almond milk is in the fridge."

"But, I want real milk."

Fitz placed his hands on her stomach. "Thank you for getting Mommy back on the right track."

"Whatever," Olivia said.

Fitz looked at her and smiled. "Why don't we go together?"

He felt her body stiffen and the panic in her eyes.

"Liv?"

"What if what happened when I was shopping with your mom happens again."

"You never really talked to me about how that made you feel? Are you ready to talk about that yet?"

"I still don't know how I feel or felt about that. I just know it's not a good feeling."

"I'm sorry. I hate that you have to deal with this because of me. You'll get used to it," he told her.

"How? How am I supposed to get used to this and deal with it?"

"I don't know," he replied, honestly.

"How do you deal with it?"

"It's always been a part of my life. I don't know what to tell you about being introduced to it now."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "But, I need you to tell me something. Because I'm very close to never wanting to leave the house again. It was better when no one knew about us."

"Tell me what I need to do. Because with your panic attacks you can't get to a place where you're afraid to leave the house."

"I know." She sighed. "What was actually said in the post wasn't bad. I just didn't like that pictures and video of me were taken without me knowing. It felt like some kind of violation. If they wanted a picture, all they had to do was ask."

"Is that what you want people to know?"

"What?"

"That if they want a picture of or with you, all they have to do is ask."

"I guess. Why?"

"I'm going to tweet it," he said and got his phone.

"No. Wait," Olivia said. She put her hand on his to stop him. "Don't put that out there yet. Give me a minute."

"Okay. How about this? We'll go get that peanut butter and jelly together. I'll be there with you, and I'll make sure to pay attention to how it is affecting you."

"Okay," she reluctantly agreed.

Fitz walked in the grocery store with his arm around Olivia's waist.

"They're staring," Olivia whispered as she tried not to look at the few people who were openly gawking at them.

"Of course they are. Do you know how beautiful you are? Hell, I stared the first time I saw you," Fitz reminded her.

She looked up at him and smiled only for him to treat the bystanders to some PDA by quickly pecking her lips. She was probably more shocked by the gesture than anyone.

"So, are we getting crunchy or creamy peanut butter," Fitz asked as if that moment didn't happen.

"Creamy," she followed his lead. "Who over seven eats crunchy peanut butter?"

"Who over seven eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" Fitz teased.

"Be quiet," she said and bumped against him.

Fitz wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her temple.

"Okay. Specific brand?"

"Peter Pan," Olivia said. "If I'm going to be a kid, let's go all out."

"Grape jelly?"

"Yes," she said, excitedly.

Fitz chuckled and grabbed the peanut butter and jelly, and then they headed to the dairy aisle. The stares from some of the other customers were still there, but they didn't seem as bad with Fitz's arm wrapped around her. She felt safe and secure. As they waited in line at the cash register, Fitz kept placing unexpected kisses on the side of her face. And, Olivia finally realized what he was doing. People had stopped ogling them, and would simply smile as they walked by.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Grant," the young cashier greeted them.

"Good evening," Fitz replied.

Olivia looked at his nametag. "Good evening, Matthew. How are you?"

"I'm fine, ma'am. How are you?"

"Good," Olivia said with a smile. And, she truly was. She had been dreading the shopping experience, and was more than pleased with the outcome.

"I know we're going to end up all over the internet with all of your PDA," Olivia said when they got to the car.

"You know, there's more where that came from," Fitz said and leaned in to kiss her. He stopped short, allowing her to close the distance with a full kiss on the lips.

"Thank you," Olivia said. "I honestly thought this was going to be a horrible experience. I don't know why, though. I enjoyed myself while I was with your mom. I just didn't know what was happening around me. And, this time, while I knew what was going on around me, eventually it wasn't a problem. I can't control what other people do. But, I can control how I respond to it."


Fitz sighed heavily. He was in a meeting with Phil, the general manager, Nick, and the head coach. They had been having the same meeting for almost a week. They were trying to find a new offensive coordinator to replace Coach Joe who was given a chance to be a head coach. And, they were getting nowhere fast. Fitz didn't like any of Phil's choices. Phil didn't like his. And, neither of them liked the general manager, Nick's choices.

"We have to decide on somebody," Fitz said. "The draft is coming up soon, and we're going to look unprepared, disorganized, and unprofessional."

"We are," Nick pointed out. "Why weren't we prepared for this? We should have known this was going to happen when Coach Joe changed the game plan and the team seamlessly won the championship."

"I didn't think anyone would offer him more money than I did," Phil pointed out. "Besides, he had only been our offensive coordinator for a year," Phil said.

"Seriously Phil, you thought money would override a chance to be a head coach? You can't just throw money at everyone," Fitz told him.

"Like I said, he had only been our offensive coordinator for a year. I didn't think anyone would offer him a head coaching position this soon."

"Hell, we should have expected this at the beginning of the season when he made changes to the line," Nick began. "But, we were all so excited with the new direction the team was headed. I don't think we're going to find anyone else with that insight and daring to make bold changes like that."

"But he," Fitz began and stopped.

"What?" Phil and Nick said at the same time.

"He didn't make any of those decisions," Fitz said.

"That's right," Coach Thomas agreed. "You came up with those ideas. You should be the offensive coordinator."

"Actually, I didn't," Fitz told them. "I was just the messenger."

"Well, who came up with them?" Phil wanted to know. "Because that's who we need to hire as our offensive coordinator. Whoever it is, we're getting him in here for an interview. I can promise you that."

"I agree," Nick said and Coach Thomas nodded their heads in agreement.

Fitz sat back and smiled. "My wife."