"Are you sure this 'emergency' can't wait? Quinn, you always pick Kyra up from school. She's going to think something is wrong if I show up," Olivia asked her over the phone.
"You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency. There's no way that I can ditch this meeting. Could you please just pick her up? I'll be done at 5 then I'll come over and study with her. Olivia, please?" Quinn begged her.
"Fine, but you better be here at 5. I'll pick her up from school and bring her home. Just finish your lousy meeting and come over."
"Thank you."
Olivia hung up her phone and looked at the clock. She had ten minutes to get over to the school before the last bell rang for dismissal. She grabbed her purse and put on her shoes going to the car.
The drive only took a few minutes since Olivia was running late to her standards. She always insisted that someone arrive half an hour early to pick Kyra up from anything because you never knew who was watching. Olivia never wanted to experience what would happen if someone was late and Kyra was nowhere to be found. The only time Olivia was late picking her up was when Kyra was three. Quinn messaged she was stuck in traffic and couldn't get to Kyra on time. So Olivia went to get her but she couldn't find her. It took about twenty minutes before Olivia found her on the playground. But in the twenty minutes that she didn't know where her daughter was, Olivia was panicking. A million thoughts ran through her head. What if Fitz found her and took her? What if Mellie found her? What if one of her or Fitz's enemies found Kyra? Olivia worried herself so much over the safety of her daughter.
Tom stepped out of the car and stood against the back passenger side waiting for the bell to ring and Teddy to come out. Fitz was seated in the back looking out the window watching for the front doors of the school to rush open and a hundred children to run out. At 3:45 the bell rang for the end of the day and children started running out the door to their parents' cars or the bus. Fitz rolled the window down waiting for his son to come out. When Teddy appeared, Tom went over and took his backpack before opening the door.
"Mommy? Where's Aunt Quinn?" Kyra asked when she saw Olivia at her locker.
"She had an important meeting to be at so I came instead. Aunt Quinn will be at the house in a bit to help you study," she replied.
"She didn't run off?"
"Ky baby, you are too important to her for her to just run off without saying a word."
Olivia held Kyra's hand at her side as they walked out of the building where she parked in the front.
"I guess so. Huck said that he'd teach me a new computer trick tonight as long as I got an A on my Science project. Which I did, of course."
"Good job baby girl!"
Teddy got in the back next to his dad, excited to tell him about his day. "Dad, that new girl is really smart! She did this volcano eruption for the science project and it made the hugest mess ever! Ms. Heath wasn't happy about it since it got in her hair but she gave her an A!"
"She sounds pretty smart. She probably had some help with it though," Fitz told his son. He looked out the window as Tom closed the door before walking around to the driver's side.
Olivia walked down the steps with Kyra in tow just in time for Fitz to see her.
"Teddy stay here." Fitz opened the door and got out carefully watching to make sure that the person he was staring at was indeed Olivia and not another woman like he thought at the Toys R Us. Tom watched Fitz for a moment before looking at whatever Fitz was seeing. "Tom, you're seeing her too?"
"Sir, it's possible. That could be her," Tom replied still looking over at Olivia.
Kyra held her mother's hand tighter, squeezing it. "Mommy, there's two men staring at us."
Olivia looked quickly to where Kyra was pointing at. When she turned her head, she saw Fitz and Tom staring at her, more her than Kyra. Liv took a tighter hold on Kyra's hand and started walking faster towards her car, but wasn't quick enough.
As soon as Fitz saw her face and the realization that the woman he'd been staring at for several minutes was actually his Livie, he closed the car door and started running towards her.
"Liv," he yelled her name but she kept going. "Olivia!" Twenty more feet and she would have been at her car. "Olivia. My God, it is you."
Olivia froze when he came closer to her. There was no way to escape it now. Fitz was getting even closer to her as she kept trying to walk to the car with Kyra pulling her towards it.
"Stop walking, Olivia!"
"Mommy, who's that?"
"Get in the car Kyra."
"Olivia. Don't. Don't walk away from me now," Fitz was pleading with her to stop moving. To just give him one minute.
"Mama," Kyra pulled her hand.
"Kyra, go get in the car," she told her quietly.
"But mommy, who's that man? Why does he want to talk to you?"
"Please get in the car Kyra." Olivia was trying to avoid Fitz's eyes, knowing if she looked in them, she'd melt and give him whatever he wanted. "The door is unlocked, get in and put your seatbelt on."
"Olivia, it's been years. Let's talk about this. Livie, please?"
"Livie? Mommy why did he call you that?"
"Kyra, I'll ask you once more, please get in the car now."
Fitz hadn't acknowledged the little girl yet. He was captured by Olivia's face and he couldn't let go.
"But mommy…"
"Kyra Lucille Grant Baker! Get it the car now!" Olivia yelled at her daughter.
Fitz finally looked down at the girl standing against Olivia's leg. She was the most adorable little girl that he had seen. Her skin was the perfect caramel color between black and white. Her hair was straight with a little curl at the end. At first glance, Fitz thought he was looking at Olivia as a child but her eyes and lips were nowhere close to being Liv's.
Kyra ran as fast as she could to the car, putting her seat belt on and locking the door. Once Olivia heard the door close to her car, she had to make a decision. Fitz was far enough away that she could make it to the car and lock the doors before you caught her. Or she could stand there and have a conversation with him. She looked at his body avoiding his eyes at all cost. He looked the same as he did the day she left. His hair was a little greyer but he wore it beautifully. But then again, anything Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the Third wore was beautiful.
Olivia gave one more second before she made a decision. She ran to her car getting in the driver's seat and locking her doors. Fitz was only a few feet behind her before she took off. She handed Kyra her cell phone from her purse driving faster down the street.
"Call Huck, tell him that he's here."
Fitz ran back to the car, getting in and closing the door.
"Follow her."
