When Brian arrived home, Noah was at his side immediately tugging at his arm and telling him Olivia had ordered pizza. Though he was tired and spent from a trying day in the DA's office, he obliged Noah's tug and followed him to the dining room. He caught a glimpse of Olivia in the kitchen, clad in his sweatpants and old NYPD t-shirt. She caught his eye and smiled and instantly he felt more at ease.
"Sorry, I didn't feel like cooking and I thought maybe we could have pizza and movie night," she explained as she entered the dining area. He grabbed her hand as she neared and pulled her in for a quick kiss.
"This looks great, Liv, let me just go change out of my work clothes," he replied as he kissed her again.
"You okay?" she asked, noticing he was still holding onto her hand rather tightly.
"Long day, that's all. Be right back," he replied as he dropped her hand and kissed her cheek.
When Brian returned to sit at the table, Noah immediately sat in the chair next to him with a wide grin. Olivia sat back and studied them, watching as whatever had brought Brian down at work was slowly fading as Noah told him about school as they listened and ate.
"Oh and this morning Mama said that you might get married," he finished out his recounting of his day.
Brian raised his eyebrows at her and she shrugged her shoulders innocently.
"Would it be okay with you if I married your Mama?" he countered.
"Yes!" Noah bounced in his chair with excitement.
"Didn't you want to ask Brian something," Olivia prodded him.
"After you get married, will you be my dad?" Noah's statement was blunt in a way only a child could muster.
Brian felt the prick of tears and all at once he could hardly hear or think or speak.
"I would love to be your dad," he managed to get out as pulled Noah into a hug. He held him tight until the little boy finally wiggled free, still oblivious to the emotion that hung in the room. Olivia was teary eyed as she reached for this hand across the table and squeezed it.
x
Between busy schedules they had finally found a Saturday night to go out alone. Mary had come over to watch Noah and Olivia had a sense of calm that he was in good hands. They went to their neighborhood dive bar, opting for the comfort of a familiar place with happy memories. A band played covers of songs from their youth in the back that they occasionally exchanged smiles over. They sat at the far end of the bar, away from the few other patrons that had wandered in to see the band.
"It feels good to be out of the house and alone with you," she said leaning in to kiss his cheek and then wipe the remnants of her lipstick away.
"Is it weird that I feel torn between how good it feels to be alone with and how much I look forward to going home to be with Noah?"
"I think that feeling is called parenthood," she whispered in his ear and kissed his neck before pulling back to gage his reaction. He smiled and rested a hand on her thigh under the bar, giving it a slight squeeze.
"Are you ready?" he asked quietly. She gave him a confused glance but he tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, quickly breaking down her façade and non-verbally calling her bluff. It wasn't a secret that they had marriage card on the table, it just always seemed to be passed back and forth or buried under the daily challenges that life threw their way.
"Yea, I'm ready," she admitted, her eyes shining in the dimly lit bar.
"Finally," he joked, "Do you remember when we used to come here years ago?
"I remember the first time we met here after you were shot," she smiled.
"You tried to take me home with you," he chided, "I'm a gentleman, I don't put out on the first date."
"Shut up, Cassidy," she replied, giving him a flirty shove. He grabbed her hand and used the opportunity to pull her in and kiss her softly. She responded hungrily for a brief moment before she remembered they were in public.
"Lets get out of here," he replied.
Brian threw some money on the bar before offering Olivia his hand as they headed out onto the street. They walked down the damp street amidst the humidity of the late the spring evening. Olivia leaned into him, wanting to savor their rare time alone together. He sensed she wasn't quite ready to go home and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to face her.
"I know we were flirting and making jokes back there, but I just want you to know I'm serious. You're it for me, Liv. I love you and your son more than anything," he confessed.
"I was serious too," she whispered back. Brian smiled and rested his forehead against hers for a moment. They quietly exchanged 'I love you's' as the world kept moving around them.
"Will you marry me, Liv?" His voice was raw and vulnerable as he slipped his hand in his pocket to reveal a ring box. She pulled back to look him in the eye and he grinned at her shocked expression. The proposal caught her off guard and his words hung in the heavy night air. It took her a minute to find her voice, overwhelmed by how sweet and pure he looked standing before her on the street outside of their apartment.
"Yes, I'll marry you, Bri," she finally spoke.
He opened the box and held the ring out to her, "The diamond belonged to my Grandma – my mom wanted you to have it when I told her we were talking about marriage."
It was then that she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He was sweet and thoughtful and she felt like a fool for ever letting him go. The ring was simple and elegant and though she had never considered what type of ring she wanted, it was everything she never knew she needed. It represented their family and their love and their new life. The tears fell faster as he slipped the ring on her finger. She didn't bother to wipe them away, instead she just pulled his face down to hers and kissed him soundly.
"I love you so much," she said when she finally pulled back.
"What do you say we head inside and see if Noah is still awake? It's still kind of early," he smiled.
"Yea, that sounds perfect," she replied as she linked her arm through his.
They quietly entered their apartment to find Noah and Mary on the couch watching a movie together. Olivia instantly felt grateful that Noah would grow up with a grandmother that loved and cared for him. Mary waved to them and gently nudged Noah awake.
"Hi, sweet boy," Olivia said as she peeled her jacket off and sat in the chair, "Guess what?"
Noah slowly climbed off the coach and dragged his blanket over to his mother. She pulled him into her lap and winked at Brian, who had sat down beside his mother.
"What?" he asked.
"Brian asked me to marry him and I said yes," she smiled as she held her hand out in front of Noah to show him the ring. He immediately grabbed her hand and jolted awake. Mary was just as excited as she hugged her son quickly before getting up to hug Olivia as well.
"When are you getting married?" Noah asked excitedly.
"I don't know yet, we have to figure that out still," she explained, "But I think we will do it pretty soon."
"Hey Ma, come sit for a minute," Brian asked, "I want to tell you something else too."
"It better be good news," she warned as she sat beside her son.
"It is Ma, I swear," he laughed, "Olivia and Noah and I have been talking and after we get married, I'm going to adopt Noah."
It was almost too much for Mary; she couldn't speak through the lump in her throat so she hugged Brian tightly.
"Noah, do you know what else that means?" Olivia asked her son.
"No, what?"
"Well if Brian becomes your Dad, that means Mary is your Grandma," she explained. Noah's eyes lit up and she could tell he was ready to bounce off the walls. She considered that maybe she shouldn't have gotten him all riled up so late at night, but then again, this was once in a lifetime. Noah got off Olivia's lap and crossed the room to stand in front of Mary.
"Can I call you Grandma Mary?" he asked shyly.
"Of course you can," she smiled warmly at him and pulled him into her lap to give him a hug. Her kindness didn't go unseen by Olivia, who was enthralled in watching her son. It was better than Christmas; she was giving him something money couldn't buy – a family. Brian made his way over to her and sat on the arm of the chair and put an arm around her. She leaned into him, trying to wipe away the tears of happiness that wouldn't subside.
"Come on buddy, let's get you tucked into bed," Brian said as he reached out a hand to Noah.
When they had disappeared into Noah's room, Olivia moved to sit beside Mary and show her the ring.
"Thank you for trusting me with your mother's diamond," she said, "it's beautiful."
"Thank you for taking such good care of my son," Mary countered with a smile.
"I love him very much," she replied.
x
When Brian returned home, Olivia was propped up in bed reading. He peeled his clothes off and slipped into sweatpants before crawling under the covers. She had removed her glasses and set them aside with her book and was looking at him expectantly.
"What?" he asked.
"We got engaged today," she replied, a little wide eyed and grinning. He sat up and leaned against the headboard beside her.
"Did you ever think we'd make it here?"
"Sometimes I thought so, other times I wasn't sure," she admitted.
"Yeah, I thought the same. This is where I've always wanted to end up though," he smiled.
"I wasn't expecting a ring," she confessed, "but it's beautiful and I am deeply touched that it was your grandmother's diamond."
"You would've loved her, she was stubborn and fearless and tough – just like you," he linked their fingers together admiring how the ring looked on her hand.
"She sounds like a badass," Olivia commented as she grazed her fingertips over the back of his hand.
"What kind of wedding were you thinking about when you told Noah 'soon'?"
"You know I'm not the traditional type," she said with a giggle.
"Oh trust me, I'm well aware," he teased her.
"Just something simple, not a big thing," she suggested.
"Courthouse?"
"Depends, can you pull some strings in the Bronx still?" The words had barely left her mouth before she erupted with laughter at her own joke. Brian tried not to laugh but it was useless in rare moments where she was completely uninhibited.
"Well maybe you can wear nothing except my shirt and we'll invite your whole squad – just like old times," he shot back. Her mouth dropped open and she raised her eyebrows as she shook her head.
"We could always invite Nick – he always seemed like a leg man," she retorted with a grin.
"You have great legs," he smirked as he tickled her thigh under the blankets. She scooted down and rolled onto her side to drape herself across him, closing her eyes and smiling as she took in the moment.
"Thank you," she whispered against his chest, "For loving me even when I made it nearly impossible."
fin.