I try not to leave author notes on this story, but I wanted to try something different. I'm using her POV to describe being around his family & his POV to describe being around hers. Thank you for reading this story. Your support encourages me & means more than you know!

Out in the Open

Olivia's POV

Fitz and I were sitting side by side on yet another airplane. He was holding my hand but each of us were lost in our own thoughts. I was looking out the window watching the white puffy clouds effortlessly float by as we made our descent. I was sure we had racked up endless frequent flier miles and I planned on cashing them in on a vacation one day. Somewhere tropical. Maybe after I retired?

Instead of skipping around to stores on the west coast in Fitz's district, we were headed to my home state. It was still work related, but it felt good knowing we'd be on my turf for a while now. Although I would miss the warmer weather of California, I had also missed being near my family – as crazy as they all were, and I couldn't wait to see them all and hold them close.

California had been warm sunny days and ocean air with a laid back vibe. It had been kind smiles and holding doors open for strangers and patience. It had been meeting new people and making connections, both personal and professional. I had learned a lot from my time in the sunshine state and I would think of it often.

New York was smog and tall buildings and yellow cabs as far as the eye could see with a get the hell out of my way kind of vibe. It was wall to wall people going in a thousand different directions. It was something new going on and something wild to see on almost every street in the city, and no matter how strange it might be to witness, everyone treated it as if it was normal. It was home and I had missed it terribly.

I couldn't wait to be in my apartment and be around my own things again. Sleeping in a different plush hotel bed every night was nice, but nothing compared to sleeping in your own bed in your own familiar surroundings. I was even looking forward to the leaky bathroom faucet, as pathetic as that was. It wouldn't be for long though, because Fitz and I would be headed back out on the road together in two days. Two days at home was going to be heaven!

I needed to see my brothers, my sister in law, and my little Sophie. It felt like it had been months instead of weeks since I had seen them all last and I couldn't wait to get my arms around each one of them and tell them face to face that I love them. Family had always been important, and I had been missing mine.

The pregnancy scare Fitz and I had just gone through made me desperate for family even more somehow. I decided to call my brothers once we landed and devise a plan for a get together at my place tonight. Harrison and Leesa had already met Fitz, as my co-worker, but my other two brothers needed to be introduced to him. And all of them needed to be told that he was more than my co-worker now.

I was a little nervous to tell them about our relationship. It was still fairly new and harsh words from three loud and over protective brothers could make Fitz feel like he wasn't welcome. I didn't want that to happen and thought we should probably talk about that before he met them as my...boyfriend? That sounded so juvenile to my own ears and there was nothing boyish about him. They would give me hell and laugh if I said the word boyfriend. I'd need to think about a different title for him before tonight.

Thinking of family brought Fitz's to my mind and I couldn't help but smile as I recalled our visit to see his parents just last night. It had gone pretty much exactly the way he assured me it would, and I was thankful. Fitz had introduced me to his parents and explained that we were dating. His mother had been overly excited and then had cried, just like he said she probably would. I smiled as I recalled our evening with them and absentmindedly rubbed circles on Fitz's hand.

"I just knew something would develop between the two of you." Marie said with a smile as she wagged a finger back and forth between Fitz and me.

"How'd you know that, mom?" Fitz asked.

"Mothers always know. Now, am I allowed to be excited?" She asked with a chuckle.

I smiled at Marie and said, "I'm just as excited as you are."

"Good, because it's really too late for me to ask. I'll be on the phone with all my friends by the time you two get out of the driveway."

I laughed at Fitz's mother's words. She seemed very sweet and led me to sit down beside her on the sofa. "I do have a question for you, Marie."

"You can ask me anything at all. I'm an open book."

With a straight face, I asked, "How difficult was it raising him? I've been around him for several long weeks and I can't imagine him as a kid." The two of us burst into laughter.

"Great. We've been here for five minutes and you're already asking for baby stories. Next thing you know she'll drag out the...MOM! No!" Fitz said loudly as his mother grabbed his baby book and put it in her lap. "I'm just gonna go take Roscoe outside while you show Olivia all of my naked baby photos. Come on, Roscoe."

The dog looked up at his owner, but otherwise didn't move from his spot beside William on the recliner.

"Roscoe? Get your lazy ass up off that chair and come outside with me. Please?"

Roscoe laid his head down in William's lap and sighed.

Fitz sighed too and pushed open the back door, walking out alone while muttering about his dog.

When he came back inside, his mother and I were drinking a cup of coffee and chatting away like old friends. I was telling Marie about how amazing Fitz had been on our road trip. That he was brilliant at his job and that all of his people loved him. I looked up and caught his smile as he poured a cup of coffee for himself and sat down beside me.

"She's not bad at her job either." Fitz said, jerking a thumb in my direction. I smacked his arm lightly and grinned at him.

"The two of you seem to like you've known each other for years instead of weeks."

"Working side by side with someone for a while will do that, I guess?" He answered smoothly.

"So, what are your plans now?" William asked from his semi coma.

Fitz and I looked at each other. He sat back on the sofa and draped his arm across the back of it. I sat back beside him. "Well," he started. "We need to talk to you about that actually?"

Marie clapped her hands together giddily and stated, "You're getting married, aren't you!?"

I choked on my coffee and immediately sat up as Fitz began pounding on my back.

"Jesus, Marie. They've only known each other for a few weeks. Stop trying to rush that boy down the alter."

"You okay?" Fitz asked, looking at me with concern.

I nodded and set my mug down on the coffee table. "I'm so sorry. It went down the wrong pipe, I think?"

"Mom, we're not getting married. We're still...learning things about each other. It's still new. Too new for something long term like marriage."

"Oh" she said.

"We had a meeting with our supervisors earlier this week and were told that while the job here is completed, both companies want Fitz and I to go to New York and basically do the same thing we've been doing here. Explain the merger, answer questions, calm fears. That type of thing." I explained patiently. I couldn't believe she had jumped straight into marriage already!

"That sounds like fun. You've never been to New York, Fitz. It would be a nice adventure for you. And I'm sure you miss your family, Olivia?" Marie patted her knee. "It'll be nice for you to be in the same state as them for a while too. I can't imagine not having family around for a long period of time."

"I have three brothers and I have missed them a lot." I replied wistfully.

"And now you'll have your boyfriend there with you too."

"Mom!"

"Well. She will. I'll bet New York can be rather romantic at times?" Marie asked.

"I've never thought of New York as romantic, Marie." And I hadn't. "But maybe?"

"The thing is mom, I'll be gone for about six weeks again on this trip to New York. Are you guys okay to continue taking care of my traitorous dog for me?" Fitz asked as he glared at Roscoe.

"Does he look like he wants to go anywhere else?" William asked.

"He looks like he is completely comfortable and in very good hands." Olivia answered.

"You will call and let us know when you've landed there, right? You know how I worry, Fitzgerald." Marie said. "It's just part of being a mother."

At her words, I was immediately reminded of just how close I had become to being somebody's mother myself. I had enough to worry about just taking care of myself, I couldn't imagine having another human being to keep up with and take care of. Not right now at least. I smiled at her and quietly replied, "I'm sure it is." Fitz squeezed my hand, reassuring me he probably knew what I had been thinking. It was of some comfort. If Marie had thought we were going to get married after knowing each other for six weeks, I wondered how she would have taken the news of a surprise pregnancy? I shuddered and threw myself back into the conversation.

"...so, he'll be just fine. You take care of yourself and of course, Olivia. It wouldn't kill you to check in with me from time to time as well, Fitzgerald."

"Okay, mom. I will." Fitz said smiling at her.

"When do you two leave?" She asked.

"In the morning." I answered.

"And, let me guess, you still haven't packed yet?" She shot her son a look.

"Ummmmm..."

"He hasn't." I admitted. "But we are going to his place when we leave here and get that taken care of. And then he is going to take me to dinner."

"Why didn't you say you haven't eaten yet? I was going to cook dinner for Will and me in a few minutes. We're going to have breakfast for dinner. Bacon, pancakes, and scrambled eggs." She said. "You're welcome to stay."

I started squirming at the thought of eggs in my mouth ever again.

Fitz must have sensed it, because he took my hand, stood up, and said, "We really can't, mom. We've got to be on an early flight tomorrow and like Olivia said, I've still got to pack. We've got to get going."

"Thank you for the offer though, Marie. We appreciate you thinking of us. It's very sweet." I didn't want her to feel bad for us ducking out of a dinner invitation, so I went overboard with the gratitude.

"Another time then?" Marie asked.

We were already walking toward the door when Fitz paused and hugged his mother tightly. "Take care of my boy, mom."

She released Fitz and hugged me too, just as tightly. There is something special about a hug from a mother. It's like they know exactly how we need to be held and for exactly how long too. Marie wasn't my mother, but I held onto her just as tightly and didn't want to let her go. I needed that kind of comfort that came only from a mother. The kind that I haven't had in years. It felt so good to just to be held. Mid hug she whispered to me, "You take care of my boy too, dear."

"I will. I promise." I whispered back to her before she pulled away and looked at me.

Her smile faltered some and she drew me back into her arms. I wondered why she had done it, but honestly, in that moment, I didn't care what her reasons were. I smiled, knowing this special woman had raised a special son, whom I loved with all my heart.

"Why does Liv get two hugs and I only got one?" Fitz fake whined.

Marie pulled back again and said, "She just looked like she needed it. You kids be careful and please let me know when you arrive in New York."

"We will, mom. I love you."

"Love you both." She was waving from the door as we walked towards the car hand in hand.

"I adore your mother." I told Fitz.

"She's a one in a million." Fitz replied.

I was brought back to reality by an overhead announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to John F. Kennedy Airport. The local time is one twenty-three and the temperature is eighty-two degrees. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate..." The flight attendant droned on.

"You okay?" Fitz asked.

I smiled at him and nodded. "It's good to be back." He squeezed my hand and we waited for the fasten seat belt sign to go off before we started to disembark the plane.

It seemed like everyone was at the airport. It was the middle of the damned afternoon and this place was as busy as a grocery store before dinner time. Fitz kept a firm grip of my hand as we waded through the people on our way to retrieve our luggage at baggage claim. Flashes of the Tulsa Airport went through my mind. And then, of course, that took me to what happened before, during, and after our meeting. I visibly shook my head and continued walking ahead.

Although we were one of the first ones off the plane, somehow a lot of other people beat us there. We found a spot near the spinning metal as suitcases of all shapes, sizes, and colors started to descend and spin around, waiting for someone to pick them up and go on with their day. Being a frequent traveler, I had put a large bright pink elastic around my suitcase for easier spotting. I pointed to it and Fitz easily
lifted it out. We had to wait for his and after twenty minutes, it seemed that his suitcase had been one of the last ones to exit the plane. He walked away from me, to the left, apparently seeing his own luggage while I stayed in place to wait for him.

I heard my phone ping and picked it up from out of my purse. I had a text from Harrison. I touched the screen and read the message: LOOK UP

I squinted at the screen, not understanding his message but lifted my eyes just the same and saw my three brothers standing not six feet away from me. I almost burst into tears at the sight of them and left my suitcase where it was as I ran for them.

The four of us embraced in a weird group hug and they all kissed my cheeks and took turns happily saying, "Welcome back, Liv! The fab four are back together now!"

At some point I did end up crying and naturally, as brother tend to do, they made fun of me for it. But I held onto them a little tighter than I had the last time I had seen them. "Are you crying? There's no crying at the airport!" Eric stated loudly, doing his best Tom Hanks impersonation.

"Man, shut up!" Harrison said to Eric. "Everybody cries at the airport. It's good to see you again, sis. We're glad to have you back home where you belong."

"What did you bring us from California? A woman, maybe?" Marcus asked.

"How is it that you're still single, Marcus?" I asked. "You're too handsome to be single."

"Can you please tell that to all the ladies in the fine state of New York? This goodness needs to be shared." He grabbed onto the lapels of his button up shirt and tugged on them.

"I'll be sure to take out an ad in the paper tomorrow." I said chuckling. "I have missed you guys SO much! It's really good to be home again and around family!"

"We've missed you too. "Eric said gathering me into another bone crushing hug.

"Soooo, where are you guys taking me to dinner?" I asked half joking.

"We made reservations for Wolfgang Puck's place in Manhattan." Harrison said.

I stared at him speechlessly. Wow. They had pulled out all the stops. Talk about making a girl feel welcomed home. "Are you serious? How in the hell did you get reservations there?"

Harrison's eyebrows went down as his nose crinkled. "No, I'm not serious. Can you imagine how much it is for a meatball in that place? Do you know me?"

Welcome home to me indeed. I laughed at him. Harrison probably had no idea that they didn't serve spaghetti and meatballs there. He was crazy as hell, but he was my brother. "It's good to be home."

"You traveling light these days?" Marcus asked. "Where's your suitcase with that ugly pink thing on it?"

Oh shit. In all the happiness with my three brothers I had forgotten that I wasn't here alone. And I hadn't given them a heads up about Fitz coming with me. I was a natural born planner, but somehow, I had failed to think this one through. Technically, it really wasn't my fault though because they weren't supposed to meet me at the airport. Damn it! I was stressing. How was I going to tell them now?

"What's the matter, Olivia? You look like someone just stole your high end shoes or something?" Eric stated.

"I thought I'd lost you in here for a minute, Liv." Fitz said breathlessly behind me. "I've got your suitcase."

Fitz's POV

"Who is this guy?" One of the men, I assumed were her brothers asked.

"Fitz! My man! How the hell are ya?" Harrison took a few steps to me and gave me a hug. With his arm still around my neck, we faced Olivia and the other two men. "Guys, this is Fitz. I told you about him."

"No ya didn't. I would have remembered you telling me about the whitest man in the world."

"Shut up, Marcus. Fitz is a good guy. He's funny too."

"Really?" The other one asked. "Tell us a joke."

I looked at Olivia for support or help to get me out of the situation entirely, but she wasn't offering any help. "Uhhhhhh" was all I managed to get out.

"Pay no attention to Eric. He's an asshole most of the time." Harrison explained.

Everyone chuckled, which made me breathe a little easier. I extended my arm and said, "it's nice to meet you, Eric."

He eyed me suspiciously. "Yea. You too."

"You must be Marcus? The excellent driver?" I chuckled as I shook his hand.

"Fitz got jokes!" Harrison said, joining in the laughter. "What are you doing in New York anyways? I know you didn't come all this way to escort our sister home?" Harrison asked.

"Actually, he did." Olivia piped in. All eyes turned in her direction and as bad as that sounded, I was grateful for the diversion. The three of them were a bit overwhelming. "I had planned to call the three of you later on, after we got settled, and let you know the big news."

"What big news? You two getting married or somethin'?" Eric asked laughing.

Harrison glared at his brother and slowly shook his head back and forth. "That's not funny. Don't even joke about shit like that, Eric." Turning to his sister, he asked, "What's this big news?"

Olivia looked up at me and I tried to read the expression on her face. It was pointless because she wore a look of steel determination at the moment. She straightened her shoulders and said, "You know how I went to California to help Fitz break the news of the merger to his employees?"

They nodded.

"We did that job and finished it beautifully. Maybe you saw us on the news? We're kind of a big deal now?" She smirked superiorly at them.

Her brothers all rolled their eyes and groaned at her putting on airs. I laughed.

"Corporate insisted that since we did such a phenomenal job there, that Fitz fly out east to work side by side with me here to start a conversation with my employees about the merger."

"What the hell does all that mean in plain English?" Marcus demanded.

"I really haven't missed explaining everything to the three of you more than once." Olivia muttered. She took a deep breath and added, "it means that Fitz is staying in New York for a few months to help me with work stuff."

"Why didn't you just say so to begin with? You gotta get a stick up your ass and act like you're fancier than us."

My mouth formed an O as my eyebrows went skyward, and I turned to Olivia and grinned. "You have a stick up your ass too? The truth comes out now that your home, huh?"

She laughed loudly and hit me on my arm.

Harrison, Marcus, and Eric stared at us in total silence and exchanged looks between themselves. "What are we talking about now?"

Olivia caught their confused expressions and stopped laughing abruptly. "Inside joke."

"Yea. Can we all get the hell outta here now or did you guys want to spend the night here?" Eric asked.

"Nothing is going to stop me from sleeping in my own bed tonight!" She declared.

"Cool. We can drop Fitz off at his hotel and then take you home. Leesa is gonna bring Sophie over as well as some dinner. We're having a mini family reunion." Harrison explained.

I glanced nervously at Olivia and she shot me back a similar look. I had no hotel reservation and no hotel to be dropped off at because I was staying with her at her place. We had already discussed it. I was on the verge of suggesting that they take me to the first hotel we saw when Olivia spoke up.

"Fitz is coming with us to my apartment. End of story." She grabbed the handle of her suitcase and started walking away, leaving us staring at each other. To say it was uncomfortable was an understatement.

"Wait a minute!" Marcus called out to his sister. "Why is he coming with us? No disrespect, man."

Olivia stopped walking and turned to us. I couldn't wait to hear what she would tell them. It was obvious that she didn't want them to know that we were dating yet. "Because he has to eat dinner. And he's a guest here. My guest. So, we aren't leaving him in a hotel by himself in a city he's never been to."

"Makes sense." Harrison confirmed. "Sophie will be happy as hell to see you again anyways. Besides, you can tell us all about what happened in California."

"What do you mean?" I asked as sweat began to run down my back. I refused to look at Liv and give something away.

"Well, it seems that California is cursed or something. First, she sprains her ankle. Then she..."

Olivia started laughing and went to her brother, putting her arms around him. "Thank you! You are my favorite brother, Harrison."

"What the hell did you just say?" Eric said.

"Right? You can't just be calling out favorites right in front of us!" Marcus whined.

"Harrison, you've just made my life a living hell for the next few days. I just got her to drop the idea that my home state isn't cursed and here you come bringing it back up. Thanks, man." I grimaced at him but ended it with a smile, which he returned.

"Don't blame me for that voodoo shit you probably put on her before she even arrived. I'm sure it's a requirement of your company for all employees when any competition comes around? Besides, the alternative is for me to blame you. And you don't want an over protective brother having a beef with you because his only sister is accident prone." Harrison explaining grinning.

Olivia stepped away from him and said, "You're not my favorite anymore."

"But you did say it in front of Eric and Marcus, and that counts." Harrison joked.

The five us of piled into Eric's car like circus clowns and headed for Olivia's place. I studied each of her brothers in silence trying to figure them out. Harrison was the easiest since I had met him already. We had broken the ice with each other and he was the most comfortable one for me to talk to. But I knew he was fiercely protective of his sister, all joking aside. I wondered if the news of Olivia and I dating would be easier or more difficult for Harrison for those reasons?

Eric seemed the hardest one for me to understand. He was aloof and seemed pissed off at the whole world in general. But he was funny and protective of Olivia too. I assumed all three of them were? I put myself in their shoes and imagined my sister coming home with a strange man we had never met and announcing that he was going to her house. Yea, that wouldn't sit well with me either. I could respect them for feeling that way towards me.

Marcus had to be the youngest one. He seemed carefree and was as humorous as his siblings. But he kept an eye on Olivia at all times and it came across as needed confirmation or protection. Maybe a little bit of both? He seemed the most judgmental of the three brothers but also the most loyal. Maybe I was reading too much into it?

Twenty minutes after we arrived at Liv's place, loud screeching could be heard. I dropped what I was doing and ran toward the living room to find Olivia and Leesa wrapped up in a happy hug in the open doorway. I watched the two women cling to each other and it was then that it hit me. Leesa was probably the only woman that Olivia was completely comfortable with and had no walls up against? Of course she had missed her and was overjoyed to be around a female who wasn't anxiously competing against her, but was a kindred spirit.

I was smiling as I watched the two women enjoy their moment together when something hit my legs. I looked down and discovered it was a someone instead. Sophie was looking up at me with her beautiful brown eyes, arms stretched in my direction as she wore an excited grin. I bent down and scooped her up as she wrapped her little arms around my neck and held me tight. It was the best feeling in the world and I squeezed back. "How has my favorite girl been?"

"I been good." She answered.

"I'm so glad you came over to visit with me." I told her. "I was getting lonely with no one to talk to."

She giggled and hugged me again. I held onto her for a minute, patting her back, and wondered when I would have a daughter of my own? I'm not typically one to look back on things, but the trip to Tulsa and the conversation with Olivia in the emergency room came rushing back into my brain. I knew we still had a lot of things to talk about and learn from each other, but I also knew I wanted a future with Olivia. And a child.

Deciding to live in the moment, I shrugged off the heavier thoughts that I had no control over at the moment anyways. I was about to head into the kitchen to get Sophie something to drink when we almost bumped into her father.

"Those two scare the shit out of me all the time." Harrison muttered as he watched his sister and his wife. "I think Liv would choose Leesa over me most days if she had the opportunity?"

He was joking of course. "But I'll bet she doesn't give Liv shit when she needs it?"

"Fitz, you know how to make a brother feel needed. Let's go into the kitchen and get ourselves a drink." He jerked his chin in the women's direction. "They will stand there bawling all over each other for an hour if we let them. That means we can drink in peace."

Sophie wriggled out of my arms and went to her mother and aunt.

Harrison was my favorite brother now too. We went into the kitchen and he poured each of us a generous amount of scotch. We clinked glasses and threw back the amber liquid, feeling it burn as it raced to our stomachs. "Now that is a drink!" I told him, holding my glass our for more. "Your sister is a wine snob, but I can't hang with that shit. I need a man's drink."

"No one can drink that shit but Liv and call it good. Exactly why me and the boys keep a bottle of the good stuff at her place! To a man's drink!" He toasted, and we threw our drinks back.

"Why are we toasting to anything man related in my apartment? Men are the enemy here. In fact, I plan on being the supervisor over many men. Including one that is in this room."

I raised my eyebrows and sent her a challenging look while everyone else looked my way and chuckled amidst exaggerated "ooooh's" .

"Men are the..." She began.

"The ones who scratch your itch when you need it so shut the hell up." Marcus happily supplied.

Maybe Marcus was my favorite brother? Olivia's eyes met mine across the room and she was laughing at her brother's reply, but I saw through that. She was thinking about that itch and thinking about exactly how I scratched it for her. I was thinking the same thing.

Leesa put an arm around Harrison and said, "I know that's right. Maybe you should hook up with that guy you were seeing before you left? What was his name? Bradley? Brandon? Whatever it was, I'm sure it's been way too long since you've been scratched?" She laughed.

This was new information to me. So, there had been a guy before Olivia left New York? I smiled at Leesa politely and then flicked my eyes to Liv. She was no longer laughing. It seems we still had things to talk about? I set my glass down and excused myself from the room. I made it up to the bathroom, stepped in, and was suddenly pushed further into the room by someone behind me. I turned around and watched Olivia shut and lock the door. "I'll be out in a minute, Liv. I don't really need anyone to hold my hand."

"Funny." She moved so she was standing in front of me. "I would really like to be holding your hand when we go out there and tell my family that we are dating though."

She was looking up at me as if I were the deciding factor of this situation. I searched her eyes, trying to figure out if she was truly ready to tell her family about us? I put my hands on her hips and said, "there's no rush to tell them. I'm okay with being your dirty little secret a while longer if you want?"

"I'm not ashamed of you or us. We are both adults living our lives. There's no reason to hide it from them." She stated matter of factly.

She had a confident look on her face and it was hard for me to not get sucked into it too. Before long I found myself grinning down at her and she returned it. "What will Bradley or Brandon think when he finds out though?"

"Shut up." She said on a laugh. "The truth is that I made him up to my family, so they would get off my ass about dating."

"Whaaaaaaat?" I asked as my grin grew even wider. "You lied to those people to save your ass? I can't wait to tell them!" I turned and headed for the door, but she stopped me with a giggle.

"I give Eric and Marcus a hard time about being single all the time. One night a few months ago, they were all giving me hell about it. Asked why I have all of this great dating advice but don't date anyone. I was kind of backed into a corner. So, I made up a guy. Said I worked with him. I was vague about where I met him and when we spent time together. But they bought it. They wanted to meet him after a while. A week later I was told I was flying to California for work. It was perfect timing."

For the second time today, she had shocked me. I shook my head back at forth at the deceptive little woman standing in front of me. She was kind of a genius. "I wish I had thought to do something like that to my mother years ago. It would've made life a little easier for me."

She laughed loudly, and it echoed though out the small room. I pulled her close to me and held on tightly. "We don't have to do this today you know? If you want to take a few days to get settled back into your routine, it's completely fine. I don't want you to feel pressured to do anything. Not for them and certainly not for me."

"I'm ready now. I want them to know about us. To know that I love you. That I'm in love with you. There are things that they don't have to know about. Things we've been through the past few weeks, but this seems like a relatively simple thing to share with them apart from those bigger issues. I'm ready if you are?"

I smiled at her. "I'm fairly certain that they won't assume we are rushing to get married like my mother did. But which one of your brother is going to want to kick my ass?"

She shrugged. "Probably all three of them, but you can handle it. Besides, I'll help. I'm short, but I got 'em from the knees down."

Now it was my turn to laugh. The deep sound reverberated around the small room. She joined me in the laughter and the sound was as sweet as any melody I had ever heard. When the sound died down, she held me tighter and we took the moment to gather strength and determination from each other. We were about to officially be out to everyone we knew and loved as a couple. The last big hurdle until the summer ended. But now wasn't the time to think about the negative. Now was the time to live each moment as we wanted to with each other. Without secrets or hiding. It was gonna be great.

I wanted to kiss her so badly right now but knew the pesky bug she had been recently attacked by was still in her system. I would have to wait a little while longer. "Just remember Liv, no matter what they say or how they react – I love you."

"I love you too. I'll bet they will all be happy for us? We're probably stressing for nothing?"

Feeling more calm about the situation, I held onto her hand as I went to the door and turned the handle. When I pulled the door open, five people stood on the other side of the door and almost fell inside the bathroom.

"Did I really just hear you say 'I love you' to my sister?" Harrison demanded with a scowl?