So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna hold you
Like I'm saying goodbye wherever we're standing
I won't take you for granted 'cause we'll never know when
When we'll run out of time so I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you
-Like I'm Gonna Lose You: Meghan Trainor
AN: Okay, so I have been letting you guys know that there would only be one chapter left of this story. I'll say after much convincing from people and a few specific reviews, I have decided to not stop at the next chapter. Instead of the 25 chapters I planned to write, I'm expanding it to about 35 chapters. I have a few more things left to tell about this family so instead of leaving it to your imagination, I'm gonna tell you a few more things. I'm so grateful for the supportive words you've sent for this story and I hope you'll stick with me a little longer and that this comes as good news. This chapter is dedicated to Lynn. You send me such funny things and I appreciate it. Here is the next one! Enjoy!
"Good Morning… Livvie? Wake up, baby."
"You said I could sleep in. You promised me."
"I know but…"
"No buts, Fitzgerald. A promise is a promise."
Olivia rolled over to the edge of the bed and buried her face into the mattress. She felt Fitz leave the bed and go into the bathroom. When she heard the shower being turned on, she leaned up and glanced at the clock and growled before forcing her face back into the mattress. She really was going to kill him. When he returned she felt him hovering over her before his hands burrowed under her body and turned her towards him so that he could scoop her up.
"I'm so angry with you" she whined, not being able to stop herself from turning in his comfortable arms and burying her face into his bare chest. "It's five-thirty and you promised that you would get the kids ready when they got up and handle them so that I could have the morning to myself."
"I know I did." He moved into the bathroom before sitting her on the counter and lifting the lace nightgown from her body.
"Ahh, it's cold." Olivia said when her thighs made contact with the cold marble once her nightgown was removed. "You're a liar." She rubbed her eyes with the tips of her fingers before yawning loudly and staring at him.
"I'm still keeping my promise to you, baby. I'm gonna get Mads ready for school and take Elijah to mom's and then bring him back on my lunch break. But first I'm going to make sweet, hard love to my wife in the shower before our kids even think about waking up and ruining the way I want you to start your special day."
Olivia was smiling coyly now and brought her hands up, each resting on one of his cheeks. She felt the moisture pool between her legs and felt the bathroom start to heat up and perspire.
"How do you want me to start this special day?"
Fitz barely leaned down before his lips were on hers and they both opened their mouth simultaneously so their tongues could explore. Her hands left his face and moved to hips, pushing her panties down her thighs and kicking them to the floor. Fitz pulled away when he felt her push his boxers down and grab a hold of his erect member in her soft hand.
"You're gonna start this day having multiple birthday orgasms."
"Birthday orgasms?"
Fitz nodded before reaching under her arms and hoisting her into his body. Olivia's legs wrapped tightly around his waist as he began walking slowly towards the shower.
"Yes ma'am. So many birthday orgasms that you're gonna go right back to sleep."
"That's exactly what I wished for.
Olivia lay on her stomach atop the massage table and waited for the masseuse to return. She had felt bad about not spending the morning with the kids, but Fitz assured her that she deserved a morning to fully sleep in and pamper herself on her birthday. She of course forced him to allow Madison in to give her a goodbye kiss but Elijah hadn't been so lucky. She knew if she allowed the nine month old in her arms for just a second, he would be groping her breast with demands of nursing. Olivia could picture his frowning face when Fitz gave him a bottle to drink as he sat in the high hair and she wish he would've snapped a picture of the rare moment.
It was only minutes into the massage when Olivia felt herself drifting off. You would think she hadn't gotten a full night's sleep but after Elijah was born, sleep had taken on an entire new meaning. Olivia slept whenever she could now. The soothing feel of the oil being massaged into her skin gave her the green light to allow sleep to overcome.
/
Fitz pulled up to his parent's house and walked right into the unlocked front door.
"Mom? Dad?"
He didn't believe Elijah would be asleep yet. He usually didn't sleep anywhere but his crib anyway. Their boy was the complete opposite of his big sister.
"Fitzgerald, in here."
Fitz followed his mother's voice to the kitchen where he saw saw her bagging up what looked like colorful ice cubes.
"Hey Mom, what's all this?" He asked gesturing to the three use trays.
"This is for you to take with you. I told Liv I was making FJ some homemade baby food and I'd send them over with you today."
"That's baby food?"
"Yep, just puréed and frozen in ice trays so all you have to do is take a few cubes out and let them thaw out. It's very simple, and it's all fresh fruits and veggies for my grandson."
"Well thank you for doing that."
"It was nothing. I enjoyed it. I'll have another batch ready Friday. With his size, it'll be gone in no time. He definitely takes after you in that department. He ate four squares of it today!"
Catherine glanced down at Fitz's stomach and lifted an eyebrow before looking away.
"Hey, all babies are supposed to be rolley and chunky."
"Yea, but son it was like you had something to prove. At least FJ is moving around now. I thought he would outweigh you for a while but you still hold the fattest baby ever title."
She pinched his cheek before putting the final bag into the small cooler she had taken out.
"Where's Dad and FJ?"
"In the playroom. He's been teaching him to walk, so be mindful. If you wake up in a couple of weeks and your ten month old is walking, blame your father."
Fitz shook his head and made his way downstairs to the basement. The large room had finally been remodeled and turned into a playroom/bedroom for the grandkids. They had revealed it to Madison, Addy, and Elijah at Christmas and of course Madison was the only one that could show her excitement for the room. It was full of toys, art supplies, games, a small twin bed, a tv, bean bag chairs and other baby toys as well.
Fitz stood at the door watching his father and son play. It was a scene he loved to come in on and he usually had to pry his son away from his father. He knew they would be very close and it reminded him of the relationship he didn't have with his grandfather. Fitz wondered if that was something his father thought of whenever he spent time with his grandchildren. Fitz nor Sarah had a relationship with their grandparents and it was obvious his father was breaking that cycle. He was the doting grandfather and Elijah loved him dearly. Fitz thought Madison was close with her grandfather but there was something extra special about watching his father with his son that he loved.
Jerry was on his knees with Elijah holding on to his large index fingers as the baby took wobbly stow forward.
"That's it FJ. Walk to your Grandpa!"
"Pah! Pah!"
"What the hell? It's like pulling teeth to get him to say Dada!"
Both heads turned and looked towards the new voice in the room and Fitz smiled at the way Elijah's face lit up the second he noticed who it was. Fitz returned his son's smile and moved closer before falling to this knees and holding his hands out.
"Come here buddy. Come to dada."
Just as Fitz suspected, Elijah began bouncing in his direction and opened and closed his mouth repeatedly as though he wanted to say the words, but no sound came out. After getting tired of bouncing in place, Elijah slowly lowered himself to the floor and once his bottom was safely plopped into place, he released Jerry's fingers and crawled towards Fitz. He lifted his hands to his knees and pulled himself up before pushing on his tippy-toes and burrowing his curly head into Fitz's chest.
Fitz placed a hand under Elijah's bottom and held him to his chest before standing straight up and cuddling the boy close. Elijah's arms went straight around Fitz's neck and squeezed tightly, giving Fitz the best feeling in the world. He wasn't sure when his son picked it up, but those little neck hugs he gave were the best thing in the world to Fitz. It was like a real hug and he would always squeeze tight.
"Hi Big Guy." Fitz spoke softly into his ear before moving to kiss at his neck and jaw, causing the little boy to squirm and giggle.
"Did you have a good day with Grandpa and Grammie?"
Fitz lifted Elijah high above him in the air and laughed at the giggles that escaped the boy. He moved his fingers against his skin, laughing when his shirt rode up exposing his round belly. Fitz brought him back down and blew several raspberries against his soft skin, making the baby laugh uncontrollably and pass gas.
"Did you toot? Are you being a tooter? Huh? Stinky tooter?"
He repeated the actions of blowing on his skin before tossing him up in the air a few times. Fitz held him to his chest while his breathing went back to normal and the small boy rubbed at his eyes. It would soon be nap time and Fitz held out a hand to help his father up before the two men made their way upstairs.
"What time is the reservation tonight?"
"Six sharp. Me and Liv will be there by six-fifteen and I'm just hoping everyone will be on time. I want to make this nice for her."
"I know you do. Last year's birthday wasn't so great, so this is your do over."
"Yea, this guy drained his momma and her cold had her passed out most of the day. Plus it's her actual birthday so I really wanna make it count."
"Who's keeping the kids?" Catherine dried her hands off and reached her hands out for Elijah. The little boy smiled at her but held tightly to his father's arm before he buried his head in his bicep.
"We got a sitter."
"Who?"
Fitz sighed seeing the look on his mother's face. They had only used a sitter once before and it was always a task to get his wife to actually leave them with a sitter. Usually his parents or one of their friends would keep the kids, but everyone they knew and trusted would be at Liv's dinner tonight so they had to get a sitter.
"McKenzie from down the street is gonna watch them. She's watched them once before."
"Both of them?" Jerry spoke up.
"Well, we already had FJ down for her so she just played with Mads before putting her in bed."
"How old is she? Are you gonna have FJ already in bed that early? Maybe I should stay with the kids?"
Fitz looked to his father and was surprised he was the one playing two questions instead of his mother. Everyone else seemed to be paranoid about s sitter except for Fitz.
"I think she'll be fine, Dad. It's Len's big sister, she's seventeen and has siblings who she's always has been around. FJ will only be up for about twenty minutes before she'll have to put him down and just focus on Madison."
"Make sure you leave all the emergency numbers for her and out in the open so she doesn't have to go searching. Does she know to not be on her phone with friends but actually watching the children? FJ is into everything now and one second of not watching him could be an accident waiting to happen. Make sure my number is on the contact list, Fitzgerald."
"You realize you're making me paranoid about leaving my kids with a sitter, don't you?"
"I'm just saying my peace. But if Olivia is willing to leave them both, then I'm sure she's more than capable of taking care of them for a few hours. She'll give her the third degree anyway. Come here grandson and let me kiss your face."
She grabbed Elijah from Fitz's arms, ignoring his protests, and smothered his face in kisses before passing him to Jerry who gave him a couple of tickles on his belly before kissing his head and passing him back to Fitz.
"Thanks for keeping him. I'll see you guys tonight."
Fitz left out with the diaper bag on his shoulder and buckled Elijah into the backwards facing car seat before he tucked the fleece blanket around his son, over the straps.
"You warm, buddy? Let's get you home for lunch and a nap, okay? You ready to see Mama?"
"Ma... Ma.." Elijah responded. He peered through the mirror that was across from his seat and watched as Fitz got in the driver's seat and smiled at him. "Ma!"
"Yep, you finally get to see your Ma"
Fitz was a few minutes late getting back home than what he told his wife, but it would be worth the look on her face. Hearing her in the kitchen, he grabbed a single white rose from the dozen he had picked up and handed it to Elijah before letting him hold on to his finger. He slowly moved towards Olivia who stood bent over with her head in the sink and the water running. Fitz never questioned why she didn't just shower to wash her hair because she'd usually give him a specific look whenever he would. It always left him lost and he'd learned his lesson a while ago; there were just somethings he'd never understand about Olivia and her hair.
Getting a different idea, Fitz lifted Elijah up went to grab the vase of flowers from the laundry room and came back into the kitchen. Olivia was still busy with her hair under the running water so he placed the chubby baby on the island before grabbing a few more roses and sitting them in Elijah's lap. He moved behind him and ducked down so that he wasn't visible but kept his hand on Elijah's back.
"Livvie!"
Fitz called with his hand cupped around his mouth.
"Babe? I'm in the kitchen."
"Livvie." Fitz peaked around the counter and noticed she hadn't moved from her position.
"Yea, give me a minute."
"Livvie!" He tried one more time, laughing when he hears her groan.
"You know you guys are late right? I knew you'd stay talking to your parents and I should've just.."
"MA!"
Olivia stopped wringing her curls out and turned around at the sudden noise and smiled at Elijah sitting atop the island and covered in roses. She grabbed the small towel she had and wrapped it around her hair before securing it in a fold and moved to stand in front of him.
"Hi my chunky, handsome boy. Are these for me?" She brought a flower up to her nose and sniffed it before moving her hand to cover Fitz's on Elijah's back. Olivia intertwined their fingers before tugging on Fitz's hand and forcing him to stand up.
"Thank you baby." She said leaning in to kiss his lips.
Fitz moved to deepen the kiss for a few seconds before she pulled back and grinned at him.
"Did mom send the food for him?"
"Oh the frozen baby mush? Yea, it's in the car. I'll go grab it."
Fitz made sure Olivia still had her hand on Elijah's back before moving towards the garage to grab the cooler.
"Tell Daddy it's not baby mush, its yummy healthy food for your tummy." Olivia gently poked at his stomach that was inching slightly over his elastic sweatpants. She smiled at the adorable grin that had spread across his lips. "Was that food Grammie gave you, yummy for your tummy? Is it so full now?" Olivia continued to run her finger across his stomach, successfully distracting him from stuffing the flowers back in his mouth.
"Here it is. She labeled it too." Fitz said chuckling before he sat it next to Elijah.
"That's cause she is a good grandmother. I'm just glad that he likes them all. No more picky eaters in this house."
"Until the next one."
Olivia raised her eyes and lifted Elijah from the counter and onto her hip. She began to pick up the roses and place them back into the vase that Fitz had also brought in.
"So I push this chunk out just nine months ago and you wanna talk about knocking me up again? And so nonchalantly, I might add."
Fitz shrugged before going to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water.
"I'm just sayin."
"Just sayin what?"
"That our kids should be close in age. You know, just get it out the way and then close up shop."
"Close up shop?"
"Before you tell me I'm not allowed to touch you anymore."
"Well maybe I already feel that way. Two is a good number. One boy, one girl. Easy."
"Yea, but we gave Mads a brother, it's only fair that we give her a sister, too."
"Why, because you promised I'd keep having babies until she got a sister?"
Fitz head snapped up and looked at her with shocked eyes. How the hell did she know that?
"Our five year old can't keep a secret from her Mama."
Olivia sat in bed with Elijah asleep next to her against the blue and white striped boppy. He had just eaten and had passed out as soon as she began rubbing his back. It had been a long night with the three week old and Olivia did her best to let Fitz sleep through the night. He had to work that next morning and had been up with Elijah the night before.
"You should be awake so that you actually sleep tonight. I know your tummy hurts, but you gotta not be so fussy tonight for me, okay?"
She kissed his head and sat up straight before un-muting her tv and changing the channel. Right when Olivia was able to settle on a show to watch, her door creaked open and Madison walked in rubbing her eyes. She had only slept an hour and Olivia knew if she let her cuddle in bed with them, she was guaranteed at least another forty-five minutes of quiet time.
"Hi Toots. Let's have cuddle time okay? It's not quite time to get up yet."
"Does Lijah have to keep sleeping too?"
"He does. He needs lots and lots of sleep so he can grow bigger."
"Like me." A soft yawn escaped her lips and Olivia began scratching her scalp softly.
"Just like you sweet girl. All babies and even big kids and mommies and daddies need lots of rest."
"Will our new baby need lots of rest when you have her in a long while?"
"What new baby, Mads?"
"My sister."
Olivia knew Madison had more than come around to having a brother, so her daughter's words had her confused.
"Madison, there aren't any other babies in my tummy."
"But in a long while they will be. Daddy said we can't have another baby in your tummy for a long while."
Olivia nodded, wondering what all Fitz had told her. "Daddy is right. But just like Elijah came out of my tummy and is a boy, another baby could come out that's a boy."
"I know….." she trailed off and rubbed her eyes once more, signaling to Olivia that she would be back to sleep in just minutes. "Daddy said we can keep having babies in your tummy until it's a sister for me."
"Oh he did?"
Olivia felt her body grow heavier against hers before Madison nodded her head against Olivia's side.
"He promised me."
"Well…. Every little girl needs a sister to grow up with. And two kids is boring anyway."
"Oh boring? When one is up in the middle of the night because she has a nightmare and wakes the other one up, that's boring?"
"You know what I mean. Not that I wouldn't mind having however many kids with you, but maybe the next one will be a girl and we'll be done."
"I doubt it. I can just imagine you only producing boys and my poor body will be old and worn out by the time we have a girl, like six kids later."
"Oh, so you're willing to have six more kids to get a girl?" he moved around the island to wrap his arms around her and pull her close with Elijah between them.
"Maybe." She would never say out loud that she wanted five kids, and could pass out just thinking of pushing out three more Grant babies, but she had her own agenda.
"You want another girl too, don't you?" Fitz asked wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Of course I do. I want to have a daughter with you."
"We already have a daughter together."
That was the first thing that came to his mind and it was a beautiful truth that almost brought tears to Olivia's eyes. There would never be a difference in paternity of their children in Fitz's mind and she loved him for it.
"I know, we do. But you know what I mean. I do want to have a daughter that we made together."
"I do too."
Fitz leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. She began to deepen the kiss, but Fitz pulled back and groaned.
"Aghhhh. Don't start something you can't finish, Liv. I need to get back to work and see one patient then I'm getting Mads and coming home."
"You sure you can't reschedule? I'm gonna feed him then put him down and we could have a quiet house, just you and me."
Fitz grimaced knowing he'd have to say no and took a step away from her the second he felt he erection began to grow.
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" she deadpanned. She was not excited about the 'surprise' plans he had for her birthday but tried to not show her frustration every time he mentioned it.
"Yes. We will celebrate with family and friends tonight, then tomorrow Mrs. Grant, you're mine for the entire day."
Fitz sat in the living room with the kids as he waited for Olivia to finish getting ready. It was almost six and he if they didn't leave in the next ten minutes, they wouldn't arrive until six-twenty-five. Ten minutes late wasn't so bad, and he would just let the blame fall on the birthday girl.
"Daddy, can I have more milk?"
Fitz moved from the table to refill her cup with more milk, but sat it in front of him instead of her.
"Eat more of your noodles and broccoli and you can have it."
She nodded her head before lifting a spiraled noodle from her plate and slurped it into her mouth. She licked her fingers dry before reaching for the cup.
"AH!" Fitz warned, stopping her hand in the process. He grabbed her fork and moved the majority of the cold pasta salad and tomatoes to one side, leaving only a small portion on the side. "You need to eat all your chicken and all these noodles and tomatoes if you want McKenzie to give you desert later."
"Can I eat two tomatoes only, Daddy?" Madison asked scrunching her face at the red food. She loved the food but was excited about being with a babysitter for the night. Since picking her up from school, Olivia had explained to Madison that Lennox's big sister would be watching her and Elijah tonight, and the little girl was eager.
"Mads, eat what I said." Fitz said with finality.
She complied with his instruction and Fitz turned back to wipe down Elijah's face. The little boy was definitely full from the food Fitz fed him and Olivia had already made sure there was a bottle for the sitter to give him before putting him to bed.
"Fitz, can you finish zipping me?"
The three Grants in the dining room turned at the sound of Olivia's heels against the hardwood floors. She had on a near skin-tight navy blue dress that stopped mid thigh with a strappy Nine West heels that was deemed as her go to shoe for a fun night out.
"Wow… You look…. Damn." Fitz held no shame eyeing her from head to toe, making Olivia blush and playfully shove his shoulder. "I'm just saying you definitely don't look like you've pushed out two babies and you surely don't look like a second grade teacher."
She raised her eyebrows at that, "So you're saying I look like what, exactly?"
"Like a woman that wants to be…." He leaned closer, bringing his lips to the shell of her ear before continuing, "fucked hard and deep."
Olivia felt her knees weaken and took a half a step back, before biting her bottom lip. Her husband could probably make her cum by just talking to her if he wanted to. Olivia felt Fitz press himself closer to her, allowing her to feel what her appearance was producing in his pants. She felt his eyes boring into her and forced herself to look away. When her eyes shifted left and noticed Madison looking curiously at the two of them, Olivia moved stand in front of Fitz, not wanting her daughter to witness any of her father's inappropriateness.
"Babe, my dress." Her elbow connected with his stomach and Fitz quickly finished zipping her dress before kissing her neck.
Fitz walked away from her immediately after that and went to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Mommy, you look pretty! Can I have some make-up on too?"
"Maybe next time I do my make-up, we'll do some for you too."
Coughing was suddenly heard from the kitchen and Olivia glanced at Fitz who was clearly shaking his head against the idea. "Not gonna happen."
Olivia winked at Madison before moving the cup of milk in front of her to finish.
"Fitz can you put FJ in his pjs and have him in his sleep sack for when she gets here?"
Olivia stooped down and took a hold of Madison's fork before stabbing at a few pieces of pasta and holding it to her mouth. "Open up, last bite." Madison did as instructed and Olivia reached for a napkin from the holder and wiped at her hands. "Swallow" She then stabbed at the last piece of chicken and held it up to her mouth before winking at her when she accepted the bite. "Let's go get on your jammies."
"Is Len gonna wear his jammies, too?"
"Toots, only McKenzie is coming to watch you and Lijah. Len is gonna be at home with his mommy and daddy."
Madison's pout came immediately as Olivia grabbed a fresh night gown from her drawer and moved towards her half naked daughter. She was still chewing on the piece of chicken in her mouth and Olivia told her to finish swallowing as her put the nightgown over her head.
"But I wanted to play with him today."
"You did play with him today. You played with him at school."
"I wanted to play with him while you and daddy had date night too."
"It's almost you guy's bedtime, so he can't come over tonight, but maybe we'll have him over next week and you guys can play together. Turn around." Olivia spoke softly to her, wanting to not encourage her foul mood. When Madison turned around, Olivia began braiding one large braid down her back.
"Can he have a sleepover here?"
"Hmm, I don't think Daddy will like that."
"Why not? Friends can have sleepovers if they listen to their parents."
"Who do you want to have a sleepover with?" Fitz asked walking into the room. He was holding a sleepy-faced Elijah facing outwards and the little boy lit up when he saw Olivia.
"Ma ma ma ma"
"Hi handsome." Olivia looked up briefly at him and blew him a kiss.
Fitz sat on the bed next to Madison and sat Elijah on his sister's lap, facing her, who immediately wrapped her arms around her baby brother.
"She wants Lennox to sleep over soon."
"Best girl we only have friends that are girls over for a sleepover."
"But why? He's my best friend."
"I thought I was your best friend?" Fitz asked offended. He moved Elijah off of her lap and sat the boy in front of her after he continued to reached for Madison's hair.
"Daddyyyyy" she drawled out with a whine. "You're my best friend that's my daddy, but Len is my best friend that's a boy. He's my best boyfriend."
Her last statement came out as though her mind had finally connected the two words and she noticed how much they fit together. She was smiling too damn happily for Fitz and Olivia watched as her husband's brows shifted downward and was thankful for the ringing doorbell that stopped his next words.
Fitz snapped his finger at Scooter who had dropped his fresh chewing bone and barked as he moved to stand in front of the door. Once he was quiet and sitting obediently, Fitz opened the door and stepped aside as McKenzie walked inside. Fitz greeted McKenzie hello before gesturing for her to follow him into the living room. She took a seat on the edge of couch and smiled at Elijah who was staring at her with curious eyes.
"You're okay with dogs, right?" He was holding a hand out, a signal Scooter knew meant to be still.
"Yes, he's fine. Hi cutie" she spoke in a baby voice looking at Elijah and he smiled before burying his face into Fitz's tailored shirt.
"Are you gonna play shy FJ?" He tickled him under his chin before looking at the teenager and giving her some details for the night.
"Alright so they're both bathed, fed and dressed for bed. This guy needs a bottle that's already to go and then you can just lay him down. We'll turn his sleep machine on and the fan as well for you so you don't have to worry about that. He's already got his sleep sack on... Umm, Madison goes down at seven-thirty so you two can just play either or here with a game or puzzles or coloring or in her room. She knows to clean up when she's done and before she moves on to the next thing. She has a water cup we fill and keep by her bed at night and once Elijah is down, she can have dessert. Just two Oreos and there's already milk left in her cup from dinner. That's all she needs. She'll try to talk you into one more but she knows better. Don't let her pull anything over on you."
"I won't. Len is the same way" McKenzie nodded and chuckled softly. Usually when she babysat it was the moms giving her the rundown and not the dad, so this was different. "Does she have a bedtime routine?"
"Hi Kenz" Olivia greeted walking out with Madison holding tightly to her hand and hiding behind her leg.
"Hi Mrs. Grant, Hi Madison" she bent down to wave at Madison and the three of them were surprised at her shy behavior.
"They're both being shy now. Mads, be polite and say hi." Fitz instructed and after she gave a tiny wave, Madison unwound herself from Olivia's leg and moved to Fitz's long leg.
Olivia noticed him roll his eyes and moved to grab Elijah from his arms before he scooped Madison up and held her on his hip.
"After dessert, she can brush her teeth and before bedtime use the bathroom. What else do we do before bedtime, baby?" Fitz rubbed her back trying to relax her so she wouldn't throw a tantrum when it was time for them to go. They would already be running a few minutes behind at the rate they were moving.
"Story" she mumbled quietly into his chin. She had the top of her head pushed into the side of Fitz's neck while her lips were at his jaw. While one eye was hidden her other was peeking at McKenzie as her fingers played with the collar of her daddy's shirt. She had only ever been left with family members, which basically included Quinn, so having a new sitter had the nerves overpowering her previous excitement.
"Yes we read one bedtime story, then we read from her Jesus storybook Bible, she can pick the chapter she wants and then sometimes she wants to sing a verse of the itsy-bitsy spider but sometime she doesn't. If she does ask for it, only do it one time because it will be bedtime, not playtime." Olivia started speaking to McKenzie, but ended with her eyes on Madison in warning tone.
"Did you hear what Mommy said?" Fitz said looking at Madison and making sure her eyes connected with his. She nodded her head and Fitz gave her a certain look before speaking again.
"When we get home tonight you will already be asleep, but we do not want to get a report that you were not listening to McKenzie and that you did not go to bed like you are supposed to, do you understand me? We expect you to listen and be obedient."
She nodded her head as she finally made we contact with Fitz. "Yes ma'am."
"Remember what we say for daddy? For mommy it's ma'am and for daddy it's what?"
"Sir!" Madison said with her eyes opening wide as she remembered the correct word. "Yes sir, daddy." She finished proudly.
It was a new level of manners and respect they were trying to instill in their young daughter and so far it was going well. They didn't expect her to say sir and ma'am with every single thing that she said, but it seemed like she was catching on to when they expected her to use the words.
Fitz chuckled before sniffing at her neck and kissing her cheeks, earning the giggling he expected from her.
"Okay, I'll let you take him..." Olivia said moving closer to McKenzie. She pivoted towards the teenager and just as she was about to hand him over, Elijah's chubby fingers gripped the front of her shirt and he forced his head to Olivia's chest. His wails were the perfect indication that he was not happy with his mother trying to pass him off.
"Oh Bub, don't do that. Kenzie's gonna give you some milk then you're gonna go night-night."
Olivia pried his fingers from her dress and handed him to McKenzie before turning to Fitz. It was as if Olivia could read exactly what her husband was thinking as he watched his son squirm and lean towards them as fat tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Babe, we need to leave if we want to get there at a decent time." Fitz was even getting anxious and Olivia could tell.
"Can you feed him and put him down before we leave? You know if he's worked up he's not going to go down at all."
Olivia grabbed Madison from him and sat her on her own two feet before looking at Fitz.
"I've already pumped for him and you know if I take him in there he's gonna want the real thing. Just feed him and put him down so we can get out of here. You know you want to anyway."
Fitz narrowed his eyes at her, trying to hide the smile that was on his lips. She was right. He couldn't stand to see Elijah this upset and it had taken everything in him to not snatch his boy into his arms from the young girl. Olivia would give him hell in the car if he did such a thing.
"Come here Big Guy."
Fitz stepped forward and grabbed Elijah and the baby immediately stopped crying then turned and looked at McKenzie. Fitz shook his head before letting Olivia kiss the baby goodnight and heading to the nursery to feed him and put him down.
When they were out of eyesight, Olivia turned and sent the teenager a sheepish smile before apologizing to her. Olivia moved to pick up the dishes they had left on the table from dinner and encouraged Madison to show McKenzie where all her toys were.
The sound of a phone ringing stopped Olivia's path to the sink and she plucked her cell from her handbag before securing the phone between her ear and shoulder.
"Liv, are you guys close? You should've been here by now"
"Not really, Abs. We'll be there soon."
"Have you at least left the house?"
"We are walking out the door now."
"Lies. Liv leave the kids with the sitter and get here, it's your birthday! It's only for a few hours anyway."
"As soon as Fitz gets FJ down, we will be on the way."
"That why you hired a sitter. Why isn't she..."
"Drop it Abby, we'll be there soon. Order me a glass of red and Fitz a water."
"Water?"
"He's driving tonight. I'll see you soon, just tell the waiter to start bringing the appetizers out. I'll text you when we are in the car."
Olivia hung up the phone before moving to the freezer. Her telling Abby to order her wine was the perfect reminder for her to take out a frozen bag of breast milk for Elijah in the morning. She would definitely have to pump and dump tonight. Olivia walked down the hall towards the bedrooms and noticed that Madison was playing happily with McKenzie and took that as her chance to kiss her goodnight.
"Toots, you be a good listener, okay? You guys can do dessert now if you want. I love you." Madison moved to kiss her but Olivia pulled back knowing the little girl wanted to have some lipstick transfer from her stained lips.
"Eskimo kiss tonight, Toots"
Madison rubbed noses with her other before dragging McKenzie into the kitchen to get her dessert. Olivia poked her head into the nursery just as Fitz was walking away from the crib. She held a hand out to him and he accepted it before closing the baby's door and walking towards the garage behind her.
"Bye Mads. Love you sweetie."
Madison spun around at her name and ran towards her parents.
"Daddy wait, I need to hug and kiss you goodbye."
Fitz crouched down and opened his arms for Madison. She circled her arms around his neck before giving him a kiss on the lips.
"Bye Best Girl. Be good and we'll see you in the morning."
"One more!" Madison puckered up her lips and waited for her kiss.
Fitz inwardly groaned but complied before kissing her and standing up straight.
"Thank you Kenzie." Olivia called before walking through the garage and getting into the car.
Fitz began to follow behind her when he felt tugging on his jacket. He turned to see Madison clutching his jacket with one hand while her other brought her chunky braid towards her lips. There were tears in her eyes and Fitz tried his best to not be annoyed by her behavior. It was new, but she'd be fine once she was playing with McKenzie. She had clearly waited for her mother to be out of sight before cornering him.
"Mads, I need you to stop, okay."
"But Daddy, I wanna go with you and Mommy."
The second he bent his body to her height so he wouldn't be talking down to her, Madison was wound tightly around him and he sighed.
"Alright, look at me."
She stayed burrowed in his neck and Fitz continued with a more stern voice.
"Madison Olivia Grant look at me, please." Fitz began and continued when she obeyed. "I'm taking mommy out and you are going to stay here with McKenzie. You need to be a big girl and go finish your dessert or I'm going to put you to bed right now and you won't have any dessert. You can choose which one you want but either way you cannot come with me and Mommy tonight."
Madison's pout was deep but she slowly slid off Fitz's lap and took two steps backwards.
"Come on Madison, we're gonna have fun okay." Fitz looked up and noticed McKenzie standing in the doorway and smiled in thanks at her attempt to help out.
He watched as Madison turn around and grabbed a hold of McKenzie's hand before the two of them made their way back into the kitchen. Fitz stood up straight and leaned his head against the wall. He hated to see her cry. It was bad enough Elijah pulled the water works earlier but to have both of his kids crying was almost too much for Fitz. Sighing he pushed himself off the wall and walked into the kitchen to see her sitting at the table. She turned around when she heard his footsteps and he kneeled down beside her chair before cupping her cheeks and using his thumb to wipe her face dry.
"I need to see you smile before I leave okay? Be brave and give me one of those beautiful smiles okay?"
Madison immediately calmed down at her daddy's touch and a smile slowly began to spread across her lips at his words.
"That's better. I'll come in and give you kisses when we get home okay? I love you best girl. One more kiss." Fitz made the final request and after she gave him one last smooch, he was out the door.
"What was that all about?" Olivia asked confused and checking her phone. Abby refused to stop texting her about how late they were.
"Oh nothing. Just your children having more control over me that I like to admit."
He shook his head as he reversed out of the garage and once it closed he drove as fast and safely as he could to get to the restaurant.
/
Olivia walked ahead of Fitz into the swanky restaurant and the occupants stood up and applauded the arrival of their guest of honor. They had rented out a room at the Four Square restaurant near downtown Durham and the party would be served the four course meal, choosing from a specific menu for the evening.
Olivia went around the table hugging everyone who was there while Fitz moved to sit in the empty seat on the opposite end of the table. It was obvious that Abby had directed everyone on where to sit and both Olivia and Fitz occupied an end seat while couples were staggered in between. Abby had brought along David who Olivia greeted with a hug and smile. She and Fitz had gone on a few double dates with Abby and David and they all got along well, he and Olivia having an easy banter they all laughed at. Quinn was there with a significant other she'd been dating for a couple of month and Liv knew she recognized him. He had worked at Apple Creek and Olivia had seen him in the carpool lane a few times but she hadn't realized how much Quinn liked him until she was bold enough to ask him out herself. Tonya from Olivia's school and her husband were there and rounding out the crowd were Jerry and Catherine.
"You know I'm judging you." Abby said loudly as Olivia finished hugging Jerry and Catherine.
"I know, I know, we are so late but we finally made it."
"What took you guys so long?"
"Was it the sitter?"
"She was great, it wasn't anything with her, both kids just had a rough time... letting go tonight."
"This is new for them. My poor babies are probably traumatized right now."
"They're completely fine, Abby." Fitz spoke up. "I ended up putting FJ down because he refused to be handed over."
"And Shorty?"
"She's another story. First she was shy, then she was fine, and all I know is that I kissed her goodbye and walked out and it took this guy far too long to follow after me."
Fitz smirked in her direction, knowing his wife would throw him under the bus. Everyone always poked fun at how much he hated to see the kids upset and always would try to make it better for them.
"I just gave her a few extra hugs and promised to come kiss her when I got in, I swear."
"So you won't be ordering an extra dessert to go?" Quinn said smiling toward Fitz.
"No I will not."
Everyone laughed knowing anytime he went out he would promise to bring Madison home dessert from the restaurant.
Clink Clink Clink Clink
"Alright, enough kid talk. My godchildren are amazing but tonight we are celebrating their amazing mother."
Abby nodded to Fitz and reached for the fresh glass of Scotch that the waiter had just brought out. He knew one drink wouldn't hurt. He stood up and stared intently across the table at Olivia.
"I would like to raise a toast to my wife Olivia. She is the most giving, loving, kind hearted person. She's funny, smart, classy and the most beautiful person inside and out I've ever met. I'm so glad I get to call her mine. She was born on a leap year, but we finally made it to your actual birthday. Happy Birthday Livvie."
"Happy Birthday, Olivia, Liv" was heard around the table as glasses gently touched and Olivia stood from her seat and walked towards the other end of the table. Even knowing all eyes were on her, Olivia leaned up and captured Fitz's lips in a soft kiss that deepened until cat calls and groaning were heard around the table and they broke apart. Fitz winked at her before he walked her back to her seat and pulled her chair out for her and returned to his.
The dinner was going great and by the time the main dish was half consumed by everyone, Olivia was on her third glass of wine and feeling the effects of the drink. Fitz watched her from his side of the table and loved how carefree and happy she looked. He promised himself that he would spend the rest of his life making sure she spent her days just as carefree and happy. Her eyes caught his from across the table just as the waiters were removing their dinner plates. Fitz could make out her lips telling the waiter which dessert she wanted, then he saw her finger point towards him before the man nodded and walked away. Olivia continued her conversation with Tonya before she stood up and began walking towards Fitz.
"Hi beautiful" he greeted her, smiling at her glassy brown eyes.
"Hi"
Fitz instinctively moved his chair back, making room for Olivia to slide into his lap and he was happy when he noticed everyone focus on each other instead of them.
"Are you drunk?" Fitz whispered against the shell of her ear.
"Not really."
"Not really? I think you just might be."
"Why do you say that?" Instead of speaking near his ear, her lips were at the corner of her mouth, giving him the perfect opportunity to smell the wine on her breath.
"Besides the fact that you've barely had more than a few sips of wine since before FJ was born, I know you Livvie. You might not be wasted, but I'm definitely cutting you off for the night baby."
"Just one more sip..." She trailed off and looked down at her wine glass that was half empty and seemed so far away. She pouted before shifting her gaze and noticed just a gulp of scotch left in Fitz's glass and picked it up and downed it before he could protest. "Now I'm done."
He smiled and gripped her thigh tighter before closing his lips around hers. He snuck his tongue in her mouth and could still taste the wine with a new hint of scotch on her tongue and loved it. Fitz groaned and pulled away when he felt a kick from under the table.
"She made me do it" David admitted and pointed towards his red-headed girlfriend that was watching them with a disgusted look on her face.
"Could you two stop? The poor guy wants to get dessert over with so they can get home."
Everyone chuckled but Olivia didn't care and neither did Fitz. He knew that she had a bit too much to drink because she had never willingly made out with him in front of his parents and right now she didn't seem to have a care in the world. She turned in Fitz's lap to face her guest as the man placed the dessert shed ordered in front of them and they all began to serenade her. She smiled at her closest friends and family and reached for Fitz's arms to wrap around her tightly. He was sitting up straight and singing against her ear as the single candle flickered atop the white chocolate raspberry ganache with lemon buttercream flakes and almond slithers.
"Happy birthday dear Olivia. Happy birthday to you."
"You promised! Don't go in there acting this way, Fitz."
He pretended to drag his feet and mope for a few more seconds before he laughed and matched her pace of walking.
"I'm just messing with you."
"You're not gonna chicken out? You promised you wouldn't and that you'd completely participate no matter how strange it got. It is my birthday gift after all."
"Scouts honor."
He smirked in her direction before he pulled her closer and threw an arm around her shoulder. He opened the door for them and Olivia went straight to the front desk as she normally did and signed their names in.
"Olivia, good to see you. Is this your husband?"
Olivia smiled at the instructor and accepted the friendly hug before smiling and gesturing to Fitz. "You too. Yes, this is Fitz. Fitz, this is Jonie my instructor."
"Good to meet you." Fitz responded shaking her hand and following the two of them as they wordlessly began walking down a hallway. Fitz followed and glanced into each room they passed, his fingers still intertwined with Olivia's as she walked ahead.
"So we are still waiting on our last couple, but you guys can go in and take the spot near Jenna and Fitziel. We'll start in just a couple of minutes."
They both nodded and walked in. Olivia held in her laugh as she watched Fitz pull at his basketball shorts and t-shirt. Olivia assured him that he would be fine wearing that along with a work out shirt. She was wearing her usual yoga attire of athletic work out leggings and a razorback dry fit tank top. Fitz and Olivia greeted the other two couples in the room, then moved to lay their mats out and sat down facing the others.
"Have either of you guys ever done this before?" Fitz said breaking the ice.
"Nope, and I can't believe I'm doing it now." John spoke up with a chuckle, earning a shove in the head from the woman sitting next to him. "I'm John and this is my wife Natalie."
"You're Olivia right?" Natalie interrupted. "I think we're in the same class on Thursday's?"
"That's right," Olivia said not really knowing who she was but agreeing that she was in the same class; she did look a little familiar. "This is my husband Fitz. It took a bit of convincing for him too."
"What did she say to get you to come?" Fitziel asked?
"I just knew she'd been dying to do it and so I surprised her with the bundle package for her birthday last weekend." Fitz smiled proudly as the other two women raised their eyebrows in awe of his thoughtfulness.
"Wait, isn't the bundle package, four sessions?"
"Yes, so hopefully we like it or that's eighty-five bucks down the drain." Fitz laughed.
"I think you'll be good." Fitziel spoke up. "We come once a week and we absolutely love it. I was in the same boat as you guys and was really unsure about it but after the first one I realized how connected it made us and it was fun as well. I'm pretty sure you'll be back next week."
Before Olivia or Fitz could respond, Jonie walked in followed by another couple that unrolled their mats in the final space next to Olivia and Fitz.
"So I'm glad to see all of you and I want you to know that I realize that this isn't something that seems normal but once we begin you'll feel so natural. My hope is that this time will bring you closer to one another in such a sensual way and that your bodies will become more aware of the other."
The couples nodded and before they knew it another instructor entered and they all followed directions to standing up facing their partners. They first began with some deep breathing exercises desperately before the men were told to stand behind the women and place their hands on their shoulders.
"Grip their shoulders and take a deep breath in sync. Let's breathe in... And now let's breathe out. Alright ladies I want you to turn around. And I want you to stretch your arms out and place your hands on his sides. Keep your hands there and take a step back with your right leg and bring your head forward to rest on his stomach. Remember to continue to breathe."
Olivia did as instructed and rested her head against Fitz's hard stomach facing down and laughed at seeing his bare feet. His hands were still at her shoulders and she felt him loosen his grip on her as she stepped back.
"You see something you like down there" Fitz looked down and whispered, joking at the fact that her head was basically directly over his penis.
"No, your feet are kinda ugly, babe."
"Alright guys," Jonie continued, after hearing the chatter between couples begin. "Now I want you to bring your other leg back ladies and end on your toes. Guys, it's going to be your strong frame that holds her steady. Allow your body to be moved by hers but don't falter and focus on your breathing. In and Out."
Olivia followed her words and allowed her body to rest solely against Fitz's and inhaled deeply before exhaling. Her hands were still on his hips and she felt as though she weighed nothing.
Knowing exactly who her audience was, Jonie began speaking to the couples on a personal level, "Ladies, I want you to think about your husband is physically keeping you up. Think of his strength and remember a time that he physically took care of your needs. Lift your head up and rest your chin on his chest. Breathe in and now breathe out. Now men, I want you to look down and ladies tell them how you feel at this very moment. And keep in mind that all of this is for a natural response, so do what feels natural in every way. I only draw the line at having sex. None of that in here please."
Olivia laughed along with everyone else and waited for Fitz's eyes to meet hers. She almost cried instantly. "I feel one-hundred percent in love with you."
Olivia felt blessed on a daily basis, but it was moments like this when Olivia had to pause. She'd stare into Fitz's eyes and see flashes of their past that brought tears to her eyes. She'd gone back to the moment Fitz stood next to a cab with his hand held out, asking if she was ready. She had been ready for him to change her life and he hadn't failed her one bit. Olivia simply stared at him and was so proud to be called his wife. He was brilliant, kind, funny, generous, uplifting, and so handsome.
He leaned down and kissed her a second later. When his wife stared at him the way that she was doing right now, there was no other response. There was no tongue, just a handful of soft, wet kisses before Jonie instructed them to both stand up straight and switch positions. Olivia laughed and looked at Fitz who was already wearing a concerned expression.
"I'm gonna have back problems after this."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
The couple whispered to one another as Jonie repeated the steps they were supposed to take to complete the position.
"I'm gonna have to place my head on your stomach which means I'm gonna have to bend over like three feet."
"Oh shut it, before I tickle you and make you fall."
Fitz took a few steps back and once Olivia placed her hands on his shoulders, Fitz gripped her hips and put his head on her stomach with one leg stretched behind him. Olivia smiled at the feeling of Fitz kissing her tank top covered- stomach before placing his head there. After taking breaths as instructed, Olivia felt his grip tighten on her waist before he finally moved his second foot behind him. Olivia's body trembled at his full weight against her, but stood still to steady herself.
"Take a deep breath ladies and men look at her with your chin rested against her stomach. Men, tell your lady how you're feeling right now."
Olivia raised her eyebrows at Fitz wondering what would come out of his mouth. She stared intently at him and watched as his cheek suddenly moved, his tongue poking the inside of it. There was no real way she could hold in her laughter and her stomach and shoulders shook suddenly. She wanted to slap him as he continued to do it, but instead lost her balance and the two of them crumbled to the floor together as soon as her knees buckled under his weight.
"Alright Grants, I don't think I wanna know what just happened. Alright, everyone stand up straight and we are going to go into our next pose. Alright guys, face first on the mat. I want you to get in plank position. Look at your thumb and index finger and make sure they're positioned beneath you. Pull your stomach in and lift you knee caps."
Fitz got into the plank position and held a strong pose as Jonie and the other instructor, Kyle moved between the couples to assist on the next step.
"Ladies you are going to begin by placing your hands on each of his ankles and holding your weight there, I want you to lift one leg onto each shoulder. We are right here to help, so take your time and we can spot you if you need to. Men, you remain steady down there."
Olivia moved to hold onto Fitz ankles and went to lift a leg onto his back but stopped herself and stood up straight again.
"Take your time, babe." Fitz encouraged, holding his pose.
She wiped her hands against her pants and leaned over to grip his ankles again and slowly lifted her knees onto the small of his back before she straightened her legs out.
"Do you all feel steady and safe?" Kyle asked. He and Jonie were next to each couple, ready to assist in anyway and once they all answered with a 'yes', they moved away and continued on. "Alright, now simutanelously do a push up."
"A what?" Natalie blurted out chuckling.
"A push up. Guys, you can do them first if you want, but ladies you are going to do them as well."
Olivia and Fitz began their push-ups.
"You realize if I farted, that it would do straight to your face." Fitz heard John mutter.
"Don't you even think about it." Olivia laughed, giving Fitz's ankle a squeeze. "I'll kill you."
"Alright ladies climb off, and now let's switch positions."
"What do you mean?"
"Liv, you're gonna be the one on bottom now."
Fitz stood up and stretched before bending over to touch his toes. "Babe, you like being on bottom, so this is perfect." He winked at her, earning a hard smack on his ass from her.
Olivia and the other woman took their places on the bottom and there were nervous laughs heard throughout the room as the men gripped their ankles and climbed on their backs.
"Shit.. Fitz you're killing me." Olivia felt her arms shake but forced herself to stay calm and fight through the pain.
"You're doing great ladies. Now I want you to do a push-up."
"There's no way in hell that's happening. He's too big." Olivia said.
"Hey now, what goes on in the bedroom, stays in the bedroom, Livvie."
She wanted to elbow him so bad but knew that wasn't possible, so she rolled her eyes. It was seconds later that she tried to do a push up and fell flat with Fitz on top of her.
"Owwwww!" Olivia laughed in pain loudly before Fitz was off of her and lifting her up and into his arms.
The next move they did have everyone in stitches once again as the women took their turn in holding the guys weight. Fitz had easily laid on his back and flipped Olivia over and back as she fell against his legs. It was another story as Olivia laid flat down and Fitz nearly fell over trying to lean back onto her feet. She wasn't able to successfully flip him over, so they adjusted their lift to Fitz simply resting back on her legs and her lifting him in the air as high as she could.
"Alright now for most of you being first timers we are done with our big moves and we are going to slow it down now and practice breathing in sync with your partner. We are going to do the supported back-bend."
They all sat down facing their partner and placed their hands on the others thighs before deeply breathing as Jonie instituted. Following the next steps, Olivia brought her legs over Fitz's cross-crossed legs as though she was straddling his waist, but kept her bottom on the mat. Olivia wrapped her around around Fitz's waist as he moved his hands behind his back.
"Now men, I want you to slowly bend yourself back and ladies you are supporting their weight so allow them to move but not fall to the floor. Let their weight bring you forward as well, and hold the position... Now slowly come back up and when you reach your partner kiss them."
Olivia felt Fitz's body become heavy in her embrace but held him up while they each inhaled and exhaled deeply. He slowly rose back up and when their eyes connected, he leaned down and kissed her softly. He broke the kiss and went back again. He felt Olivia follow him forward before he followed her breathing instructions and came back to a sitting position. They changed positions and Fitz positioned his legs over Olivia's crossed ones before he wrapped her in his arms and allowed her to lie back until she nearly was on the floor. She was clearly very flexible and once he brought her back up, she was puckered up willingly. After a handful of seconds, Fitz allowed her weight to fall back and moved so that his head was resting just below her breast line. Forgetting about his surroundings, Fitz move his head so that he kissed Olivia's rib cage and just below her breasts before he softly trailed kisses to the space between her breasts.
"I somehow feel I shouldn't be in the room anymore" Jonie said glancing over at the couples in the room. She earned a small chuckle from most of them who had been either making out or participating in an intimate moment.
When Fitz pulled Olivia up, her eyes were glossy and she immediately attacked his lips in soft, wispy kisses. She wondered if he could feel the heat pooling between her thighs and prayed he couldn't smell her arousal. He would have no problem with pulling them both out of the room and taking her home to have his way with her.
When they began their final position of the day, their bodies were completely stretched and prepared to do a child's pose on top of each other. Olivia was nervous about Fitz getting on top of her and crushing her, but she was surprisingly able to hold him up without trouble. However, when it was Olivia's turn, Fitz nearly giggled like a kid at the feeling of her feet constantly rubbing up against his ass.
When the class was over, the couples admitted to how much fun they each had and Olivia told Fitz how much she enjoyed her birthday gift from him. He admitted to enjoying himself as well and said he wouldn't be against trying some of the positions at home, which earned him a perfect elbow to the stomach.
"Thank you for my birthday gift, Babe. I really had fun."
"You are very welcome. I'm pretty sure you know by now that nearly anything you ask for, I'm gonna do everything I can to give it to you."
"I do happen to know that, and it's only half the reason I love you." She leaned over and kissed his lips before pulling back and settling into her seat. "Now take me home to my babies"
Weeks passed by and before they knew it, Madison was three weeks into her Ballet class and had a performance in just a few weeks. Their Saturday's usually were packed, so Fitz and Olivia tried their best to keep Friday's very low key once the family was home from school or work. Olivia rolled out of bed the next morning and could hear the shower on in the bathroom. The door to the bathroom was slightly cracked and Olivia smiled at her husband's thoughtfulness. Since having kids, when Fitz was in bed with her, she could sleep through almost anything except the kid's voices. She knew anything would wake him up and if need be, then he would wake her but she always got a great night of sleep as long as he was there. Needless to say, Fitz was her alarm clock and he knew the emptiness of the bed combined with the noise from the shower was bound to wake her up. She moved out of bed and went to pull some clothes out for the day. Olivia stripped her pajamas off and folded them on the foot of the bed before putting a fitted grey shirt on and walking into the bathroom. She smiled contently at her husband's silhouette and went to empty her bladder before she washed her hands and face. Once her teeth were brushed, she ran a brush through her hair and pulled it into a high bun and went to finish getting dressed in her black leggings.
"Chop chop" she yelled, poking her head back into the bathroom and flicking the lights.
"Fuck! Olivia, you know I hate when you do that." Fitz said once he caught his breath. He turned the water off and heard her snickering as she walked out of the room.
Olivia moved through the hallway and went to throw some oatmeal in the microwave for Madison's breakfast, then moved to turn on the stove for her morning tea. She grabbed the bowl from the microwave and added some raisins and butter before mixing it and sitting it on the table to cool off. She walked down the hall and into Madison's room to see her sprawled out on the bed with Scooter in his respective place on the left side of the bed. Olivia wondered if the crumpled spot on the other side of Madison was occupied by the dog only minutes ago and he was smart enough to climb off because he knew better. Olivia sat on the bed next to Madison and begin rubbing the little girl's back and coaxing her awake.
"Toots, it's time to wake up for school."
Madison squirmed away from her touch and moved towards the end of the bed. She felt Olivia's fingers in her hair and smiled at one of the favorite feelings in the world. Madison sat up and rubbed at her eyes until they were less blurry and crawled over into Olivia's lap.
"Hi Mommy." A yawn escaped her lips as she rested her head on Olivia's chest.
"Hi baby girl. Did you sleep well? You ready to get dressed for school?"
Olivia felt her nod against her chest and lifted her from her lap and sat her down before gently pushing her in the direction of the bathroom across the hall. "Go potty and wash your hands please."
When Madison came back a few minutes later, she looked more awake and grimaced at the clothes she saw laid out on her bed.
"Mommy, I don't wanna wear that to school."
There it was. The start of their constant morning battle was about to begin and Olivia prayed for the weather to change so that she wouldn't have this battle daily. Since starting school, her little easy going girl had become extremely adamant about wearing dresses every day. If they so much as suggested a dress, they prepared themselves to battle with the little girl and knew it would end with them being overtly stern and her in tears. And they hated that. Olivia had taken to buying more pairs of leggings for the child than she'd ever imagined just so she could wear a dress every day.
"Mads, you're wearing pants today. It got too cold last night and it's still cold, so look at me when I tell you this, today you are not wearing a dress."
Her lip began to tremble and it made Olivia think back to when Fitz said she inherited that damn lip quiver from her. Olivia was immune to it, but she knew if it was her husband standing here laying down the law and the lip quiver started, he'd more than likely back down and compromise with the little girl.
"I know it doesn't make you happy, but it's not gonna change my mind so please stop. Let's get you dressed so you can have some breakfast. Tonight you have to go to your ballet class, okay?"
She simply nodded her head and Olivia figured she would get over not being able to wear a dress eventually.
"Do you want to wear your boots today since it's cold out?"
"Can I wear my cowboy boots?"
"Yes you can." Olivia winked at her and that earned a smile from the little girl. She didn't get to always wear them because they were fairly new and Olivia bought them for a specific trip they were taking but Madison loved to prance around the house in them.
Olivia watched her get dressed in a pair of jeans, an undershirt and a sweater before she ran ahead of her to go eat her oatmeal. While Madison ate her food, Olivia took it upon herself to throw some things in a bag for Fitz to take for lunch. Her packing his lunch for him really just depended on the leftovers they had and if it would be enough to feed her husband. He had such a healthy appetite just like their son. The second she thought of the little boy, his boisterous voice sounded over the monitor that sat in the kitchen. Olivia zipped the bag up and was able to make her way to grab him, when she heard Fitz's voice.
"Morning Big Guy. Did you sleep good? Did you? Whoa, what happened here? How come you're so wet buddy?"
Olivia furred her brow, too wondering why he would be so wet. They used a great brand of diaper that held pretty well and always put him in a larger bedtime diaper when he slept at night. Unless Fitz, who had put him down last night, forgot.
"Oh shit… I think Daddy forgot your bedtime diaper buddy. Don't tell mommy, okay? Maybe we should say you spit-up and I'll just throw this in the laundry myself. But then that would be lying to mommy and we can't do that. Don't ever lie to your mommy or your woman. Trust me, they will always be able to tell and there will be hell to pay."
Olivia shook her head at their conversation in which Elijah responded with babbling of his own. She could hear him grab extra wipes from the warmer and figured he was wiping him down before he changed him out of his probably soiled nightclothes.
"Alright buddy, I'll give you a head start. Go find mommy."
Olivia knew he had sat him in the hallway, and she heard him take the fitted sheet off the crib mattress before stepping into the hallway.
"You gotta keep up buddy." Fitz said, stepping over the baby and continuing to the laundry room. Olivia could hear him clearly now and she knew their son was slowly trekking his chunky legs down the hall. Fitz started the wash but looked up when he heard the wails coming from the hallway. He leaned around the door and looked to see him now sitting in the middle of the hallway on his knees screaming his head off. Fitz shook his head and chuckled at the face he was making and stuffed the sheet and clothes inside before jogging down the hall to scoop him up.
"Did daddy leave you in the hallway after stripping you from your pee-pee clothes? Huh? Is that because he forgot your sleep diaper?" Olivia cooed the string of words to Elijah as she walked towards them and kept her eyes on the baby as she spoke.
Fitz looked at her confused before a light bulb went off in his head and he rolled his eyes. "That damn monitor."
"Language!" The back of Olivia's hand came in contact with his chest and he blocked her hand when he saw her take a swing at his head next. "Go talk to your daughter. You already taught this one three bad words this morning."
He let out a soft growl and leaned down and kissed her lips before walking over to kiss Madison good morning. The rest of the morning went smoothly and before they knew it, kisses were being handed out and Olivia and Elijah was taking Madison to school as Fitz drove off to work.
When Olivia spoke about getting a manicure that evening, Fitz suggested she wait till he got home and let him take over the kids to give her some alone time. He knew that she would pick up dinner for the two of them once she was done, so Fitz completely allowed Madison to decide what she wanted for dinner that night. He laughed at her as she practically dipped her entire hand in barbeque sauce instead of just her chicken nuggets, and encouraged her to start eating her green beans and macaroni. Elijah sat in her high chair in front of Fitz smiling. A chicken broth and vegetable puree his mom had made is what he warmed him up for dinner and his big guy loved it. Fitz was so glad he had an easy eater; the boy would probably eat anything that was put in front of him. Once they were both done, he unsnapped Elijah and carried him to the master bathroom while Madison ran behind them. Sitting the baby on his lap, Fitz played around with the temperature of the water as Madison happily took her clothes off and used the bathroom while the Jacuzzi tub began to fill with water.
Fitz reminded Madison to wipe herself good and when she was done, she slid of the seat and took off running out of the bathroom.
"Hey! What are you doing? Madison Olivia, get back here!"
He heard her feet against the hardwood floor and a second later she appeared with two Barbies and a yellow duck in her hand.
"I need to get some more toys for us, a Daddy." She said darting back out of the bathroom.
When the tub was almost halfway full, Fitz reached under his side of the sink and grabbed a hold of the bumbo and sat it in the water. He stripped the baby free of clothing as his chunky legs and arms flailed, and sat him in the turquoise seat. Well, he tried to. After a few attempts, he realized the chunky thighs of his ten month old son would definitely not fit in the bumbo.
"I'm coming daddy!" Fitz smiled at her thoughtfulness and watched as she ran back into the bathroom seconds later with more toys clearly for her brother and dropped them loudly into the tub.
"His legs are too big, daddy."
Madison giggled and used Fitz's shoulder for balance as she climbed into the tub and plopped down. She splashed Fitz in the process and he muttered a sarcastic 'thanks' in reply.
"Daddy, you should use the famper like Mommy does for Lijah!"
"The what?" He asked with a confused look on his face. He was still bent over the side of the garden tub with each hand under Elijah's arms to assure he didn't slip under the water.
"She put the famper in the tub and sits Lijah inside so he won't fall and get hurt."
"Well what is a famper? I don't know what that is. Where does Mommy keep it?"
Madison looked up at Fitz like he had two heads and continued dunking her mermaid Barbie into the water as she spoke.
"She puts it where the laundry room is, silly! That's where all the fampers are!"
Hamper
"Madison, don't move. I'll be right back."
Fitz snapped his fingers quickly and her head immediately popped up. He repeated the words and she responded with a 'yes sir', giving him the confirmation he needed. Fitz scooped up Elijah and held the naked, wet baby in his arms before jogging out of the room and towards the laundry room.
Elijah wasn't happy. Not only was he disturbed from playing in the tub, which was his favorite thing next to eating, his butt and legs were now cold as Fitz ran through the hallway with him.
"I'm sorry buddy! I know, I know, it's cold. Daddy's gonna get you back in, I just need to get the hamper for you buddy."
Making it back to the bathroom in record time, he sat the hamper inside and placed Elijah inside. The second he sat the chunky baby inside, the plastic sank to the bottom and Elijah was immediately excited. Elijah kicked his feet and hands, splashing water everywhere, and looked up when Madison climbed inside with him. Elijah screamed his little head off, his limbs going stiff as his wet face lit up at the site of his sister in front of him.
"Mommy never uses the big famper!"
"Ohhh, you like this one, don't you? It's big so you can get in it with him."
She nodded her head and laughed loudly as Elijah splashed water on her face and brought a toy into his mouth.
"You like your bath don't you FJ? Is it warm enough baby girl?"
"Mmhmmm! Can we have some bubbles?"
"How about I give you some bath paint instead" he reached down for the bath paint he had brought in and got out a few colors for her.
"Can Lijah have one" she said lifting her small foot up and painting it purple before giggling loudly.
"Naa, he'd just eat it. Stand up baby so I can wash you, then you can play more."
After washing Madison up once, and allowing her to wash herself once, Fitz lifted Elijah up, having his underarms and chest lean against his left arm while he stood, and washed him with his free hand. He constantly had to steady him with his right hand when he'd start stomping his feet in the water and slipping from his hold.
"You're a crazy baby you know that" he poured water over his head, laughing when he blinked his eyes rapidly, licking the water droplets, and flailing his arms.
"Daddy, what's that?"
"What's what?" he sat Elijah back on his butt.
"That" she said pointing directly to Elijah's little penis.
Fitz wore the same confused expression his daughter, but had nothing to say that could distract the little girl.
"I don't know." Fitz muttered.
"Why doesn't Lijah have privates like I do? Cause he's a brother?"
Was this conversation really happening? Where the hell was Olivia? Her quick manicure was suddenly taking forever.
"Mads, brother's have privates too."
"No he doesn't, he just has that squishy thing. What is that?"
"That's how a boy's privates look."
"Oh."
She didn't say anything right away and Fitz hoped she was done. But he knew better. His daughter was a mauler. She'd maul over the thoughts in her head before she asked further questions, so Fitz didn't get his hopes up. Instead, he just prayed his wife would return quickly.
"Does his privates look like mine when he gets bigger?"
"Nope" Fitz said inhaling deeply and slowly releasing the breath.
"Why not?"
"Because only boys can have a penis."
"A what?"
Shit! I did NOT just say that out loud! Get your shit tighter, Fitz! Olivia is going to kill you.
"Boys have penis that they go pee-pee with."
"So it's a penis and a pee-pee?"
"Yea, well it's a pee-pee too, but the real grown up name is a penis. You ready to get out?" He wanted this whole conversation over with as soon as possible.
"Okay" Madison lifted her arms and Fitz lifted her from the tub and began drying her off while keeping an eye on the splashing baby.
"Alright, your clothes are on your bed, go get dressed" he wrapped the towel around Madison's body snuggly before sending her off.
After lifting the top of the drain to let the water out, Fitz grabbed Elijah and sat him on his lap. He put the hooded duck towel on his wet head and wrapped him up before carrying him over to his and Olivia's bed and started drying him off. He was close to securing his diaper on before applying some lotion when Madison walked into the room dressed in her pajamas.
"Daddy, when I was a baby did I have a penis too?"
Fitz was flabbergasted. He honestly thought this conversation was over and forgotten about. But then he pictured his daughter getting dressed while mulling over the facts in her head and wanting conclusions. She was so her mothers' child.
"Alright Madison, listen up. Elijah is a boy, so he has a penis. You are a girl, so you don't have one. Only boy's can have a penis"
"Men too, like you?"
Shit!
"Yes, men too. Boys and men have a penis"
"So what do girls have?"
"Well," he started. He looked down at Elijah wondering at what age he'd get curious about the difference between boys and girls and prayed that he'd take after him instead of his super smart wife like his daughter had. Maybe Elijah wouldn't ask at all. Fitz never asked his parents, he just figured it out on his own.
"Girls have a vagina"
He couldn't stop the word from coming out, and wondered if that was the word that Olivia would have used. Vagina? There couldn't have been a more kid-friendly word to tell him, so that had to do.
"A vagina… so Mommy's a girl, and Auntie Abby too. Do they have a vagina? And my teachers too! They have a vagina, right daddy"
It was of course that moment that Olivia walked into their bedroom to see her husband a bright shade of red, her son kicking his feet while half dressed, and Madison bouncing on her toes, eyes gleaming as if she'd just figured out a big secret.
How did the hell did I not hear her come in?
"Hey guys" she greeted them, bending down to scoop Madison up in her arms.
"Hi mommy, guess what?"
"What baby?" she said kissing her nose.
"I have a vagina!"
"A what?" clearly she'd heard him wrong.
"A vagina, like you do cause you're a girl! And Auntie Abby too. But Lijah and daddy have a penis cause they're boys…. Lennox too, right daddy, since he's a boy too?" Madison spoke, lighting up at her last question.
"Yep" he didn't dare look at Olivia. Instead he focused on dressing the baby in front of him before lifting him up and walking out of the room.
Olivia watched as Fitz purposely didn't make eye contact with her and left the room. "Madison, who taught you penis and vagina"
"Daddy did. In the bath tub." Her fingers went to the back of Olivia's head and played with her curls as she continued to explain her innocent discovery. "I didn't see Elijah's privates and daddy said he didn't have one like me since he wasn't a girl, and told me it was not just a pee-pee, but a penis. He said that girls have a vagina, and boys have a penis."
"Oh, okay."
"And Daddy has a penis too since he's a boy. But he's not a little baby boy like Lijah, he's a big boy that's a man." She brought her smell index finger to her lip as the wheels turned before she looked at Olivia with squinted eyes.
Olivia should have been prepared for something like this, but wasn't at all and now understood her husband's appearance when she walked into their bedroom moments ago. Madison was being dramatic, but she was clearly in thought and Olivia knew she wouldn't like whatever was going to come out of her mouth next. She decided to not say anything and walked into the living room where she saw Fitz standing at the sink with Elijah in his arms.
"Ummm, Fitz can you.."
She saw his head shaking before he even spoke and she moved closer to see him running water over a bag of breast milk that sat in a measuring cup.
"Babe, what are you doing? Can you…"
He was shaking his head, still. "Nope, I think I had my fair share of connect the dots with our daughter and I'm signing off for the night. You take twenty questions and I'll take the one that can only say your name." He kissed Madison's forehead before grabbing the measuring cup, an empty bottle and walking back to the nursery.
When they heard the door to the nursery shut, Olivia held her breath and hoped that Madison wouldn't ask her any questions and that she would be able to bribe her child with dessert, or a movie or something that didn't relate to human anatomy.
"Mommy, can I have some ice cream?"
Thank God! There is never a dull moment when it comes to parenting and Olivia wouldn't change a thing about it.