Ben sat in the driveway of the Coulter mansion. If the house didn't intimidate him, thinking of talking to her parents did. In fact, he was more scared than he could ever remember being before.
But if they were going to see him as an adult, as a future husband for Ava and as a father to their first grandchild, he had no other choice.
He said a prayer and got out of his car. "Here goes nothing."
He walked up to the door and rang the bell.
The housekeeper opened the door. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Thornton here to visit," the pleasant elderly woman said, a twinkle in her eye.
"Hi, Nonna. I'm looking for Mr. and Mrs. Coulter. Are they in?"
"They are. Follow me." He walked in the house and followed her to the sitting room. "I'll let them know you're here."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, dearie."
About ten minutes later he heard footsteps so he stood up and turned. "Ben," Lee said.
"Mr. Coulter. How are you?"
"Doing well. How are you? How's Ava?"
"Doing good too. Yesterday we had the first ultrasound. It was amazing to see the heartbeat and the little head and arms. It makes it more real." Ben knew he was gushing but he loved that little kidney bean already.
Lee nodded and sat down on the couch, gesturing to the chair across from him. "I remember feeling that way with Ava. What brings you here, Ben?"
"Is Mrs. Coulter joining us? I'd like to speak with both of you."
"No, she's not."
"Alright. Well, to start, I'd like to apologize for breaking any trust you might have had in me. It wasn't something we planned. I love her very much."
"I figured, but it's good to hear, I suppose." Lee sighed and leaned forward in his chair. "I won't lie to you, there's a part of me that would like nothing more than to wipe the floor with you."
"I understand, sir. Please, know how sorry I am. I know this isn't they way you and Mrs. Coulter wanted our relationship to go. I assure you though, I love your daughter, and our child. That's why I'm here."
"And what do you hope to gain from this visit?"
Ben pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket, holding it as if it was the most precious thing he possessed.
"Before all this happened, I had a plan. You see, I was going to come to you with this ring that once belonged to my grandmother and ask for your permission to ask Ava to marry me."
"And now?"
"My desire is the same. We screwed up, but we are going to be parents now. I take that responsibility very seriously. I have a plan to get my associates degree and work for a firm in Ann Arbor to support my wife and child. I won't let them down. You have my word."
"And I'm supposed to what? Just take your word for it that you'll be the man my daughter and grandchild deserve?"
Ben's heart was in his throat as Mr. Coulter's eyes burned through him. Taking a deep breath, he responded.
"No, I lost that right. I just hope I can earn it back someday."
Feeling defeated, Ben rose from his seat and began exiting the room.
"Benjamin," Lee called just as Ben was at the door. As he approached, he stuck out his hand. "I've never doubted your love for Ava. You're a kind young man. I suppose you two wouldn't be in this position if you didn't love each other so much."
Lee sighed and ran his fingers through his thinning hair.
"My wife's going to kill me for this. You have my blessing. Just remember, I will be one of your greatest supporters, or toughest opponents. Which one is entirely up to you."
"Understood, sir. I won't let you down again."
"Good." Lee smiled for the first time since entering the room. "Rosie is going to need more time."
"Should I wait for Mrs Coulter's approval before proposing?"
"No," he laughed. "You could be waiting for a very long time. When you feel you're both ready, do it."
"Thank you, sir. So much."
"I'd like to give you my cell number. Please send me updates on Ava and the baby. Pictures too. I want to know how everything is going."
After taking the number, he typed it in his phone and left. Once he got to the car, he sent a text with a photo attachment of the ultrasound.
"Here's your first picture."
Ann Arbor
Livy and Kayla, with Harlow tagging along went to the local wedding dress store to try on dresses.
"I'm so glad you're here, Liv. I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too."
Harlow smiled at Liv. "Hi, sweet girl. Can Auntie Liv hold you?" Harlow reached for her so Livy took her, putting her on her hip. "So, why didn't you tell me about Ben and Ava?"
"Its not my story to tell," she said as she looked at the dresses on the rack.
"What do you think about it?"
"I don't know. I think it doesn't really matter what I think. They know that Drew and I and now Mom and Dad will be nearby to help out."
"Wait. Mom and Dad?"
"Yeah. They put in an offer on a nice duplex between Dexter and Ann Arbor."
"What? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?"
"I don't know, Liv. I'm sorry. I guess I thought maybe you had talked to them, or Ben for that matter."
"Mama?" Harlow said, reaching for Kayla.
"Hi, baby. Are you hungry?"
She nodded so Kayla put her down and grabbed a container of Cheerios from the diaper bag. They sat on a soft bench while Livy continued looking.
"Can I help you find anything, ma'am?" the store clerk asked her.
"I need a dress. I'm looking for a modest neckline with lace and perfectly white."
"I think I have a few that fit the bill." The woman grabbed three dresses and asked Livy to follow her to the changing rooms.
The first two weren't exactly it, but the moment she stepped up to the three-way mirrors to see the third, she knew it was it. "Its perfect."
Kayla agreed. "Oh, Liv. Matt is going to love it!"
"I hope so."
"When's the big day?" the clerk asked.
"We don't have a date yet. He's helping out his parents in Florida right now. But when he moves back, we're getting married."
After Livy changed and they paid for the dress, leaving it there for a few minor alterations, the three of them went to lunch at the chinese restaurant downtown.
"How's Matt's dad doing?" Livy asked as they waited for their orders.
"Okay. He seems a bit down but that's understandable. Mr. Flynn is going to therapy now and Matt sometimes goes with him for support. Sometimes Mrs. Flynn does too."
"It's good they are supporting each other. Any idea how long he will be down there?"
"No. He doesn't know."
"Are you going to go visit?"
"Yeah. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving down there but that seems so far away. I miss him so much."
"And you don't want to move down there?"
"Our jobs are both here and the cabin. We both want to raise a family there."
"You could get a license for real estate in Florida. It wouldn't be too hard I bet. Plus I bet the market there doesn't slow down in the winter like here."
"Yeah, probably not."
"You should check into it."
"Maybe I should."
Livy used Kayla's laptop that evening to check out how much schooling it would take to get a license in Florida. The good news was, Florida had an agreement with all other states so she could skip the major courses and just take the Florida part of the exam. So she signed up for the course to learn the real estate laws for Florida that very night.
She hoped by November when she traveled to see Matt, she would be able to finalize her licensing and surprise him.
The next day, Livy traveled back up to Hope Hills with a new outlook on her and Matt's situation. She felt happy that she had options and it didn't involve being hundreds of miles from the man she loved.
As she traveled north, Ben traveled back down to Ann Arbor, also in a happier, more positive state than just two days before.
He was going to plan a romantic evening with Ava and propose. He was truly looking forward to it.
His phone rang as he pulled off the interstate to get gas. "Hi, babe."
"Hey, Ben. Are you on your way?"
"Yeah. I'm about two hours away. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just miss you."
"I miss you too. How are you feeling?"
"Nauseated but good."
"Do you need me to pick up anything at the store for you?"
"No, but will you come over when you get back?"
"Of course I will. See you soon. Love you."
"Love you too."
Just over two hours later, Ben knocked on Ava's dorm room door, a bouquet of daisies in his hand. He knew it was her favorite flower and he was pretty positive she would carry a bouquet of daisies when they got married.
"Ben!" she said opening the door. She wrapped her arms around him and held on. "I'm so glad you're here!"
They stepped back into the room and closed the door for a bit of privacy. "These are for you."
She took the flowers and smiled, immediately looking for a vase among her things. Once the flowers were in the vase, she joined him on the couch in the sitting area of her suite.
"So?"
"So…"
"Where did you go?"
"Up north."
"Up north where?"
"To see your parents."
"Ben, you didn't!"
"I did. Babe, I needed to clear the air between myself and them. It was important."
"I can only imagine how that went."
He took her hand and interlocked their fingers. "All things considered, it went well."
"With my mom?"
"Well, no. She wouldn't see me. With your dad."
"What exactly did you say?"
"Well, I apologized for betraying the trust they had in me for starters. But I told him that nothing is more important to me than you and the baby."
She leaned her forehead against his cheek and sighed. "You're very sweet."
"Its the truth. From the moment I saw that little blip of the heartbeat, everything changed for me. I fell in love with our baby and I knew that I couldn't let either of you down. I'm going to be the best Daddy I can be."
"And the best husband," she mentioned.
"Yes." He gently kissed her mouth, lingering a bit before putting his hand in his pocket and pulling out the little black box. "I was going to wait and make some grand, romantic gesture but I really just want to ask now." He got up off the couch and knelt on his knee, opening the box. "I love you with all my heart. I can't wait to experience everything that is coming our way."
"Midnight feedings?" she asked. "Diaper rash? Teething?"
"All of it."
"Swollen ankles? Vomiting? Childbirth?"
"I look forward to it." He slipped his grandmother Charlotte's engagement ring on Ava's finger next to her promise ring. "Will you be my wife, babe?"
"Yes, I will," she told him, leaning forward to give him a kiss. "Soon?"
"Whenever you want, I'll be ready."