Six weeks later, Mid-November
Ben picked up Ava at her dorm to go for a drive. "Where are we going?" she wondered, shivering in the cold of his car.
"Mom and Dad gave me an address and told me to meet them at noon and to bring you."
"Interesting. Can we maybe get something to eat? For once I'm not nauseated and I forgot to grab something on the way out the door." She was fourteen weeks pregnant and was finally feeling good. She had a bit more energy too which would help with concentrating in class.
"Sure. Text my mom and tell her we are stopping at Tim Horton's on the way."
She took his phone and texted and then set it back in the cupholder.
He glanced over at her when they got to a stop light. "You look pretty cute in that outfit." He loved seeing the baby bump.
"Thanks. Kay took me to a thrift store. This shirt and sweater still had the tags on it. And the jeans are so comfortable." She lifted her shirt to show him. "They have this elastic band for my tummy."
"That's cool. I'm glad she took you."
"She's really nice." His phone buzzed so she picked it up. "Your mom asked us to pick her up a pumpkin spice latte and a coffee for your dad."
"Okay."
About twenty minutes later, their phone's GPS told them they had arrived. "That's their car in the garage on the left."
They grabbed the coffees and a bag of muffins and headed up to the front door. Before they could knock, Jack opened the door. "Hey there," he said, a big grin on his face. "Come in."
"So this is your new place. Its nice," Ben told his dad, handing him his coffee.
"Thanks. Let's go to the kitchen. Your mom is in there."
"Hey, Mom," Ben said, walking in the room.
"Ben! Ava! Good to see you." She walked over and gave them both hugs. "How's my grandbaby doing?"
"Good," Ava said with a smile. "Another month or so we can find out the gender."
"Oh, that's wonderful. Are you feeling pretty good then?"
"Yeah. For the last few days, I haven't been as nauseated so hopefully that's done."
Jack and Ben walked off so Ava sat down at the counter and took out a blueberry muffin. "We bought some muffins for you and Mr. Thornton too," she told Elizabeth.
"That was sweet. Thank you."
In the second half of the duplex, Jack showed Ben the two bedrooms and bathrooms. "Are you going to rent this out, Dad?"
"Not exactly."
"So why a duplex?"
"Ben, it's for you and your family."
"What? Dad, you could rent this out and get money. Why give it to us?"
"Because you're my family, Ben."
Oh, the guilt. Ben's nose burned as his emotions got the better of him. "I messed up big, Dad. I don't deserve this. You're giving up so much for me."
"I don't look at it that way, bud. No matter how old you get, you'll always be my son. I will always want to help you when you need it. This just happens to be one of those times."
"I should at least pay you rent."
"Look, you can pay for your half of the utilities for now. Once you and Ava graduate with your degrees, and your job is stable, we will revisit the rent idea. Deal?" he asked, putting his hand out to shake.
Instead, Ben wrapped his arms around Jack. "Thanks, Dad. So much."
"I love you, Ben. I am so proud of you."
Jack gave Ben two sets of keys for his half of the duplex. Ben could hardly wait to bring Ava over and show her their new place.
So a few minutes later, he did. He walked her over and opened the door with his key. "Why are we here?"
"This is where we are going to live, babe."
"What?"
"Mom and Dad bought the duplex so we would have a place to live close by them."
"What?" she asked again, tears filling her eyes. "Why? That's so nice."
"That's my parents for you. We just have to pay our half of the utilities for now. Once we graduate with our degrees and have strong jobs, we can pay them rent."
He took her upstairs and showed her the master bedroom and bathroom and the second bedroom. "A nursery," she whispered.
"Yeah. It's perfect, isn't it?"
"It is."
Ava couldn't believe it. His parents barely knew her. Why would they be so willing to take care of her?
"What do you think?" Elizabeth asked, walking in the room.
Ava turned and gave her a big hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Mrs. Thornton. This is wonderful."
"Oh, you're welcome, sweetie. You can call me Elizabeth."
"How soon can we move in?" Ben asked.
"December 1st."
As Livy prepared to fly to Florida, she thought about all she had accomplished over the last six weeks. She had passed the Florida state licensing exam and applied for her license. In addition, she had contacted a real estate firm close to Sarasota and applied for a job there. She would interview when she got there.
If she was hired, she would quit her job up north and move to Florida until Matt was ready to move back.
She couldn't wait to tell him. As she settled in her seat on the plane, she looked at the picture of the two of them she had saved as her background. Times were easier at the beginning of their relationship but she wasn't too naive to believe that everything always stayed the same.
She texted Matt. "CU soon. Love u!" Then she shut off her phone and closed her eyes, determined to enjoy the four hour flight.
Before she knew it, she heard the announcement that they were landing. She must have fallen asleep.
She turned her phone on once the plane stopped and smiled. There was a text from Matt. "Luv u more! I'll b waiting @ your gate."
Her stomach had all sorts of butterflies flapping around and her heart rate was faster than normal. It had been almost two months since she'd seen him last and she didn't want to wait a moment longer. The only problem was, the people in front of her were taking forever to get their carryon luggage.
She kept her impatient growl to herself and took a few deep breaths. "Just be patient," she told herself.
Finally, they were in the long hallway just off the plane and she could squeeze around people and go at a faster pace. "Excuse me. I'm sorry, pardon me."
There he was. "Matt!" He waved and held out his arms, a big, handsome smile on his face. She hurried faster and ran to his open arms. "Hi!"
"Hi, babe," he said, pressing his lips to her forehead. Then he quickly moved to her cheek and finally her lips. It felt so good to be with him, in his arms, his soft, warm lips on hers.
"It's so good to be in your arms again."
"It's good to have you back in my arms." He kissed her again. "Come on, let's get your bag and head to Mom's."
"Perfect! And it's bags."
"Oh, okay."
They waited by the luggage pickup with their arms around each other.
"I missed you," he whispered in her ear.
"Not as much as I missed you."
"I'm sorry. About the last time you were here."
"Me too, but that's behind us now. I think it's best for us to just keep our eyes on the future. Our future."
"I like the sound of that." There was a loud beeping as the belt of luggage began to move. "Alright, babe, tell me which ones are yours and I'll grab them."
"For the record, I can help."
"Oh, I'm aware. Just let me be a gentleman, please?" Livy giggled. "What are you laughing about?"
"I'm just thinking about my parents. My mother… she can be pretty determined, though the word my father uses is stubborn."
"Last time I was with them, they seemed very happy."
"Oh very, very. Never seen two people more in love." Matt looked down and nodded. "I'm sorry, love. With all that going on with your parents I shouldn't…"
"Don't say that. I love that your parents are happy. That they've had years of marriage with ups and downs and still look at each other like they're newlyweds."
"Oh they do and it can be a little sickening."
"I want that for us."
"We'll have it. As you've said, we have a great example to follow."
Back in Ann Arbor
Even though they couldn't move in for a few weeks, Elizabeth wanted to paint the stark white walls.
She and Jack drove to the Home Depot up the street and looked at paint samples. "Jack, this one is for the focal wall in our master."
"What in the world is a focal wall, dear?"
"You know, one wall is a dark or bright color to bring attention to the bed, in this case. The rest of the walls are a different color."
"I think you watch too many HGTV shows."
"I enjoy them. You would too if you just sat down to watch with me."
"I'm good with white."
"White is boring, Jack. I know! Wallpaper. Yes our focal wall can be wallpaper."
"Sure, why not? I'll hold the ladder while you climb up there."
She knew he was teasing her but she went with it. "Great! Let's go pick it out." She took his hand and led him to the aisle. "Jack, I know you're teasing and if you don't like the idea we don't have to do it."
"I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I'm up for whatever you want. I'll help with anything."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Now I think the wallpaper needs a nice pattern to it."
"But not too bold," she told him, holding up a gray pattern with flowers. "I like this. Are you okay with it?"
"Yeah. Not too girly."
"Great! And Kay said she would help me so you can just hang out with Harlow."
"Perfect!" Jack loved hanging out with his grandbaby and truth be told, he couldn't wait until he had a second one.
Ava got back to her dorm after class about dinner time. When she walked in, she smiled. "Ben?"
"Hey, babe. I got us dinner from the Thai place downtown."
"What's the occasion?"
She took off her coat and hung it up and then kicked off her boots.
"Because I love you and you are having my child. I think that's a good enough reason, don't you?"
"I suppose." He gave her a hug and a sweet kiss.
"I got you Vegetable Pad Thai and drunken noodles for me."
"Can we share?"
"Yeah, of course."
"I'm going to go change and then maybe we can watch a movie while we eat."
Ben sat on her bed against the headboard and flipped through the movie channels. "Casablanca?" he asked her through the open bathroom door.
"Sure." She figured she would be sleeping half way through anyway.
She walked in the room with her hair up in a messy ponytail, wearing yoga pants and a loose U of M sweatshirt. "You look pretty sexy."
"In this?" she asked, looking down at her outfit.
"Uh yeah. I think we should get married."
"Did you forget you already asked me?" she teased, flashing her ring.
"No, I mean soon. Like January?"
"I'll be showing quite a bit by then."
"But the people at the wedding all know you are pregnant. Why does that matter?"
She shrugged and picked up her take-out box.
"Why, Ava?"
"When I got married, I guess I never pictured myself pregnant in a wedding dress," she told him, quietly.
"Do you want to wait until after the baby is born?"
"No. Maybe we should do it like tomorrow. Go to the justice of the peace and get married."
"You don't want a wedding? With a white dress and cake and the first dance?"
"Not anymore."
"Do you want to get married at all?"
"Of course, I just…my mom won't come and probably not my dad either. There won't be a father daughter dance and my mom won't be helping me into my dress or adjusting my veil or telling me that everything is going to be okay." She burst into tears and put her food on the side table. "Let's just go to the justice of the peace. Please, Ben."
"Okay, but I definitely want my parents and sisters there. Is that okay with you?"
"That's fine." She laid down on her side and closed her eyes.
He picked up his phone to let his family and her father know what was going to happen.
"December 2, Washtenaw County Courthouse, Ann Arbor. We request your presence at our wedding. Please come."