Olivia stayed on the porch until a light rain became a thunderstorm. She wanted to stay outside, but it was lightning. Of all the days to rain. She had to go back in their house or Fitz would come back outside, pick her up and bring her in the house. He seemed to like carrying her everywhere. Everyone was still in the dining room. A few guests had arrived while she was outside.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Grant asked.

"Yeah."

"Olivia has been in a lot of pain since the accident. Do you need to sit down?" Fitz asked.

"No."

"I've been meaning to speak with you about that." Mr. Grant said.

"Excuse me?"

"I know you fainted in your office. I keep up with all accidents in my office buildings."

"You do?"

"Of course. I can't let OSHA shut me down."

"It doesn't have anything to do with your company. I'm not asking for workers compensation."

"I know that. You're part of this family now. I can't have you fainting at work. Do you know what that does to my reputation? Sending my daughter-in-law to work after a car accident when you can barely function. You're going to have to take a long break. At least a year."

"What?"

"Dad, I think a few months will be fine."

"No, she doesn't need to work right now. Let her stay home. Bake some pies make some babies."

"Excuse me."

Olivia left the dining room. She would rather be in a thunderstorm. Fitz quickly followed behind her and grabbed her arm before she could step outside. She tried to protest and he led her upstairs. Olivia tried to pull away from him. She was going to take a taxi back to the airport to get away from the Grant family. Fitzgerald had his money. There wasn't a reason for her to be in Vermont anymore.

"Let me go."

"No."

Fitz could sense the emotional volcano boiling, and he was right. Olivia erupted with a firestorm of tears and insults. Thankfully, he was a whole floor away from his parents, and the home had good insulation.

"I don't belong to you! I'm not here to fix your life!"

She was getting too loud, and he didn't want his parents to be alarmed by the noise. He pulled her towards him and covered her mouth with his. She tried to pull away, and he kept a firm grip on her lower back and gently held the back of her head with his other hand. He knew she needed air, and was ready for a hard slap. He let go of her mouth and held her arms at her sides when she tried to raise her hand to slap him.

"Sweet Baby. You cannot have an emotional tantrum in this house. If you want me to let you go, you have to behave. Otherwise, I'll carry you downstairs, tell them you're sick, hold you in my arms until the party is over and carry you to the car. The decision is yours. Are you going to behave?"

It took a few seconds for her to answer, but she nodded yes. He let go of her arms. She wiped her face with her hands. Fitz stepped back to give her space.

"Thank you." He said, in a much softer voice.

Olivia reluctantly followed him downstairs. She sat in the living room and kept her head down. When her phone rang, she was ecstatic. It could have been a telemarketer, and she would have answered with a smile to have an excuse to leave.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I wanted to make sure you're okay. I haven't heard from you since you left the office."

Fitz was standing in the doorway to the dining room. He was close enough to hear her conversation. She looked around for a bathroom. There was one next to the garage entrance. She usually did not have conversations in bathrooms. It was still raining, so she didn't have many options that wouldn't bring attention to herself.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm hoping you can join me for dinner."

Olivia laughed, "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm asking you for a date."

"I can't."

"Why not? Do you have to help Mila with her homework? Does she need you to cut up her grapes and put a straw in her juice box?"

Olivia tried not to laugh. He was calling her out for using her grown child as an excuse, and she didn't have a comeback.

"I can't. Not right now."

"Okay, how about tomorrow?"

"Steven, I don't date. I'm happy to have lunch with you, but it will always be about work."

"Are you really going to let him keep hurting you?"

"What?"

"You've been letting him hurt you for 18 years. Are you ever going to move on and let yourself be happy?"

"Steven, I have to go."

"Consider us being together."

"You're my friend."

"I think I'm your only friend."

"I have to go now. I will see you in the office next week."

Fitz was still standing in the doorway when she came out of the bathroom. The rain was slowing down, and a few of the guests were apologizing for not staying longer.

"We understand. You don't want to drive in the rain. It's supposed to be thunderstorms until tomorrow morning." Mrs. Grant said.

"We will be back tomorrow morning. Our flight leaves in the afternoon, so we can hang out for a few hours after we check out of the hotel." Fitz said.

"I hope you feel better tomorrow Olivia, and I hope you'll come visit your mother-in-law more often. You are always welcome in our home."

Olivia smiled, "Thank you Mrs. Grant."

It was just one more day. Olivia could keep this going for another 24 hours. When they were back in DC, she could get back to her normal life in DC. Back to work, keeping up with her new subordinates, regular meetings with her boss. Nothing had to change. This was a paper marriage. Fitz would have to accept that.

He walked closer to Olivia and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Are you ready to start our honeymoon?" He whispered in her ear.

"No."

He laughed softly. "Let's go Livvie."