Hi guys.

I cannot believe we have reached thirty parts of this fic. Again, I want to say thank you for the constant support and the motivation to keep going with this fic. I've enjoyed writing this couple and writing a little happiness and love for our Olivia...and I'm glad you've enjoyed reading it.

Anyway, this is just another sweet chapter of Edgar and Liv with the family. I promise no tears will be shed during this chapter...unless they're happy tears lol

I present to you chapter 30. Please enjoy :)


Better Circumstances

Thirty

Olivia and Noah seemed to blend right into the Pierce family over the course of the next few days. This loving family had taken them both underneath their wings and allowed them both to feel a sense of love and connection that came from having family. It was a nice change for both of them, especially Olivia whom who had never had much of a family before. She found herself falling more in love with Edgar as well, and after the talk they'd had the night they arrived, she was even more confident in the thought of this being the real deal.

This was it.

Wednesday rolled around – the day of Kelly and Ronald Pierce's anniversary. They were celebrating forty-five years of marital bliss and were having a nice get together with a few other friends and family members. As the afternoon sun blazed down over the suburban area, the back yard was set up with balloons and chairs and tables; all sorts for a small get together. A local eatery was catering the little get together, and before long one of the tables was littered with trays of food and drinks for people to enjoy. As time ticked on, the back yard became filled with friends and family – all who had come together to celebrate a day of such love.

Being that it was quite warm in Florida, Olivia settled for a sleeveless, light blue dress with little polka dots and her white, low top Converse sneakers. She had clipped the front parts of her hair back in a trendy manner and left the rest to skim her back and spill over her shoulders. Noah and Edgar had dressed in a similar fashion; khakis and blue button-down shirts, though Noah had on white Converse as well while Edgar settled for some brown shoes. Olivia had a strange sense of déjà vu as the three of them walked towards the backyard together; hadn't she dreamt about something like this before?

Throughout the party, Edgar proudly introduced her and Noah to various aunts and uncles and cousins and friends; all of whom were so warm and welcoming, and happy to meet them both. Eventually, Noah was hanging out with some of the children of Edgar's cousins as well as his nieces. Olivia and Edgar became separated at some point as his sister had come and whisked Olivia off to hang out with her and the wife of one of their cousins – a girl named Erica. Olivia didn't mind though; she felt comfortable since everyone was so friendly.

Later in the party, there was cake and ice cream served in celebration of the anniversary. The amount of love radiating throughout this party was something beautiful, and both Olivia and Edgar were feeling all of it. Noah was occupied with his new friends that he had made, so Edgar was able to slip up behind Olivia while she was talking to his sister and his cousin. He slid his arm around her waist, capturing her attention as she looked up at him. Edgar gave her a smile before looking at the other two women; "Can I borrow her for a second?"

"I suppose…I mean we have pretty much hogged her for the whole party," Adeline smirked at her brother; "Go ahead, you can borrow her."

"Thank you for the permission." Edgar replied in a sarcastic manner. He then chuckled away with them all, before sliding his hand around to take Olivia's hand. He led her through the backdoor and into the kitchen as he just wanted a moment alone with her.

"I just needed a minute with you; I've barely seen you since the party started…" he remarked, keeping his arm around her waist; "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I am…your whole family is so nice and…and Noah's pretty much blended right in with the kids." she glanced out the window, and chuckled as she spotted Noah sitting amongst the other kids as they all sat around Ronald, whom was telling them an enthusiastic story. She bit her lip, then she looked back at Edgar; "Today has been so nice. The love between your parents is so beautiful, and then your whole family has been so loving and welcoming."

"Now you see where I get it from…" he teased. He glanced out the window as well, then looked back at her; "That's all I've wanted; to build life with a person that I love more than anything."

Olivia nodded, her eyes glowing as she looked at him; "I want that too…and I think, I'm on the track to getting it."

"I think so too, because I damn sure want it all with you." He smirked. He then pulled her in for a hug; she snuggled into his chest while tilting her head to so she could look at him. He pulled back just enough so he could kiss her, his muscles flexing as he hugged her just a little tighter. They felt so much love today, and it only caused them to fall for each other even more than they already had done.

This was the real deal, and they were so blissfully happy.


The party lasted well into the evening. After darkness fell over the area, a surprise firework show lit up the sky; a little something organized by Ronald to celebrate his and Kelly's anniversary. The children were running around with sparklers – Noah included as he had pretty much become best friends with all the kids of the cousins. Olivia and Edgar were inseparable for pretty much the rest of the party. They kept holding hands or standing with their arms around each other, and they shared kisses as fireworks lit up the sky.

Eventually, the guests all filed out of the Pierce home and after cleaning up, everyone pretty much turned in for the night. Noah had fallen asleep right away; Olivia tucked him in and kissed his forehead before retreating to the other guest room. She changed into some leggings and a tank to wear to bed, then she headed down the hall and back to the kitchen for a bottle of water before bed. Edgar was in the study chatting with his father for a bit, and Kelly was in the kitchen, making herself some tea before bed.

She looked up as Olivia approached, and she gave her a smile; "Hey honey; did you enjoy yourself today?"

"I really did; I was just telling Edgar earlier that everyone has just been so nice and loving," Olivia explained; "Thank you seriously, for welcoming me and Noah into your family."

Kelly gave her a nod, then got her a smile; "Come sit with me for a second; have a little girl talk."

Olivia nodded; "Yes ma'am."

She grabbed her bottle of water, and once Kelly's tea was finished, the two women headed outside to the patio. They sat together on the small couch; Olivia curled a leg under her and turned to face her while Kelly shot her a smile.

"You know, when Edgar first told me that he had a new girlfriend, I was a little apprehensive because I didn't want him to get hurt again. It's a motherly thing; I know you understand that."

"Oh, trust me, I definitely understand." Olivia murmured, nodding her head.

"You just want to protect your kids as long as you can, even when they're adults…" Kelly let out a chuckle; "But yeah, I was concerned. But then…as time went on, hearing the way he talked about you and your little boy, I started to feel like I didn't have to worry anymore."

Olivia was staring intently at the older woman. She was starting to feel a little emotional, but she held it together and kept listening as Kelly continued;

"That night he called and told me your son was missing…the way his voice sounded; that was the first time I'd ever heard him get so emotional. All he kept saying was 'Mama please just pray; if I lose them…I don't know what I'll do.' Ronald and I prayed like never before, for the safe return of your son, and for peace and health and healing. I knew he didn't want to lose your son and in turn lose you, but I also knew then just how deeply he had fallen for you and how much he adored your son."

"I knew it then too; I mean I'd had an idea, from the way he said he would do anything for us, but…when Noah was missing, and I saw just how sick with worry he was, and then he stuck around in the aftermath of everything…I knew it…" Olivia remarked as she tried to keep her emotions in check; "I've never really had this before – a family, so…there's so many feelings regarding this; having him in our lives and seeing how much he loves us, how he would do anything to make us happy. I knew especially during that time that this was it…and it kind of scared me, and yet I am so excited."

"I could tell by the way you two looked at each other earlier today that something else has shifted between the two of you, and I love it…" Kelly remarked. "I just need you to know, Olivia, that if something else progresses between you and Edgar – which I'm about ninety-nine percent sure it will – then you have both mine and Ron's blessing. We love you already, and we especially love that sweet boy of yours…" she reached over and gave Olivia's hand a loving squeeze; "You're our family now too, sweetheart; both of you."

The tears that Olivia had tried to keep at bay suddenly slipped down her cheeks. This was all so new to her and she was still trying to navigate through the various emotions that came with finally having some family for so long. For so long, she had been on her own – having never known her father and having had the challenging relationship with her mother for years up until her death. Then there came her brother, who only seemed to remember her existence when he was in trouble…until she lost him nearly a year ago. All she'd had for years was herself until Noah came along, and for the last six and a half years, it had just been the two of them.

She had no idea that this year would bring such changes – true love, and a family.

"I am so honored to be part of your family, and…and I am truly just…honored to be with Edgar; he has shown me so much in less than a year, and I didn't know love or happiness could be like this," Olivia spoke up, tears still falling down her bronzed cheeks;

"You know…I've had to take care of myself for a very long time. My mother…our relationship was very challenging for years and she passed away some years ago, during my third year in Special Victims. I never knew my father…I knew of him, and knew he wasn't a good man…but I didn't really know him. I had a brother; I found out about him some years back, but…he only really showed up when he was in trouble. He passed away about a year ago. So…the only family I really had was my squad, and then Noah of course when he sort of fell into my lap about a six and a half years ago. But for the most part, I've really had to look out for myself. And now with Edgar around, I feel like I can just breathe…I don't have to worry as much, because he's looking out for us – you know."

"Oh honey I know that feeling; that's how I knew that Ron was The One," Kelly remarked, her eyes lighting up as she thought about her husband; "When you're with someone, and they make you feel like you can just breathe. There's no fear, no judgment, no second thoughts – am I right?"

Olivia nodded, sniffling a little. That was exactly how she felt about Edgar.

"I'm scared, but so excited…" she whispered; "I love him…so very much."

"And I know that he loves you too; I can see it in his eyes. He looks at you the way Ron looks at me, and you look at him the way I look at Ron," Kelly replied, squeezing Olivia's hand once more;

"You don't have to do it all alone anymore, Olivia; just let yourself be happy, let yourself breathe."

Olivia gave her a smile and nodded her head. That was what she was going to do. No second thoughts, no fear. She was allowing herself to have hope and be happy, and she was finally breathing again after so long.

The sound of the patio door opening interrupted the moment between the two women. They both looked up; Edgar had poked his head outside and was giving them a smile; "My two favorite women are bonding. I love this."

"Of course we are; she's a breath of fresh air." Kelly remarked, shooting Olivia a wink. She then stood up with her now empty mug in her hand; "Well, I think I'll be turning in for the night. You two just lock up when you come inside…" She pecked Edgar's cheek, then leaned down to peck Olivia's cheek as well; "I enjoyed talking to you, honey. Goodnight kids."

Both Edgar and Olivia bid her goodnight as she made her way inside and shut the door. Edgar took his mother's seat, and Olivia immediately shuffled closer as he curled his arm around her shoulders. He ran his fingers up and down her arm while pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"What were you and Mom talking about?" he wondered.

"You're so nosey; we were having some girl talk." she tilted her head, still giving him a cheesy smile as she gazed at him. He rolled his eyes, then tilted his head some more to drop a kiss to her lips. She lifted her hand to his cheek as their kiss deepened, and she felt like her heart had taken flight.

Edgar pulled her a little closer and rubbed her hip while sliding his tongue along her lips. She whimpered a little as her lips parted, allowing his tongue to slide against hers in the most passionate way. She could feel her body responding to him, leading her to slowly tug her lips away, nipping at his lip as she did so.

They gazed into each other's eyes, brown orbs glowing from the rays of the moon. He placed the most delicate kiss onto her nose and whispered; "Do you want to go to bed?"

Olivia said nothing; she simply kept her eyes on his while nodding her head. She was so overwhelmed by the feelings of love that she felt for this man, and she just wanted him tonight.

She stood up first, and he followed suit while taking his hand. He led her inside, and after locking the doors, he led her through the house and to the bedroom area. They first poked their heads into the guest room to check on Noah, and they both smiled at the sight of him fast asleep while cuddling his elephant toy as the television quietly played in the background. They closed the door behind them, then headed across the hall and into their room.

Edgar quietly closed the door behind them and turned the lock, then turned back to face her. She looked up at him while sliding her hands up at him, her fingers trailing along his biceps and the fabric of his t-shirt until her hands came to a stop on his shoulders. She stood on her tippy toes and pressed her lips to his, and he wasted no time in sliding his hands to the backs of her thighs. He lifted her into his strong arms, allowing her to wrap her legs around him as he made his way over to the bed.

He laid her down in the center and settled on top of her, only having briefly pulled away for a second to whip his shirt over his head. She ran her hands up his chest until she was able to wrap her arms back around him, and she gave him a smile as she pulled him down for another kiss. As the kiss grew more heated, clothes hit the floor at a rapid pace. His large hands curled around her thick thighs as he hiked her legs up around him more.

And when he tipped forward and slid home, she gripped onto his back as his name fell from her lips in a breathy whisper;

"Edgar…"


I hope you guys enjoyed this sweet update. Please, leave some reviews. We've got about 460 reviews on this fic now and I am so grateful for the constant support, you guys have been great. Anyway, please continue to stay safe and wear your mask. And have a happy and totally safe Thanksgiving :)