Hey guys!

I'm finally back with Chapter 31. I thank you guys for being patient; I wasn't quite sure where to go with this but I threw some smut in at the beginning here for you all to enjoy. Anyway, this chapter is smutty at the start but just cute little family time afterwards. Nothing much, but just an overview of a nice day that ends with Edgar asking Olivia something very important.

So...here we are. I think we are getting close to an ending for this story; I'm still trying to figure things out. All I can say is I appreciate your support and patience with this fic.

So...enjoy chapter thirty one of Better Circumstances

xo


Better Circumstances

THIRTY-ONE

It was almost as if time stopped for a moment as Edgar slid home, and as the breathy plea of his name fell from Olivia's lips. He nestled in further and gazed at her, her eyes sparkling in the dim light of the bedroom. Moonlight streamed through a small gap in the curtains, blanketing them both in a bluish dim light, making all of this a lot more sensual. They'd fucked and made love several times over the last few months, and yet for some reason, this time felt completely different. Maybe it was because they both knew something had shifted between them, or maybe Olivia felt emotional after her chat with Edgar's mother that only further solidified the shift between her and this beautiful man. Whatever it was, this time was not like any other time; they had fallen so deep in love now, and there was no going back.

They didn't want to go back. They had each other's hearts now.

"Tell me yes…" he mumbled against her lips; "Tell me, Liv; say yes."

She looked up into his eyes. This wasn't just yes to sex; this was yes to everything – they both knew it.

She brushed her lips against his, and she whispered so faintly for just him to hear;

"Yes."

He dipped his head and kissed her hard, his tongue sliding between her lips as passion surrounded them. His fingers brushed against her thighs, his hips pushed up against her, causing him to brush against her clit with each thrust. She felt so full like this, with him so deep inside her, hitting spots she almost forgot existed. Her fingertips brushed against the flesh of his back; her teeth sank into the tender flesh of his bottom lip. She wrapped her legs up around him more, and low moans escaped her lips as she felt him pushing a little harder and deeper inside her.

One of his hands slid from her hip to her back, while his other hand reached out to brace against the headboard. His muscles flexed, and his eyes locked with hers. She was gazing up at him with that slightly dazed look on her face, almost as if she was in some other realm where nothing mattered but this moment here. He dipped his head enough to kiss her cheek then trailed kisses towards her ear, before finally whispering in his deep, rich voice; "You're mine, Olivia."

It was the tone of his voice and the words spoken. Her stomach clenched and she whimpered. She was his, and he was hers. "You're mine…" she whispered back; "I…I love you."

"I love you too…" he thrust a little harder, causing her whole body to jolt as he did so; "God yes…Olivia."

She felt her muscles contract and suck him in deeper. He was hitting that spot again; the spot that made her whole body tingle and made her toes curl. Right there; she needed him to keep thrusting right there.

Her nails dragged down his back as she whined in his ear; "Right there…don't stop."

She was starting to make those sounds, the ones that spurred him on because he was the one who caused her to make such pleasurable noises. Their bodies glistened due to the thin film of sweat covering their skin. He gripped the headboard while his other hand moved to bunch up into the sheets. He was sucking yet another hickey onto her skin, and her jaw dropped once again as surges of pleasure raced through her veins. Her nails were dragging down his back, leaving angry red lines amongst the flexing muscles. His thrusts were faster and stronger, his strength and power was showing, and Olivia had never felt safer than this moment right here, beneath him in the thralls of passion.

She wanted to scream but she knew she couldn't, but her jaw dropped, and the softest moans were heard in his ear. She hiked her leg up around him more while his hand moved from the sheet to her back. He pulled her upwards with each thrust, brushing up against her clit in the process as he plunged deeper into her. He trailed his lips up her cheek until he was able to whisper in her ear; "I love you, Liv."

It seemed that those words had ignited something within her tonight. She clung to him a little harder as she felt her heart beat faster. She kissed his jaw then whispered; "I love you…more than anything in this world."

She'd said it out loud that she loved him more than anything, and she truly felt it within the depths of her soul. For so long she had searched for a person that she could be her whole self with and feel safe, and there were times she had come so close. She had loved Brian and she had really loved Tucker, but looking back now, she was almost grateful for the demise of both relationships. Right now, with Edgar and his beautiful, remarkable soul, was where she belonged.

She was so happy – and she wasn't scared.

Her stomach tightened and her muscles fluttered; she was so close and now a certain, tingling feeling was felt throughout her body. He turned his head to look at her, and she saw the flicker in his beautiful eyes. She tilted her head and brushed her lips against his as she whispered; "Please…I love you."

He thrust again, hitting that spot once more; the spot that made her body tingle. She whimpered a little louder than she meant to, leading Edgar to nip at her ear before whispering; "Shh…you can't make a sound, baby."

She bit her lip at the sound of his voice and at the feeling of his warm breath ghosting against her ear as he spoke. It was a struggle for her to be quiet all the time when they were like this, which meant she was grateful for the nights that Noah wasn't at home when they did this so she could let out the pent-up moans. However, right now, they were underneath his parents' roof and he had her like this; pinned between the mattress and his warm body as he slowly fucked her into oblivion. She had to admit that it was pretty hot for them to be doing this right now as it was a bit risky, and she would happily take the challenge of trying to be quiet.

He sucked her neck harder as his thrusts intensified; he didn't care that he was most likely leaving a hickey on her creamy skin. He loved to mark her like this, a reminder that she was his now.

A few more thrusts and she came undone. She pressed her mouth to his shoulder as her eyes fluttered shut. Pleasure raced through her veins and her body shook with release, her nails now digging into his back as she held on for dear life. The feeling of her shaking in his arms and pulsing around him was enough to set Edgar off as well, leading him to quietly groan into her neck as he spilled into her, filling her completely. A feeling of warmth spread throughout her body at the feeling, and she felt like she was flying almost as stars were seen behind her closed lids.

It took a few moments before they were able to calm down. They were sharing lazy kisses and stroking each other's skin as they lay beneath the crisp sheets. He finally did pull out of her and roll to her side, and of course she wasted no time in curling up against him and resting her head against his shoulder.

The moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the two figures who had fallen hard for each other and were now basking in the aftermath of making love. Edgar ran his fingers through her hair and turned his head to kiss her forehead, and she closed her eyes and smiled as butterflies were felt in her stomach.

They laid there and talked quietly while sharing kisses every now and then as they simply relaxed together. When Olivia eventually fell asleep in his arms, he simply watched her sleep for a moment as he squeezed her as tight as possible.

And before he fell asleep, he silently thanked God for her. Finally, he had everything he ever wanted right here in his arms.

He just hoped she would stay, because he couldn't let her go.


The next morning brought more sunshine over the great state of Florida. All of them ate breakfast together, during which Adeline suggested the idea of them all taking a trip to Disney World. It was about two and a half hours away from the Pierce home, so she figured they could make a little day trip out of it and they could spend some time together. Noah of course was extremely excited by the suggestion, especially since he had never been to such a theme park before. After talking over breakfast some more, both Kelly and Ronald, as well as Adeline and her husband and children, and Edgar and Olivia and Noah had all come to the conclusion that they were indeed taking this day trip to Disney World.

Within the next couple hours, everyone was showered and dressed and headed out the door to get into their vehicles. Edgar and Noah had once again unintentionally dressed in a similar manner, with khaki cargo shorts and sneakers, though Edgar wore a black t-shirt while Noah had put on a plain burgundy t-shirt. Edgar found himself having to bite back a groan when he saw Olivia; those denim shorts hugged her hips perfectly along with that grey v-neck t-shirt that hugged her torso. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was going without make up today which allowed her flawless, bare face to be on display. The lack of makeup and the sunlight allowed the dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks to be seen.

Noah was giddy throughout the entire car ride. He was constantly looking around with a wide smile on his face, admiring the scenery. Olivia too was doing the same, though she kept looking over at Edgar every now and then as well with a content smile on her face. Her mind kept flashing back to the thoughts she had when they went to the zoo together those weeks ago. The one word kept racing through her brain; family.

If more family trips like this were in her future with Edgar and Noah, then she would take it.

She was so fucking happy.

The two and a half hours passed quickly and before long, they had joined a line of cars that were waiting to get into the famous theme park. Noah was practically on the verge of bouncing off the walls at this point; "Is it gonna take forever to get into the park?"

"It shouldn't; it usually moves pretty quickly," Edgar glanced over his shoulder at the little boy and he chuckled at the giddy smile on his little face; "Dude, I swear I've never seen you so excited before."

"Because this is so cool!" Noah burst out. Edgar chuckled before looking at Olivia, who was watching them both with an adorable smile on her face. Edgar couldn't help but smile back as he saw the look in her eyes. It was one that he was seeing very often lately, and even though they'd been together five months so far, what they were both feeling was very real and could be seen in their eyes. Even Noah could tell that something was changing between them, and though he didn't really understand, he was just happy that his mother was so happy now.

Before long, they were finally through the long line to get into the park, and they had managed to find a pretty decent parking spot amongst the throng of people. They soon met up with Adeline and her family, as well as Kelly and Ron, and finally the entire family was making their way towards the attractions to explore the vast theme park for the day.

Much like the day that the little family of three had gone to the zoo, Olivia spent this day feeling such a mixture of feelings. Perhaps those feelings were intensified today, because not only was it her, Noah, and Edgar, but they were also with his family. She just loved seeing how much of a family man he truly was with his family around. She'd already knew he was – she could tell by how he was with her and Noah when they were home in New York. But this was just something different and the fact that she and Noah were now included in this mix – especially with how his parents and his sister and her family constantly included her and Noah in things – was something beautiful. The words from Kelly last night rang in her head throughout the day;

"You're our family now too…both of you."

She felt every aspect of those words right down to her very core. They were all family.

The remainder of the day was spent just enjoying the atmosphere provided by the vast theme park – a loving, family atmosphere. Olivia understood why this was the happiest place on Earth because even she had felt a sense of calm being in such an upbeat atmosphere with magic and innocence surrounding her. She couldn't deny that this getaway and such was necessary, especially after a shit show year and after years and years of running up and down the streets of New York catching the scum of the Earth. She felt light and like she could breathe, and while it was down to the atmosphere of the park, it was mainly down to being with the Pierce family, especially Edgar. She had walked around with a smile on her face all day as she held onto his hand with their fingers linked, and she felt in her heart that this smile would never fade.

By the time they were finally venturing out of the park and headed towards the cars, the sun was starting to set. They were loaded with bags from the gift shop and everyone – even Kelly and Ron – had on a pair of Mickey or Minnie Mouse ears. As they got into the car, Edgar warned Olivia and Noah that the ride back to Jacksonville might take a little longer due to traffic leaving the park and the traffic they'd probably run into trying to get into Jacksonville itself. Noah didn't care; he already had a plan to curl up on the backseat and take a nap as he was worn out.

As predicted, traffic was already murderous as they were leaving the park and as they got out onto the main interstate road. Olivia wasn't hardly phased since they lived in New York City and this was normal. She simply had her phone in her hand and was dropping some texts to Fin to make sure everything was alright. Edgar glanced over at her and chuckled; "We're on vacation, so you better not be trying to sneakily check on work related stuff…again."

She let out a little laugh as she looked up, her ponytail swishing as she turned her head to look at him; "I was just checking in with Fin, making sure he hadn't fired somebody or quit yet."

"You eat, sleep, and breathe work…" he teasingly put his hand over her phone; "Don't make me take that thing."

"To be fair, I have barely been on it since we got here so whatever…" she then glanced back at Noah, only to see that he was nodding off already. She turned back to Edgar and whispered so only so he would hear; "Been busy…doing other things."

He licked his lips and shot her a smirk, especially when he saw the teasing look in her eyes. He reached over and briefly squeezed her thigh, and she placed her hand over his. Her fingers curled around his until their fingers had linked, and she found herself rubbing her thumb over his hand. He lifted her hand to his lips to drop a kiss to her knuckles, and Olivia didn't miss how he kissed her ring finger, on her left hand. She tried not to read too much into it, but the gesture had made her a little emotional and made her heart beat faster.

They sat in a comfortable silence, still holding hands as he drove them back towards Jacksonville. Noah had fallen asleep while holding a stuffed Mickey Mouse he had gotten, but Olivia wasn't sleeping. She was tenderly rubbing Edgar's hand with her thumb while staring out the window as a million and one thoughts ran through her mind. All of them regarded the man that was tenderly holding her hand, and all of them only allowed the glimmer of hope to grow brighter as a small smile settled on her face.

Edgar too was in thought as he drove. When he kissed her hand earlier, he had intentionally kissed her ring finger. He thought of one day, he wanted something to be on her finger – a promise ring…an engagement ring. When the thought of that first crossed his mind, it had scared him especially after the hurt he had suffered from his now disgraced former fiancée, but as time went on, the anxiety eased, and only hope began to flood through him. He had also had another thought, one he'd been having for a couple days now but wasn't sure how to bring it up, but for some reason, now he felt like was a good time. They'd been having such a good time, and something had clearly shifted between them, but he just hoped that this wasn't too forward or too soon.

As traffic came to a standstill due to whatever reason, he figured that since Noah was asleep, they could talk about it. She was reading something on her phone while absentmindedly rubbing his hand with her thumb still. He squeezed her hand, thus capturing her attention as she looked up.

"Hmm?"

"What are you reading?"

"This is gonna sound so cheesy, but I'm reading through our text thread…" a little giggle escaped her lips as she shook her head; "You've sent me some funny and cute stuff over these last few months, and then I realized we don't even text that much because-"

"Probably because we have either ended up talking on the phone or FaceTime, or I'm at your apartment, or you're at mine."

"Or we end up at lunch in the middle of the day."

"Or you end up at lunch in my office, which ends up with-"

"Okay, don't finish that sentence." she started laughing, though she tried not to laugh too loud as she knew Noah was asleep. He chuckled as well while still rubbing her hand. They settled down and another comfortable silence fell over them, then Edgar decided he would take the chance and talk about this thought in his head.

"You know, me and Dad were talking about you last night."

She looked up at him, silently urging him to continue;

"He was saying how you're such a sweet person, and how he has been enjoying getting to know you and Noah while you've been here and hopes it won't be the last time he sees you guys. I told him it wouldn't be."

"It definitely won't be." She agreed. It warmed her heart to know that just like Kelly, Ron Pierce also loved her and Noah. That was what she wanted; for Edgar's parents and the rest of his family to love her and Noah.

"He was also talking about how he hadn't seen me so happy in so long, and I told him that I was happy…happier than I had ever been. What a blessing it is to reach this middle age of life, and yet find such happiness that you never thought you'd find – you know? Anyway, he said he could tell that something was very real between us…and that…that you and I look at each other the way he and Mom do."

And now Olivia felt tears in her eyes again, because Kelly had said something similar to this when they'd talked the other night. "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…"

She blinked back the tears, and simply listened to him as he kept talking;

"I didn't know what to expect when we ventured into this…well…I didn't know we'd run into each other again after that damn case but I'm glad we did, and I'm glad we took this chance – because in five and a half months, look how magical it has become."

Olivia nodded in agreement, her voice quiet because she feared she would turn into a blubbering mess if she spoke any louder; "It's so magical, more than I would have ever imagined."

"I guess…what I'm trying to say is…it's huge…" he chuckled a bit, then after checking to make sure cars in front of him weren't moving yet, he looked back at her. She was waiting for him to continue, so he blurted it out at once;

"I want everything with you, Liv; starting with you and Noah moving in with me."

The words caused Olivia to freeze for a second. It was one thing knowing that they wanted everything with each other but to officially take a step towards it all and move in together was a huge thing. She hadn't lived with another adult in so long. The apartment she currently lived in was the one she had previously shared with Brian, and that had ended many moons ago. It had been her and Noah in their own space for years now, so being hit with the idea of moving in with Edgar was huge right now and she not only had to process it but had to talk to Noah as well.

But she would be lying if she said that the idea of being with Edgar all the time – living together – didn't fill her with more hope than she thought imaginable. It had been five and a half months and they already knew what the real deal was, so maybe that's why she wasn't completely turning down the idea.

"Liv…" her silence had unnerved him, so he figured he would just drop the idea; "You don't have to; I just thought- "

"No…no…shh…" she pressed a finger to his lips, and she gave him a smile;

"It's a huge step, but it's not an idea that I completely hate. In fact, I really…really like this idea. I have to process it, and of course we have to discuss it with Noah – especially me – but just don't give up on us or that idea yet, okay?"

Edgar smiled at her while squeezing her hand; "We don't have to make any decisions today, but maybe we can keep it in our minds, and talk about it when we get back home?"

"I would very much like that - talking about it when we get home…" she then paused for a second, then bit her lip before speaking again; "Tribeca is closer to the precinct, and to Noah's school."

Edgar let out a little laugh as he glanced at the traffic ahead of them. She hadn't totally rejected the idea, so he was hopeful.

Maybe they really were just one step closer to having it all with one another.


And there you have it. Thank you guys for all your reviews so far and thank you for staying along with me for this fic. I appreciate all your kind words. I'll be updating again soon! :) Be safe, and wear your mask please :)