Hello friends! Welcome to my story, "Just Give Me A Reason." This is technically a sequel to "Say You Won't Let Go," however, I am going to try to include details from the last story at least in the first few updates to catch someone up who may not want to go back and read it. You can expect this story to filled with excitement, angst, tears and laughter in the character's lives. Things will be up, sometimes they might be down, sometimes it will get hot and sometimes you might find yourselves worried. Just know, I love Mary and Matthew so much!

In all of Mary's life, she had never experienced the feeling she had right now as she waited at the table for Matthew to return home. As she looked over at her baby, Olivia Katherine, who was sleeping soundly, she wondered what this feeling was. Was it angst? Nerves? Excitement? Terror? She suddenly felt hot and the scent of Chicken was filling her nose. It wasn't just any chicken; it was the chicken that she had put in the oven fifteen minutes before after preparing it with her nose covered by her shirt. She was tempted to tell Matthew she was never cooking again. Mary wasn't a natural born cook or housekeeper. When she had previously been married to Richard Carlisle, she had very few moments where she had to cook a meal or wipe down a kitchen. It just wasn't a huge part of her life. That life had been hell. She fully understood it now. If she hadn't gotten pregnant with Olivia and he hadn't beaten her senseless, she wouldn't be in this kitchen today, trying not to get sick. She wouldn't have left her life with her family and Matthew rescuing her from the grasps of abuse. Then she felt the urge to cry. Olivia was small enough that she could still fall asleep in the cradle that they kept downstairs. She had been born almost eleven weeks early and she had maintained a very petite body since birth. Now she was ten months' old and the perfect picture of a healthy, normal and very happy baby. She was going to cry. They hadn't planned this. They had agreed to wait, but just a few hours ago, Anna had rushed over with what she needed from the pharmacy. As the tears began to fall, she realized there was no way Olivia was old enough to be a bit sister. The dead giveaway that Anna thought she needed a pregnancy test was that she had been nauseas and exceptionally tired. For a week at least. Anna suggested that she go get a few tests and Mary just take one. She really felt like she had the flu, so she laughed it off and said no, but Anna insisted. One trip to the pharmacy, one three-minute interval after taking the test and the digital test read that one word, "Pregnant."

She was pregnant.

Pregnant with her second baby, the first baby that would share Matthew's DNA. Not that DNA seemed to matter. Olivia didn't share his, but in every other single instance, she was his. Legally, she was his. Their connection was just as strong as if they shared blood. Now, there would be a new baby, one they hadn't planned. Not then. They had talked about trying after Olivia turned a year old, but they had been a bit careless for the last few months. She wasn't sure why, other than the passion between them often came before stopping for protection. It was stupid. It really was. If she hadn't wanted to get pregnant, she should have stopped it. They still had a little baby, who was changing every day. Olivia Katherine Crawley was their little girl. While she had the DNA of a man who was legally out of her life, she was every bit the very loved child of Matthew and Mary. Matthew had been there almost from day one of her pregnancy, she was the only father she would ever know. The only father she had. Not that there wasn't a small part of her that was excited. She had just weaned Olivia off of breastfeeding and she was already missing those sweet bonding moments. There was a part of her who struggled more than Olivia with weaning. While tiny, she was reaching milestones. She finally had two teeth poking through, which had taken forever to arrive, was eating baby food and some other solids and sleeping in her nursery most of the night. She still woke up at least twice a night and the second time, they always brought her in with them. They missed her more than she missed them. And Mary would never admit it to Matthew, but sometimes she would let Olivia nap in their bed instead of her crib, just so she could soak up the time with her. They weren't supposed to do it, but she wanted to savor these moments. Now especially, knowing that there would be another baby. Olivia was going to be a big sister and that made her emotional. She wiped her eyes as she reached for the baby, who opened her eyes for a moment before resting her head on Mary's shoulder. That was when she heard the door close to the car and she knew he was here. She had to tell him. She wasn't going to keep it in. Soon, he would know that baby number two was coming their way. She was sure he would be thrilled. Matthew had constantly expressed interest in having a baby whenever she was ready. He was expecting that they would try soon, but not this soon. "Mary?"

"Kitchen." She called, as the door to the house closed loudly and Olivia jolted awake. She moved her free hand to the back of Olivia's head as Matthew walked in, a big smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hey." The tall blonde man grinned, walking towards the two women in his life. Mary felt a bit of relief as he got closer, pressing a firm kiss on her lips. "What is cooking?"

"I made some chicken and pasta." Mary breathed, trying not to think back to how sick she felt just smelling it. "New recipe."

"You're so domestic." Matthew chuckled, immediately taking Olivia from her arms. "And you, little lady? How are you?"

"Someone took three long naps today." Mary breathed nervously as Olivia grinned, hiding her head on Matthew's shoulder. She reached for the pacifier from the cradle, giving it to Olivia. "I would celebrate, but I fear it's because she's finally teething. She has a low fever, but the doctor said it was most likely from her teeth."

"Did you mention that you've been sick too?" Matthew frowned, kissing Olivia's head and bouncing her a bit.

"No…I actually didn't." Mary stopped, knowing she needed to just tell him. She needed to come out with it.

"You should have." Matthew sighed, walking over to the cradle to grab one of Olivia's polka dot blankets. "I mean she's had a fever and a runny nose. You've been exhausted and nauseas. Something is working its way through our house and I just want you guys to feel better. I have a business trip in a week and we don't need it going back and forth. I mean, I can't get it on my trip but I'm more worried about you feeling bad while I am gone."

"We will be fine." Mary nodded, watching as Olivia sucked on her pacifier, resting her head on her father's shoulder.

"Well, if you're still sick in a few days, you're going to the doctor." Matthew almost demanded, leaning over and kissing her head. "I worry about you two. It will make me feel better."

"So, Anna went to the pharmacy today and brought back something for Olivia." Mary sighed, finally deciding to just tell him. Anna had made a visit to the gift section of the store almost as a joke, bringing back a child's t-shirt for Olivia that was definitely a few sizes too big. She handed Matthew the bag, her hands nervously falling to her side.

"What did Anna get you, Squeaks?" Matthew asked, using the nickname he had given Olivia since she was a brand-new baby. He held her in his arm, using his hands to pull the shirt from the bag. When the plastic bag fell onto the table, Mary watched as he slowly opened the shirt. "Big…sister. Big sister."

"It's a Big Sister shirt." Mary said, a weak smile on her face as Matthew looked at Olivia.

"Squeaks, Aunt Anna doesn't even know your size." Matthew kissed Olivia's head, stopping for a moment and looking back at the shirt. "Wait…why does she need a shirt that says Big Sister."

"Because she's going to be a big sister." Mary smiled nervously, grasping her hands together.

"When this fits her?" Matthew looked up at Mary and then at Olivia. Mary watched as she thought he might be putting it back together, looking at the shirt again. "She's going to be a big sister?"

"Yes." Mary nodded, nervously resting her chin on her fist. Mary felt her stomach leap a bit a bit as Matthew dropped the shirt on the table. "I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant?" He smiled, adjusting Olivia on his side.

"Yes." She nodded, her eyes widening.

"You're pregnant." He stated, walking over to her and moving his hand to her face. "You're pregnant, right now?"

"Yes" She laughed, before he pressed his lips into hers. "Are you happy?"

"Yes, of course." He grinned, pressing his lips back into hers. He kissed her deeply, before pulling apart and bouncing Olivia. "Olivia! You're going to be a big sister."

"Much earlier than we anticipated." Mary spoke, feeling a bit guilty of robbing Olivia of being an online child.

"We never quite mastered using protection consistently." Matthew chuckled, sitting Olivia into the cradle so that he could properly wrap his arms around his wife. "Are you happy?"

"I am, but I feel a bit sad for Olivia." Mary admitted, resting her head on his strong chest. "I feel as if she's not ready to be a big sister."

"She'll still get plenty of attention." Matthew said with promise, kissing the top of Mary's head, chuckling when he heard Olivia babble from the cradle. "Even if we did conceive much earlier than we thought."

"Next time we are waiting a few years." Mary giggled weakly; her head still pressed firmly against her husband. "That is enough diapers."

"Yes, I would agree with that." Matthew pulled away, his hands on her arms and he smiled big. "We're having another baby."

"We are." Mary sighed, taking a deep breath. "And I am not sick."

"You're not sick." Matthew celebrated, raising his arms. "Just pregnant!"

"Just pregnant." Mary giggled, as her husband picked her up and spun her around. Mary was pregnant, with baby number two. Likely a few weeks further along than when she found out in her first pregnancy. Her cycle had been off and not back to normal since her body hadn't yet adjusted after breastfeeding. She felt like she had been nauseated for at least two weeks, which usually didn't happen in the early weeks. She wasn't sure, but next week she would go to the doctor and get an exact measure where she was. Her heart ached a bit, knowing that her little girl was going to share the limelight. Olivia was her first, her heart and had gone through so much in the beginning of her existence. She had survived even when Mary almost hadn't. They had stuck through this together and now there was a bit of herself that felt guilty for being so excited. There was a baby growing inside of her and she couldn't wait for Olivia to discover that too. And Matthew. Her husband was over the moon, kissing her head and then lowering his lips to her abdomen. He was thrilled, just repeating how much he loved her. Things were perfect, even if it was unexpected. They had been reckless for months, not always remembering to add a goalie to their love life. Except right now, deep down, she felt like she was okay with that. There was something to be said for having a baby with someone you loved. There was something to be celebrated when you had an amazing baby girl who made being a mother the best thing in the world. It made it exciting to think about expanding, even in the face of it being a bit scary. Mary had learned one thing in her time as a mother, scary wasn't always bad. Sometimes scary just meant good things were coming. Maybe, scary wasn't so bad.