A/N: Hey guys! Hope you're all safe and taking care of yourselves. I'm sorry for disappearing..again. Responsibilities and life have a wonderful way of getting in the way whenever I find the inspiration to write but I promise I'm working on it. Thank you to everyone who has read, liked or reviewed this story, I appreciate you all so much xx I love hearing your ideas for the story, so happy that you feel even a little invested in something I'm writing. Feel free to hit me up with your ideas for this story or a new one. I haven't thought of an ending for this story yet and if I'm being honest, I don't want to end it just yet. So I'm going to write it for as long as you guys want to read it. Hope you guys like the chapter x
The past few days had been overwhelming to say the least. Otis had found out his mum was pregnant with Jakob's child, someone who was also Otis' ex-girlfriend's father. Their situation had always been a little weird but adding a baby to it had taken it to new levels of complicated.
Otis knew today was going to be a very stressful day for his mum since Ola had finally decided to tell her dad about what was going on, or at least hint at it. She had promised to text Otis about what happens, so Otis was sitting at the kitchen table staring at his phone.
"What's got your attention, darling?" Jean asked, walking around the kitchen.
"Just waiting on a text." Otis said, briefly looking up from his phone.
"Maeve?" Jean asked with a smile.
"No, Ola." Otis said, looking up at his mother.
"Has she told Jakob?" Jean asked, taking a seat in front of Otis.
"Not yet, she told me she would text me as soon as she had." Otis said.
"Do you know what she's going to say?" Jean asked.
"I think she's just going to hint at what's going on, just as a way of making it easier for you to tell him. You do want to tell him, right?" Otis asked.
"I'm not sure." Jean said.
"What do you mean you're not sure?" Otis asked.
"I don't know how he'll react." Jean said.
"Yeah but that's why we're asking Ola to help. She'll be able to handle him." Otis said.
"Yeah, I hope so." Jean said.
"This is the right thing to do mum, he deserves to know." Otis said.
"You're right. Tell me what Ola says." Jean said, getting up from her place at the table.
"Where are you going?" Otis asked.
"I'm going to be sick." Jean said, running towards the bathroom.
Otis didn't really know what to do at this point. He wanted to help but he was doing what he could and he knew beyond a certain point, it wasn't his place to tell his mum what to do. So he did the only thing he could, he stared at his phone, with the hope that if he stared at it intensely enough, it would buzz.
Ola was pacing around her kitchen. She had absolutely no what she was supposed to say to her father. Why had she even agreed to doing this in the first place?! This was a horrible idea. Sure, she didn't have to tell him exactly what was going on but she still had to gauge how he felt about the situation and if she was being honest, part of her didn't want to know.
Ola's thoughts were interrupted by Jakob walking into the kitchen.
"You look like you've just seen a ghost, what's going on?" Jakob asked, walking over to the fridge.
"I'm just thinking." Ola said.
"About what?" Jakob asked.
"Babies." Ola said.
"Babies?" Jakob asked, now turning to look at Ola.
"Yeah, about how cute they are. What do you think about babies?" Ola asked, she had no idea where the fuck she was going with this.
"They're okay." Jakob said.
"Would you like more children?" Ola asked, what the fuck was she even saying?!
"Not particularly. Is there something you want to tell me, Ola?" Jakob asked, suspiciously eying his daughter who was fidgeting in her place by the sink.
"No, why would I have something to tell you?!" Ola asked.
"Because you're asking me about what I think of children and babies and if I want more. You've never once had a conversation like this with me." Jakob said.
"Yes, which is why I wanted to know your opinion but you know what, leave it. Sorry I asked." Ola said, rushing out of the room.
"Ola! Ola! I'm sorry!" Jakob called out after her.
Jakob always felt like he and his daughter had a bond where they understood each other, at least enough to know what the hell the other was saying but apparently that wasn't the case.
Right after she ran out of her house, Ola texted Otis telling him how badly everything had gone. Otis was pretty sad after hearing that Jakob might not want to be a part of his child's life. A lot of Otis' unresolved issued began to surface but he did what he had always done in the face of these issues – ignore them. He got through the school day pretty much like a zombie. He didn't really speak to anyone and rushed home after school. He was lying in his bed searching for things on his laptop when he heard a knock on his door.
"Come in." Otis said absentmindedly.
"Hey." Maeve said walking in.
"Hey, I didn't know we had plans." Otis said, sitting up a little straighter.
"We didn't but you seemed off during school so I decided to check up on you. Your mom let me in." Maeve said, taking a seat next to Otis on his bed.
"I'm glad you're here." Otis said, pulling Maeve in for a quick kiss.
"What are you doing?" Maeve asked, watching Otis type something on his laptop.
"I'm looking for stuff for the baby." Otis said.
"That's so sweet." Maeve said, flashing her signature Otis smile.
"Yeah, I kind of feel like I have to look out for him or her." Otis said.
"Did something happen?" Maeve asked.
"Ola vaguely asked Jakob about whether he'd want a child and he said no." Otis said.
"That sucks but maybe his answer will be different once he knows he's actually having one." Maeve said.
"Yeah but what if it's not? What if he abandons the baby or doesn't want to be a part of it's life?" Otis asked.
"Then as much as it sucks, it's better for him to stay out of the baby's life than to be there but make the baby feel like he didn't want him or her." Maeve said.
"Yeah I guess you're right." Otis said.
"Is this about your dad?" Maeve asked.
"I want to tell you that it's not but it probably is." Otis said.
"I'm sorry, I know what it's like when your parent isn't there for you." Maeve said.
"Growing up, I always just felt quite unwanted. Its not because my mom didn't try to be there, she did but I always pushed her away. And she had to manage an angsty me and take care of the house, run her practice. It was all very hard, harder than I've ever let myself admit." Otis said.
Maeve didn't say anything; she just held Otis' hand urging him to continue.
"I don't want this baby to feel the way I felt for so long. I don't want my mom to have to go through raising another child all alone. I want to be better for her." Otis said.
"But you are there for her, you have been since the second you found out. You clearly love this child, even before it's been born and I'm sure that makes your mom feel so much better." Maeve said.
Otis held Maeve's face in his hands and pulled her in for a kiss. There was so much he wanted to her, to tell her about all the ways in which she had saved him from himself and a kiss felt like the perfect way to start.
"What was that for? "Maeve asked, pulling away, still a little breathless.
"For always being there for me. You're the reason I decided to change, to be a better person." Otis said.
Maeve looked a little confused but still touched.
"After my party, I knew that if I didn't get my shit together, I would lose you and if I'm being honest, you're the reason I finally feel wanted, maybe for the first time inm my life. Even before we got together, just being able to run the clinic with you, hearing you tell me I was good at something, it was everything to me. It still is." Otis said.
"I love you." Maeve said.
"I love you too." Otis said, pulling her in for another kiss.
"I think we should go out on a date next week." Otis said, after a few moments.
"Aren't we already dating?" Maeve asked.
"I mean yeah but a proper date, where we go out and eat and spend time together. I feel like we haven't gotten any time to ourselves and I miss you." Otis said.
"That sounds perfect." Maeve said with her Otis smile.
Otis smiled back at her and was going to lean in to kiss her again but was interrupted by Maeve picking up his laptop.
"What are you doing?" Otis asked.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to help you pick out a crib for the baby." Maeve said. Teasingly.
Otis just stared at Maeve for a second because he couldn't decide if he was feeling touched by how sweet Maeve was being or frustrated by how she had decided to focus on this right when they were finally getting some alone time. But watching Maeve bite her lip in concentration as she tried to find a crib that was just right, Otis decided he was more in love with her than ever had been before.
