Fitz: Leaving in 10.
Olivia: How about 7?
Fitz chuckled to himself.
Fitz: Sure. I can make that work.
Olivia: Thank you. Those extra 3 minutes were not gonna work for me.
Fitz: True, good call. See you soon.
Fitz put his phone away, smiling to himself. He hadn't seen Olivia for three days now. And given the fact that she'd just gotten back to New York a little less than a week ago, three days felt like a lot. Selfishly — he wanted her all to himself, all the time.
She'd stayed with him until Tuesday of this week, before heading to her new apartment in the city to get settled. And he totally understood. She had a lot to unpack, she hadn't seen her friends all summer, and she'd been really excited to see her new place.
He remembered that feeling — the first apartment that he'd ever rented. That was a big deal. So he understood it all. But having her come back on Saturday and leave again within a few days was still a bit torturous. Almost like a tease.
And not a good one.
åSo needless to say, he was excited as hell to see her again tonight. She was staying all weekend, and so was Karen. Fitz didn't think he could be any happier with those circumstances.
What made matters even better was they were finally celebrating their birthdays this Saturday night. It was the birthday celebration they'd all been waiting for — especially Karen. Since they hadn't been together all three of them for any of their birthdays this summer, it was just something that they'd wanted to do.
And Karen was taking it very seriously. She was baking the cake, after all, and that was an important job.
So, as he packed up his things on that Friday afternoon, he was anxious to get the hell out of his office. It had been a long, busy week.
His assistant, Ethan, gave him some materials to look at over the weekend — always a joy — but other than that, he said his goodbyes and was out of the office fairly quickly. Perhaps even a couple minutes faster than the seven he'd promised Olivia.
He met her outside the train station, and it felt wonderfully familiar. Meeting her there to head home together. That was something they were quite used to.
This time it was just better, though. This year it was better.
When she came up to hug him he held her there a little longer than normal in an embrace, kissing her cheek multiple times before ultimately giving her a few pecks on the lips.
"Mmm. Hi," she whispered.
"Hi," he whispered back.
"Missed you," she murmured, pecking his lips.
"I missed you too," he replied. "A lot."
"How much?" she asked curiously.
"More than I can show you at our current location."
She giggled, intertwining their fingers. "True. We probably should stop being that couple."
They started walking, hand in hand, and he laughed. "What couple?"
"The couple that…is very affectionate in public places," she answered with a smirk.
"Oh. Like when you…'attacked my mouth' last weekend in the airport parking lot?" he asked.
She burst into laughter, and leaned into his side as they walked. Just her body against his made him feel warm, and smiley.
"Yes. Like that," she agreed.
"That was fun."
"It was," she nodded. "Let's do it again sometime."
"No. We are never going to the airport again, because we agreed you're never leaving again. You can attack my mouth anywhere but there," he protested.
A random woman walked by them in the station, kind of raising an eyebrow at what she'd just heard, before continuing on past them.
Fitz looked up and so did Olivia, both holding in a laugh as best they could. But when she was out of earshot, they couldn't hold it in anymore.
"She probably could have used…a bit more context to that statement," Fitz said.
Olivia was too busy cracking up harder now to respond.
"She really judged me there," Fitz laughed, shaking his head.
"She really did," Olivia giggled. "Oh, baby. You are too funny."
"Thank you," he smiled, shrugging. "I don't try to be."
"I know. That's why it's funny," Olivia said, leaning her head against his arm. "Only with you, are the smallest things such adventures. Only with you."
His smile grew bigger, and he tightened his grip on her hand.
Yeah. It was nice to be reunited.
After a train ride of catching up on the few days they'd been apart, they were pulling into the Rye station in no time.
Depending on when Fitz had Karen for the week, he sometimes still headed to the Rye station before work rather than the one closest to his house now. It would especially come in handy when Karen went back to school shortly, and he had to drive her in every morning.
She wasn't in school quite yet, however, she had had a play date with Casey this afternoon, and he was picking her up.
Otherwise, Karen had been staying home by herself more and more these days during the summer. Fitz and Mellie knew she was mature enough for it. She had been for years already, probably. But it was still something new that Karen had to get used to. So they were easing her in, in the interest of her comfort.
When they got to Casey's house, Karen quickly skipped out of the house happily toward the car. She perked up when she saw Olivia in the passenger seat.
Olivia smiled and waved at her through the windshield, to which Karen waved back.
"Hi Liv!" Karen said, getting in the back seat.
"Hi miss K!" Olivia exclaimed. "How are you? How was Casey's?"
"Good. It was super fun," Karen said. "Hi daddy."
"Hi, baby," he said, reaching back and patting her knee. "I'm glad you had a fun time."
"I did. How was work?"
"It was busy, but good. Thank you for asking," he chuckled.
"That's good. And Olivia, was it fun to see all your friends again at your apartment?" Karen asked.
"It was very nice, K! I missed them very much. I'm super excited to show it to you!"
"Oo! Yes, I want to see. Dad, we have to see it!" Karen exclaimed.
"Oh, of course we will! Once Olivia gets a little more settled, I'm sure she will invite us over," he said, winking at Olivia.
"I absolutely will," Olivia promised.
"Okay. Seatbelt, K," Fitz nodded.
"Seatbelt," Karen confirmed. "Olivia. Will you…kind of live with us, too?"
Olivia paused, looking over at Fitz. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, waiting for her answer.
"Well, sort of!" Olivia nodded. "I…will have to be at my apartment a lot of the time. My school is right there, and…I pay to be able to live there. But that doesn't mean I won't come and be with you and your dad as often as I possibly can. So…when I'm able, I can come and stay with you!"
"Yeah. I mean, my dad left a whole side of the closet for you. I saw. So…you basically have to use it," Karen shrugged.
"Uh-huh," Fitz nodded seriously. "It's a…requirement."
Olivia was laughing, pointing to her duffle bag by her feet.
"What do you think this bag is filled with? More things to unpack, obviously!"
"Good," Karen giggled. "I like when you live with us."
"Me too," Fitz mouthed, resting his open hand on the center console. Clearly, awaiting her hand to hold.
Honestly, Olivia had been a little hesitant about showing a ton of affection in front of Karen thus far. Truly, there hadn't been a big opportunity for it yet; they'd only been all together for a couple days before Olivia had left earlier this week.
Karen seemed completely fine with their relationship. Happy even. But Olivia didn't want anything about her personal relationship with Karen to change. This new chapter would be a different dynamic and a change for Karen, and Olivia wasn't blind to that.
But, with Fitz initiating things, Olivia subtly slipped her hand in his and nodded.
"I like when I live with you too," Olivia said.
They were all pretty hungry when they got home, so Fitz and Olivia got a start on dinner. Fitz grilled some steaks and Olivia threw together a salad and some homemade mashed potatoes to go with. The potatoes, in particular, were fantastic — she had to admit.
"Mm. Baby, come here and taste these," Olivia said.
Fitz put the steaks on the cutting board to rest before cutting them, and came toward her.
"Taste what?" he asked, looking her up and down suggestively. Making sure she saw his eyes linger.
She gasped quietly and smirked. "Naughty. Taste the potatoes, hotshot."
His eyes met hers, as she held a spoonful of potatoes up to his mouth to taste it.
If trying a bite of potatoes could be at all suggestive — he made it so.
His eyes flickered between hers, licking his lips.
"Delicious," he nodded.
She bit her lip, looking at him cautiously.
"You better watch yourself, mister," she whispered.
"Hm. Why?" he whispered back, tilting his head and leaning in.
Oh my God, he was hot.
Before she could even help it, she'd stood up on her tiptoes for a kiss, which he immediately reciprocated.
Karen wasn't currently downstairs, she'd been upstairs for the past ten minutes or so. So given that fact, Olivia felt perfectly fine when he nudged her against the island and really kissed her. Not just the pecks they'd given each other so far that day, but a little makeout.
"Mmm," Olivia murmured, slipping her tongue in his mouth.
He brushed her tongue with his own, pinning her more tightly against the island cupboards, and resting his arms behind her on the countertop.
He could have kept that going forever. Truly, he was going to extend it another minute or so, but a sound to their right disrupted them. The sound of Karen entering the kitchen.
Fitz thought he'd heard her quickly enough. Quickly enough to pull away casually. He wiped his mouth, directing his attention to his daughter who looked like she may have seen the very last second of it, but she didn't react strangely by any means.
Olivia had still been holding that damn spoon in her hand from feeding Fitz with it — and when he suddenly pulled back, it made her drop it.
The spoon loudly clattered to the floor, making the moment just a bit more awkward. Fitz tried to defuse though.
"Whoops!" Olivia laughed, as Fitz picked it up and put it in the sink quickly.
"Jeez, Liv. Watch where you throw your silverware," he chuckled, turning to Karen.
"Hey you," he said to Karen, stepping next to Olivia, now, rather than…directly in front of her. "Where'd you run off to?"
"I was watching Tik Tok for a bit," Karen shrugged, watching Fitz start to cut their steaks. "Dinner looks good!"
"Well I certainly hope it is. I know Olivia's salad and potatoes are…really, really good," Fitz said, side-eyeing Olivia, who had a tough time not smirking.
"Thank you, Fitz. Ready to wash up and eat, K?" Olivia asked.
"Yep!"
Dinner was, in fact, wonderful, and they decided that after cleaning up the kitchen, they should all watch a movie together.
Karen got to pick, and she picked one of the Harry Potter movies.
"Great choice, K," Fitz nodded, pulling her in toward his body on the couch. "Which one?"
"Prisoner of Azkaban," Karen replied. "It's the one I'm reading right now!"
Olivia gasped. "Have you read them before?"
"Nope. I've seen all the movies a hundred times, but never read the books yet. I was disappointed in myself. I knew I had to read them."
Fitz and Olivia both laughed at her "disappointment in herself."
"Well, I hope you love them like I did! I've read the series twice," Olivia replied.
"Really?!" Karen asked.
"Mhm," she nodded. "My favorite movie is the second one, but my favorite book is the third one. What's been your favorite so far?"
"Well, so far, I'm liking the third book the best too. But I think my favorite movie is the very first one," Karen admitted.
"Yeah. The first one is pretty great," Olivia admitted. "Fitz. I think we've gotta hear your input now on this very important matter."
"Oh yeah?" he chuckled. "Well. Let's see. I think my favorite book is the first one. My favorite movie…the last one."
"The last one?!" both girls exclaimed.
"Yep. It ties everything together," he said.
"Sounds like we'll have to have a Harry Potter marathon soon, huh?" Olivia said, looking over at Karen.
"Yes! All of them in a row!" she agreed.
"Sounds like a plan to me. Movie marathon with my two favorite girls," Fitz smiled. He had one on each side of him, both leaning into him.
Just where he wanted to be.
As the movie came to an end, Fitz looked over at Karen, whose eyes were closed.
Olivia's eyes were still open — she was smiling actually, at the ending of the movie.
"Maybe three is your favorite movie now," Fitz said, smiling at her and nudging her arm.
She giggled quietly, scooting even closer to him.
"It is pretty good," Olivia agreed.
After looking over at Karen, she smiled too.
"She asleep over there?" Olivia asked.
"Mhm," he nodded back. "Apparently she didn't find it as good as we did."
Olivia laughed. "Well. She has seen it a hundred times already."
"True."
"And, you're a very comfortable person to fall asleep on," Olivia added.
That made him chuckle, which had Karen shifting.
Fitz winced, looking at Olivia nervously, thinking they'd woken Karen. But she settled back in comfortably against his arm.
"Whew," he whispered. "Close one."
"Your arm's gonna fall asleep," she whispered.
"Yeah. It's already asleep. They both are," he admitted.
Olivia gasped quietly, lifting herself off of Fitz's body. "Baby, oh my God, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed in a whisper.
He chuckled, pulling her back. "No, no. Come back. I don't need the feeling in my arm. Or…arms."
She rubbed his arm, getting the blood flowing again as she leaned back into him.
Those eyes of hers looking up at him — he couldn't resist.
He leaned in and lightly touched his lips to hers a few times, watching the smile form on her face.
It was a sight to get lost in.
"You guys really do kiss a lot," Karen murmured sleepily.
They both pulled away, looking down at Karen. It was hard to see her face from that angle, but her eyelids were slightly open now.
She wasn't watching them, but Olivia assumed the sound of kisses was fairly obvious.
"How long have you been awake?" Fitz chuckled, tickling her arm.
She giggled, curling up against him. "Basically this entire time."
"This entire time?!" Olivia laughed.
"Mhm," she giggled.
Fitz sighed, rubbing her arm. "Sorry about the kisses. We didn't know you were awake."
Karen shrugged. "That's okay. You don't have to try and hide it, you know. It doesn't bother me."
Fitz and Olivia shared a smile, and Olivia definitely let out a small sigh of relief. Well, that was helpful to know.
"Well. How'd you like the movie? As good as you remember?" Fitz asked.
"Yep," Karen nodded happily. "I'm sleepy, though."
"Me too," Fitz nodded. "Why don't you go get ready for bed, okay?"
"Mmkay," Karen nodded, giving them a smile before leaving the living room. She rubbed her eyes as she walked; she was clearly tired.
"We kiss a lot, huh," Olivia whispered, nudging his arm.
He chuckled, nodding at her. "She isn't wrong."
"No. She isn't," Olivia agreed. "I feel a little bad about it, though."
"About kissing me?" he asked.
"No," she laughed. "About…me and you. Being…me and you. In front of her."
"Well, it's…it's a change for her. That's for sure. But it's nothing to feel bad about," Fitz replied. "She knew. She has known for a month now."
"I know. I know," Olivia agreed. "It's just…you explaining things to her is a lot different than seeing it for yourself. And she really hasn't seen much yet. I just…I don't want her view to change."
"Her view of you?" he asked.
"Yes," Olivia responded. "All this time, she's known me as…me. Nothing else but me. And now…I'm not just me anymore. I'm…her dad's girlfriend. It's probably dumb. It's…it is. I just love her so much and I want her to know nothing has changed, even though to her, it may…seem like it."
Fitz turned toward her on the couch, resting his hand on her thigh.
"It's not dumb, Olivia. I understand," Fitz nodded. "But…I know for a fact her view won't change. Because you're still you. You are still the Olivia that she loves, and you always will be. Regardless of if you…kiss her dad or not."
Olivia smiled, nodding at Fitz's statement.
"Okay," Olivia smiled, squeezing his hand. "Okay. You're right. Thank you, baby."
"Of course. I understand your worry. I…worry about everything."
She gave him a sad look, putting her hand up to his cheek.
"I know you do, baby," Olivia said softly. "Speaking of…that. Where are we at with the current medication? Still helping?"
"Yes," he answered immediately. "I know it is. It's…better. I'm doing better."
"That makes me so happy," she whispered. "So happy."
"Me too. I didn't ever think…something could help. You…know that. But I've noticed a difference this time. A real difference. I still get anxious, and I always will. But…even little differences…make a difference."
"Absolutely they do," she agreed. "Anything helps. Maybe we try this one out for a longer period of time, see how it goes. You can always try more in the future. But maybe for now…we stick to this one for a while?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "I think so. I…want to. And that's also saying something."
"Coming from the man who used to wish he could chuck his meds out the window," she pointed out.
"Right. Exactly," he chuckled. "It's just…another change. We're still just…all going through changes, aren't we."
"Yes. But…generally, they're for the better, at least," she whispered, kissing his cheek.
"You know — I have always envied your optimism," he whispered, studying her pretty face.
Olivia smiled. "Greta says the same thing."
"Well, she's a smart woman," Fitz smiled.
"That, she is," Olivia nodded.
"How is she doing, by the way? Are you happy to live with her again this year?" he asked.
"She's great! So glad to be back home after being out of the country this past month. And yes, I'm..so happy. She's…really become one of my closest friends," Olivia replied. "All of them have. I've really…developed a solid group of friends here and I'm so grateful for that."
"I bet. How about your friends back home? Shawn?" Fitz inquired.
"Oh yes. She was…the only reason I stayed sane this summer," she laughed. "I used to have a bigger group of friends there at home, but…the rest kind of became acquaintances. I only really keep in touch with Shawn now. And her boyfriend, Marcus, too."
"I'm sorry about that," he whispered.
She shrugged. "It's okay. The group of friends I've developed here is…the best group of friends I've ever had. And Eventually…I think Shawn will live out here too. She wants to, at least."
"That will be so nice," Fitz nodded with a smile. "I like Shawn a lot."
"She likes you too," Olivia smiled back.
"Well. You have a far bigger group of friends than I do. I've got…Abby and David," Fitz chuckled. "Friends haven't always been easy for me to…make."
"That is not true. You're just shy," Olivia said, rubbing his arm. "Plus, what about the guys at work?"
"Ethan, maybe. My assistant. He's probably my closest friend there. But I doubt he thinks of me as one — I'm just his…needy boss. Cyrus is getting there, I like him. I don't know. Work is different for me. A lot of them are more like…acquaintances, really," he explained.
"I suppose," Olivia nodded. "Well, there's also…oh, what's his name. The neighbor a couple houses down that you said you had beers with!"
"Cory."
"Cory, that's right," Olivia agreed
"Yeah, he's…he's cool, actually. I think…we have a lot in common. He likes football. And he golfs. And…he's got a little girl, too. I just don't know him or his wife super well yet, but yeah. You're right."
"You just need to have a little more confidence, baby," Olivia assured him, with a peck on his cheek.
"Yeah. That's not my strong suit," he admitted.
"I know it," Olivia whispered. "But it should be. Know why?"
"Hm?" he replied, smiling at her.
"Because. You are…the kindest…sweetest…most honest…funny…adorable, handsome man I know," she said, giving him a kiss between each compliment she gave him.
"Oh. Well that's…good to know," he whispered, accepting her continual kisses.
"I don't…I don't think Cory is gonna…care about the last two."
"No probably not, but I do," she whispered, still kissing him.
"Mm. Mhm," he murmured. "Okay. Come here."
She was quick to slide over toward him, laying on top of him as their lips met. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and a comfortable sigh escaped her lips in between kisses.
His arms were circled around her so tightly. They wandered at first, squeezing her ass and pressing her closer to him. But eventually, they stayed firmly wrapped around her back as they made out.
It was one of those kisses that was so casual, and could go on for a long time. One of those kisses where it didn't need to go further for it to be enjoyable. It was perfect just like that. Slow, a little sloppy, and very passionate.
But the sound of the movie returning to the play screen disrupted them after a while, so they both pulled away and looked toward the TV, breathing deeply.
When Olivia turned back to Fitz, her lips glistened wet from his own, and he couldn't resist a few more kisses. Her lips were too perfect.
"Probably should go…check on Karen. See if she's ready for bed," Fitz murmured.
"Yes. Was thinking the same thing," she agreed, running her fingers through his curly hair. "That was nice though."
"Mhm," he whispered, capturing her lips in another kiss. "To he continued."
"Absolutely," she murmured.
He patted her ass, giving her one last kiss on the cheek. "Alright. Let's go, baby."
When they got up to Karen's room, she was laying in bed, giggling at her iPad screen.
"What are you giggling about in here?" Fitz chuckled.
"Tik Tok," she giggled back.
Olivia smiled, because Karen's smile and laughter were so damn contagious.
"You and your Tik Tok," Fitz said, sitting down next to her.
"It's funny, dad," Karen smiled.
"It is pretty funny," Olivia admitted, sitting down on the other side of Karen.
"See! And Olivia is super smart. She knows," Karen nodded.
Olivia nodded importantly at Fitz, which had him chucking more. "Alright. Well, I guess if both my girls say so, it has to be true."
"Mhm," Karen shrugged matter-of-factly.
But she kept scrolling through Tik Tok, and Fitz had to warn her.
"Hey. You know the rules," he said gently. "No screens past bedtime."
"Awww. Five more minutes, dad?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No, baby. It's already ten. And you get plenty of screen time during the day. No more. You know that."
She sighed, handing her iPad to her dad. "Yeah. I know that."
"Thank you," he said, setting it aside. "School's starting really soon. I don't want you to be too tired when that routine starts up again. You remember."
"I remember," she nodded.
"I know you do," he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I love you."
"I love you, daddy," Karen said. "Love you, Olivia."
"Oh, I love you too," Olivia said, leaning down for a hug. "I'm so happy to be back with you again."
"Me too," Karen giggled. "I miss you every time you go."
"I do too," Olivia agreed, getting up.
"We'll all make breakfast tomorrow, how's that sound?" Fitz asked.
"Yes!" Karen exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air.
"Alright. You sleep well. See you in the morning."
"See you in the morning," Karen nodded.
Both Olivia and Fitz flashed her smiles before they left her room, shutting her door gently behind them.
Olivia was still trying to get used to that — tucking her in with Fitz. As if they were…co-parents. She supposed, they technically were, in a way. That was definitely…a new feeling.
But it felt really nice.
They went back to their bedroom — something else that was taking some getting used to in a good way.
Their own room, just the two of them. A beautiful room, at that. Olivia loved to lounge in there, on that big King-sized bed. Plus, with that pretty view of the stone fireplace and the trees outside the window — it just couldn't get any better.
Fitz got ready for bed, and Olivia picked up where she left off in her most recent book of choice.
Fitz smiled when he came out of the bathroom and saw her reading. "Different one this week?"
"Yeah. I picked it up at the store yesterday. It's pretty good so far. You want it when I'm done?" she asked.
"You know I do," he smiled.
"I know you do," she agreed, turning back to the page she'd been reading.
He climbed into bed, subtly watching her concentrate on the page's words. He moved his arm around her, inviting her to scoot closer.
She happily took him up on his advance and leaned into his body comfortably, flipping the page again.
He kissed her cheek a few times, but slowly moved down to her jawline. She lightly tilted her head so he could access her neck a little easier. Her favorite spot to be kissed.
And he did kiss her there for a while, sucking lightly on her delicate skin. That was what made her put the book down.
But Fitz objected.
"You keep reading," he whispered. "You know I'd never interrupt someone reading a book."
"Oh, you wouldn't?" she asked, feeling him kiss that same spot on her neck again. That man was going to give her another hickey.
"No…never," he added, pulling her body slowly into his lap. Like she weighed damn near nothing.
A sigh escaped her lips as she shakily brought her book back up to read, and he hugged her affectionately from behind.
He still pressed those soft kisses to the side of her neck, making her lean comfortably back against him. It felt so nice.
"What's happening in the book right now?" he murmured, his hands moving down her body slowly now.
"I'm not spoiling…anything," she whispered, as she felt him unzip her jeans.
"Oh. That's…that's true. Very nice of you," he nodded.
He slid his hands in her panties, immediately finding her clit with his fingers and starting to rub it.
She gasped and jerked slightly as she continued to read. But at this point, she wasn't really comprehending the words. She was mindlessly reading.
Her mind was really focusing on that beautiful, wonderful sensation she was feeling right now. Her boyfriend's fingers.
Magic.
It didn't take long for her to open her legs for him.
He smiled, looking over her shoulder at her wide open legs.
"Thank you," he said, pecking her cheek.
"Thank…you," she whispered, gripping his thigh with one hand and her book with the other.
"Of course," he whispered, slowly rubbing her clit back and forth. "I love to keep you company while you read."
She actually had to hold in a moan after he said that, keeping her mouth completely shut to prevent any noise.
She definitely didn't need Karen hearing Fitz…keep her company. Their rooms were on opposite ends of the hall, and both doors were closed, but still. That was not worth the risk.
She could feel him rigid against her ass as he sat behind her. She had pressed herself all the way back into him, so it was no surprise. But it made her long for more.
She sighed, leaning her head back against his shoulder, and putting her book down now.
That ship had sailed.
"Don't feel like reading?" he whispered.
"No. Not…right now," she murmured.
"No?" he asked softly, circling her clit a little faster.
She shook her head quickly in response.
"I'll just…have to make sure this is a better use of your time then," he whispered by her ear.
"So much better. Yesss," she nodded, rubbing his thigh. "Yes, baby."
He dipped his two fingers inside her quickly, rubbing her slick walls. That had her clamping a hand over her mouth.
His fingers didn't linger too long inside her, he just wanted to spread her wetness around a little more. Right now, he was focusing on her clit, which was swelling by the moment. He couldn't see it, because they both still had all their clothes on. He could just feel it.
But he was wishing he could see a little more, so he made a suggestion.
"You want to take everything off? Would that feel better?" he asked.
She didn't even have to respond. She was pulling her shirt over her head in no time, so he took the opportunity to take his off too.
The pants were more of a struggle — at least for Olivia, who had skinny jeans on.
But she was clearly desperate to be naked for him, because she made quick work of it, and they were back in their same positions quite quickly. Just without clothes this time.
Now Fitz could actually see her swollen clit as he looked over her shoulder. He could see the muscles in her wide open- legs trembling. He could see his fingers glistening wet as he rubbed her more quickly now.
She was grinding against his fingers and holding tightly to his thighs now.
"How's that feel, baby," he whispered, kissing her neck, and squeezing her breast with his free hand.
"Oh, Fitz, it feels — so good," she moaned quietly.
Her moans were pure motivation. She had to have been feeling good tonight because he had more in mind than just a clit rub, but she was really having to hold it in right now.
"Good. Let's get you there," he whispered, moving his free hand up to her mouth. Simultaneously, he picked up his speed in a circular motion, and her whole body clenched. Because that was exactly what she needed. Exactly what she loved.
He kept his hand clamped hard over her mouth, and her muffled moans made his dick twitch.
It was only a few more moments before he got her there, and she orgasmed hard.
And slowly, then, she sunk back into his body. He removed both hands from her mouth and from her clit, bringing them both to her breasts.
He still wanted to touch her, but touch her somewhere she wasn't sensitive. So he lightly massaged them from behind, still pressing small kisses to her neck.
"Breathe, baby," he whispered.
And she was breathing, pretty quickly. But in time, they began to slow down.
"Don't get too tired on me yet," he chuckled.
"No, God, I won't. That just…felt so good," she panted. "And that — right now. That's really nice. Please…don't stop, okay?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," he whispered, rubbing his thumbs across her nipples slowly. She loved the light squeezes of her breasts, and feeling his hands cover her chest. It relaxed her, and that's exactly what she needed right now.
"Mmmm," she moaned quietly, leaning lazily against him. His fingers traveled her skin, tracing over her naked body as she calmed from the orgasm he'd skillfully drawn from her.
"I could just…do this for hours," she whispered, rubbing his thighs lazily.
"Hm?" he replied, pressing soft kisses to her neck.
"Just…lay here. Be naked with you. Be…touched, by you," she whispered.
"So…I'm off the hook for interrupting your reading time?" he asked.
She giggled, looking up at him. "Yes, baby. You were never on the hook for that. I've always told you, you could never interrupt me. Even while reading. And especially if you're going to interrupt me with…your fingers."
He smiled, tilting his head in confusion. "Oh. So, like…holding your hand?"
She laughed and patted his thigh. "Sure. Holding hands is exactly what I was referencing."
"I like holding your hand," he said quietly.
"I love holding your hand, baby," she smiled, turning around in his arms.
His cute, crooked smile grew bigger and he welcomed her into his lap, facing him now.
She put her hand up and spread her fingers out, waiting for him to fill the gaps with his own fingers. He quickly caught on, pressing his hand against hers and interlocking their fingers.
From there, it didn't take long for their lips to connect again, and their grip on each other's hands to tighten.
But the act of her, naked in his lap right now, was making his erection just throb.
He slowly moved them forward, keeping her tightly pressed to his body as he laid her down the opposite way on the bed — her head by the end of it.
Their hands stayed firmly locked against the comforter as they made out. And for the most part, they didn't move too much. That is — not until Olivia's legs started widening underneath him.
He was aching for her already. So when she gave him a sign that she was ready, he wasted no time. Quickly, he used his free hand to guide his tip toward her entrance.
Pushing in slowly, they both reacted with a sharp gasp.
That's when Fitz's hand had to move up to her lips. He settled into a slow pace, clamping his hand over her mouth. This was the best and easiest position to keep her quiet in.
"My kid…hears…everything," he panted.
She nodded, letting him completely take control. She laid there on her back, legs open wide, feeling him push in and out. And man, it felt good. It really did.
Clearly, Fitz was in agreement. His panting was probably more audible than any sound Olivia was making, considering Olivia's mouth was currently covered. Her little moans and murmurs could be heard through his fingers, but he was the one who was beginning to realize he could present an issue. He needed to be kept quiet too.
So soon, he leaned down and buried his face in her shoulder, and picked up his pace.
She could see his jaw clenching as he held in any potential noises attempting to escape his mouth right now. So she pulled him impossibly closer as he pumped in and out of her, and they both stayed quiet.
Somehow.
God, he didn't want to stop. Feeling her raw always made it so difficult to stop. And although she was currently researching and looking into different birth controls, she wasn't on it yet. So he was going to have to tough it out and stop.
"One second, okay…one second, baby," he whispered, slowly pulling out of her.
What was worse than feeling their warm bodies disconnect — was that he could see the disappointment in her eyes when he pulled out. He could see that look on her face. That look saying "please don't stop."
Of course, they both knew it was necessary at the moment. That just didn't make it any less difficult to stop.
His fingers shook and fumbled with the condom box he kept in his nightstand drawer. The sound of both of their quiet panting filled the room, until he opened the package and rolled one on himself. He returned to the end of the bed where she laid — awaiting the feeling of him inside her again.
So he gave it to her. Faster this time, until they were both shaking as they finished.
"Fuck, Olivia," he whispered, lingering inside her.
"Mmm. Mm mm," she murmured, his hand still clamped over her mouth.
He chuckled, pulling his hand away and pecking her lips.
"Sorry," he whispered.
"That's okay. Understandable. That was the quietest we have ever had sex," she laughed quietly.
"I know. I don't even think…I heard us most of the time," he replied.
"Me neither," she giggled. "I felt it though. And it felt good."
"So fucking good," he whispered, pulling out slowly.
"Say that again," she smirked.
"So…fucking…good," he said, kissing her once more.
"Mmhm," she murmured against his lips. "So…um…I really need to go on birth control, don't I."
He sighed, chuckling lightly. "I…I'm not going to be the man, begging you to go on it. Your body, your decision. But yeah, I mean…if you are still interested — count me…in."
"I really appreciate that. It is my decision. And I have long since made the decision to go on it," she laughed. "I'm making an appointment next week."
He leaned his head down in relief against her chest.
"Oh, baby," he groaned quietly. "Ohhh, baby."
She laughed, holding his face.
"You excited?"
He nodded into her chest.
"I'm just…I'm already so sorry in advance," he admitted.
"For what?"
"For how long I am not going to last those first couple of times."
She cracked up quietly, hugging him tightly as he rested above her.
"Your honesty is so admirable, honey," she said, kissing his forehead.
He chuckled into her chest.
"I'm going to…come…so fast."
"I don't care — we'll just go again. You can come inside me all you want," she whispered. "Again…and again."
"Hmm…" he moaned, kissing her chest. "I might...dream about that."
"Oh yeah?" she smirked, watching him swirl his tongue around her nipple and nod.
"Mhm."
"You'll wake up hard," she said.
He shrugged. "I wake up hard anyway."
"Okay. That's true," she agreed. "Like…every day."
"Every day," he agreed.
"I rather enjoy it," she smirked.
He smiled back, his beautiful blue eyes meeting hers.
She ran her fingers through his hair, watching him suck her other nipple into his mouth now. She was so content to just lay there and watch him do whatever he wanted. Whatever satisfied him in the moment.
It did go on for a while, while they calmed their bodies down.
But eventually, they cleaned up and took a shower together, before settling down for bed.
Olivia started reading her book again by the bedside lamp, after it had been discarded earlier thanks to Fitz's wonderful interruption.
As for Fitz, he crawled in bed shortly after her and then scooted closer to her.
He rested his head on her stomach, closing his eyes immediately once her hand went to the side of his face. She softly stroked his cheek, and then his curls — which could have about lulled him to sleep.
She noticed, smiling down at her handsome, sleepy boyfriend.
"Someone looks tired," she whispered.
"Mhm. Meds," he murmured.
She nodded understandingly. "And probably all that work you just did."
He chuckled quietly, nodding. "Maybe that too."
"It was such good work," she whispered with a smirk. "So well done."
"Thank you," he nodded, tightening his grip on her. "Glad…it was appreciated."
"Oh, baby, it definitely was," she nodded, returning to her book. "I love you."
"I love you, too," he whispered back.
He was pretty much down for the count from then on.
She read for a bit longer, before turning off the lamp and settling down to sleep too.
And soon, just like him, sleep consumed her.
When she woke up, he was out of her grip and gone. And she hadn't felt or heard a single thing this morning, so she knew she'd slept hard.
She didn't hear anything else in the house, either, so she wondered where he'd gone. It was the weekend, so she didn't think he'd be working out.
But after getting up, doing her morning routine, and wandering the grand house quietly, she discovered she was wrong about that.
She'd gone downstairs in the basement just to check — and she did hear him panting in the room he'd deemed the home gym. It was pretty empty at the moment, as his new fancy equipment hadn't been shipped in yet, but he had a few things set up in there right now.
She knocked but heard nothing, so slowly opened the door to quite the sight.
He was sweaty and shirtless, and doing push-ups on one of his yoga mats.
My, oh my, what a sight. Her eyes slowly spanned every inch — every muscle — to see his body work.
Glorious.
He didn't notice or hear her though, because he was absolutely blasting music through his big Beats headphones — and Olivia knew how soundproof those things were.
She smiled, closing the door behind her and walking in.
"Hi, baby," she said, loud enough to where she thought he'd hear.
But he heard nothing; he just kept doing his push-ups.
"Fitz," she said even louder, laughing a little bit.
Still nothing.
He did finally see her out of the corner of his eye, though, which scared the living shit out of him.
"Oh — Jesus," he said, chuckling as he'd fallen to the mat. "Sorry. Shit. I didn't…I didn't hear you."
He talked loudly over the sound of his own blaring music, which had her giggling as she approached him.
"I could see that," she laughed, as he took the headphones off his ears and rested them on his neck. "Sorry, baby. I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay," he smiled in assurance. "Hi."
"Hi," she smiled, settling down next to him. "How come you're working out today?"
"I don't know, I…I woke up early today. I just felt…so good. And rested, and energized. I felt like being active," he shrugged with a smile. "It's so weird, I just…I've been noticing that lately. I just feel…good. I feel really good. Way more often than I ever have before."
Olivia let out a sigh of relief, smiling at him. Her heart warmed.
"Baby. That makes me so happy," she said, resting a hand on his knee. "That is just…amazing to hear."
"Uh-huh," he chuckled. "It's…amazing to feel, too."
"I bet so," she agreed. "I think when someone wants to get up and work out on a Saturday morning, they're doing pretty damn good."
He laughed, nodding in agreement. "I know."
"Now by all means…feel free to continue your workout," Olivia said, giving him a casual shrug.
"I was almost done anyway," he said, wiping his sweaty forehead. "Just had one more set of…push-ups."
"That sounds very agreeable to me," Olivia nodded. "I will be watching, thank you."
He chuckled to himself, getting back into a kneeling position on the mat.
"You never stop making me laugh," he said, getting up on his feet now, and beginning his last set of ten push-ups.
She watched him do it with ease, counting them in her head. Wishing he was going a little slower, because then she could watch longer.
"And you never stop…being absolutely smoking hot," she said, tilting her head as she watched.
He started chuckling again — which was hard while simultaneously panting and trying to do a rather difficult exercise.
"Hearing you…tell me that…has always baffled me," he panted.
He started to slow now, struggling to get his words out and to finish the set. Lord knew how difficult push-ups truly were — and she had no idea how many he'd done before she interrupted him.
She thought it was only fitting that she help encourage him to finish up.
"Baffled you how? Look at you. The dedication. The body. Hot damn," Olivia said. "Keep it up, baby. Three more."
He powered through those last three, before collapsing back on the mat, rolling over onto his back tiredly.
"My arms are going to be shot tomorrow," he admitted tiredly.
"Yeah?" she asked, rubbing his biceps. "Work them hard today?"
He nodded silently in return.
She gently massaged his muscles as he calmed down from his workout, laying there comfortably next to her.
The sound of his music was really audible through the headphones hanging on his neck, though, which made Olivia start to listen closer to the song.
"Okay, I have to know what rock song you're blasting in your headphones at 7:30 in the morning," she laughed, grabbing his headphones.
His cheeks flushed as she put them up to one of her ears to listen. He'd been able to faintly hear it in the background — he knew what song was playing. It was a great workout song, actually. But if you really listened to the lyrics, which she was doing right now, you'd notice they were a tad bit…peculiar.
"My girlfriend's a dick magnet
My girlfriend's gotta have it."
Olivia's mouth opened in awe at him, and he started holding in a laugh as she kept listening.
"Baby, what in the…" Olivia said, still listening keenly.
"She likes to pull my hair when I make her grind her teeth,
I like to strip her down, she's naughty to the end
You know what she is, no doubt about it
She's a bad, bad girlfriend"
"Fitzgerald Thomas Grant," Olivia laughed, taking the headphones away from her ear. "What is that?!"
"That's…Theory of a Deadman," he chuckled, putting his headphones back on. "Bad Girlfriend."
He said it so innocently, and with such an adorable smile on his face, Olivia could barely hold it together.
There he laid, with his headphones on again, jamming out to a very obviously crude song.
Good Lord.
She supposed the music she listened to wasn't exactly PG either. Fair enough.
"It's a good workout song," he shrugged.
"Uh-huh," she laughed, looking at him with a smirk.
He nodded back seriously in response, humming along.
He had a very strong urge to make that smirk turn to a laugh, so he got up and leaned forward, murmuring the lyrics to the song that seemed to have her so intrigued.
And it definitely had her laughing.
"No doubt about it she's a bad, bad girlfriend," he chuckled, slowly pinning her beneath him.
"Now I know that song's not about me," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course not," Fitz said. "But…you do like to pull my hair. And I do like to uh…strip you…down."
"I detected no lies in that sentence," she agreed.
He smiled, eyes flickering from her big, brown eyes to her adorable smile.
Meanwhile, his hands were pinning hers above her head on the ground.
He bit his lip, locking her in position with his knees too.
"Uh-oh," he said, eyeing her. "Now what?"
"Now…I think you better kiss me good morning," she suggested.
And he was on that without hesitation.
Before she had a second to react, his lips met hers — still pinning her to the mat below.
They could both taste the mint on each other's lips from their toothpaste.
He mindlessly reached up and took the headphones from his head, tossing them next to them on the mat so he could focus more on what was really important.
His hands slowly eased up on her own, but he did keep his elbows on the ground on either side of her head as they made out, — boxing her in. She pretty much had no way of moving, but that didn't bother her. She didn't want to go anywhere. She did take advantage of her now free hands, though, and wrap her hands around his muscular back.
He was kind of sweaty, but that didn't bother her either.
She soon felt him hard through his shorts, which had her smirking against his lips.
"Mm. Hello there," she murmured.
"Hi," he sighed against her lips. "You…drive me crazy."
"I can see that," she whispered, biting his bottom lip. "Actually…I can feel that."
That drove him crazier.
"Christ," he whispered, resting above her. "This could happen right now if I was absolutely certain…K wouldn't wake up and wander down here looking for us."
"We don't have a condom anyway," Olivia giggled quietly.
"I don't…fucking care," he replied, leaning back in for another kiss.
She kissed him back, a smile still on her lips as their tongues met.
"Yes, you do," she murmured back.
He sighed, nodding. "Yes, I do."
"Plus…I don't want to completely ruin your workout vibes. I think I've…done my fair share of interrupting thus far."
"No," he shook his head. "Just like you…told me last night. I never interrupt you, right? You don't interrupt me. Ever. No matter…what I'm doing."
"Hmm…you sure?" she laughed.
"Uh-huh," he replied. "In fact, you coming down here was perfect. I think you should stay and work out now, and I can watch you."
"Oh, baby," she sighed, looking up at him skeptically, but with a smile.
"Oh, baby, what?" he smiled.
"That's so much effort for so early in the morning," she replied.
He thought for a moment, tilting his head. "That's not what you say when…we have morning sex."
She stared at him, both contemplating a laugh. And they did.
"That is…vastly different, Fitz," she giggled.
"You're probably right," he agreed.
"Oh, I am right. Working out still takes motivation. Especially on the weekend. Sex takes no motivation. I am pretty much always down for that," she replied.
He chuckled and nodded. "Me too. Especially…um. I don't know. Especially…"
"Since I've been back?" Olivia guessed.
"Yes," he nodded immediately.
"Mhm. Me too," she laughed.
He chuckled, kissing her neck. "I could tell you felt the same."
"Oh, could you, smiley?" she asked.
"Oh yeah. Big time," he teased, running his hands along her sides.
"Says the man with a hard-on at this very moment," she whispered, raising an eyebrow at him.
His mouth opened in awe, as he watched her smile get bigger. That, of course, made his own smile grow bigger.
"How can you tell?" he asked, pressing himself into her.
She let out an exhale, widening her legs.
"Lucky guess," she murmured.
The unsteady breaths escaped his lips as he looked down at her, wanting to rip her clothes off so badly, but knowing this wasn't the location for that with his daughter in the house.
That just didn't make the desire any less strong. He had to get out of that position or he'd lose it.
He slowly got up from where he'd been for a while — pinning her to the ground.
His dick was hard as a rock, so that was something he couldn't hide. He adjusted himself through his shorts — something Olivia saw right away.
"Oh, baby," she murmured, licking her lips.
He clearly had nothing on underneath the shorts. She could see his entire dick outline, and it made her clit start throbbing.
Those shorts weren't even the really see-through ones he had. They were different, but he was still showing through.
He probably hadn't anticipated she'd come down here with him this early and make him hard. Whoops.
"Hm?" he asked, kneeling in front of her on one knee.
She felt him through his shorts, biting her lip.
He couldn't help the gasp that came from his mouth.
And the look he gave her just then — it was a look she'd seen before. She knew exactly what that look of his meant.
"Let's go upstairs," he said in a low voice.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Yep. Right now," he nodded.
"Right now," she agreed, getting up quickly.
It was still early. The house was silent. And Karen's door was still closed upstairs.
But it didn't matter anyway. They were headed to a place that would mask their sounds with ease.
It was quick. No foreplay. Just a fast pace, with the water pounding on Fitz's back as he pinned her to the shower wall.
Olivia's leg was resting high up on the tiled wall, and they went to town. And that one felt good. It felt needed. And it almost had the both of them about ready to fall asleep all over again.
"Mm, baby, come here," Olivia said, waving him over.
"Coming," he nodded from the bathroom. "Still naked."
"Mm," Olivia smiled. "My favorite."
He slipped on a new pair of boxers and shorts, and made his way toward the bed to lay down.
He collapsed in bed, opening his arm for Olivia to crawl into him. And she did, bringing the covers up and over them.
"You made me sleepy," she whispered.
He chuckled, and she felt it vibrate in his chest. That brought a smile to her face.
"You made me sleepy," he challenged, closing his eyes.
"You're welcome," she said, patting his bare chest.
He smiled, squeezing her tightly.
And that was the last they remembered before drifting off. They didn't sleep too long. Just enough to make up for their bright and early morning that also turned out to be quite…tiring.
Luckily for them, Karen woke them up after about an hour. Just enough time for Fitz's hair to dry.
She knocked, which had them both stirring in bed.
"Daddy? Liv?" Karen asked.
"Mm. Come in, baby," Fitz answered, slightly dead to the world.
All they heard first was giggles as Karen opened the door.
"Good morning. You guys slept late!" she laughed, rubbing her own eyes. Clearly she had just gotten up as well.
Fitz peeked an eye open at Olivia, who smiled.
Right, they slept in late.
"Good morning, Miss K. You're right! I guess we just…needed some extra sleep!" Olivia said, smiling.
"Yeah. Usually you are up before me," Karen replied, coming into their room. "Are we still going to make breakfast?"
"Of course we are," Fitz said sleepily, sitting up in bed. "Come here, you."
She was already giggling as she approached the bed hesitantly, knowing a complete dad attack was coming.
So he met her halfway, getting up swiftly and slinging her over his shoulder before she had time to react.
"Ahhh! Liv, help!" Karen laughed.
"Oh, no!" Olivia exclaimed, pushing the covers back. "Fitzgerald, don't steal my sweet Karen!"
"Oh, I'm stealing her alright. Look at me. Stealing," Fitz announced, walking right out the door with a giggling little girl on his shoulder. "Stealing…and tickling."
"Nooo!" Karen erupted — which meant he had indeed begun the tickling.
The scene made Olivia crack up. Such contagious laughter. If she wasn't awake before, she sure was now. Funny how quickly Karen could brighten a day.
Fitz already had her halfway down the stairs, chuckling along the way. He set her down when he reached the bottom, but she just jumped right back up on his back.
Olivia smiled as she walked down the stairs behind them, watching him take it in stride and hoist her up further for a giggly piggyback ride all the way to the kitchen.
Those two were something else.
"You two be careful!" Olivia exclaimed, making her way to the kitchen.
But before she got there, Fitz came up from behind her — having circled the lower level sneakily — and scooped her up now too.
"Ah!" Olivia laughed, quickly wrapping an arm around his neck. "Baby — what on earth!"
Karen was a laughing mess, watching her dad now carry Olivia into the kitchen too.
"Oh my gosh, daddy," she giggled.
"Oh my gosh is right. You caught me off guard there, smiley," Olivia laughed.
He kissed her cheek and set her down, shrugging with a smile on his face.
"I'm stealthy."
"Oh, is that right?" Olivia smirked.
"Yep. That's right."
"Stealthy," Karen said aloud, pondering the word.
"It's sort of like sly. Or sneaky," Olivia explained.
"Oh!" Karen nodded understandingly. "I learned a new word and it's only the morning. This seems like it's already going to be a great day."
"Well of course it is. It's our triple…fantastic birthday…extravaganza," Fitz nodded.
"Yes! Yay!" Karen said, jumping up and down. "Today we are pretending…it's all three of our birthdays."
"What a fun day, huh?" Olivia nodded.
"Yes. I can't wait!"
"Well, let's start the day off with some breakfast. What do you want, K? Your choice," Fitz said.
"Right. Then…Olivia picks lunch and you pick dinner, dad?" Karen asked.
"Exactly right."
"Well, for my meal, I am picking…French toast. And bacon. And fruit. And orange juice," Karen said, listing off her birthday meal ideas.
"French toast. Bacon. Fruit…orange juice. This can be done," Fitz nodded.
"Can I help?" Karen asked hopefully.
"Of course you can. Why don't you grab me the eggs and bacon from the fridge."
Karen nodded and immediately went to complete her task. Olivia stood next to Fitz, rubbing his muscular back.
"Where do you need me, head chef?" she asked.
"Right next to me, would be my preference."
"Yeah, I can do that," Olivia nodded simply, linking her arm in his.
Their wonderful breakfast kicked off the day perfectly. For the most part, they'd just get to spend time together. But there was one interruption later that afternoon — Karen's volleyball practice.
So Olivia got some more unpacking done while Fitz went and dropped her off. She had plenty of things she could keep at the house so that she was always prepared to stay there. That would be her preference — to stay there as much as possible.
And while Fitz drove Karen over to Rye — the opportunity provided Fitz some time to talk with his daughter about things just the two of them.
"Hey," he said, looking in the rearview mirror.
She'd been looking thoughtfully out the window before, but her dad's voice caught her attention.
"Yeah?" Karen replied.
"I just…wanted to chat with you for a minute just the two of us," he said. "I know…we haven't gotten a chance to talk much yet since Olivia's been back with us. And I just wanted to…check in. Talk. See how…you were feeling."
"How I'm feeling about…Olivia being here?" Karen asked.
"Mhm," he nodded, trying to figure out how he wanted to ask this. But instead, he just came out and said it. "Has it uh…has it been weird?"
Karen shook her head. "No, not weird. I was so excited for Olivia to come back. Plus, I know what it's like to live with her. We did it once before already, daddy."
He chuckled, nodding in response. "Yes, yes, I know we have. I just…wanted to make sure, because I know things are a little…different now."
She caught his drift and nodded. "Yeah. Different 'cause…now you guys can't stop kissing?"
"Um…" he laughed, scratching his head nervously. "Yes. That's one way to put it."
"It doesn't bother me, daddy," she shrugged. "I mean, it's a little weird. Because…you're my dad. And kissing is gross. And…I only ever saw you kiss mom before."
He nodded understandingly. "Yes. I understand that."
"But…I know I will get used to it. It's just like the other changes we've had to get used to. And it doesn't bother me because…I love Olivia. And because it seems…normal," Karen said. "It just seems like…how it's supposed to be. Like how you and mom should have been, but…you weren't."
"Mhm," he nodded along.
"You are just…so different with Olivia than you were with mommy," Karen wondered aloud. "In…a really good way. It's one of those…good changes."
Fitz sighed, taking in the insane maturity level of his daughter. She'd grown a ton in the past year, that was for sure. He supposed a divorce could do that to a kid.
"Yeah, honey," he agreed. "Olivia and I are…we've got something different. Something that's…"
"Real," Karen nodded.
He hadn't wanted to be that blunt to his daughter, but she just went for it. So he nodded.
"Yes. Real."
"Like Prince Eric and Ariel," Karen shrugged.
"Uh-huh," he laughed. "Just like that. But I don't…I don't think Liv is a mermaid."
"Dang it," Karen giggled. "That would be so cool if she was."
"True," he said. "But…she's pretty cool already, huh."
She smiled and nodded. "Totally."
"Totally," he agreed. "Thank you, K. For being honest with me. It's important to me to know how you're feeling."
Karen nodded back with a smile. "You're welcome, daddy. I'm glad you are so happy."
He smiled at her in the mirror. "I am happy. Very happy. And I hope you are too. Even if…there are still some things to get used to."
"I am," Karen nodded with a smile. "I really am, dad."
He exhaled a small sigh of relief, and sat back comfortably in the driver's seat.
After that, he wasn't sure the day could get any better.
Nothing could beat hearing that your kid was happy. Especially when it had been such an uncertain subject over the past couple of months.
"I'm so glad, sweetheart."
"She really said that?" Olivia asked.
"Every word," Fitz nodded.
Olivia also let out a sigh of relief.
"God, that makes me feel so much better," she admitted, leaning into him for a hug.
"I knew it would," he smiled, rubbing her back. "I don't ever want you to be afraid that she's going to view you differently."
"I know. I just…love her so much," Olivia replied.
"I know you do. I have always known it, right from the beginning," he nodded. "And she loves you right back. I don't think…she even knows what life is anymore without you in it. Neither of us do."
She laughed, feeling herself blush.
"Baby. You're so sweet," she whispered.
He pulled her closer to his chest as they lounged on the couch together.
"I'm not trying to be sweet. I am being honest," he said.
"I know you are," she smiled, putting a hand to his cheek. "And I love you for that."
"I love you too."
"So…how do we sing?" Karen asked, as they looked at the cake she'd decorated as soon as they'd gotten home from volleyball.
It was a pretty big cake. They'd stuck in three candles — since adding up their ages in candles probably wouldn't work. But each of them blowing out their own candle worked perfectly.
Now, they were just stuck on how exactly to kick off the birthday song.
"Well. How about…you and I sing to Olivia, since we already spent our birthdays together, and Olivia can sing to us, since none of us got to see her for any of our birthdays," Fitz suggested.
"Oh, yeah! That's perfect!" Karen exclaimed.
"That sounds like a plan — but I expect to hear both your voices loud and clear, you two! No shyness," Olivia warned.
"No way. I can easily sing in front of you and daddy," Karen nodded.
"Good, 'cause I want to hear some singing at the piano later, too," Olivia nodded. "Fitz?"
"What are you talking about? I'm not shy," he said.
Both his daughter and girlfriend looked at him with priceless looks on their faces, and they started to laugh.
"Daddy. You're shy," Karen said.
"What she said," Olivia agreed.
"Not in front of you two," he replied.
"You're right. Not shy in front of us. Just nervous in front of Olivia," Karen said, holding in a giggle.
Fitz and Olivia both opened their mouths in awe, but Olivia immediately burst into laughter, which sent Karen into laughter too.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Make fun of dad," Fitz chuckled.
That had Olivia laughing harder.
"I think it's sweet, baby," Olivia nodded, rubbing his back.
Karen was still giggling, leaning into her dad. "It's nice, dad."
He wrapped his arms around both of them with a smile.
"Alright. You get to start singing first for spilling my secret," Fitz said, nudging Karen.
"Okay," Karen shrugged, before taking a big breath.
"Happy Birthday to you…"
Fitz and Olivia then joined in as well, all of them singing to each other the song that they hadn't been able to sing this summer.
And with all of them having good voices — it sounded pretty damn good!
Olivia couldn't get over how matured Karen's singing voice had been becoming. She sounded more and more like Mellie every day. And nobody could deny, that that was a good thing. Her voice was beautiful.
When they'd finished their triple birthday
song and blown out their three candles, Karen gave a big cheer.
"Wooo! Triple birthday!" she exclaimed.
Fitz hugged them both tightly, and then covered his daughter's eyes as he leaned in toward Olivia. His fingers turned her chin and their smiling lips met.
"Happy birthday," he whispered.
"Happy birthday to you," she whispered back. "I love you."
"I love you," he whispered, kissing her once more. "I love you."
He could feel Karen trying to remove his hand from her eyes, giggling loudly. Which of course had Fitz chuckling too.
"Daddy, come on!" she laughed, pulling on his hand. "You've gotta be done now."
"Nope," he replied back, leaning in to kiss Karen's cheek now.
He gave her multiple, which only made her laugh harder.
What a wonderful, happy sound.
And a wonderful, happy night it turned out to be, too. With a delicious dinner, yummy cake, and presents too.
Their "triple fantastic birthday extravaganza" was the cherry on top of a great day, and a perfect start to the weekend.
Not to mention, it just felt so good to be back and spending quality time together all three of them.
Even after a long, slow summer, that weekend made it feel like they'd barely been away from each other at all.
Hello again, friends!
I hope you are all well. And I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
I do appreciate your patience, as always. I love to escape into the ASA world as often as I'm able.
Stay safe, and read on.
~T