Chapter Seven

The door to the small flower shop in Brooklyn creaked open with a deafening groan. Robin raised a brow as he stepped inside, looking over the interior walls which were rotting and smelling of damp mildew. Whoever owned this shop previously had left it to utter ruin which was a shame. The small shop was nestled in the heart of Williamsburg, surrounded by cafes, trendy restaurants, and art galleries.

However, the shop's new owner had hopes to change all that, and Robin was excited to be a part of it. This new project was more than a little flower shop, but an addition to the artistic community which was already buzzing with hype for it's opening.

"Hello?" he called into the gray, murky depths.

Stepping further inside, he took note of the years of dust collected on the counters, noticing the floor was littered with old boxes and paint buckets, tools and ladders, a long-ago renovation gone unrealized.

There was a trail through the thick of it, and he followed it, albeit hesitantly, to the back. "Hello?"

"Back here," a woman's voice called.

There were sounds of objects falling, and as he came around the corner, he reached out, catching a woman's hand in time to keep her from tumbling over a stack of old boxes. "Whoa, watch it." He held her steady until she got her footing. Her dark face was streaked with dirt, as was her flannel shirt right down to her jeans, but her eyes were as bright as her smile despite her appearance. "You alright?" he asked.

The woman laughed and took a step back from him. "I'm fine thank you. You must be Robin?"

"I am."

She held out her hand. "Marian Powell. Thanks for meeting with me… and catching me." She laughed, and taking her hand back from his, placed her hands on her hips. "I'm so sorry about missing you last week, I was just a little under the weather."

"No, it's fine," he said, shaking his head. "I was able to get quite a bit from all your notes and sketches."

"Oh, thank goodness." She looked relieved. "I'm so sorry there were so many. I hope they didn't annoy you?"

"Nonsense, they helped out tremendously." Robin looked around while pulling his own sketches from his bag. There wasn't a clean spot to be found within eye sight. He didn't mind getting a bit dirty, but he'd hate to have whatever filth there was all over the plans he worked so hard on. "Perhaps we should go over these outside under a bit of light?" he suggested, blaming the poor lighting and not the cleanliness.

"Oh I have a table set up in the back by the windows." She smiled at him, and he hoped she didn't notice the wash of relief he felt. With a chuckle, she turned and said, "Watch your step."

#

Regina's apartment was quiet on a late Monday night. The only sounds were coming from beside her in bed as Robin sketched away. The pencil strokes against paper and the occasional turn of the page of her book which neared its end were all she could hear.

… Zarah, Zelda, Zoe… Zoe was cute but, Regina's thoughts trailed off, another name immediately replacing it.

Her daughter had a room. She had clothes, and toys, and blankets, and newborn swaddle diapers because they were the softest of any of the other brands, and she didn't care if they were five dollars more expensive. She even had a carseat, ready to take her home from the hospital as soon as she was ready.

What she didn't have was a name, or maybe she did have one, because there was not one name in that entire book she liked more than the one that had been stuck in her mind for over a week now.

No, not liked. Loved.

Closing the book, Regina tossed it to the floor with an ceremonious thump.

Robin's hand stopped mid stroke, and his eyes rose to hers, an amused question in those blue depths before he let out a chuckle. His arm that was wrapped around her back pulled her closer. She felt his lips place a kiss on her head and then his voice asked, "Still nothing striking you?"

She took a breath. An anxious hope blooming in her chest with an equal dread twisting her stomach into knots when she thought about how he might react to the name. While most of the names they had discussed up until this point had mostly been in fun, none of them she'd actually considered. She hoped he loved the name that had stuck with her as much as she did. She didn't want to fathom how disappointed she would be if he didn't.

"Actually, Robin..." His eyes had fallen back to the paper, to the task he'd been working so hard on, so she waited until she had his attention once again before continuing.

He must have sensed her waiting for him because after a moment he looked up. "Hmm?"

She shifted beside him to face him. Her hand caressing the spot where the baby was stretching out trying not to wince as her little feet dug into her side. "What do you think of the name Olivia?"

"Olivia," he echoed slowly as if trying the sound out. His hand rubbed over her belly softly, and she threaded their fingers together. He smiled at her softly, before tossing his sketchbook and pencil to the end of the bed, then took her hand once more. "It's very pretty. The question is do you like it?"

"I really do. When I heard it the other day it wasn't like all those other names," she said, waving her hand toward the book abandoned on the floor, "I could picture her when I said it…That probably sounds stupid…"

"It doesn't."

Licking her lips, she barreled on. "Anyway, I haven't been able to get it out of my mind."

"Do you mean the little one in the store?" he asked, and she smiled. He remembered her, too. Dipping his head, he placed a soft lingering kiss on her lips, and she hummed, loving little moments like this with him. He eased back a few inches so they could look into one another's eyes. "I love it. I hear you say it, and I imagine her a lot like the girl in the store. A little beauty with your dark hair and beautiful smile."

His hand rose, his fingers tracing along her chin, tipping it up gently. Her eyes fluttered closed, their lips meeting again in an open-mouthed kiss that sent a tingling up her spine. She loved him so much. Not only had she gotten lucky but her sweet little girl, their little girl, was about to have the best father a child could ask for.

A father that was quite possibly hers biologically, and why shouldn't he know that? If the baby was his, she owed it to not only her daughter but to him to know the baby he was willing to take as his own was actually his. As improbable and astonishing as it was, they both deserved to know.

Placing a hand on his chest, she gentled away from their kiss.

The smile he once had only a few minutes ago, became a concerned frown and deepened the crease in his brow. "What wrong?"

"I need to tell you about something about… about her father."

He shook his head. "Regina, if you don't want to talk about it just yet we don't have to."

"I know, but…" she sighed.

"Would it help if I asked you questions?"

Her shoulders lifted and fell. "It might."

"How long were you together?"

"We weren't… it wasn't like that. It only took the one time…" Jesus, Regina you're talking about a tube of sperm. You can say it. She felt her cheeks redden. "I mean, it was…"

"Did you… love him?" His voice, while strong, had lowered considerably.

Her eyes fell away, she reached down and grasping his forearm, admitted, "No. I didn't know him."

"He didn't force you…"

This time his words were spoken with a hardness she felt the need to quickly assure him otherwise. "No, it wasn't like that," she said softly while holding his blue gaze. "I… It just happened and then..."

"Regina, if you're ashamed..."

"I'm not ashamed." Just tell him! Her head fell on his shoulder."Why is this so hard?"

"Regina, let me stop for you a moment. If, as you say, it was just that once and you felt nothing for him and he didn't hurt you, if you don't want to tell me how it happened, you don't have to." He swallowed and looked like the next part he'd rather not say but wanted to get it over with. "I'm quite aware of how babies are made... but while I'd rather you not draw up a picture of it, if it's something you feel you need to tell me I'll listen."

Maybe if she had gone out and had sex with some random man and gotten pregnant this might have been easier, but she hadn't. It didn't surprise her he thought that's what had happened. After all, what twenty-four year old went out and got pregnant on her own?

There wasn't many.

"Robin…"she said, trailing off, picturing his reaction. His shocked face. Being unable to understand the hows and whys and needing time, needing space away from her… leaving her. Those thoughts alone brought tears to her eyes. Brought them spilling down her cheeks from her absurd fears. His brow creased even more. Concern spilling off of him in waves, and his hand came up to cup her cheek. His fingers tangling behind her ear into her hair the way that it always did, the way that made her feel so incredibly cherished and loved. "I… I want ice cream."

He blinked. "What?"

"I've wanted some for days," she half lied, reaching up and wiping away her tears. She was a coward. "I just haven't made it to the store to get some."

The way his eyes held onto hers made her feel like he knew. Like he knew it was important to her but for whatever reason she was backing away, and the worst part of it all was it was okay with him. Just like telling him the truth would be just as fine. "Would you like me to go get you some?" he asked with a small crooked smirk, right before he rubbed his hand over her belly.

She sniffed and tried hard to reign in her tumbling emotions, wanting to laugh at herself for now really wanting ice cream. An overpowering need to get out of the apartment with him and get some air had her lifting the blanket away from her. "I'll go with you."

An hour later, she huffed out a breath into the Manhattan air. "This is just what I needed."

"I have to say it's been a long time since I've had ice cream at midnight."

"That's when it's the best," she chuckled. They walked side by side with his arm draped behind her back, his thumb hooked into her pants pocket, as they walked down the street toward his car. They each held cones, his a two-scooped chocolate chip mint and hers, Chocolate Mousse Royale.

Just as they neared the car, he stopped them. Turning towards her, he said, "Regina, I want to tell you something." Her heart sped up, suddenly nervous about what he might have to say. With a breath, he went on, "I know you think you need to tell me what happened with the baby's father, but I want you to hold off worrying about that right now. She's going to be here soon, and I'm worried you have this built up so big in your mind that it's starting to upset you." She opened her mouth, was about to tell him that it wasn't so, but she knew that it was. Instead of interrupting him, she let him continue. "Later, after she's born, when things are settled, and we have time for a nice long chat without having to worry about getting this little one worked up, then we can talk about him. Until the time comes, let's just pretend it's always been just us and no one else, hm?"

Suddenly she wasn't in the mood for ice cream anymore. Tossing the half eaten cone into the trash bin beside them, she wrapped her arms around his middle. He smiled, his own cone following after hers, and cupped her face between his palms before lowering his face to hers. Their kiss was sweet and tasted of chocolate and mint.

"I don't know how I got so lucky to have found you," she murmured in the space between their lips.

He pulled away and shook his head. "No, it was me who got lucky. After all, you almost didn't hold that elevator door for me."

A laugh bubbled up from her chest. She never would have let it close on him. She may have wanted to, may have been in the most horrendously irritated mood that day, but that didn't mean she didn't have manners, and in the end it worked out for her.

"Let's go back home. There's something I want more than ice cream."

Biting his lower lip, she watched as his eyes darkened before capturing her lips once more. "What could that be, I wonder?" he teased, making her cheeks flame.

She stepped back and took one of his hands in hers, giving it a gentle tug. "I'm sure your imagination can come up with a couple of things."

"Oh trust me, my darling, my imagination is far ahead of you."

Regina laughed and tugged harder, their steps moving forward but their thoughts already at home on the things she would try to outdo that imagination of his.

#

With a few final touches, Robin sat up from where he'd been hunched over a set of plans and rubbed the back of his neck. Looking around the shop, he could easily picture how it would transform over the coming months. There was more to be done, he would probably be working over these for the next few months, but now he had the general layout built around Miss Powell's specks and that was all he would need for a while now.

"Well alright, I think that'll do." He heaved a grateful sigh, noting he still had plenty of time to beat the package he was having delivered later that night. Packing up his things, Robin flashed the owner a smile. "I'll get to work on this and give you a call when I get the first drafts done."

"Sounds great."

He took a look outside. The sun was low in the sky but no where near setting. "Thankfully we got done before it got too late. I'm sorry again about the late start this morning."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It gave me a chance to grab a bite to eat." Marian tucked her long, dark hair behind her ears and licked her lips. "Speaking of, we haven't really eaten anything. Do you have to get back to the office? Would you like to get dinner?"

Placing the strap of his bag on his shoulder, Robin swallowed, needing a moment to figure out a way to get out from what could be an awkward moment between them. He was flattered by her offer, but his heart was taken. And he could tell by the way she looked at him, and the way her eyes lingered on his, it wasn't meant as a professional dinner between client and architect. At least, he didn't think so anyway.

Either way, he wasn't about to assume or let her think that he had other intentions, so instead he answered as obtusely as possible. "Actually, I am in a bit of a hurry, I apologize. I'm surprising my girlfriend with this bassinet she's had her eye on, and I've managed to track one down at this little shop in Long Island."

Her mouth dropped open a bit, and she straightened her stance, her body language changing immediately after mentioning not only Regina, but the baby as well. "Oh, no, I don't want to keep you." She walked around to the other side of the table, as if purposely putting distance between them. Her voice was kind and curious when she asked, "When is your baby due?"

He grinned at that as he took his jacket from where he had it draped on the back of his chair. "October 8th."

"Do you know what you're having?"

"A girl."

"Aw, how sweet." Her smile was genuine as she rocked back on her heels. "Are you excited?"

Robin blew out a breath. It was the first time someone had asked him that away from Regina. While the baby might not be biologically his, he felt just as over the moon to meet her as he would be if she were his. "Excited and terrified but mostly the former. Her mother and I can't wait for her to be here."

"Congratulations. She sounds like she's already well loved."

"That she is. Well loved and unapologetically spoiled." They shared a smile, and with that he said, "I'll be in touch soon."

#

The detour from his apartment back into the city was madness. He only stopped to get another change of clothes, but a broken pipe on one street took him several blocks out of his way and through Park Slope, causing him and the rest of Brooklyn commuting into the city. At least he had his own car though.

It was at a particularly long stop he looked over and saw a For Sale sign being put up outside a brownstone. He couldn't say what struck him so. Perhaps it was the draw of the family neighborhood or that he always envisioned when he settled down it would be in a brownstone such as the one for sale, whatever it was had him flipping on his signal and parking a little ways down the street.

Luckily for him, by the time he reached the home, the realtor was still there. "Excuse me. Is there a chance I could have a look at it?"

The man smiled. "You in the market?"

"I may be depending on the price," he said.

The man held out his hand. "Charles Dawson."

"Robin Locksley."

With a clap on the back, the older man proceeded up the steps. "What do you do for a living, Robin? Do you mind if I call you Robin?"

"Not at all, and I'm an architect for a firm in the city."

"Excellent."

#

When Robin called her on Wednesday from work telling her he had something he wanted to show her and if she wouldn't mind going for a drive to Brooklyn, looking at real estate wasn't at all what she thought they'd be doing. So when the smiling man in the expensive, long overcoat smiled at her from the top of the brownstone steps, she had to work hard for her mind to catch up with what was going on before she could return it with one of her own.

The man unlocked the door with a knowing smile at Robin before telling him, "I'll be right out here if either of you have any questions."

Heart thudding, she held tight to Robin's hand as he pulled her inside.

The walls were white, and the wooden floors had spots where the wood finish was coming up. The entry way was dark, but when they rounded the corner into what she assumed was the living room, light flooded in from the many picturesque windows.

"Watch your step here, darling. There's just a bit of loose boarding there," he said.

Looking down, sure enough there was a spot where someone had taken to pulling up the floor. "What is this place?" Then it dawned on her that maybe this was another project he had at work and probably just wanted to show her. Dumb, she thought. A mixture of relief, yet slight disappointment, settled in her middle. "Is this another work thing?"

"Hm? Oh, well no." He got that look, the one where she'd catch him looking at her too long or like the one he had when he told her he wasn't doing anything on his phone when in fact, he'd been buying her a bassinet she'd just shown him in a magazine. That guilty I'm not up to anything look, when he really was up to something. "This is, well… this is a place I've been looking at… for us."

Her brows rose. "Oh?" Regina's breath suddenly left her. He had been looking for a home with her.

"What do you think of us living together?"

Was it possible for one's heart to skip a beat? She didn't think so but it felt that way. But then that would mean leaving the city and her apartment that she loved. "Here?"

"Well not right away," he said. "I still would need to make an offer and get approved, but if all that goes well, I have a few ideas, it needs some fixing up and it may take a little while to get it all complete. A year or two."

Oh, well that was… different. Curiosity rose up inside her wondering what he envisioned for them. She tucked her hair back behind her ears and gave one of her first real smiles since they arrived. "What were you thinking?"

He took her by the hand again and tipped his head to the right. She followed him though the rest of the living room and into the kitchen. The architect in him showing as he told her about the ideas he had. The way he would make the rooms bigger by getting rid of unnecessary cabinets and bulk. How he would keep the exposed brick and fireplace to display its character.

Already noting the one bedroom downstairs when he began to lead her up the stairs, she asked, "How many bedrooms does this have?"

"Well there are six."

Her mouth fell open. "Six?"

She could hear him laughing before his hand pulsed in hers. "Hang on before you hate it." They walked a little ways down the hall and into one of the first bedrooms. "Picture this, these two bedrooms here," he said, pointing to the one they were in and the one beside it, "we could merged them into one and this bath back here could be expanded. I could make the closet bigger for you…"

She lifted a brow, impressed. "So this whole side, will be our room?"

A nod and a smug, "It would."

"And we'd have four other rooms for?" she asked, pretty sure she knew the answer but wanted him to say it.

"One for Olivia," he began with a smile. "The one downstairs could be a guest bedroom… and the other two could be an office or for whomever else may come along."

Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. "Do you want more children?"

"I would like perhaps another when we're ready. What about you?"

Yes, she thought. Who wouldn't want to have babies with him? She nearly laughed at herself. At them. Who'd have thought they be here so soon. "You might want to ask me that in another couple months…" They shared a small chuckle, and then she admitted, "You know... I can see us here with the baby and maybe even a couple more someday."

"Is that a yes, then?"

"It's a ye-," she started but was cut off by his lips on hers. She giggled at him, how happy she just made him, before pulling herself back. "But what about until then? Are you saying I'm going to have to wait until this is finished until I can sleep next to you every night?"

He never stopped smiling. "I'm open to suggestions."

"Live with us until then," she suggested, loving the idea of them living together but not wanting to wait a year or more. They could save money this way while he built them the house she imagined Olivia and their future children growing up in.

"Move into the city and live with my girls? How could I ever say no to that?"

#

Emma came over on Friday with Henry. They were going to meet Neal somewhere downtown after he closed up, something about dinner with his father, but she hadn't really been paying attention. The movie they were watching had her undivided attention at that moment and she was doing her best not to cry from it.

Emma must have noticed her lack of attentiveness because she came into the room and asked, "What are you guys watching?"

"Mamma Mia," Robin answered.

"Oh God," Emma began. The blonde knew how much she had been looking forward to this movie to coming out. They went to the theater to watch it together just after Regina found out she was pregnant. She'd cried nearly all the way through it. Watching the girl on the screen looking for her father, wanting to know the man she never knew pulled at Regina in a real way. It made her situation all too real and had her imagining a future in which her own son or daughter would grow up wondering like Sophie. "Is she crying yet?"

Regina narrowed her eyes and snapped."Shut up."

She felt Robin place a kiss on her head right before he chuckled and said, "Only a couple times now."

"Aww, don't be grumpy preggers. You don't gotta cry now. Baby girl won't grow up without a daddy, she's got one right there."

That may be but Regina still glowered at her friend. "I wasn't crying because of that." She might have been had she not met Robin… No, she would have, but now it was because Olivia wouldn't have to go through that. However, in her own defense, she thought she would have been a lot like Meryl Streep's character. Strong, independant, raising her daughter with all the love she had and it being enough. "I think I would have done fine on my own."

"Of course you would have." It wasn't Emma's voice but Robin's who answered. "You'd have been brilliant. Father or no father."

Emma snorted. "Yeah… we just refer to him as 'sperm donor.'"

"Hey now, you're giving donors a bad name," Robin quipped.

"Oh yeah, you ever donate?" Emma asked while getting to her feet to follow her wandering son around the living room.

Robin cleared his throat, and Regina's heart lurched.

Oh God. He wasn't. He hadn't.

"In all honestly, I did."

She couldn't breathe. He was the baby's father. She'd suspected but never known it for sure. She could ignore the nagging feeling and tell herself it was just a coincidence before but knowing he had donated, she couldn't deny it anymore. There he was. The sandy blonde haired, blue-eyed, 5'9 man from the profile she picked.

The one and only donation he had she taken.

He'd been watching her reaction, and she tried to remain as calm as she could in his arms but when he started speaking again, she couldn't just sit there with his arms wrapped around her while he talked about it.

"About a year ago, right before I went on my internship," he said, and she was sure his eyes were following her as she got to her feet. His throat cleared and then he went on, "I needed the money for it, and it was for a good cause, you know? Helping some family have a child."

Regina reached down and picked up Henry. She watched Emma, whose eyes never left her, and knew she was thinking the same as she.

Robin got to his feet and walked across the room. He frowned at her uncertainly. "Does it bother you?"

"No, of course not, why should it?" She handed him the baby. Tears prickled at her eyes, so she avoided his gaze, and said, "I'm going to go take a bath."

His "Alright," was the last thing she heard as she left the room. He didn't follow and thankfully neither did Emma.

#

A half an hour went by and there was no sign of Regina coming out of the bathroom anytime soon. Emma had been giving him looks of sympathy during that time. Perhaps he should have told Regina before then, but it wasn't something he could change; it happened before they met. Surely, she wouldn't fault him for it. She had too big of a heart for that.

Soon the movie ended, and Emma had either decided it was time for them to go, or got tired of watching him glance down the hall every five minutes because she left with Henry just as soon as the credits started to roll.

Finally alone with her, Robin made his way back toward the bathroom. She was still inside when he stepped in front of the door. He listened and thought he heard her sniff. The thought she'd been crying in there now for so long alone clawed him with guilt.

Knocking softly, he said, "Love, you've been in there a while. Emma's gone…" Silence. So she was upset by it. He swore to himself. If only he'd thought that it wasn't the right time to admit to something like that, to her friend instead of who it should have been, to her, no less, she might not be so upset with him. He took a deep breath and barreled on, "Regina, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything right then like I did, but didn't want to lie about it either. It wasn't something I set out to do, it was a thing Killian talked me into to help pay for my internship… dumb when you think about it, really, but I'd hoped to help someone…" More sniffing had him leaning against the wall beside the door. "What can I do, love?"

The door opened, and he pushed himself away from the wall.

She turned to him with red eyes, and his heart sank then and there. "Nothing, I'm glad I know. I mean, I've suspected it but…"

"Suspected what, love?"

"I need to show you something." He walked with her into her room and stood just inside the door as she went over to her dresser. She lifted the lid of a box, taking out a folded piece of paper from within. She turned slowly to face him, and for the first time he couldn't read the expression in her eyes for they held so many emotions all at once.

He took a few steps closer. "What's that?"

"It's what I should have told you. What I've been trying to tell you for a while now, but also something I should have told you from the beginning."

"Is this about the baby's father?"

"Yes."

His gut twisted with anxiety thinking she was about to tell him the thing in her hand was something she'd received from him. From that blasted asshole who slept with her and left her. His jaw tightened. He'd never truly hated a man more. "He wants you back then."

"No, it's nothing like that." She shook her head then took the final few steps, closing the distance between them. Her hand fell on his chest, and he reached up, holding it there and hopefully provide comfort for her. There was a long pause and then she said, "Robin, I've only ever been with two men in my life. Daniel and you."

His brow furrowed. That didn't make any sense. "But you lost him over a year ago?"

"I did." She seemed to gain a bit more confidence as she stood taller and her voice stronger than it was before. "You see, I didn't go out and accidentally get pregnant. I did this to myself."

What in the world was she saying? He tilted his head to the side. "I'm sorry, love, I don't follow…"

"After Daniel passed away I didn't think I would ever be able to love someone like that again. It's stupid I know, especially now, but at the time I never dreamed it could happen again. That I could love someone even more than Emma got pregnant with Henry, I thought perhaps if I had someone to love... My own child, life wouldn't be so hard to live alone. I chose to have her all on my own. I did some research on my own, then went and saw my doctor who gave me my options. Three months later, I found a donor, and got pregnant my first try."

"A donor?" he echoed, hearing her words but not processing them fully over the pounding of his heart.

"Yes. I didn't realize until I was telling my mother about you how similar you and the donor were. I thought it was all a big coincidence, even though I hopped it wasn't. That maybe you could be…" she trailed off, it was then he realized his hand had fallen from where it had covered hers. "I didn't really believe it to really be possible until you mentioned to Emma that you had donated."

"You think…" His voice cracked. His hand took purchase on his hips as he shook his head. This was impossible. Of all the possibilities in this city alone, how they could possibly end up together…It was improbable and yet… if she had chose his… then her daughter… their daughter... "You think she's mine?"

He watched as a tear fell down her cheek then to the paper she lifted between them. "There's only one way to know for sure."

He took the paper from her. His eyes holding hers, which were filled with uncertainty but even more than that there was hope. Unfolding the paper, he expected to find his donor profile, maybe even his background information, anything but what it was. His eyes burned as what she was saying, the importance of what he was holding, began to sink in. "How… this is the letter I wrote to the child."

"Your child. Yours and mine." She was crying in earnest now as she reached out and took his hand, placing it on her belly. "And she's right here."

"Regina…"

"I'm sorry, Robin."

"No, don't…" He reached up and took her face between his palms. He didn't want her to apologize. There was nothing to apologize for. He had a daughter. He was a father. And this beautiful, amazing woman… the woman he was desperately in love with was having his child. His forehead touched hers and he closed his eyes when his own tears fell. "Olivia's ours."

Her hands grasped his wrists. "She is. She's ours."

"I love you, Regina." He kissed her brow. "I love you so much, I cannot put it into words."

"You're not upset?"

He pulled away, his eyes locked with hers. "Upset? Regina, I wanted to be your child's father before I knew she was mine. And now… I'm overwhelmed to say the least."

"When I decided to have a baby it was because I never dreamed I could have this." Her hands tightened around his wrists. "Now that I know it's you… I've never been so happy. I love you, Robin, so much."

"May I?" His eyes looked down at her belly and then back up blue meeting brown.

She let out a watery laugh. "Go ahead."

Dropping to his knees, he placed a kiss on her belly, then clearing his throat that was tight with emotion, he began, "Hey Olivia, do you know how much your daddy loves you, hm? I'll tell you it's so much, and when you get here I plan to never put you down." He heard Regina laugh and he looked up to see her shaking her head. Her smile nearly knocking him back with how beautiful she was in that moment. He wanted to kiss her, but he was having a chat with his daughter, and he would attend to that in a minute, for now he returned his focus to Regina's belly, to his little girl. "I love you and your beautiful mother more than you'll ever know, and I promise, darling, I'll spend everyday of my life making sure you both always know that."