Chapter Nine

The two of them plus Miss Josie made their way down the neighborhood. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and there was a comfortable silence between the two of them.

"Do you think it's okay that I'm coming with you to pick up Mira?"

"Are you kidding me?! Mira is going to be excited. She really likes you. She isn't one to attach quickly to people, but it seems that there is something about you that she feel comfortable with."

Olivia smiled, "I could say the same about her. She is a sweet little girl and very intuitive with people's feelings. You've done a great job raising her."

"I'm glad you think so. It's been hard raising her alone but I'm glad that my mom was around to help me juggle being a single dad and working. My mom has firsthand knowledge of what it's like to be a single parent."

"What happened with your dad, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My dad passed away when I was fifteen. He was killed by a drunk driver. It was tough but my mom really pulled my sister and I together and just kept going. I knew if she could do that after losing the love of her life, I could raise Mira on my own."

"I'm sorry to hear about that. I hope I didn't bring up bad memories."

Fitz squeezed her hand and smiled, "No you didn't. I've made my peace with his death a long time ago. I'm thankful for the memories I had with him."

"I have a question and you don't have to answer if you don't want."

"What's the question? I want to be an open book with you."

"What happened with Mira's mom? It's clear that she isn't in the picture."

Fitz sighed, "Mellie just wasn't meant to be a mother. We had a great marriage to begin with, but things changed and started to get rocky. When she was pregnant with Mira, she just wasn't as excited as I was. She gave birth to Mira and left soon after. I was a single parent from the beginning. She hasn't even seen Mira since she was born."

"Fucking bitch."

Fitz laughed at Olivia's outburst.

"Wait that came out wrong," Olivia was embarrassed that those words came out of her mouth about a person she really didn't know.

Fitz continued to laugh and shook his head, "No, you're absolutely correct. She really is a bitch, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. I had become a father and Mira has been first ever since."

Olivia couldn't get enough of his deep laugh. God help me, she thought, I am in trouble.

"Well like I said before you've done an amazing job with her. Her mother didn't deserve a daughter like Mira. She's a special little girl."

"Thank you for saying that," Fitz gave Olivia a small smile.

Before the two of them knew it, they had arrived at Mira's friend's home which was about four houses down from Olivia's.

Fitz knocked and a tall, brunette woman opened the door.

"Hey Fitz! Mira is all ready for you."

"Hey Lauren. Thanks for setting up this playdate and I hope Mira wasn't any trouble."

Before anyone could say anything else, Mira came running out the door and into Fitz's arms, "Daddy, you came for me!"

Fitz groaned as he picked her up, "Of course I did lovebug! Now say goodbye to Lauren and Maddie."

Olivia watched the two of them with loving eyes. The times she had seen them interact had always been special.

"So, Fitz you aren't going to introduce me to your friend before you leave?"

"Miss Liv!" Mira yelled and quickly got out of Fitz's arms. She ran into Olivia's legs.

Olivia smiled at Mira's outburst. It warmed her heart to see her excited just to see her.

"Hey sweetie. You look cute today." Olivia said with a warm smile.

"Tank you."

Olivia didn't want to be rude, so she stuck her hand out to shake Lauren's hand.

"Hi, I'm Olivia."

"She's my teacher!"

"Nice to meet you, Olivia." Lauren shook her hand.

"You as well."

Lauren gave Fitz a knowing look. They've been friends for years so Fitz knew that he would be getting a text later today asking him all about Olivia.

"Thanks again for watching Mira, Lauren."

"You know it's no problem Fitz! I'll talk to you later. It was nice to meet you, Olivia."

"Nice to meet you too."

Fitz grabbed Mira's hand and Mira grabbed Olivia's hand. As they walked away from Lauren's house in the direction to Olivia's, Lauren looked at the trio who already looked like a family.

"Miss Liv, are you coming home wit us?" Mira looks up at her.

"No honey. You guys are dropping me off at my house, but I will see you tomorrow in class."

Mira sighed, "Okay."

"I promise we will have tons of fun tomorrow at school."

"Okay."

The trio arrived at Olivia's front door. It was time to say goodbye even if they really didn't want to.

"So, this is me. Thank you for walking me to my door. You guys didn't have to do that."

"Of course, we did. Didn't we Mira?" Fitz gave Olivia a smile.

"Yeah!"

Olivia and Fitz laughed at Mira's enthusiasm. The two of them looked at each other. Both of them thinking about a goodbye kiss but they didn't want to give Mira any idea of what was going on.

"Well thank you again. I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of the day." Olivia bent down and gave Mira a hug and a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. You be good for your dad."

"Okay, see you 'morrow." Mira gave Olivia a kiss on her cheek.

Olivia got back to her height and gave Fitz a look. She decided that she would take a chance. They did say they were going to take a leap of fate. She got close to Fitz and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye Fitz. Thanks for earlier."

Fitz couldn't help but blush at Olivia's kiss.

"No problem. See you later."

"See you later." Olivia opened the door and let Josie go in first. She turns around and waves goodbye to them.

"Bye Miss Liv," Mira says as she takes Fitz's hand and the duo walk away from Olivia.

Olivia sighs as she leans on her doorframe. She was in big trouble.

Monday came too quickly for everyone and Fitz groaned when he heard his alarm. It was time to get up and get started with his week. He took a moment to think about what occurred this past weekend. From seeing Olivia at the club to seeing her at the café, it seems like fate was putting them together. Now he was seeing her this morning when he dropped Mira off.

Mira had clearly gotten close to Olivia and Olivia seemed to love Mira just as much. It warmed his heart, but he couldn't get ahead of himself. They had a date on Saturday and that's when he would know what to do. But who was he kidding, he already knew that he was wanting to go all in with her. He sighed and got up from bed. He managed to shower and get dressed all before he went to wake up Mira.

"Mira, baby, time to wake up."

Mira turned her body away from him. "No daddy. Don't wan to."

"Come on Mira. It's time to get ready for school. You'll get to see Miss Liv."

It seemed that was the trick to get her up this morning because Mira took her blanket off and ran to the bathroom. Fitz laughed at his daughter's silliness.

She peaked her head out of the bathroom, "Daddy, water please?"

Fitz got up from Mira's bed and went to turn on her water. Mira was getting independent with her baths, so he only went in to check on her.

"Okay Mira, here you go. Don't take too long."

"I won't daddy."

An hour and a half later Mira and Fitz were on their way to her school. Both of them excited to see the teacher who had captured the Grant's heart. The two of them walked into the school and down the hallway, making their way through the crowds of kids and their own parents.

Olivia was at her door greeting the parents and kids as they walked in. She was wearing black pants and a yellow blouse. Her hair was pulled back into a half up, half down do. She looked gorgeous but to Fitz, she always did.

"Good morning Miss Mira and Mr. Grant," Olivia said with a bright smile on her face. She was waiting for her two favorite people to arrive.

"Hi Miss Liv," Mira said as she gave Olivia a hug.

"Hi," Fitz couldn't help but stare at her. Even though they had just seen each other the day before, it still felt like the first time he saw her.

"Hi."

Fitz knew that he had to go but he just couldn't get himself to say goodbye just yet. Unfortunately, more parents were making their way to Olivia's classroom, so his time was up.

"Okay lovebug give me one more hug and I'll see you later." Fitz bent down and gave Mira a hug before she walked into the classroom.

"I'll see you later Ms. Pope."

"Bye Mr. Grant."

Fitz winked at her and started to make his way out the building.

Olivia shook her head and continued to watch the man who had turned her world upside down leave.

XXXXX

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Fitz and Olivia were counting down the hours until they could see each other even if it was only going to be for a couple of minutes. Olivia shook her head as the bell rang singling the end of the day. She couldn't believe she was acting like this. She needed to get it together.

"Okay class please make sure you push your chairs and put everything away."

Her students did as they were told and gathered their stuff. Everyone was excited to head home for the day.

"Miss Liv, I made this for you." Mira came up to her with a picture she had drawn. It was three little stick figures. She could tell it was Fitz, herself, and Mira in the picture. She had even managed to include Josie. It really warmed her heart that Mira thought about doing something like this for her.

"Thank you so much Mira. I'm going to hang it up on the wall." Olivia gave her a hug and left the drawing on her desk.

One by one her students left with their parents. Olivia stood by the door saying her goodbyes as everyone left. Mira was the last student in her classroom, and she was wondering what was holding Fitz up.

"Is daddy here yet?"

"No, not yet sweetie. Why don't you draw a picture for him while you wait?"

"Okay." Mira went back to her seat and started to draw a picture.

Olivia glanced at the time and realized that it was already 3:10pm. Hopefully Fitz wouldn't be too long. Olivia was about to go back into her classroom when she saw a petite older woman walking towards her.

"Hi are you Miss Olivia?"

"Yes, I am, and you are?"

"Grammy!" Mira jumped out of her seat and ran towards her grandma.

"Hi baby. I'm sorry I'm late. Your daddy is still at work, so you are coming home with me."

"Okay." Mira looked a little sad, but she was excited to see her grandma.

"Now where are my manners! I'm Katherine Grant, Fitz's mom. Nice to meet you Miss Olivia. I've heard so much about you."

If Olivia could, she would be bright red in this moment. She did feel a little flushed after her comment.

"I hope it's all good things," Olivia nervously chuckled as she said that.

Katherine winked, "Definitely good things. You're just what this family needs."

"I – I mean – I don't know what to say," she stammered.

"You don't need to say anything. Just keep doing what you're doing." Katherine grabbed her hand and gave it a pat.

"Grammy, I ready!"

"Awesome honey. Say goodbye to Miss Liv and let's get you home."

"Bye Miss Liv," Mira said as she put her arms around Olivia's legs.

"Bye sweetie," Olivia said as she gently patted Mira's head.

Once Mira let go, she grabbed Katherine's hand and the two of them walked off. Olivia let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She had just met Fitz's mother and she had survived. She seemed like a sweet old lady who meant no harm. She was the complete opposite of Edison's mother who absolutely hated Olivia. Maybe this was another sign that things between her and Fitz were going to be different.

Fitz walked through the doors of his house. He was exhausted. He had meeting after meeting today causing him to miss pickup today. He knows this won't be the last time he misses picking up Mira, but he vowed to himself that he wouldn't miss many of them. It was important for him to be consistent, but these things happen. He also missed seeing Olivia. Sure, he saw her this morning, but he wanted more time with her. He was looking forward to it but now he would have to wait until tomorrow. God he sounded whipped already, he thought.

"Good evening my beautiful ladies."

"Daddy, you're home!"

Fitz picked Mira up and gave her a big kiss on her cheek.

"Hi lovebug. Sorry I missed pickup today."

Mira shrugged, "It's kay. I drawed something for you. Grammy put it on the fridge."

He made his way to the fridge, still carrying Mira, and noticed the drawing. It depicted what he believed to be him, her and Olivia. It warmed his heart that his daughter really liked her.

"It's beautiful baby."

"Tank you."

Fitz placed Mira down on the floor and Mira made her way to the living room to watch some television.

"Sorry I missed dinner mom and thanks for picking her up." Fitz gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't you worry about it and no need to thank me. The leftovers are in the microwave. Let me fix you your plate."

"It's okay I got it."

"So, I met Miss Liv today."

Fitz internally groaned. He knew what was coming.

"And…"

"She is very lovely, and I can tell why you and Mira really like her. Even though we didn't get much time to talk, I can already tell she is different. Way different than Mellie."

Fitz sighed and took his plate out of the microwave. He sat down next to his mom. She gave him a look.

"What mom? What's that look for?"

"This look is telling you not to mess this up and to continue to take those leaps of faith with her."

She patted his hand and left the kitchen, leaving Fitz alone with his thoughts.

Fitz sighed and decided to text Olivia to make sure she was okay after meeting his mom.

Hi – Fitz

He didn't have to wait for her response.

Hi. Missed you at pickup today but I did meet a very nice lady ;) – Olivia

Fitz let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. It seemed like Olivia was fine and he had nothing to worry about.

Missed you too. Glad to know my mom didn't embarrass me or scary you away lol – Fitz

Can't say I wasn't nervous or freaked out, but it wasn't bad. Your mom is sweet. I just wasn't prepared for that today – Olivia

I'm sorry. I should've let you know she was coming. It was one of those days where work took over. – Fitz

"Hey Fitz. I'm going to get Mira ready for bed if that's okay with you," his mom says as she walks back into the kitchen with Mira in hand.

"Yeah it's not a problem. Come give daddy a hug before you go upstairs, Mira."

Mira made her way to her dad and gave him a big hug before she went back with her grandma and upstairs. Fitz checked his phone and noticed Olivia had responded back.

Hope everything is okay and if you want to discuss anything, I'm here for you – Olivia

Her text warmed his heart. He hasn't had anyone to really discuss his work. It felt good to know that Olivia was someone he could talk to.

"Daddy I'm all clean!" Mira came running into the kitchen and straight into Fitz's legs. She looked up at him and give him the biggest grin.

"Look at you all nice and clean. Ready for bedtime?"

"Yes! You read to me please!"

"Alright, let's go." Fitz picked her up and went up to her room. He spotted his mom fixing Mira's bed.

"Mom I can take it from here. Why don't you head home?"

"Okay I'll leave you to it. Goodnight Mira." She gave her a kiss on her forehead and gave Fitz a hug.

"Night Grammy."

"Night mom. Let me know when you get home safe."

"I will but don't be fussing over me."

"I'll always fuss over you."

His mom laughed and walked out the door. He spent the next fifteen minutes reading two books to Mira. She loved trying to read along with him when she recognized the words. Before he could finish the third book, she was fast asleep. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and quietly left her room.

He decided that it was still early and headed down to his office. He realized he hadn't texted Olivia back and felt that maybe he should call her. Time to take another leap, he thought to himself. He pressed the call button and waited for her to answer.

"Hello Mr. Grant."

"Hi."

"Hi," Olivia giggled. God Fitz loved that sound and he wanted to hear more of it.

"I hope I'm not calling at a wrong time." He could hear some rustling in the background.

"Nope not a bad time at all. I was just wrapping up some future lesson plans. What about you? You left me hanging mister."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. It was bedtime for Mira, and I forgot to text you back."

Olivia laughed at how Fitz seemed worried about not responding.

"Fitz, it's fine. I'm just teasing you."

Fitz relaxed and said, "Okay good. I don't want you to think that I was ignoring you or anything."

"It's okay no harm done but going back to my text. Anything you want to talk about?"

Fitz sighed, "Nothing serious. It was just one of those busy days where I was dealing with meeting after meeting. I try not to get too caught up in work because I have Mira and she comes first but days like these happen so I can't beat myself about it."

"You really can't beat yourself up. You're a single dad and an attorney. I know my share of attorneys who would still put their work above their loved ones."

"Let me guess, an ex?"

Now it was Olivia's turn to sigh, "Yeah an ex. He was so determined to make partner that I became second choice. A lot more happened but I won't get into those details now."

"Your ex was an idiot to let you go but his loss is my gain and Olivia, you are something else."

"I hope that's a good thing." Olivia laughed nervously.

"A really good thing. I see how taken Mira is with you and I can say I'm feeling the same way. I can't wait for our date Saturday so I can show you how you should be treated."

"I can't wait for Saturday. I hope you have something good planned."

"Don't you worry. I'm going show you the time of your life."

Olivia laughed and looked at the time. It was getting close to midnight and she needed to go to bed but she really didn't want to say goodbye just yet. She wanted to lose herself in this moment with him, but she had to be responsible.

"Liv, you still there?" Her silence had him worried.

"Yeah, I'm still here but it's time to call it a night. I have to be up bright and early for my students."

Fitz looked at the time and didn't realize it was getting late. He also needed to be up early and even though saying goodbye was going to be hard, they had to end their conversation.

"I didn't realize it was getting late. I guess it's time to say goodbye."

"Bye Fitz. Sweet dreams."

"As long as you're in my dreams, they'll always be sweet."

Olivia laughed, "You are so corny! Goodbye mister."

Fitz laughed, "Bye Liv."

They hung up the phone; both of them content and happy. While they were both unsure about what the future was going to hold, they wanted to explore this feeling that they've never felt before. They went to bed dreaming about each other and their upcoming date.

The rest of the week was very busy for Fitz and Olivia. They were counting down the days until their date. Fitz had something amazing planned. He couldn't really take all the credit; his mom did help out with a couple of things. He just hoped that Olivia would enjoy it. He hadn't been on a date in about a year. He tried dating before, but he just couldn't get himself to really be in it.

Mira had been and will always be his priority so dating took a backseat, but Olivia has changed that. Now it was Saturday afternoon and he was preparing to pick up Olivia. He was extremely nervous and took a couple of deep breaths.

Mira was at her friend, Maddie's home for a playdate and his mom was picking her up afterwards. He didn't want Mira to ask questions on where he was going so he thought it was best to go about it like this. All Mira needed to know was that he had a work function.

Fitz walked down the stairs to find his mother in the kitchen as always. She was getting the ingredients ready for her famous cookies. She had a fun baking activity for Mira when she came back.

"Hey Fitz. Are you heading out already?"

"Yeah I am. How do I look?" Fitz was wearing dark blue jeans and a blue button down that made the color of his eyes pop.

"You look very handsome! Now go before you're late." His mom walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She also handed over the picnic basket that she had prepared for him.

"Okay okay, I'm leaving but if anything happens please call me. Thank you again for preparing this mom."

"Fitz stop worrying and no need to thank me. Enjoy yourself tonight."

Katherine basically pushes him closer and closer to the front door. Fitz got the hint and grabbed his keys.

"I will but I wouldn't be a parent if I didn't worry. Someone wise once told me that."

Katherine smiled, knowing that it was something she always told him.

"Okay I'm leaving now."

He gave her a hug and walked out the door. Fitz made a stop and picked up some red tulips for Olivia. He wanted today to be special and that meant going with something different that the typical red roses.

He pulled up to her driveway and took a deep breath before getting out of his car. He walked up to her front door and rang the doorbell.

Olivia opened the door and smiled.

"Hi."

"Hi."

AN: Next chapter is finally date night! Thank you so much for all the love you've given my version of Olitz. Wishing everyone a safe and healthy week. Until next Monday.

XOXO