Chapter Twenty-Six
Two months later – May
Olivia looked around her empty classroom. She couldn't believe another year has come and gone so quickly. She sighed. This school year really changed her in so many ways. Thinking back to the beginning of the year, she never thought she would be pregnant and engaged to the love of her life. She looked at her sixth month belly and smiled. She could feel her beautiful baby boy moving around. It was a feeling that would never grow old.
Baby boy Grant started to make his presence known last week when they were having a family movie night. It was Mira's turn to pick and she had chosen Trolls. Olivia thought back to that moment.
Olivia was cuddled on Fitz's side while Mira was the other side of her. Recently Mira wanted to get as close as she could to Liv and her baby brother. Fitz and Olivia thought it was cute. Mira was already fiercely protective of her brother. She picked up cues from Fitz and made sure her mommy wasn't picking up anything 'heavy' even if it wasn't. It was funny to watch a five year old try to take charge.
All of a sudden there was a faint little kick that Olivia felt. She was shocked but she wasn't sure if she felt what she felt. There were times where she could feel little flutters but this was different.
"Mommy baby brother kicked!" Mira said snapping Liv from her thoughts.
"You feel that?"
"He kicked?!" Fitz asked.
"Yeah he did. Here give me your hand," Liv grabbed his hand and placed it on top of her belly. All three hands, including Mira's, were waiting and that's when they felt it.
"It's my brother!" Mira said excitingly.
"Wow"
"Wow indeed," Liv said.
Fitz pulled her into a kiss while Mira kept her hand on Liv's belly waiting for more kicks from her brother. This was a moment neither of them would forget.
"Mommy! I'm ready to go!" Mira said when she walked into the classroom. Quinn was right behind her and smiled at Liv.
"You are?! Well let's go home," Liv grabbed her bag and turned off the lights to her classroom. It was bittersweet walking out the building and saying goodbye to Quinn. It felt like yesterday that the two of them walked together into the building and now it was over. She will forever be thankful to Quinn for taking good care of Mira and handled the transition really well. She knew she never had to worry about her little girl.
"Mommy will daddy be home?"
"No sweet pea. He won't be home until later but how about we surprise him with his favorite meal tonight?! Doesn't that sound like fun?!"
"YES! Lots of fun!"
Liv laughed at her excitement, "glad you agree!"
A trip to the grocery store and an hour later, the duo was home and getting dinner ready. Olivia was making shrimp fettuccine alfredo for the adults and a small batch of chicken alfredo for Mira. She had the bread sticks in the oven and was currently watching Mira make the salad or at least trying to make the salad.
"Where are my two favorite girls?" a deep voice came into the kitchen.
"Hi daddy! We made your favorites!"
"Hi, my little love bug. Thank you so much!
"Hey baby," Liv greeted him with a kiss.
"Hi and how's my baby boy doing?" he asked bending down and giving her belly a kiss.
She smiled, "he is doing well. He's been a little more active today which has been great."
He smiles and whispers to the baby one last time before the trio get ready for dinner where Mira was her usual talkative self and giving them all the details of her last day of school. By the time nighttime came around, Fitz had taken care of Mira's night routine while Olivia took that time to relax. She was relaxing in the bathtub when Fitz walked into their bathroom.
"Hey baby. Did she go to bed okay?" Liv asked.
"Yes she did. We didn't even make it through the book before she started to snore," he said laughing.
"My baby doesn't snore!"
"Yes she does and you know it," he responded and he started to undress himself to join her in the tub.
"Okay but she has the cutest little snore," she laughed.
Olivia moved herself forward to allow Fitz to sit behind her. The two of them just took a moment of silence together and relaxed in each other's arms.
"Hi Mr. Grant."
"Hi Mrs. Grant."
"Don't you mean soon-to-be Mrs. Grant?" Liv asked,
"Just a technicality. In ten months you'll officially be my wife but that's still not going to stop me from calling you Mrs. Grant."
"Well aren't you a charmer," Liv said as she got a little emotional.
"Just for you babe just for you."
"Mmm…so I've been thinking about a couple of baby names and wanted to know what you thought of them. I also wanted to know if you had any names in mind."
"Yeah I have a couple but let's hear what you have first," he said.
"Okay so Matthew, Jaxon, Mason, Elijah are my top four. My maybes include Isaiah, Alexander, and Aiden."
"Mmm…I had Mason and Aiden on my list. I do like Jaxon too."
"What about Mason Thomas Grant," Liv said as she turned around a little to see his reaction.
"Thomas?" he said getting emotional.
"Yes just like his wonderful daddy."
"Mason Thomas Grant. I love it," he said as he give a kiss on the lips.
"Me too. He is going to be just like his daddy. I can't wait."
"Me neither. Just three more months and he will be in our arms."
They spent a little more time in the tub before they got out and celebrated the name of their baby in bed.
"Liv! Hurry up before we're late!" Fitz called upstairs. It was the day of the maternity photoshoot that Liv had set up for the family. She had them all in coordinating outfits even Josie was going to be a part of it. Olivia had Fitz wear a gray short sleeve button down since it was too hot for a long sleeve and dark jeans while the girls were wearing yellow from what he remembered.
"I'm coming. Can you make sure everything we need is in the car? Lauren said she will meet us at the park," she said as her and Mira came down the stairs.
Fitz was speechless seeing Olivia and their daughter in matching yellow dresses. Olivia was wearing a pale yellow spaghetti strapped maternity dress that hugged her belly beautifully. She didn't want to do a long dress considering it was a hot summer day so the dress came a little above the knee. The dress was topped off with a nice little bow in the back. Mira was wearing a yellow dress that was a little bit darker than her mom's but had the matching bow in the back. Both of them had their beautiful curls on display.
"Wow! Look at my beautiful girls."
"Don't I look like a princess Daddy?!" Mira asked as she twirled in her dress.
"Yes you do and your mommy looks like a beautiful queen," Fitz responded and gave Olivia a peck on the lips, mindful that she was wearing lipstick.
"Thank you baby. Now can you check the car please?" Liv asked.
"Yes I'm going now. You guys do your last minute things and meet me outside."
Fitz left his girls to do their thing and double checked the car. Olivia had packed a picnic for them to eat as well as use for their pictures. She even had a letter board that displayed Mason's full name. They were going to be announcing the name in these pictures since at the moment no one but them knew the name.
"I think we are ready to go," Liv said when she got outside with Mira holding Josie on her leash.
"Perfect! Also everything is in the car so let's get going."
After a twenty minute drive, they arrived at the park that their photographer had suggested for their pictures. The minute Olivia saw the fountain, she was sold. She loved the idea of taking pictures with that as the backdrop.
"Hello Grant family," their photographer Sophia said.
"Hey Sophia. Great to see you again."
"You guys look like the picture perfect family. This is my husband and business partner Greg. He will be helping me out with today's shoot. Now I looked over some ideas that you sent over and I think they will work perfectly. I think we should start off with the pictures in front of the fountain and then work from there," Sophia said with a smile on her face.
"That sounds great! Let's get started," Liv responded.
Fitz let Olivia take over this and he just let her have her moment. Fitz just wanted to enjoy this day because he didn't get this kind of moment with Mellie and he was thankful he was getting this moment now. It would be great to look back at these pictures one day and remember the happiness they felt.
Olivia not only wanted this to be a maternity photoshoot but to also have daddy/daughter pictures between Fitz and Mira. She knew Fitz would appreciate having those moments with Mira.
Sophia first got some pictures with the couple while Mira and Josie were sitting patiently for their turn. Fitz and Olivia were facing each other with foreheads pressed against each other. Fitz's hands were on top of Liv's where they both had their hands on top of her belly. They were looking at each other and you could feel the love between the two of them.
I love you, Fitz mouthed to her.
I love you too she said back to him.
Next Fitz placed a kiss on her forehead, one hand on her neck and the other on her belly. Olivia was smiling with her eyes closed and hands around his neck.
"Oh these are turning out so beautifully! Are we ready to incorporate Mira and Josie?" Sophia commented.
Mira perked up at her name. She was ready to get in on the action. Sophia decided to move them out more into the field where they could set up their picnic. Fitz helped Liv get on the ground and he would be sitting behind her so she would lay back on him. Sophia decided to have Mira and Josie running around in the background in the picture to capture the family dynamic. She even captured some solo pictures of Mira twirling around in her dress.
"Okay I think I want to capture some pictures with Mira and Olivia if that's okay with you guys?" she asked the couple.
"That's perfectly fine. I would love to take a break anyways," Fitz laughed and carefully got up but first made sure Olivia was in comfortable position. Fitz called Josie over to him and Mira sat right next to Liv on the blanket.
"Okay so for now I just want you guys to act natural with each other and then we can go into some poses if we need to," Sophie pointed the camera that them and started taking the pictures.
"Mommy look a ladybug!" Mira pointed out to the bug that had landed on her hand. They shared a smile and Liv could hear the click of the camera but she didn't let it affect her. Eventually the ladybug flew away and Mira waved goodbye to her little friend. Liv pressed a kiss on her little girl's head and took a second to appreciate this moment she had with her. Soon the time will come where she won't be the only child but she knew her daughter would take it all in stride.
"Oh! My brother is moving," Mira said and she placed her hand on her mommy's belly.
"Hi baby brother. I love you so much," she whispered to her belly. She laid her head gently so she could feel the little kicks that she loved to feel so much. Fitz smiled at the beautiful moment that was happening in front of him. He couldn't wait to see the pictures that would come out of this day.
The day continued on and they took several more pictures including ones with Fitz and Mira who decided they wanted to have a dancing party together so Fitz pulled out his phone and started to play her favorite playlist. Olivia believes that those will be her favorites out of all the ones they took. It captured Mira's innocence so well.
"Okay let's get these last family shots and we will be finished," Sophia said. These last pictures would be the ones where they would be announcing the baby's name. Sophia wanted Fitz and Olivia holding up the letter board and sharing a kiss and then they would add Mira and Josie.
"Eww no more kisses," Mira called out to her parents with her nose scrunched up. This caused them to laugh which Sophia captured. It was a beautiful moment captured on film.
"Okay Mira, why don't you join your parents?"
"Okay!"
This time the entire family was sitting on the blanket with Mira in the middle holding the letter board. Josie had her head on Liv's lap while the couple shared a kiss over Mira's head. It was the perfect picture to end their photoshoot with.
A few days later Olivia was sitting with Abby going over some details about the wedding. Fitz and Olivia decided to have a beach wedding. It made sense considering all their big moments had played out at a beach. It was meaningful to both of them. Olivia had picked out a dress before she really started showing which needed to get some alterations down but wouldn't be fixed until closer to the wedding date. It made her a little nervous but the seamstress reassured her that everything would be good to go for her day.
She thought about the moment that she was in the bridal store stressing out that she couldn't find the right dress until Abby had brought out two more choices that she thought would be perfect.
"Liv I know you're about to give up but I have these two dresses out here that could be what you're looking for," Abby said outside the dressing room door.
Olivia was sitting on the chair, taking in some deep breaths. She told the sales lady that she needed a moment alone. She was getting frustrated that nothing was working out for her. Abby and Katherine had come with her to share this moment and help her out.
"Come on Liv just open the door," Abby pleaded.
She closed her eyes and got up from the chair to open the door. Abby smiled at her friend. She knew Liv was frustrated but she knew that one of these dresses was right for her.
"I think I might have found the perfect one for you just trust me."
"Okay let's give it a go. If this doesn't work then I give up," Liv said.
Out of the two dresses that Abby had picked, Olivia decided to try on the one that was calling out to her the most. It was a beautiful A-line halter tulle dress. It had the lace top that she was looking for and was backless. It was perfect for a beach wedding.
"Let me try this one first," she said.
"Okay let me help you get in it," Abby responded. She helped her get in the dress and Liv couldn't help but look at herself in the mirror. She felt overcome with emotion. This is it, she thought, this is the dress.
"Oh Liv. You look beautiful. Let's go show Katherine," Abby said trying to not get emotional at the sight of her friend.
They walked out the dressing room where Katherine was waiting for them to come out. She looked up from her phone and started to get emotional at the sight of Olivia in a wedding dress.
"Oh my…Liv, you look beautiful. My son is one lucky man getting to marry you," she said as she got up from her chair to hug Olivia.
"Thanks Katherine. I didn't think I would be this emotional but this is it. This is my wedding dress."
The three of them took in the moment and they all started crying.
"Look at us. We look like a mess," Abby said and started laughing.
"Well we are allowed to be a mess for today," Katherine said and passed along some tissues.
They shared a laugh and proceeded to call over the sales lady to finalize all the information needed to purchase the dress. This was all Olivia ever wanted for this day.
"Earth to Liv," Abby said snapping Olivia back into focus.
"Sorry I was just thinking about my dress."
"Oh you mean your perfect dress?!"
Olivia laughed and shook her head. She turned back to her computer and that's when she noticed that Sophia had emailed her the pictures.
"Oh my! I just got emailed the pictures we took," Olivia told Abby.
"Finally! Let me see them!"
"Wait, there's one specific picture I want you to see before anything else," Olivia said as she searched through the pictures. She wanted Abby to be the first one to know what the name is. She searched until she got to the picture where Mira was holding the letter board and her and Fitz were kissing.
"Okay here! Look at this one," she turned the computer over to Abby.
"Mason Thomas Grant. Oh Liv," Abby's eyes started to water.
"You're the first one to know outside of us. I wanted to know if you would be Mason's godmother."
Abby couldn't keep it together and started crying which in turn made Olivia cry.
"I'd be honored to," she said and hugged Olivia the best she could considering her belly.
The two of them cried a little more before they brushed off the tears and laughed. They had some work to do in planning this wedding so they continued to go over the details. Olivia and Fitz needed to plan out a time to do some cake tasting and go see the florist.
"When do you have the meeting with the wedding planner?"
"We are meeting with her on Friday. We need to pick out the invites that day. I feel like there's just so much to do between planning a wedding and getting ready for this baby, it's been overwhelming."
"Don't stress yourself out. You have a wedding planner for a reason. Luckily you're getting married at the beach house which saves you a lot of trouble dealing with venue people. Plus you have me and Katherine willing to drop anything and everything to help you," Abby said.
"I appreciate it so much. I'm thankful to have you guys in my corner."
"Over a cliff Liv"
Olivia smiled, "Over a cliff."
XXXXXXXX
"So here are the options we have for the wedding invites. All of them have the blush pink color you requested Olivia. You guys can pick the ones you want and then we can submit the order as soon as today," their wedding planner, Evelyn explained to them.
Olivia and Fitz were currently sitting with their wedding planner making decisions for their March wedding. It was only ten months away but so much still needed to get finalized. They looked over the options presented to them and picked the one they thought worked for them.
"Okay I have here that you have an appointment with the florist in two weeks, right?"
"Yes and we also have an appointment with the bakery who we picked to make our cake."
"Perfect. Everything is right on schedule. I wanted you guys to look at these options for how you wanted the alter to look like. I know that you guys decided on a sunset wedding right? Are you guys still going with that? I wanted to make sure before we submitted the invitations."
Olivia and Fitz shared a look with each other. They had discussed this a lot over the past couple of days. They knew they couldn't do a sunrise event so sunset was the next best option for them. It would work out perfectly considering they wanted little to no wait time between the ceremony and the reception.
"Yes we are still moving forward with the sunset ceremony."
"Great. I'll make a note of that," Evelyn said and typed out the changes that needed to be made.
An hour later they had finalized the ideas for the reception and ceremony. They shook hands with Evelyn. They would see her at the cake tasting and at the florist. Fitz opened the door for Olivia and helped her get settled.
"I can't believe this is all happening so quickly," Liv said.
"Me neither but I can't wait. I can't wait to see you in that beautiful dress and you to be officially Mrs. Grant," Fitz said as he placed a kiss on her hand.
"Mr. and Mrs. Grant," she said.
"I love you so much Olivia Pope," he said lovingly.
"I love you more Fitzgerald Grant," she said back.
AN: We finally have a baby name! Baby Mason Thomas Grant. Only a couple more chapters left but don't worry there's a lot more fluff coming your way. Thank you again for all the support! Wash your hands and wear your masks! Until next Monday.
XOXO