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Olivia sat in the kitchen opposite Nick watching him take the last bite of his french toast. The portable baby monitor sat on the counter displaying a solid red light. Leo's breathing was calm and even. "That was delicious honey thank you but you didn't have to get up early to make me breakfast."
"I wanted to, you've been so incredibly amazing putting up with me these past few months with my moods and I just appreciate you." He got up with his plate in hand stepping closer to her leaning down giving her a peck on the lips.
"Yeah but I love you." Nick said turning to the sink to leave his dishes. He stopped and gave it a thought then rinsed off his plate and silverware and deposited them into the dishwasher along with his glass.
"I love you too Nick, I love you very much." Olivia said watching him from behind.
"I know." He said with confidence and a smile. He looked at the monitor then his watch. It was 6:15.
"Shouldn't he be up by now?"
"Soon and if you wake him up I'll slit your throat." Olivia rolled out a cute laugh and smirk all in one. He scoffed at her coming over bending down to look into her eyes. She held his tie keeping him close.
"Call me later?" she asked.
"Only if you tell me what you're wearing when I do." She tossed her head to the side raising her eyebrows at him. Their lips met slowly turning into a small battle of position. Olivia snaked her hand around the base of his neck, allowing her mouth to fully cover his, her tongue explored inside his tasting the residue of syrup on his breath. Nick circled her tongue with his before retreating from her mouth and giving her a slow peck. "Oooo-k I'm ready for work!" he said standing perfectly upright.
"Love you baby." She told him. He kissed his fingers placing them on her belly giving her a wink as he turned around and walked out.
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"Hi." Cynthia said opening her door to receive Nick and Zara.
"Hi."
"This must be Zara, your dad was right you're so pretty."
"Thank you." Zara told her holding her dad's hand rather tight.
"Oh-where are my manners-come in." Nick smiled down at his daughter putting his hand on her back walking in after her.
"Gil! Mijo…Nick is here." In a few seconds he came bounding down the stairs.
"Hi Nick!"
"Hey kiddo how are you?"
"Good-I'm good." He stared at Zara flinching a smile at her.
"Gil this is my daughter Zara and your sister, Zara this is Gil, your brother."
"Hi it's nice to meet you Zara." Gil said extending his hand.
"Hi." She shook his hand loosely practically just shaking his finger instead of his whole hand. She was shier than normal and Nick smiled making their excuses to go so no one felt any more awkward or nervous.
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"So a large pepperoni pie ok with you two?" Gil shook his head yes and Zara said yes almost inaudible so Nick had to lean down asking her if she said yes. She would look at Gil across the table but when he made eye contact with her she would look away smiling. Nick gave the order to the waiter. It was awkward at first but surprisingly Gil broke the ice between him and his half-sister.
"So have you met the President of the United States yet?" Gil asked her.
"No." she said laughing.
"Been to the white house?"
"No, wait daddy have I been to the white house?"
"Yes honey but not inside, last year you and your mom went to the Easter egg roll on the lawn of the white house.
"Oh yeah that's right." Zara smiled at Nick scooting closer to her father hugging his arm.
"Zara tell Gil who you did see last month." She looked up at her daddy with big curious eyes.
"Remember?" she pondered for a moment.
"Selena Gomez!"
"Really you met her, wow you're lucky. How did you meet her?"
"My mommy took me to see her."
"Zara's favorite tv show is the Wizards of Waverly Place and the cast was in D.C. for interviews and her mom pulled some strings and she got to meet the cast."
"Way cool! So what other shows do you watch Zara?"
"Um Phineas and Ferb, Austin and Ally." She looked at her father for help. "What other shows do I watch daddy?"
"Sweetie you know what you watch on tv don't ask me." Nick told her chuckling. A silence fell over her while she thought, or more less giggled.
"What do you watch Gil?" Nick asked him.
"I like Phineas and Ferb too, I like Sponge Bob, the Simpsons, Drake and Josh but it's not on anymore, Monday Night Raw."
"What! That's so fake, oh man Gil."
"Uh-uh it's not fake!"
"Really? When do you ever see anyone stay on the canvas after being smashed over the head with a metal chair or get up with no broken bones or facial lacerations after being clothes lined huh?"
"Aw come on Nick!" he whined with a chuckle. "It's not fake I like it."
"Your mom lets you watch that?" Nick's smile not quite big as his eyes couldn't believe anyone would watch such propaganda.
"Yeah I used to go to the matches with Roberto." Roberto! The drug peddling bastard that had no problem using you as his delivery service, fucking asshole! Nick thought as he tipped his glass back chewing on his ice cubes with force. A few moments worth of silence fell upon them as they waited for their dinner. After dinner Nick left the tip and the trio was on their way to the movies.
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When Nick arrived back at Olivia's she wasn't on the main level of the house. He called for her.
"Down here." She said from the basement.
"What are you doing down here?"
"Inventory."
"Inventory?" Nick was impressed as he took a panoramic view of opened boxes. She grabbed his belt loop on his jeans pulling him closer.
"Kiss me and tell me how your evening went with the kids."
"With pleasure." They started off with two slow pecks enveloping into a deeper kiss until Olivia realized why she was in the basement in the first place. Nick gave her bottom a tender pat as she took him by the hand leading him to the crawl space.
"It was good they hit it off."
"Oh good I'm so glad." she turned back smiling at him.
"Yeah me too."
"Ok so yeah I started to do inventory of what I don't need in these boxes and then I discovered this." She showed him an old trunk that was in the crawl space under the kitchen.
"You went in there Liv? It's dirty and moldy most likely."
"I was careful I just shined the light that's all and I saw that and these." She handed him old letters from a soldier who served in World War II.
"They're love letters." Nick said pulling out the chest into the open.
"Mm-hmm." Olivia said.
"You've read them huh." He dusted it off with his hand and then both sat down on top of the trunk.
"Just a few hundred" Nick looked at her with unbelievable eyes.
"No only three." She chuckled.
"This must have been his foot locker from boot camp." Nick said skimming through the letter.
"The 40's were magical times, stardust, the big band era." Olivia leaned her head onto his shoulder.
"It was a time of war how romantic can that be Liv? See that's why we were attacked because of…what's his name?"
"Roy." She told him
"Yeah right, see there you go, Roy was too busy with his head in the clouds writing love letters to his girl back here in NY to be alert to fight the Japs." Olivia stood up scoffing at his impractical conception of romance.
"Oh Nick where's your romantic imagination?" He grabbed for her hand.
"I have a romantic side in case you haven't noticed." He placed his hand on her stomach staring at her." She smiled back. He handed her back the letters and took a good look around at Dave the carpenter's handy work.
"It looks so more defined down here now compared to before when it was all framed in. He did a nice job." Olivia let her mind think back to a week ago where she felt her mojo hadn't been lost being a middle aged pregnant woman and she she smiled at the left over thoughts of a twenty something year old attracted to her. She took her seat next to him again.
"Honey look at this picture, this is her and this must be them and they lived here." Olivia said showing Nick a picture that was inside one of the letters.
"Wow U.S. Army Airforce 2nd airborne." Nick said. "They flew in the Doolittle Raid over Japan. He noticed from his peripheral vision her eyes glued to the picture. "Admit it babe you're just hot for the uniform." He said taking the picture out of her hands.
"Am not."
"Are too."
"You're just jealous because you don't even have a uniform." She said wrestling him for the picture back, falling into his arms.
"Oh yes I do…I have a cub scouts uniform." They shared a good laugh and he cradled her in his lap as she gazed up at him. They kissed and then they kissed some more.
"Mmm." Olivia hummed against his mouth.
"I think we need go upstairs now." Nick said leading Olivia by the hand but she pulled back on his hand grabbing the portable monitor and a stack of unread letters. He smiled at her sentimental nostalgic mood.
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"He'll be fine Liv for a few hours. My mom had two kids she's experienced."
"I know that Nick, it's not your mom I'm worried about, its leaving him so soon that worries me."
"We'll just go up the road to a local eatery instead of going into the city how's that sound?"
"Ok but I was really looking forward to that new place in SoHo."
"Ok then it's settled, we'll go have a nice birthday dinner then come straight home."
"Alright what time you finished up there?"
"I'll leave at 4, pick up my mom then be there." Leo started to cry in the background.
"I'll make the reservations, bye."
"Bye." He pulled up to the precinct and walked in.
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"Wow you-look-so-beautiful Liv." His mother was content loving all over the baby waiting for them to come from the bedroom.
"Thank you, I ordered this online but I wasn't sure it was going to fit."
"It fits you perfect." he told her slapping his cheeks and neck with cologne. She admired her pregnant form in the mirror then scrounged through her jewelry box for matching earrings.
"I'll see you out there." He came up behind her giving her shoulders a light squeeze, kissing her cheek. Olivia puckered her lips feeling his 5'oclock stubble. Olivia appeared shortly after.
"Happy birthday Olivia my you look so beautiful, here this is for you."
"Thank you Lupe you didn't have to and thank you for watching Leo."
"You're welcome, he's precious and such a good baby too." She opened the box and gasped.
"It's beautiful! Thank you." She hugged his mom, kissing her cheek.
"Welcome dear." Olivia put down the box taking the sterling silver mother and child necklace out of the box.
"Would you?"
"Sure." Nick said. She held up her hair as he unfastened her strand of pearls.
"Yeah he is I can't complain. I only hope she is too." She held her belly with her free hand giving it a light shake. Lupe gave Nick the new necklace taking her pearls from him.
"I'm sure she will be she has two great parents with good genes." Good genes huh? She thought. Nick has good genes; I have a rapist and alcoholic for a father and an alcoholic mother, yeah good genes alright. She patted the necklace as Nick as his mom approved of how it adorned her neck.
"One sec I need to change my earrings." She came back with a new pair of ear accessories.
"Ready birthday girl?" Nick said all smiles. She shook her head yes bending down planting kisses on her son.
"I love you my sweet boy, see you soon." He went in out of sleep yawning as she went to give him one more kiss.
"Be back in a little bit ma."
"Have a good time don't worry about us." Nick and Olivia smiled at them as they exited the house.
Nick opened her door for her but before she got in she held her stomach.
"Oooo now she really wants to move around."
"Yeah?" he asked. She took his hand placing it where the baby moved.
"Oh my god that was a big one this time. Maybe she doesn't like beef huh? I guess she's telling us get ready."
"Get ready? Bite your tongue, she's got two more months so she needs to stay in until it's time, I'm done with nicu's." He smiled and squeezed her hand as they drove home.
When they arrived home Nick took out the small 8 inch round cake he bought and he and his mom sang happy birthday to Olivia.