Elliot and Olivia went for a walk in Central Park to talk about moving in together. Just as Elliot suspected Olivia was hesitant to agree. He was pleased that she was willing to talk to him about it though.
"I can't afford for anything bad to happen between you and I," Olivia told Elliot. "You and Calvin are pretty much all I've got in this world."
"I know," Elliot said softly. He let her continue.
"Every time I'm with a guy something bad happens. It never seems to work out for me El. Maybe I'm not supposed to be with anyone. Maybe I'm supposed to be alone."
"Liv, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have someone who will love you and treasure you and take care of you. We've known each other for 12 years. I haven't bailed on you yet and I don't plan to. I know you better than anyone else and you know me. I'm not asking you to promise me a forever; I'm asking you to give us a chance."
Olivia was quiet for a moment. Elliot's little speech was wonderful but Olivia couldn't figure out how he was so sure of himself or of their relationship.
"What if we keep your apartment? Just like it is... and if things start to go bad, which they won't, you can move back in and we'll go back to the way things are now." Elliot took Olivia's hand and led her to a bench on the side of the path they were walking on. "I love you Liv. I always will, I don't know how to not love you. Please, take this chance with me."
Olivia squeezed Elliot's hand. She inhaled the fresh spring air until her lungs were full then slowly exhaled. "Ok," she said softly. "Let's give it a shot."
Elliot pulled Olivia into his arms and squeezed her tightly. He kissed her temple. Olivia turned towards him and pressed her lips against his.
"Let's go get you packed," Elliot said.
"Tomorrow," Olivia said. "Give me tonight to talk to Calvin and you talk to your kids, we'll move in tomorrow."
"Ok, tomorrow," he agreed. "I'll pick you up first thing in the morning."
Elliot and Olivia spent the morning and early afternoon together. Elliot dropped Olivia off at home in time for her to be there when Calvin got home from school and him to get home to greet his kids. Calvin was excited to move in with Elliot and his kids. Dickie was happy to hear Calvin would be moving in and the girls were excited about Olivia coming to live with them. Elliot and Dickie went to pick up Olivia and Calvin on Saturday morning. Elliot half expected Olivia to have changed her mind but was pleased to find her all packed when they arrived.
It didn't take long for everyone to adjust to living under one roof. Olivia was happy to have a bed to sleep in again and even happier to be sleeping next to Elliot. Her fears quickly disappeared as she transitioned quickly and easily to her new home. She was pleased to see Calvin doing so well and enjoying having others to hang out with and play with. She remembered just a few months ago when she was living alone, lonely, and unhappy with her home situation. She felt as if she had waken up in a dream, having Elliot and a house full of children to come home to each day.
Olivia filed papers to legally adopt Calvin. After a long, what seemed like forever, wait, her application was finalized and Calvin was legally hers. Calvin decided he wanted to change his last name to Benson, which brought tears to Olivia's eyes. Calvin's grades improved, but he still goofed off in class. Olivia got the occasional phone call when things got out of hand but for the most part Calvin didn't push the boundaries too far.
Dickie and Calvin started a band with a couple of their friends. Elliot wasn't thrilled about having them practice in his garage but he decided he would rather endure that than worry about all the trouble they could be getting into somewhere else.
Lizzie and Olivia became inseparable. Maureen and Kathleen's busy college and work schedule left Lizzie the only girl home with the boys a lot so she clung to Olivia. Olivia did special girly things with her and made sure to spend some time with only her so Lizzie knew how special she was.
Elliot signed Eli up for the summer T-Ball league. He helped out at Eli's practices as often as he could and he and Olivia did their best to attend all his games. Elliot and Olivia made sure to spend one on one time with each of the children doing special things that interested them. They all ended up being very together. You would never guess they were a blended family.
Author's Note: Sorry guys, I think this is the end of this story. I tried to give it closure while at the same time leaving it open in case I decide to come back to it. Thank you all for reading and reviewing!