The Proposal

(Chapter Seven: Change Of Plans)

Olivia sat alone at her apartment sipping a glass of her favorite red wine. She looked over her shoulder at the clock on the DVD player across the room as she tapped her fingernails against the kitchen counter and waited. Waiting like this was driving her crazy, but there was not much else she could do. At this moment things were out of her hands.

She raised up a bit and stared at the door as she heard the key enter the lock. There were only two people who had a key to her apartment and right now she hoped to see one of them a little more than the other.

Olivia watched as her guest stepped into the apartment, casually dropping the keys onto the table by the door and making their way to her side. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as a smile slowly spread across her face. She leaned forward just a bit placing her fingertip against a perfect mouth as she tilted her head to the side stealing a kiss.

"I was hoping you would come," she said softly as those blue eyes stared back at her.

"I kind of thought when you invited me to a celebration dinner that you might actually be there."

She smiled again.

"I had planned on going. But I just couldn't do it. I wasn't sure how to talk to you about this."

He stepped forward and slipped one arm around her waist pulling her to him.

"So there was another reason you wanted to meet with me?" he asked raising an eyebrow, sure he knew what was on her mind.

Olivia gasped as he tenderly nipped at the side of her neck.

"Elll…" she half purred and half growled as she struggled to push him back.

"You want to fool around?" he asked pressing his mouth to hers. He leaned forward as she felt his warm breath against her ear. She couldn't help but smile as he whispered to her in his best seductive voice, "just a little harmless fun between two consenting adults."

Olivia pushed him back and stared at him for a moment as she fought off a smile.

"Elliot, I'm trying to be serious. I asked you to meet with me because I need to talk to you about this baby thing. I mean, I know I must sound desperate….maybe I am. But I really need my friend right now."

"Of course, I'm sorry. You are standing here trying to pour your heart out to me and I am acting like an ass and trying to get into your pants."

"Do you want a glass of wine?" she asked softly as she poured herself another and placed an empty glass in front of him.

Elliot looked up to see the heartache in her beautiful brown eyes.

"I would love a glass," he said with a smile feeling like a real dick for being such a guy when she really needed a friend.

He watched as she filled his glass and slid it over to him. She nervously wiped the counter, then folded up the dish towel and laid it neatly beside the dish rack. Elliot could tell she wasn't sure how to start the conversation.

"Should you be drinking that? I mean if you are….that probably isn't healthy this early in."

"I'm not pregnant," she replied.

"You could be. It won't show up on a test for a while."

"No El, I know I'm not pregnant."

She watched as his eyes widened and he leaned in as if she were sharing some big secret with him.

"I didn't go through with it."

"I thought you wanted a baby?"

"I do."

"Then what happened? Alex didn't like number 11701?"

Olivia laughed.

"It had nothing to do with him. Well, it did, sort of. I went to the appointment. We were about to go in and were signing the last of the forms when I asked her if this was what she really wanted."

"What did she say?"

"She said it was a bad idea."

"She said that? Olivia, I am so sorry. I thought she wanted to have a baby with you?"

"She does. She thought this sperm donor thing was a bad idea. She said it had been eating at her for a while, but that she knew how badly I wanted a child and she wanted one too. She said it was a bad idea for the exact same reasons that you pointed out. Not knowing….she really thought it was not a good idea and the more we talked about it, I started to see things more clearly. So, we left."

"So no baby?"

"We still want to try and have a baby."

"How do you plan to do that without a donor?"

"Well, we discussed it and we decided that we should find a guy. Someone we know and trust. Someone with good genes and a good medical history."

"Where are you going to find him?"

"The plan was for me to ask you."

"Me?"

Olivia stared at him for a moment.

"This was a stupid idea. I'm sorry. I told Alex that it would just make things awkward between us."

"Wait a second….back up a minute here. So this was never a celebration dinner? It was all a ploy to get me to come over here so you could ask me to father your child?"

"At first it was supposed to be to celebrate my hopefully being pregnant. Plans just sort of changed. Forget I even mentioned it. It was a ridiculous idea and I'm sorry. I'll think of someone."

"So, I'm good enough for you to sleep with when you need sex….real sex. And I am good enough for you to sneak around on Alex with. I am good enough to be your best friend and the one person you can come to for anything….your partner and your family, but I'm not good enough to be the father of your child.

Olivia flashed him a look of concern.

"No, I didn't meant it like that. It is just that is a completely inappropriate favor to ask of anyone….including my best friend. It was a very intrusive thing of me to ask of you and I was hoping to recant the statement before you thought I was a complete freak, that's all. But I guess it is a bit too late for that."

"Liv," he laughed, "I don't think you are a freak. You know what you want and you are not afraid to go after it. I admire that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You want to have a baby. You are in a relationship with someone you care very deeply about and want to have a child. I don't think that is any different than if you had been dating a guy and told me the two of you had decided to have a child together. It just so happens in this case, your significant other is another woman and cannot provide you with the means of creating one. I get it. Infact, I am honored that you would consider me."

"Who else is there to consider?"

"Good point. I just….I am not trying to judge you or attack you here. I don't want you to feel that way. You are my best friend and I love you and want you to be happy. I happen to think that you will be an amazing mother."

"You do?"

"I do."

"You don't think it is weird that I invite you over here and ask you to impregnate me?"

"No I don't. Besides, you invited me for a celebration dinner, stood me up, then sent me a text asking me to come here. Then you poured me a glass of wine and asked me to impregnate you."

Olivia laughed.

"Smooth, I have to admit. Trying to seduce me like this. And playing hard to get just to throw me off was a great touch."

"I guess it was," she laughed.

"Seriously though…. Do you really want this?"

She stared into him as tears pooled behind her big brown eyes.

"Yes, I do."

Elliot traced his fingertip across her forehead and down the side of her face brushing back a bit of hair to study her pretty eyes.

"Then I would be honored to make a baby with you."

He watched as the first tear slipped from the corner of her left eye. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Elliot closed his arms around her and just held her for a moment as he kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you," she said softly as she looked up at him and smiled.

"You are very welcome," he said kissing the tip of her nose. "Alex is okay with this?"

"She is," Olivia said with a nod.

"How do you guys want to do this? Get pregnant…."

"Elliot, you have five children already. Do I really have to explain to you how babies are made?"

"No," he laughed. "I didn't know if she….the two of you wanted to go to a clinic and me just be a donor or if you wanted to do this the old fashioned way."

"Well, I think she and I both figured since it wasn't too awful long ago you and I spent a naked weekend together….maybe we could just make a schedule and….you know."

"Yeah, I know."

Olivia smiled as Elliot grinned a devilish grin.

"I mean track my ovulation and make a schedule. Like most couples do when they are trying to conceive. I would find the days of the month when I am most fertile and those are the days we would…."

"Make love," Elliot said cutting her off.

Olivia stared into his eyes and smiled slowly.

"Exactly."

"Sounds like the two of you have this all figured out."

"Well, I have wanted this for a very long time. The baby, I mean."

"I know what you mean. So when do we start?"

"Well I usually get my pe…." Olivia paused for a moment and stared up at him.

"Liv, I know everything about you but your shoe size. We used to practically live together and have slept together a thousand times. You can talk to me about your period."

"I usually get it around the twenty second of the month. So I looked up some information on line and that said when I am most likely to get pregnant."

"So right about now is your most fertile time?"

"Yes. That is why I was supposed to do it today. There was a better chance of it working and me actually becoming pregnant."

"When do you want to start this?"

"I was thinking maybe you could stay tonight."

"Tonight? Where is Alex?"

"Alex it in Baltimore at some conference for the next five days. She was scheduled to fly out this afternoon. She knows, Elliot. And she wants this, too."

Elliot raised his wine glass for a toast.

"To making a beautiful baby," he replied staring into her eyes.

Olivia smiled as she clicked her glass against his.

"I'll drink to that," she said softly.

She took a sip from her glass, her eyes never leaving his. Elliot reached up and took the glass from her hand and sat it on the kitchen counter beside his.

"No more wine. We're trying to get pregnant," he said as he traced the fullness of her lips with his finger tip.

Elliot locked his fingers in hers as he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. He slipped his arms around her waist and scooped her up into his arms carrying her back to the bedroom.