A New Day

The morning came, and with it a hazy feeling. Olivia rolled over onto her back. Her bleary, not quite all the way opened eyes told her that she had fallen asleep on her mother's bed last night.

Last night. God. It was a blur.

Laying there she tried to remember everything. The guys had all been at her house, and they had been loud! But they were so fun to be around. She recalled them drinking coffee and...they ate all the damned cookies she had bought!

And then they scarfed down her alcohol. She had helped. But still! The four of them had kept her laughing all evening long, and well into the morning. They laughed at her and with her. It was exactly what she needed.

Her eyes continued to blink against the harsh sunlight slashing into the room through the sheers covering the windows in front of the balcony until they finally stayed open. The room felt wobbly. "What the hell did we do last night?" she muttered to herself.

A light groan came from beside her, causing Liv to grab frantically at the sheet and yank it up to her chin before looking over at the other side of the bed. "You drank us all under the table, Liv."

That report did little to ease her mind. Instead, it caused her eyes to double in size and stare with a horrified expression at the man lying face down beside her. In an instant, she jumped from the bed, pulling the sheet with her. The fact that he was dressed offered her a little more peace of mind. But not much. "Fitz?! What the hell are you doing in my bed? Uhh, my mother's bed?"

"Who turned the sun on? It's too damn bright in here!" was all he offered.

"Fitzgerald Grant!"

"Oh shit, you're pissed off, huh?" He chuckled.

"This isn't funny! What are you doing in here? With me?"

"You don't remember, do ya?" He lifted his head with a lopsided grin, displaying a truly rumpled head of curls. "Why are you all the way over there?"

"I'm waiting for an explanation!" She screeched, still holding tightly to the sheet.

"We started drinking, after the coffee I mean, and it went on for a few hours." He chuckled again, watching her watching him as if he were a predator. "It was like two in the morning before Jenson called it quits and got a taxi to take him home. I betcha Amber gave him an earful when he got there too."

"Still waiting for an explanation, Fitz! This doesn't look good! You've got to go! Now!"

"I told you she wasn't gonna like it." A voice piped in from the floor on his current side of the bed.

"Who the hell is that?" Olivia shrieked.

Luke's smiling face popped up from the floor behind Fitz. "You don't remember, do ya?"

Bringing her thumbnail up to her mouth, it rested between her teeth as she nibbled on it and tried to recall anything that would make this situation make sense! Exasperated, she scowled and said, "no! I don't remember!"

"Guess your recaller really is broken then." Another voice lazily chirped in. Hollis peered around the end of the bed, from seemingly beside his younger brother.

"Are you guys kidding me right now? Am I being pranked or something? What is this?" She started backing towards the door, and her back landed against it with a light thud when Luke held his hands up in surrender.

"Liv? Bestie? We were all drinking wayyy too much last night and having a great time too, I might add. It was the best night I've had in a while."

"Where are your kids. Hollis?" Olivia asked, suddenly remembering she never got the answer to that question at dinner last night.

"Relax. They are with their mom, at our house, all safe and sound."

"And your wife is aware that you slept in another woman's bedroom? With two of your brothers?"

"Well, no. But I'm gonna tell her."

"That's a bad idea." Fitz suggested.

"Don't tell her, bro. It will not end well for you." Luke said laughing, and then stopping immediately and grabbing his head in pain.

"I don't know what happened at bedtime, but waking up next to Fitz was weird enough. Waking up with all three of you in here in insane! I couldn't write this shit! Now, I'm gonna go take a hot shower, and when I get out, you all will be gone."

"It was your idea, sweetie."

"Hollis, you're already getting your ass kicked for sleeping in here with Liv. Don't make it worse for yourself by calling her sweetie. Women don't appreciate that shit." Fitz warned.

Olivia shot an arched eyebrow at him. "You've done stuff like this before then, Mr. Expert?"

"What? No way! Liv!" He pleaded.

Hollis and Luke loved it when their oldest brother got called out for his shit. Their laughter filled the room.

He got out of the bed immediately and lightly kicked his brothers as he made his way towards her. "Look, when we decided to call it a night, Jenson went home, and you suggested we sleep in here with you."

She firmly put her free hand on her hip and glared at him. "Why on Earth would I suggest such an idiotic thing?"

"You said it would be fun." Hollis informed her.

"Yup, said it'd be like we were all camping. Or having a slumber party. Some girly shit like that." Luke said frowning.

"I did not." She threw back at them, but bits and pieces of the crazy conversation were coming back to her. She was a dumbass sometimes. "Okay, I remember saying that now. But why are you in my bed?" She asked, pointing at Fitz.

"You said I could sleep there because of my back."

"He sounds like an old man." Hollis said, laughing harder.

"That's because he is an old man." Luke pressed.

"Shut the hell up you guys. My head is pounding." Fitz whined.

"Old." One of them teased.

"Fine. We had a slumber party last night." Olivia relented.

"We went camping!" Luke said firmly. "If anyone asks, we definitely did not have a slumber party! Those are for little girls. Not grown men."

"You called her your bestie, idiot!" Fitz reminded him. "It doesn't get more girly than that."

"I'm about to kick you in your injured old back. Shut the hell up!"

"All of you shut the hell up! I'm going to shower. One of you," she pointed at each of them. "Go make a whole pot of coffee and come up with a hangover remedy by the time I get out. I cannot be hungover at my mother's memorial this afternoon."

"Yes, ma'am." Luke replied with a grin.

"Why aren't you at school?" She demanded Fitz.

"I asked for a substitute teacher when I found out the date of the memorial service."

"Oh." That was kinda nice. Why it made her feel warm inside wasn't the point right now.

"Any more questions?" He asked with snark.

"No. Just go make some coffee, please."

"You got it." Fitz looked at his brothers and said, "you two. Break camp. Put Liv's mattress back on her bed and make the damn thing back up so it's nice."

"It wasn't made in the first place asshole. There were no blankets! I covered up with a towel from Naomi's bathroom." Hollis grumpily shot back.

Olivia grinned, and that grin turned into a giggle at the thought of poor Hollis with no blanket last night.

"That's nothing." Luke told him defiantly. "All I had was Fitz's pillowcase. I just had to wait long enough for his old ass..."

"Call me old one more time, dickhead." Fitz threatened.

"...to start snoring before I could steal it. That damned ceiling fan was on artic blast. I swear it seemed like it was going as fast as a helicopter blade."

Olivia's laugh got louder and their ridiculous tales. She felt bad for them, a little. When the three of them joined in with her laughing, it just felt good. Going with that feeling, she offered, "if the coffee is ready by the time I'm dressed, I'll make all three of you pancakes for breakfast."

All three of them bolted past her in a blur.

After breakfast and more laughter, she had shooed them all away. The well fed trio told her they would be thinking of her today and gave her hugs before they left.

Alone with her thoughts, Olivia had nothing to do since the guys cleaned up the dishes. She went to the sofa and sat down. The house was quiet. The service wasn't for another few hours, so she went over the words she had written about her mother. The words she planned to read to anyone who showed up to her memorial today.

The words she had written were about a loving mother she knew as a child, a woman with relentless love for her daughter, and a person well known and liked by her neighbors. They were also about a woman who liked adventure, could keep a secret, and the person Olivia missed terribly.

When she felt like she had the words and sentiment ready to share, she tucked the cards into her bag beside her. There really wasn't a lot of straightening up to be done in the house, but she flitted around as if it did. They guys had moved the boxes of things she had packed into the garage to keep the living room clean. The house was clean the moment she arrived in Georgia, so she kept it that way. It was something to keep her busy. She wanted the house ready to receive anyone who might want to come by after the service and enjoy some light refreshments and conversation.

As if right on cue, someone knocked on the door. It was the caterer delivering everything she had ordered. Olivia showed them where to set everything up and left them to it.

She went upstairs to grab another letter from her mother, made another cup of coffee, and scowled into the mug in warning as she carried both items outside to her porch swing. The last thing she wanted was to be in the way of people who were helping today.

It was warm and humid outside, but it didn't bother her today. Her feet lazily dangled from the edge of the swing, and then slowly began moving her back and forth. She had been there almost a week now, and she felt more at home in this house than she did in her apartment back in D.C. It was the last thing she expected to feel, but it was welcomed. This could be her new home if she wanted it to be.

Did she though?

Deciding that was a thought for another day, she set her mug into the cup holder and opened the envelope, eager to read the words inside. It would be nice to have some of mom's words to carry with her today.

My precious girl,

How are you doing? You've been on my mind a lot this week, and I wanted to write to you.

Today is a big day for you. Your high school graduation day! I am so excited. There are no words! Well, I always have words, but you know what I mean. I am so very proud of you for getting your diploma and graduating as salutatorian. I am telling everybody about it. See, I always have words.

I have no doubt that you will do amazing things. Your father told me that you are going to college to be a teacher. Those students you teach, whoever they will be, are lucky to have such a kind, intelligent, big hearted woman to open their minds to new things. You might even teach a future President!

Olivia chuckled and took a sip of her coffee.

Don't laugh! It could happen! Somebody had to teach all those men when they were younger.

"She's got a point" Olivia muttered to herself.

Another reason I am excited for today is that I will be watching your graduation. That's right! Fitz showed me how I can go to the website and watch it live. I'm gonna make popcorn and maybe drink a glass of wine, and toast to you when your name is spoken. I can't wait to see you in your cap and gown, hearing your name called out, and watching you proudly walk to the podium to get your diploma. I'm all kinds of excited!

I'm not gonna cry. I promised myself I wouldn't. I also promised myself not to be mad when I break that promise, and cry like a baby. I wish I could be there and see you in person, hold you tight, and tell you how proud I am of you. But this letter is gonna have to do that for me. Maybe one day you'll get to read it and know that I saw you graduate high school.

I am rooting for you, Liv. Don't think this is the last letter either. I'll keep writing letters until there isn't any breath in my lungs.

I love you more than you will ever know, and I am endlessly proud of you. I'll be in touch, baby.

I love you,

Momma

Olivia held the letter close to her chest, eyes closed and resumed her swinging with a big smile on her face. Her mother had watched her graduation ceremony. For some reason that made her feel happy for her mom. She found a way to "beat the system" so to speak. It also made her feel proud of her mom for being so creative. She decided then and there that she had gotten her creativity from her mother.

Instead of feeling sadness for yet another thing her mom had missed out on in her life, Olivia felt content. Her father had provided her with everything she had needed, but her mother had been her biggest supporter. The anger that usually bubbled up whenever she thought about these robbed moments for her mom wasn't there. It was replaced with awe and respect for her mom for never giving up. She needed more of that herself, and in that moment, she decided she was going to have more perseverance like her mother.

Today was going to be a good day. It was already turning out to be one, she realized, as she drained her coffee mug without spilling a drop. A small victory, but she'd take it.

At her mother's church, Olivia showed up early and was greeted by the pastor. He led her into a small room where the pretty green urn was sitting in the middle of a table with a lace tablecloth underneath. There was a pretty flower arrangement sitting close by filling the entire room with its lovely aroma. A few chairs sat side by side near the table.

Olivia sat down in the closest chair and looked at the urn she had picked out. There was no doubt at all that she had picked out the perfect one for her mother. "Hey, momma" she said with a smile. "It's a beautiful day to celebrate you. The sun is out, the birds are singing their little songs...and I'm rambling."

She started to shake her head back and forth at her words as a grin appeared on her face. "I sound just like you in your letters. Thank you for every single one of them, by the way. It's been nice hearing from you. It's good that you wrote them so we can re-connect through your words. They always pick me up when I'm missing you terribly or just having a bad day."

Touching the urn, she whispered, "but today is not a bad day. I'm not going to let it be. I'm sad that we didn't get to see each other after we left, and I was mad about it for a long time, but now that I know the truth, I'm settling into it. Your letters help me a lot. I miss you momma, and I love you very much."

Sitting back into the wooden chair, she smiled and said, "you and I are going on a road trip soon to Tennessee. I'm going to take some time off work and take you where you want to be. Is it weird that I'm a little excited about that? It doesn't matter. I am excited about it."

A quiet knock at the door had Olivia turning in her chair. The pastor took a step inside and said, "excuse me, Miss Pope, but you have a visitor."

She frowned. "A visitor?"

Fitz poked his head into the doorway. "Liv? Is it okay if I sit with you for a minute before the service starts? Or should I wait?"

She waved him inside. "Come in."

"You sure? I can wait out in the vestibule. I just wanted to tell her goodbye before the service started."

"I'm sure. Come on. There's a chair right here for you." She patted the seat of it. "Besides, I could use the company."

The pastor closed the door, leaving the two of them alone once Fitz was in the room.

"She would love that urn."

Olivia perked up at his words. "You think so? I tried to find something that she would like."

"Green was her favorite color."

"Yea, that was the easy part. Past that, I was stuck. Then I remembered that she wanted to go to Tennessee to have her ashes spread there and I looked up the State bird and used that. I really liked it, but wasn't sure what she would think."

He was looking at her as he spoke. "She would have been proud of you for thinking of details like that."

"Speaking of Tennessee, I was just telling her that we are going on a road trip soon to spread her ashes there, like she wanted."

"That will be nice, Liv. A drive together would be nice for the both of you. I'm proud of you for carrying out her final wishes, and she would be too."

They were quiet for a few minutes and then he spoke again while looking at the urn. "Naomi, I will miss you. You were a good friend to me, and you never let me win at our weekly poker games."

Olivia shot him a shocked expression. "You played poker with my mother?"

"Yea, she kicked my ass every time. I never had a slumber party with her though, so my life is filled with great old and new memories with the Pope women." he chuckled.

"I thought it was camping?" she said, grinning big at him.

"Whatever it was, it was fun. Your mom was a good person. She wasn't afraid to ask for help when she needed it, but she didn't play the victim at the hand life had dealt her either. I really admired her."

"Me too." Liv said quietly.

Fitz reached over and took her hand, and they sat in silence for a long while, lost in their own thoughts.

With a glance at her watch, Olivia sighed and said, "we'd better get out there. People will start showing up any minute."

"Do you want me to leave so you can say your final goodbyes to her?"

"Nah, we've said all we need to say for right now. I'm in a better mindset than I was when I first arrived, and it's all thanks to her. Besides, I'll say more in the eulogy. I'd like to greet everyone who comes anyways."

He gave her a smile and nodded mutely.

"Fitz? Can I ask you a question?" Was she really going to ask him this right now? Perseverance, she reminded herself. The words came out in a rush before she could feel any regret. "It's a favor really, so you can say no, and I won't have hurt feelings at all, okay?"

"Okay, shoot."

"Would you be open to the idea of coming with me and mom to Tennessee?"

His eyebrows sunk and he squinted at her. "You want me to come with you on your road trip to spread your mother's ashes?"

She got up and headed towards the door. "I understand if it's too much. Or if you're busy, Or if you just don't..."

He was at her side in two strides and touched her arm. "Hey. It's not too much. I'm not busy, and I'd love to go with you. I'm touched that you would want me to go. I figured you'd want to do that alone."

She shrugged. "I do and I don't. I want to spend every moment I can with her. To have time alone with just her. For some reason, I think it would help me heal a little more."

"But?"

"But...I don't want to drive to just Tennessee and drive back home. I plan on taking my time. Maybe seeing the sights with my mom along the way? Who knows, maybe we'll see the world's biggest ball of twine or something random on the way there?"

Her giggle was infectious, and Fitz found himself laughing with her. "So, why don't you go alone?"

She crinkled her nose and lowered her voice. "Part of me feels like it would be really strange, riding in a car with an urn. It would look weird me talking to it all by myself. And, if you came with us, you could help with the driving."

His grin was as instantaneous as it was broad. "So, you're using me again?"

"A little bit." She admitted with a grin. "I can wait until you finish up for the school year. There's no rush. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but it could be..."

He cut her off again. This time he dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers in a feathery light kiss. He had a moment of wondering if she would slap him across the face when she didn't respond, but moments later, she sighed against his lips and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, while keeping their lips fused together.

When he pulled away, feeling kind of like a jerk for kissing her at her mother's memorial, he started sputtering, "Liv...I'm so...sorry. Oh god! That was so..."

Now it was she who cut his words off. "It was so perfect."

They were each lost in the other's eyes, both faces smiling like dreamers sharing a secret. "I have wondered what that would feel like for a very long time." she told him openly.

"Me too." He admitted.

This was not the time or place for them to be doing things like this, but dammit he was so happy right now. "I'm sorry for doing that here."

"Don't be." She replied. "You're supposed to apologize when you've done something wrong. You haven't. So don't, okay?"

Her words brought a sense of peace to him and caused his lopsided smile to appear. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment before standing tall once again, and said, "come on. Let's go celebrate your wonderful mom."

After the service, all of the Grants, along with a few other people who knew her mother from the hospital, or the neighborhood gathered at Liv's house. All of the people had at least one funny story about Naomi, and the laughter in the house kept the mood light and fun. It wasn't a surprise to Olivia that these people liked her mom and knew her well, but it was a treasure that they made her feel so close to her mother in the stories they told, the things they commented on in the house that she might have mentioned to them in conversation. They all seemed to know a lot of Olivia.

The food was plentiful, and she had to force the leftovers on anyone she could. She explained that they would be helping her out by taking the food, along with the storage containers her mother had kept in the house. No, she didn't need them back. She just asked that they think warmly of Naomi whenever they used them again.

Once everyone, with the exception of the Grants were gone, she heard Ruth call her name. Standing in the kitchen, she looked around for Ruth until she found her sitting on the beloved porch swing alone. The moment she saw Liv, she patted the seat beside her. It brought the memory back of her doing the exact same thing to Fitz earlier. And that kiss. It was so light and sweet.

Ruth cleared her throat quietly. "Where did you just float off too?"

Snapping back to the present, Olivia told her, "I was just thinking."

"MmmHmm." She replied knowingly, followed by a chuckle. "I know that look."

Olivia had felt like one of Ruth's kids ever since she came back, and asked, "what look?"

Grinning, Ruth said, "the one that says you've been too close to a Grant recently."

Maybe not exactly like one of her kids. Hoping to change the subject, Olivia said, "I guess they told you about the indoor camping we did last night? I was pretty close to all of them except Jenson."

"Jenson doesn't count." Ruth stated. "He's married and he's been more like a brother to you than any of the others."

She had to choose her words carefully here. "Just about all of them have been like a brother to me since I got here."

"That one that hasn't been is the one I'm talking about."

Olivia blushed, feeling like she'd been caught kissing Fitz right in front of his mother. Not that there was any shame in that. They were grown ups now. Hell with it! "Ohhh, you mean Fitz. Yea, he's been great."

Ruth's smile grew wider. "Oh, I'm sure he has."

Giggling, she said, "he has. They all have been so good to me. I'm kinda glad they saved it for when they were adults. If they had treated me sweetly as kids and then grew up to be jerks, I'd have hurt one of them."

She'd made Olivia squirm long enough. "How was your day? You alright? I know this is a heavy thing, saying goodbye to your mother and all."

"It's been a fantastic day. There was a good amount of people who showed up at the church, and here at the house afterwards. We had good food and I heard some really great stories I'd never heard before. I'm glad I was here to tell her goodbye, you know? It means everything to me."

Ruth put her arm around her and pushed the swing with her feet. "I know she was thrilled that you were here too. Are you going to take her ashes to Tennessee soon?"

"MmmHmm. I asked Fitz today if he'd go with me. I hope that's okay?"

Ruth smiled into Olivia's hair.

Pulling out of the woman's embrace, she rambled on. "I didn't even think about you when I asked him."

"I certainly hope not." Ruth said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I should have! You need him around to..."

"To what? I don't need him around. He won't leave! I think he sees me as some feeble old woman who can't get around by herself or somethin'."

"I'm sure that's not at all what he thinks, Ruth. He loves you so much."

"Well, he'd better."

"I should have taken you into consideration before I asked him. I'm sorry, Ruth."

"Listen here. I might be an old woman, but I can take care of myself, thank you very much. If Fitzgerald wants to go with you to Tennessee, I say GO! Take all the time you need. Lord knows it would be a little less stressful without him worrying over me."

"Mom doesn't want you around old man." Hollis chirped from the now open living room door.

"Why'd you say that mom? Now he's going to be a...handful to deal with."

"Nicely recovered." Ruth told him with a glint in her eye.

"Mom is ready for you to move out and let her live."

"Finally, he hears it firsthand!"

"I hate all of you." Fitz spat at them. One look from his mother had him changing his tune. "Fine. I don't hate you, but I really don't like you right now."

"Come on, Fitz. Let's go home and I'll rub Ben Gay on your back." Luke snickered.

"Don't you have a home of your own to get to?" Fitz shot back.

"Not when I have live entertainment right here."

"Be glad you didn't have any brothers, Liv." Jenson added.

"Maybe I'll make up for it one day when I settle down and get married." Her eyes were on autopilot as they darted over to look at him. He was sending her a smile and nodding slightly. "But for now, I've got to talk you all into going home so I can get some actual sleep tonight."

"Can we spend the night again? Pleeeeease?" Luke asked with a smirk.

"No way! One night of camping with three of you is more than enough for me."

"I think that's our cue to go." Ruth said to her family.

Amber gave Liv a tight hug. "Thanks for keeping Jen company last night. What little he remembers; he had a great time."

"It would have been a lot more fun if you had been here to keep them all in line."

"They don't listen to me either." Amber said chuckling. Still holding her friend tight, Amber whispered, "you'll have to help me with the next generation. Don't tell anyone yet, but I'm pregnant."

"OHMY..."

Amber's hand covered Liv's mouth before any more words could be uttered. Pulling her in for what looked like a friendly hug, she said, "I was gonna tell Jenson when I got home from work last night, but he was snoring loudly by the time I got there."

Whispering very quietly, as the other family members talked around them, Liv told her, "I'm sorry he can't hold his liquor, but I'm thrilled for both of you! Let me know when you finally do tell him!"

"Stick around please. I want my baby to know who Aunt Liv is."

"That's mean. It could work, but it's mean." She giggled back.

"Get your four asses across the street gentlemen. This woman needs some peace and quiet tonight."

The three younger Grant males gave her a hug and then stepped off her porch and walked across the street behind their mother. Fitz lingered until they were all safely inside their mother's house. "You doing okay? You seem great."

"I feel great."

He put his arms around her waist and said, "you sure do."

"Kiss me before you get your ass beat for not listening to your mother." She said with a wicked grin.

His expression matched hers and he murmured, "yes ma'am" before dipping his head and touching his lips to hers again. This kiss was playful, yet full of hunger. Longing for what was lost or taken away. And what now was right in front of them.

She parted her lips, and his tongue slid into her mouth full of want. He groaned lightly and his hands pulled her a little closer. Their tongues danced together full of need, leaving them breathless and wanting more.

Despite that, Liv reluctantly pulled away from him and said, "you've got to go home before someone comes over here looking for you."

"I'm an adult. What's your point?"

"Do you really want your brothers to see the hardening truth?"

"Point taken." He said abruptly as he cleared his throat and took a step back. "I will see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." She breathed out. It was unavoidable. He was too damn handsome for his own good. Grabbing the front of his shirt, she pulled him in for one more hot kiss. The moment she felt like she could melt to the ground, she let go and said, "see you tomorrow, Fitz."

"That was mean." he teased.

"I'd take my time walking home if I were you." she teased back. "Nite, Fitz."

"Nite, Liv."