i still love you • blake griffin

•six•

Vivian sat in Blake's living room and tried not to get annoyed with everything Natalie said to her. When Vivian heard that Natalie had good news, she figured Natalie's boyfriend of four years finally proposed. Instead, she was disappointed when Natalie told her she set her up on a blind date.

Vivian despised blind dates because they all turned out to be a bust — especially her last one. The guy Natalie set her up with, unbeknownst to her, had a wife and four children. His wife showed up on their date, made a huge scene and after that night, Vivian swore she would never go on a blind date again.

"You know I hate blind dates, Natalie," Vivian said while scratching the top of Chaney's head.

Natalie sighed. "I know, but this guy is divorced and he has no kids. Plus, he is fine."

She showed Vivian a picture of the guy she was going out with, and Vivian smiled to herself.

"Did you tell him that I'm pregnant?" Vivian asked, giving Natalie her phone back.

"Ya know, that did not come up," Natalie answered, avoiding eye contact with Vivian. "But let's not worry about that. Let's go find you something to wear."

Natalie grabbed Vivian's hand and dragged her upstairs to her room so they could find her an outfit for her date.

•

Blake couldn't understand why he agreed to have dinner with Brynn. There were so many other people he could've hung out with for the night, yet he was with her. It wasn't that he hated or disliked Brynn in any way, he just didn't see the need to spend time with her unless their son was around.

"I heard you've been hanging out with your ex-wife lately," Brynn said, causing the whole conversation to take an awkward turn. "I thought she hated you."

He furrowed his eyebrows at her random question but shrugged it off. "She does, but she's in a little situation, and I need to be there for her."

Blake knew better than to tell the mother of his first child that he got his ex-wife pregnant. Vivian didn't take it well when she found out about Brynn, and he was not prepared to go through that with Brynn — even though they weren't even together.

"What kind of situ..."

Blake tuned Brynn out when he saw Vivian walk in the restaurant with a man on her arm. He couldn't believe she was already out on a date.

"Wait," he mumbled to himself when he realized they were in a Japanese restaurant. "What is she doing here? She's not supposed to eat shellfish."

"Blake, what are you —"

He got up from the table and made his way toward Vivian & her date. He pulled up a chair, sat at the table with them, and Vivian looked at him wide-eyed.

"Hey Viv, Viv's friend. You guys don't mind if I join you, do you?" Blake grinned at Vivian, and she shot him an icy glare. If looks could kill he would've been ten feet under.

"Actually —"

"Nah man," Vivian's date, Jonathan, answered. "We don't mind at all."

A look of disgust appeared on Vivian's face when Jonathan started talking to Blake about basketball. Not only was she annoyed, she was slightly turned off. How could he be more interested in Blake than their date?

"So, Vivian, what are you doing here?" Blake asked her. "You know you're not supposed to be eating shellfish."

She narrowed her eyes at him because she knew exactly what he was doing. "Well, Blake, I guess it's a good thing they have chicken as well."

Vivian hoped & prayed Blake wouldn't ruin her date by telling Jonathan that she was pregnant, but she knew Blake, and he was just as petty as she was — if not more. That's why they got along so well.

"Are you allergic to shellfish or something?" Jonathan asked her.

"Something like that," Blake interjected with a smirk. "She's pregnant."

Jonathan looked at Blake, then Vivian before he realized Blake was serious. He stood up from the table, seemingly upset, and looked at Vivian again.

"You're pregnant for real?" Vivian nodded. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to be involved with someone that's about to have or already has kids. I hope you understand."

Jonathan walked out of the restaurant, leaving Vivian alone with the man she wanted to strangle. The first time he ruined a date for her, they were in high school, and he had a crush on her. Back then, she thought it was cute, only because it led to them dating. Now, not so much.

"When was the last time I told you I hated you?" Vivian asked Blake.

He hummed playfully as if he were thinking of an answer. "Two days ago."

"Well, I hate you."

Blake watched her walk out, and he actually felt bad. Vivian always told him she hated him, but she never really meant it. But this time she sounded serious, and that's the last thing he wanted.

•

Vivian changed out of her clothes into shorts & a tank top, then lied in the bed with Chaney right beside her. To say her night was a bust was an understatement.

"Your dad can be so annoying," she mumbled, putting her hand over her stomach.

She got up to go to the kitchen, but she lied back down when she heard the front door open. She did not want to look at or talk to Blake.

"Vivian?"

"Leave me alone, Blake." She kept her eyes on the ceiling so she wouldn't have to look at him.

"Come on, Viv. Don't be like that." He walked in the room and sat the pizza he bought for her on the bed. He lied beside her and rested his chin on her shoulder, but she kept her eyes on the ceiling. "I'm sorry for what I did, okay? Just stop ignoring me."

She sat up quickly, scaring Blake, and glared at him. "I know you were with Bethany tonight, so why would you go out of your way to ruin my date when you were with her? Is she that boring?"

Blake let out a sigh of relief, then laughed because he was actually bored at dinner with Brynn. He just didn't realize it until Vivian asked him about it.

"I was jealous," he confessed. "I don't wanna see you out with other men, especially when you're pregnant with my baby."

"Then I won't go on anymore dates," she said, shocking Blake and herself. "But if I'm not going out with anyone, neither are you. I want you at my every beck and call twenty four seven."

"I thought you didn't want me around all the time?" he asked.

"Well that was before when I didn't think I'd be this far along," she said, looking him in the eyes. "But now it's looking like this one is here to stay, and I need you."

Vivian wanted to take those last three words back the minute she saw the smirk on Blake's face.

"You need me?" He smiled like a Cheshire cat and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead in the process. "I need you too, babe."

"Okay, first of all, I don't need you like that. Second, I'm not your 'babe,' so don't call me that again. Third, don't ever kiss me again."

"You used to like it when I kissed you."

She turned her head to look at him and gasped lightly when she noticed their faces were just inches apart. "Yeah, used to. Back when we were married, and I kinda liked you."

He sucked his teeth. "You know you still like me, Viv."

She laughed and threw his arm off her shoulders. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Blake."

She got off the bed, and Blake bit his bottom lip as he watched her walk out. He smiled to himself like an idiot knowing his stubborn ex-wife was starting to come around.