Emily lazily dragged herself through the airport terminal to get to baggage claim. She had been gone two days. Two days away from Ben was excruiciating. Especially after the way she left. Leaving the way she did and pushing him away made her feel like she made the biggest mistake. He tried so hard to involve her in everything and all she did was worry about was herself. She felt awful for pulling away from him when he needed her the most. He was going through so much yet he still managed to think of her. He gave their relationship his all and all she did was let him down. The night before she left, she knew Ben could tell she was distancing herself from him. He looked pained and sad when she told him he didn't need to drop her off at the airport. She had been pulling away slowly but he never changed, not until that night. It was the first time he gave her space and it killed her. But she knew it was her fault and that made her feel even worse. She regretted telling him she didn't need a ride. It was a simple decline but it caused so much damage to their relationship. Now that she was back, she just hoped she could make it up to him. He was trying and the least she could do was try too. She wasn't ready to give up because even though the situation involving Liv and the baby made her feel disconnected from Ben, she still loved him.
As she walked to the arrival gate she spotted Ben looking around anxiously. She couldn't help the big smile that was plastered on her face. Just when she thought he was pulling away too, there he was in his dark washed jeans and red checked flannel looking handsome as ever waiting for her. She watched him a little longer until his hazel eyes met her blue ones. Once he saw her, he smiled warmly and made his way to her. She couldn't wait for him to get to her so she sprinted to him. She immediately threw her arms around him as he held her tight. She kissed him deeply, surprising both him and herself by her forwardness. It was an exhilarating feeling letting go of all her insecurites and showing him just how much she loved and appreciated him in public. 'If he's going to give it his all, so am I', she thought.
"Hey" he whispered as he pulled away to rest his forehead against hers.
"I missed you so much."
"You did?" he asked grinning.
She nodded and frowned before she said, "Ben, I'm so sorry for the way I've been this past month. I promised you I would be there for you but I just wasn't and I'm sorry."
He shook his head as he brushed stray pieces of hair away from her face, "I understand. It's difficult but next time can you come to me and tell me you're having a hard time dealing instead of pulling away from me?"
"I promise" she whispered as she closed her eyes to kiss him again.
She was going to try.
Ben helped Emily with her bags and they drove home comfortably. The tension and awkardness that had been clouding their relationship for the past month had seem to disappear. Now, there wasn't anything they were worried about. Everything was finally good and easy.
***
Ben had told Emily about having dinner with Liv weeks before but Emily felt like no time was enough for her to prepare for properly meeting Liv. She tried to shake the nervousness she felt while getting ready but nothing helped. She couldn't quite pinpoint what she was nervous about but she knew some of it had to do with the fact that deep down she knew Ben still had feelings for Liv. It wasn't easy for her knowing that the man she loves loves someone else.
Emily looked at herself in the mirror one last time before reminding herself that she had nothing to be worried or nervous about. Ben was with her and not Liv.
The drive to the Hawaiian infused restaurant was quiet. Emily sat in the passenger seat taking slow deep calming breaths while Ben drove silently seeming relaxed. Once they had the valet take the car, Ben was at Emily's side with his hand placed on her lower back. He gently rubbed his thumb soothingly as he pulled her closer to place a kiss on her forehead. She looked up to see his comforting smile as he said, "Relax. She just wants to get to know you better. If it gets too much for you, squeeze my hand and we'll make up some excuse and leave, okay?"
His words calmed her down slightly so she nodded and they made their way inside the restaurant. The floor plan of the restaurant was beautiful. It was open with round table cloth covered tables scattered everywhere with booths along the walls of the room. The lighting was soft and intimate. Everything about the setting was relaxed and it made Emily feel better about meeting Liv. Before she had time to prepare herself for seeing Liv, a little adorable looking pregnant woman came into her line of sight. Emily was overwhelmed by how different Liv looked. The last time she saw her, she was so tiny. And now, well, now she was huge. But in a cute way. She had an adorable baby bump and her glowing face looked so beautiful.
"Hi" Liv greeted from the white table cloth covered table. She stood up looking very pregnant and very beautiful at the same time in her black buttoned up collared shirt tailored perfectly to drape over her baby bump loosely, with black leggings. Simple attire but she look just so elegant and adorable with her chocolate brown hair in soft curls framing her glowing face. "I'm going to hug you", she said to Emily as she waddled herself to Emily and wrapped her arms around her giving her a warm hug. Liv pulled away with a warm smile and moved back to her seat.
"I hope you don't mind but I kind of ordered some appetizers. I'm a little hungry." Liv said with a sheepish smile on her face.
Ben tucked Emily into her seat. "That's totally fine." Emily replied immediately. She completely understood, Liv was pregnant so of course it was okay.
"Always hungry" Ben mocked playfully as he took his seat.
"I'm pregnant" Liv scoffed. Ben opened his mouth to say something but Liv quickly interrupted him, "And that's not an excuse. It's the truth." Ben chuckled as Liv did the same. This was the first time Emily has ever seen Ben and Liv interact and converse with one another. The first time she met Liv she didn't have a chance to speak with her since she left before they could even talk. But now, seeing Ben and Liv talk like old friends was difficult. Emily knew they weren't trying to make her feel left out but there was just something about the way they looked and spoke to one another. Everything between them seemed so easy, so natural, and so effortless. "So, how was everyone's day?" Liv asked playfully trying to get everyone comfortable. She smiled brightly and it was just contagious. Emily didn't even realize she was smiling too until she laughed a little at Liv's attempt to ease the tension.
"Pretty good." Ben chuckled.
"Same." Emily added right after.
"Ben tells me you're a public representative. That sounds so interesting. But it must not be easy having to deal with press." Liv says sounding genuinely interested as she takes a sip of her ice water.
"Definitely not easy but I love it and I'm good at it."
"That's great. It's always best to do something you love, that way it isn't work."
"You love what you do don't you?" Emily asked and Liv nodded happily. "I really loved your fall collection last year." Emily said truthfully. Though she didn't want to have anything to do with Liv because she always felt like Ben still had feelings for her, Liv's designs were everywhere. It couldn't be ignored. She was talented.
"Really?" she asked sounding truly surprised "I had the hardest time with that one. I literally made a million alterations to every single piece in that collection."
"Yeah really. It's beautiful. I really loved the accesories. Especially that gold braided cuff."
"Aw well thank you. That means so much!" Liv said sincerely. She looked geniunely flattered and appreciative of Emily's praise. That was another thing Emily noticed, Liv was humble about her work.
The rest of dinner went by smoothly. The conversation was easy and Emily found herself enjoying Liv's company. If the circumstances were different, if Ben and Liv didn't have a past and didn't have a baby on the way, Emily felt like she and Liv could actually be friends. Liv was just so easy to talk to. She was honest, opinionated, and entertaining. But the main reason why the night was going so well was because they haven't said anything about the baby. Though Emily was having a good time, she knew at some point the baby would be brought up.
Liv's laughter slowly died down until her face became serious, "Okay, so. I have no idea how to transition this conversation into what I really wanted to say at this dinner but I'm just going to come right out and say it."
Emily looked at Ben who looked confused but not at all nervous like Emily did. "Um, okay." Emily mumbled as she shifted in her seat nervously hoping Liv wasn't going to confess her undying love for Ben.
"Emily, I know you and I don't really know each other but I'd like us to get to know one another because like it or not, you'll be spending time with my daughter and I want to know exactly who's going to be around my daughter. I know you're a wonderful woman. You have to be. For you to be so strong and level headed throughout this whole messy ordeal, you've got to be pretty understanding and just plain amazing. This situation is awkward, there's no getting around it but we can make the most of it. So, I just want to let you know that if you're going to be around my daughter, I expect you to be there for her." Liv said with unwavering confidence. She noticed the uncertainty and nervousness on Emily's face so she continued, "I know that's a lot to ask, but if you're going to be around my daughter I want you to protect her and care for her like she was your own."
"Liv, I'm not-" Emily stuttered but was quickly interrupted by Liv.
"Let me just say this. Just thinking about having to be away from her scares the crap out of me." Liv says with her voice sounding less strong but more emotional. She looks at Emily with so much vulnerability as she continued with her voice cracking slightly."But I just want to make sure that you'll be there for her if I can't"
Emily noticed the way Liv's eyes were glazing over in unshed tears so she tried to sound as comforting as possible, "Liv, I don't intend on replacing you in anyway."
"I know. But wherever my daughter is, I want her to always have someone. I want her to always feel loved, wanted, protected, and cared for."
Not once did Liv break eye contact from Emily. Liv was every bit serious and Emily couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with a mix of emotions. "I understand." Emily said quietly.
"So can you do that for me? Can you promise me you'll be there for her?" Liv asked desperately.
Emily felt her eyes prickling with tears. She admired Liv's strength in accepting that she had to share her daughter with someone else. She felt so honored that Liv trusted her enough to grant her with such a big responsibility. Emily looked at Ben for some sort of help. She knew that promising to be there for her daughter was a lot to take on but if she was going to be with Ben she needed to do it. Ben just looked at her with the same expression Liv had. He too felt emotional with Liv's request but he looked more than sure of Emily's ability to fullfill her request so she said, "I promise"
"Thank you." Liv said with all the gratitude she could muster up while Ben reached out to hold Emily's hand under the table. He gave her hand a little squeeze as he smiled warmly and lovingly at her.
Now she knew why Ben loved Liv so much. She was a wonderful spirit. There was just something about her you couldn't help but love. She was so charistmatic, easy to talk to, and humble. She was bright and full of life. Emily wanted so badly to not like Liv but there wasn't anything to not like about her. Liv was a beautiful person which made Emily wonder what it was that made Ben and Liv break up.
"Liv was really sweet" Emily told Ben honestly as he drove them home.
He snorted, "Yeah, she isn't always that way." He laughed a little and continued to watch the road. He looked relaxed and content and Emily was just happy to finally see him look so peaceful.
"I'm really glad we all had dinner together. And it really means a lot to me that she's willing to let me spend time with her daughter."
Ben carefully pulled to a stop at the red light and looked over at Emily with a soft smile on his face. He reached his hand over to hold hers, "Well, you're a part of my life. Liv knows that. She knows you're important to me and that you'll be around."
"I know that, but I just didn't expect her to grant me with so much responsibility." she told him honestly, "I thought she would just tell me to be nice to your daughter and treat her well. I wasn't expecting all that."
"Are you not ready for that responsibility?" he asked carefully studying her face.
She immediately shook her head, "No, no. it's not that. I was just surprised that's all." She noticed his face relax. Though she wasn't expecting Liv to ask to her basically be a second mom to her daughter, she was ready to be just that. She loved Ben enough to accept all of him and his daughter was a part of that. "I'm so ready for that responsibilty."
He smiled brightly and leaned forward to kiss her softly. "That makes me so happy" he whispered.
***
Ben was so elated about Emily finally feeling included. He was happy she and Liv had made some sort of step towards a civil relationship. He was worried there would be awkward tension between them but dinner went well. And because Emily promised to be apart of his daughter's life he felt even closer to her. Everything between he and Emily seemed to be getting better and now he just felt fully relaxed and content with life.
Ben smiled at Emily as she lay on the bed watching him undress for bed. They were finally in a good place and it just felt good. Once he was in his boxer he crawled his way to her until he was hoovering above her. She smiled and ran her hands up his chest slowly until she had her arms around his neck. He leaned his head down and softly kissed her. She pulled him closer by wrapping her legs around his waist. She felt him getting hard against her core as he slowly grinded into her. A quiet moan escaped her mouth as he pulled away just enough to slip his hand into her panties. He rubbed her in slow sensual circles while he peppered light feathery kisses down her neck and along her collarbone. Her hands clawed his back as she felt herself getting closer and closer to climax. Then once he slipped a finger inside her and began to pump inside her, she felt the pressure building in her core until she finally reached an orgasm. He smiled as he watched her come down from her climax. Once she caught her breath, she brought her head up towards his to kiss him passionately. While he kissed her, she slipped her fingers under the waistband of his boxers and inched them off him slowly. He kicked his boxers off and pulled away from her to reach into the nightstand to get a condom. Emily noticed what he was trying to do and for some reason she felt annoyed so she tried to bring his hand back to her. His hand was back on her hips and she was satisfied but then he reached for the nightstand again and she groaned, "We don't need that."
He groans, "Em don't be stupid.
"Oh I'm the stupid one?" she asked incredulusly. "You're the one that forgot to put one on 7 months ago."
He falls to the side and tries to catch his breath. "Em, why are you doing this?"
"Would it be so bad having a child with me too?" she asked on the verge of crying.
He sighed, "Em that's not why. I can barely handle one kid and she's not even here yet."
She wanted to asked if he even wanted kids with her eventually but she was afraid of the answer. Even though she didn't see Ben and Liv have some sort of special connection at dinner she knew that they were connected and if he realized that he didn't want a child with her their relationship would be over. He sighs and pulls her close, "Em, I love you, okay?"
She nods, "I'm sorry, can we just forget any of this happened?" He had a pained look on his face as he studied hers but he nodded. She didn't know why she all of a sudden needed to know if Ben wanted a family with her but now that he was about to have one with Liv, she was curious. She wondered if Ben ever saw himself married to her with a family.