Meant to Be

“Sure there is. There’s a possibility that that’s my kid and if it is, I won’t hesitate to take full custody of it.”

Olivia could still see the smirk on Jason’s face from that day. As a few days had passed since then, that last moment with him played in her mind over and over.

The moment vanished from her mind when she heard a low knock on her door. She quickly pulled her shirt over her head and stomach and called for them to enter. She smiled when she saw it was her father.

“Hey, there,” she smiled.

“Hey. Going out?” he asked.

Olivia shook her head. “No, why?”

Her dad shrugged his shoulders. “Just asking. Surprised you’re not going out with, uh, what’s his face?”

She laughed. “Brendon, dad? You mean Brendon?”

He half smiled. “Yeah, him.”

“I don’t know if I’ll see him today. His parents just got back from a trip out of state. I’m sure he’s busy with his family,” she explained.

“Don’t they wanna see you? I mean, you are having their grandchild.”

Olivia looked down and fiddled with her fingers. “They actually don’t know about me and Brendon or the baby,” she confessed.

She looked at her father and saw a confused look at his face. “But I figured y’all told them since you told us.” Olivia just shook her head. “Why haven’t y’all?” he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “We just haven’t figured out how or the perfect time to.”

“Liv, there will never be a perfect time. You two need to stop tiptoeing around and just buck up the courage to tell them. I’m sure it can’t be the worst thing he’s ever told them. Seemed like a mischievous boy growing up…” he trailed off.

Olivia nodded her head, knowing what he said was true. “You’re right, dad. We’re going to tell them soon, I promise.”

He walked towards her and gave her a hug and kissed her forehead. “Good. Oh, by the way. You have a visitor,” he announced as he started to walk out of her room.

She eyed her door curiously and began to walk towards it, when all of a sudden she saw her cousin’s bright smile and blonde hair. Charlotte excitedly yelled her name and ran to give her a hug, being careful not to put too much pressure on Olivia’s stomach.

“Charlotte? Wow, it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever,” she said after breaking their hug.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and scoffed off Olivia’s comment. “It’s only been a few weeks, but it really has been too long for us.”

Olivia nodded her head in agreement. The last time she saw her cousin was the day she was released from the hospital. “So are you in town for a while?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am!” Charlotte exclaimed. “How about we go talk more over lunch? Hungry?” she asked.

Olivia smiled. “I’m always hungry.”

As they made their way towards the front door, Olivia’s dad asked from the couch, “Heading out?”

“Yeah, gonna go eat. Want me to bring you back something?” Olivia asked.

She saw him shake his head. “I’ll whip something up here, thanks.”

Charlotte and Olivia said goodbye to Olivia’s dad as Olivia closed the door behind her.

Olivia’s dad finished reading the last of his newspaper and got up to make his way to the kitchen when the doorbell rang. He grunted in annoyance before answering it.

“Olivia, what did you forget this time?” he asked before seeing who it was. “It’s you,” he said.

Brendon smiled and nodded. “It’s me,” he responded.

“Um…I’m sorry, you just missed Olivia. She left with her cousin,” Mr. Adams said.

Brendon smiled again. “Yeah, I know. I saw them drive off a couple of minutes ago. I’m not here to see Liv. I’m here to talk to you, actually.”

Mr. Adams raised his eyebrows in surprise and curiosity. “You wanna talk to me?” Brendon nodded. “What about?”

“Liv, of course. But actually, it’s more of a question. A very important question,” Brendon stated seriously.

Olivia’s dad felt a large lump in his throat and gulped loudly.



“You look so much better than the last time I saw you. No whiplash?” Charlotte asked.

Olivia finished taking a sip from her water before answering. “Thanks, I feel so much better since then. A little, but it’s gone now. Thank God. Between that and an aching back, I felt like shit.”

Charlotte let out a small chuckle, but was grateful Olivia was feeling better. “That’s good. So, what have you been up to? Your dad tells me you’ve seemed stressed out. What’s going on?” Charlotte asked with concern.

It was just like her dad to vent his concerns about Olivia to Charlotte. Ever since her mom had passed away, that was what her dad did. She sighed and shook her head. “A lot of things, to be honest,” she admitted.

“Like?”

“For starters, pregnancy. I’m actually really scared about all of this,” she said, rubbing her belly involuntarily. “I…I just don’t know if I’m ready for all of this. What if I can’t handle it? What if I’m a bad mother? What if Jason gets custody?” she said dramatically.

“Wait what!” Charlotte exclaimed. “I thought this was Brendon’s kid? What aren’t you telling me Liv?” she asked.

Olivia sighed, forgetting she never told Charlotte about what happened in California. She explained everything, for what felt like the one hundredth time. “But you said it yourself months ago, that the possibility was small. I asked you if Jason had a reason to ask for a paternity test and you never answered. Is there a chance?”

“No, no. We used protection all the time. I was on the pill. But the night me and Brendon slept together, I didn’t take it and we didn’t use protection. I think the odds are against Jason being the father.”

“Then why are you freaking out over this?” Charlotte asked.

“Because, Jason can get whatever he wants. He knows people. He’s a powerful man who has connections. It wouldn’t surprise me if he paid someone to tamper with the results or somehow get custody of the baby,” Olivia went on.

“You should just get a restraining order against him,” Charlotte half-jokingly suggested.

Olivia seriously entertained the thought for a moment. “I just need a really good week of no stress, no drama, just pampering.”

“Well, there’s still the baby shower.”

Olivia just shook her head. “Not even that will be stress-free. That’s when we’re planning on telling Brendon’s parents about the baby.”

Charlotte seemed surprised. “I didn’t even know you were inviting them. Which reminds me, you should give me a list of people to invite.”

Olivia realized there was one more thing she forgot to mention to her cousin. “Oh, well you see, I kinda thought the shower would be a no go. I knew you were working a lot and planning your wedding. I figured there just wouldn’t be a shower. So when I told Kara that, she volunteered to throw it for me…” Olivia saw the hurt look on Charlotte’s face.

“Oh...” The excitement on Charlotte’s face quickly faded.

Olivia felt horrible. “You know what, I’m gonna tell Kara that you’re gonna help her out with it. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. Plus, you know what decorations I’d like and all that and invite my side of the family.”

Charlotte smiled. “I did already have a theme in mind. Okay let her know then.”



Brendon sat quietly looking out the window. He could feel Olivia’s dad’s eyes on him. It had been well over an hour since he had come over and they were still sitting in silence in the living room.

“You know Mr. Adams, I don’t need an answer today. You can let me know at a later time. I don’t plan on proposing until after the baby is born anyways,” he said a little nervously.

Olivia’s dad looked at the floor and then finally got up. “C’mon, let’s go for a drive,” he suggested.

Brendon looked at him as he made his way to the garage and then followed behind. He hesitated getting into the front seat, his hand lightly gripping the door handle. “Would you just get in?” he heard Mr. Adams say.

They drove off, Brendon not sure where they were heading to or if even Mr. Adams knew where he was driving to.

“Why do you want to marry my daughter?” Brendon looked into his direction. It had been a few minutes into the car ride that either of them had said anything.

Brendon adjusted his sitting position. “Because she’s the mother of my unborn child,” he answered as seriously as he could.

He let out a laugh when he saw the way Olivia’s dad looked at him. “I’m kidding. I mean, I’m happy she’s going to be the mother of my child and future children, but that’s not why, I assure you.”

“Then tell me why. Seriously.” There was a stern tone to Mr. Adams’ voice.

“Honestly, there are so many reasons why. I couldn’t give you just one.”

“Then tell me them. I wanna know.”

Brendon inhaled deeply before reciting his reasons. “First off, she’s truly an amazing woman. She’s been through a lot and yet she’s stayed strong and kept her head up. She’s hella smart. If it weren’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have graduated high school. Not that she cheated for me or anything like that…,” he added when Olivia’s dad gave him a suspicious look. “…just tutored. Then she went to college and graduated and became a nurse. It says a lot about her. She’s caring and empathetic and has a big heart. She’s dedicated. Let’s see, what else? She’s super supportive. When I told her about me joining a band and thinking that was what I wanted to do career wise, she was nothing but excited and proud and happy for me. She believed in me and the band, which makes me think that she’ll be supportive in whatever crazy ideas our children have.”

Brendon saw a slight smile form across Mr. Adams’ lips when he made that comment. Was he reeling him to a “you have my blessing”? He continued, mentioning her sense of humor and sarcasm; her stubbornness; her eyes and her smile. How he knew she would make a great mother.

“Lastly, because she loves me. She loves my faults and my talents. She’s been beyond forgiving to me. I just know in my heart that we’re meant to be together. And I love her. I couldn’t see my life without her.”

There was silence for a moment. Brendon figured Mr. Adams was just taking everything in. “If what you say is true about all the reasons why you want to marry her, then why did you break her heart all those years ago?”

Brendon was taken aback by the question. How did he know that he had broken up with Olivia? He remembered Olivia saying that she told everyone their breakup was mutual. There was no way around his question.

“I-I…how did you know?” he asked.

“When she told us that you all decided to part ways, I went to make sure she was okay that night before going to bed. I heard her sobbing in her room and heard her tell Charlotte what really happened.”

Brendon looked ashamed and couldn’t bring himself to look at Olivia’s dad. “So, how can you tell me all these wonderful reasons why you want to marry her and want my blessing, when you broke her heart? That’s not something I can take lightly,” Mr. Adams said.

Brendon licked his lips and nodded his head. “I get it. I’d be pissed at the guy who broke my daughter’s heart, but at the time, I thought I was doing her a favor.”

“A favor?” Mr. Adams questioned.

“Look, I was going to record an album with the band and then come home for a couple of weeks and then head out to tour around the country. Meanwhile she would be in Washington for college. I just wanted her to have a normal college life without the burden of me. I wanted her to make lots of friends and study and go to wild college parties without thinking about me. I knew she wanted to be with me still and trust me, I wanted to be with her, but…” he shrugged his shoulders, “…I thought I was doing the right thing by letting her go. Trust me, it hurt like hell to see her hurting, too. I realize now, that it was a stupid thing to do. I’d give anything to take that day back.”

Olivia’s dad could sense that Brendon’s answer was genuine, but there was still a small part of him that wasn’t sure if he could give his blessing. “You know she’ll say yes to you and marry you. Why do you need my blessing?” he asked.

Brendon smiled slightly. “Olivia loves you. You’re the first man she has ever loved. You’ve been there for her since the day she was born. She values your opinion more than anyone else. She wants your support and sure she probably would say yes and marry me anyways, but not having your blessing would be in the back of her mind.”

Mr. Adams looked at Brendon and then back on the road. He didn’t say anything, making Brendon feel uncomfortable. After a few more minutes of silent driving, they parked behind Brendon’s car that he deliberately parked a few houses down.

“Good talk, I have a lot to think about,” Mr. Adams said, waiting for Brendon to get out.

Brendon slowly took off his seatbelt, confused about what had happened. “Why did we drive around just to talk?” he asked curiously.

“I couldn’t take the chance of Olivia coming home while we were discussing this and I may have wanted to scare you a little. Why? Did you think I was going to murder you or something?”

It had been in the back of Brendon’s mind, but he wasn’t going to admit that. “No, of course not.”

As Brendon left, Olivia’s dad headed back to his house and parked the car back in the garage. He figured Olivia was already home, probably sleeping or eating.

“Dad, where were you? I tried calling but you left your cellphone here and Abel had no idea where you were. I got so worried,” Olivia said, trying her best to get up from the couch.

“I just went to do some errands. I’m fine, really. I’m sorry I worried you.” A sense of relief washed over her and she gave him a hug. He patted her on the back. “I’m fine Liv, no need to get all worked up over it.”

She shook her head and released him. “I know, I know. It’s the hormones.”

As she made her way up the stairs, her father called out to her, making her stop midway. “Yeah?”

He met her at the bottom step. “I’m curious. Would you still be with that Brendon fellow if I didn’t approve of him?”

One of her eyebrows arched and her face contorted into curiosity. “I don’t know. Probably, but I would hate to think that you didn’t approve of my relationship with him.”

He nodded his head understandably. “Dad, your support means the world to me. Do you not approve of him or our relationship? I know you’re not fond of him…”

“I’m coming around to him. He seems to make you happy and I know how much he means to you,” he said honestly.

Olivia smiled. “Thanks dad. I love you,” she said before blowing him a kiss from where she stood.

“I love you, too. All I want is for you to be happy,” he answered, turning his head slightly to let the kiss plant on his cheek.