Josh stood in the doorway of the apartment, staring at Lily.
She grinned bashfully and hid her face in my shoulder.
He smiled back; you couldn't help it, her smile was contagious.
"Whose kid is that?" he asked once we were sat in the living room watching Lily play on the floor with some toys I had brought.
I breathed in, out. Narrowing my eyes at him, fighting the urge to bite my nails, I swallowed.
"That's, uh, what I wanted to explain," I began.
He eyed me, his eyes softening. He took a breath.
"She's mine, right?" he asked. The words came out slowly.
"She's your daughter."
I could only nod as tears fell. Seriously, ever since I got pregnant, I've been more emotional than normal.
"When were you going to tell me, Liv? When she was in elementary school, or when she was in college?" he spat.
"I didn't know how! You left me for someone else, you betrayed me, so forgive me for hiding your daughter from you!" I snapped.
Lily began crying, but before I could soothe her, Josh was already there, cradling her awkwardly in his arms and kissing her forehead.
"It's okay. It's okay. I'm sorry," he whispered to her.
He wasn't apologizing to me, but to our daughter. One he didn't know about until ten seconds ago.
He sat down on the couch and cuddled her to him for a long period of time, until she was asleep.
"I'm sorry, Liv. I screwed up, I screwed everything up. I'm so sorry."
I didn't bother wiping the tears that were cascading down my face. "Are you sorry you slept with her? Are you sorry you cheated on me? Are you sorry that you left me all alone with a defenseless baby to raise?!" I was angry. Angry that he did what he did.
Tears threatened to spill over his eyes, but knowing him, he wouldn't let me see him cry.
Sure, on-screen, I had seen him "cry" but those were fake tears. They weren't real.
But the tension and heartbreak between us right now, was. It was very real.
"Saying sorry over and over won't fix what I did. I can only hope you'll let me in, if only to help you raise Lily. Your parents won't be there forever. I just... know I'll always be there for you, even if our baby didn't exist. I still love y-"
Just then, the door opened.
She stopped in the hall, tears rolling down her face.
Bags fell from her snow-white hands. An angry scream escaped her throat.
"What in the name of God is going on?!" Sabrina yelled.
She was looking between us, her eyes wandering over to the baby.
"We are through! No wedding!" She threw the ring down on the carpet and stormed out of the door, leaving her shopping bags in the walkway.
Josh sighed. "Thank God! She was really getting on my nerves. My Dad kind of pressured me into proposing since he's friends with her dad."
I eyed him. I wanted to laugh, but this was no laughing matter. The only good part was Josh could be more involved.
"Hey, do you want to maybe get lunch sometime? You could even bring Lily," he grinned and kissed her cheek before handing her to me.
She fell asleep again on my chest.
"You sure it wouldn't, like, stir the public up? I know our fans have been obsessed with the whole triangle thing," I laughed.
He raised a brow. "You've apparently been reading too many articles. And no, I wouldn't think so. It's just two young adults, having lunch together... with their secret daughter...."
I giggled.
"Okay, maybe it would cause some gossip, but really, I think we'll be fine. I can hire a bodyguard if you'd rather."
"No, we'll be fine. And yes, I'd like to have lunch sometime."
He smiled and said goodbye before shutting the door.
I sighed and waited for my parents to come pick me up. It was my car they were driving around, after all.
Later, I was putting Lily to sleep in her crib when my phone buzzed.
"Hi, Liv. I really enjoyed meeting Lily today :)" ~Josh
"You liked meeting her, or seeing Sabrina's reaction?" ~Olivia
"Hey, our daughter is adorable! She takes after you :)" ~Josh
"So you're saying I'm adorable?" ~Olivia
"No, no. Oh, this is awkward. I was... nevermind. Anyway, meet me at the mall tomorrow. I want to buy something for Lily..." ~Josh
"Alright. Gotta go. Bye!" ~Olivia
"Sweet dreams, Liv. See you tomorrow." ~Josh
I sighed, falling back into my bed as Mom came in.
"Your dad is still at work, so looks like it'll just be us girls tonight. Scoot over," she said.
I snuggled into Mom's chest, looking up at the ceiling.
"So, how'd seeing Josh go?" she asked.
"Well, I think. Sabrina freaked, called off the wedding, and left. Then he invited us to the mall tomorrow."
Mom smiled. "Good, honey. I'm glad it went well. Now, close your eyes. I'll get Lily if she wakes." Mom kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes.
Everything was going well.
YOU ARE READING
Lily: a Jolivia story
Fanfiction"I'm passing Pasadena; do you still live in LA?" In which Joshua Bassett doesn't know he has an almost one-year-old daughter with his ex-girlfriend, Olivia Rodrigo. But that's not what he's worried about. Oh, no. He has his own life to worry about...
