independence; a. matthews

5

*July 1*

Olivia's pov
"Auston I need to talk to you for a second." I fiddle with my fingers and try not to make eye contact with the boy in front of me. No one else is currently home, so this feels like the perfect time for this conversation.

He takes a seat on the edge of the couch and turns to face me. "What's up?"

All of a sudden my mouth feels dry and I can't think of the words I had previously prepared. Instead of verbally telling him, I do it the only way I can think of.

I pull out my phone and quickly unblock him on Instagram, allowing him to see my profile if he chooses. "I can't really think of any other way to share this with you, so this is it. Go to my instagram and scroll through my feed until you understand. Then come upstairs and we can talk." Without further explanation, I walk up the stairs and into my bedroom. I decide to change Rosy and then goof around with her until Auston comes up.

Quicker than I expected, the tall dark haired boy is standing in my doorway, looking out the window. He stands still for a few moments as I set Rosy in her crib.

"She's mine." He whispers, so quietly is it nearly impossible to hear him. His eyes are glossy and he looks like he could start crying any minute. "She's ours."

"She is." I sigh and finally make eye contact with Auston, my eyes filling up with tears and one slipping down my cheek. "I'm so sorry." More tears cascade down my face and there is no point in me even trying to stop them.

When he sees my tears, Auston does something I didn't expect. He takes a few steps towards me and wraps me in the biggest hug I have ever received. "Don't apologize. I should be the one apologizing. I acted like a child and left you with something that no girl should go through on their own." He looks down at my small frame and places his hands on my shoulders.

"I wasn't alone. I had your family. They have been amazing, and they are so sweet with her. They even let me figure out how to tell you and supported me when I said I wanted to wait." A smile finds it's way onto my face as I describe how much help the Matthews family has been for me.

"Can I ask why you didn't want to tell me?" His eyes never once leave mine, seemingly searching for something inside them.

"You told me it didn't mean anything. Then you left for Toronto. What was I supposed to do? You literally told me to forget about it." A sad sigh escapes my lips and I try to turn out of Austons grip, but he keeps me still.

"Look, I know how stupid I was, and trust me I regret it. When we were younger you were always the most beautiful girl to me and I always wanted you to be mine. When I was like 16 I told Alex how much I wanted you but she told me it would never happen. She was 19 and you were 17, and I knew she was right. When I finally got to kiss you for the first time that night in September, I knew it wouldn't be the end of us. I knew I would find a way to be with you again somehow, but I was scared. We live in different countries and I didn't want you to have to worry about me all the time. I know now more than ever that I need you, and I need her to." He pauses and glances over to where Rosy is laying peacefully. "Please."

"What are you trying to say, Aus?" My eyes are fixated on his and I can't help but lace my fingers together with his.

"I want us to spend the coming weeks with each other the way we are right now. As a family. If all goes well, I would really like to have you and Rosy come with me to Toronto. You don't understand how much I need you guys now. I can't miss anymore of her life." The tears that we're building up in his eyes choose this exact moment to fall down his cheeks, and I know I can't say no.

"We will see, Auston. Only time will tell, but I want her to grow up knowing her dad." I gently smile at Auston and walk towards where Rosy lays, picking her up and gently setting her in the arms of her father.

"She's so perfect. You are the most amazing woman ever for giving the world such a beautiful gift." He can't seem to take his eyes off the face of his daughter, he looks happier than I have ever seen him look.

"She already has dark hair like you do." I can't help but smile up at him and gently run my hand over Rosy's forehead.

"Yeah but you can see that she will have lips like yours." He looks down into my eyes and then at my lips, and back up to my eyes. "Would it be too much to kiss you right now?"

The only response I can seem to create is a slight shake of my head, and then Auston's lips are covering mine in the sweetest kiss ever. It's almost like I can feel all of his emotions through this one kiss. It's gentle and loving, but also passionate and needy, like he's been waiting for a long time.

After a long moment, he pulls back and rests his forehead against mine. He looks down at the sleeping baby girl in his arms and then back to me. "My girls."

Right now in this moment, everything is perfect. I have the most beautiful daughter ever and an amazing man who helped create her.

I'm glad I told him when I did.