More than Anyone

Jamie Cross could account for every time he remembered crying in his life. The first was when he was ten and his beloved dog, Goblin, had died. The next was when his mentor and colleague Even Kirkland died. And the third was when his son was born and he had held him for the first time.

He sat on the couch in their small living room, holding Charles Hamlet Evan Cross in his arms. Olivia and Ben, Charlie’s soon to be godparents, had arrived in London two days before for the christening that was to be held that coming Sunday. Jamie and Violet had decided that Charlie would get baptized at their church there in London before flying back to Chicago for the party. Violet was nervous about a newborn traveling such a distance but both Jamie and Ben reassured her and said that if Olivia could make the trip, so could Charlie. Olivia had slapped Ben in the stomach for that comment but he had only laughed. He truly had never met a worse flier than her. Just to get her onto the plane this time, he had packed a muscle-relaxant. She had been furious at first but that was before she took it.

Ben sat across from his best friend, scratching Selby the bloodhound’s head and watching Jamie with Charlie. He couldn’t help but shake his head with a grin.

“Man, you tell me two years ago that you and me would be here, in our situations, I would have called you crazy,” Ben said. “Actually… crazy is the nicest thing I would have called you.”

Jamie laughed. “Tell me about it. Never thought I would live to see the day you and Olivia in the same room without killing each other let alone dating.”

“I know. Every time I’m with her, I feel like humming the tune to ‘The Twilight Zone’ or something,” Ben joked and Jamie laughed again. “But it freaks me out as to how this all worked out. And it never would have if you and Violet didn’t move here.”

“You think?” Jamie asked, leaving forward and picking the baby’s pacifier up from the coffee table.

“No doubt in my mind,” Ben said. He stretched back, sinking a bit lower in the couch cushions. Selby lifted his head and rested it on his thigh. He smiled, rubbing the dog affectionately behind the ears. “If you and Violet had stayed, me and Olivia wouldn’t have been looking for companionship.”

There was a moment’s silence broken by the women giggling at something upstairs.

“Huh. I never thought of that,” Jamie said.

“Says the genius,” Ben grinned then laughed when Jamie threw a stuffed hippopotamus that Olivia had brought for Charlie at him. He picked up the purple stuffed animal and rested it on his other thigh. “I don’t know if I told you this but Monday, Olivia and I are heading up to see my ma.”

Jamie nodded his head. “I figured. And if you didn’t see her when you were so close, I figured she would kill you.”

“That she would, my friend.”

Jamie smiled, first at his best friend then down at his son, slowly drifting off to sleep. He had his dark eyes and a small tuft of his dark hair already but he had Violet’s smile. It made his heart ache just looking at him. Ben was right. He never would have imagined himself in this position just two years earlier.

Ben sighed softly. “There’s so much still though,” he spoke the thought in his head.

“What? Like sex?”

Ben eyed his friend before looking back down at the hippo. “Not that it’s really your business…”

“Because you always kept your bedroom affairs private,” Jamie snorted.

“But Olivia and I haven’t had sex yet,” Ben finished as if he had not been interrupted.

Jamie raised his eyebrows at that. “Wow.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Ben said. “And to top it off, I don’t even mind waiting. I’m not gonna be the asshole bloke that pressures his girlfriend into sex. When she wants it, I’ll be more than happy to give it to her.”

Jamie shook his head slightly, unable to truly believe that his best friend, Ben Norfolk, was saying these things. Ben obviously wasn’t a stranger to sex. He had probably a dozen or more girls in his cell phone just for the sole purpose of no-strings attached sexual activity. But here he was, talking about waiting and not being bothered by it.

“What if she wants to wait until marriage?” Jamie asked curiously then watched Ben closely for a reaction. The talk of marriage always made Ben a might bit uncomfortable. Ben had been convincing himself for the longest time that he was probably never going to get married – as much as it pained him to admit such a thing. He had such trust issues, being terrified of letting any girl too close to him in fear that they would find out who he was and use it to his advantage. Jamie had known him for years and had witnessed first hand what that bitch Jillian Phillips had had on him. Ben had called him when he had gotten that letter from her and Jamie could hardly believe it. Jillian was truly insane and if she ever went after Ben again, Jamie would be sure to tell her that first hand.

Ben focused on scratching Selby’s head for a moment then shrugged. “That would be okay too if that’s how she wanted to do things.”

If he had been standing, Jamie feared he probably would have dropped Charlie out of surprise. “Did Ben just talk about marrying bane of his existence Olivia Grange?”

An actual blush spread across his cheeks. “Don’t say that so loud. Jesus Jamie!” He hissed, pointing to the ceiling. “I don’t need her hearing shit like that.”

Jamie couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing and Ben scowled, throwing the hippo back at him. “Oh god. You’re right. I can’t believe that you and me are here, having this conversation.”

Ben glanced at the stairs as if expecting to see Olivia there then leaned forward, lowering his voice to a whisper. “When we go to Scotland in a few days, I’m going to talk to her about it.”

“About getting married?” Jamie asked, shocked.

He nodded his head. “Not really a proposal but more of a… mature adult conversation on our impending future.” He paused for a moment, seeing that Jamie had to let all of the words he was saying sink in. “But really. There’s still a lot to get through. I got to get her to stand up to her sister more. That bitch walks all over her and Livi just lets her.”

“What else?” Jamie asked, curious. To say that he was surprised when Violet had told him the news of Olivia and Ben now dating would be an understatement. He had been completely shocked. They had hated one another the first time they met. But as Jamie thought of it through the following days, it had made sense. Their best friends had moved away. They were thrust together into a situation of adjusting and friendship had seemed almost inevitable. And most times, love blossomed from friendship.

“What else?” Ben repeated to himself, rubbing a hand over his shaved head. “Well, she makes me feel lazy. She goes to work every day and I feel bad sitting on my ass all day.”

“That’s a first,” Jamie joked.

“I’m thinking about getting more involved with this hotel shit,” Ben said. “If my dad was alive, he’d kick my ass for living like this. And Olivia…” he dreaded Jamie’s reaction to his next words but he said them nonetheless. “I want to make her proud. I want her to be proud of me.” He smirked to himself. “She’s the first girl I have ever met that could care less about my money.” He sighed. “I want to always take care of her.”

Jamie smiled at his friend’s confession. For as long as he had known him, he was always waiting for Ben to find that one girl that would make him open up, that would make him tear down some of the untrusting walls he had built around himself.

Charlie looked up at his dad, sucking on his pacifier and clenching his tiny hands in fists. Jamie looked down at him and smiled, shifting his son slightly in his arms.

“I’m really happy for you, Ben,” he said. “I can tell, You’ve changed. More mature.”

Ben frowned at that. “That wasn’t my intent at all.” He pretended to scowl before breaking into a grin and standing up. “Now come on. Let me hold my godson who’s life you’ve already ruined.”

Jamie stood up, carefully passing Charlie into Ben’s arms. “How did I manage that?”

Ben gave him a look as if he couldn’t believe he didn’t already know. “His middle name is Hamlet!” He exclaimed then looked down at the baby. “Your dad and all of his bleedin’ literature.”

Hearing footsteps on the staircase, Ben turned and saw Olivia come down. She was dressed in blue jeans and a thin gray hooded sweatshirt with her hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. She smiled immediately upon seeing Ben holding the baby.

“What are you guys talking about?” She asked, bouncing up on her toes and placing a quick kiss on Ben’s lips before kissing Charlie’s forehead.

“The Cubs,” both men said simultaneously without hesitation.

Olivia clearly didn’t believe them but she let it go and sat down on the couch, resting her feet up on the coffee table. “Jamie, your wife is crazy.”

“What else is new?” He grinned, sitting down again.

“Violet is a freakin’ nutritionist, has lost nearly all of her freakin’ baby weight and is freaking out over how she looks in Sadie’s bridesmaid dress,” Olivia said with a roll of her eyes.

Jamie laughed then clapped his hands. Selby immediately came to his owner, tail wagging excitedly and Jamie rubbed him behind the ears just like he loved. “I can’t believe that you guys are her bridesmaids.”

Olivia shrugged then sat up when Ben sat down next to her. She leaned over, staring at Charlie and running her fingers through the tuft of dark hair. “Toby wants us all involved. I can’t believe that he’s getting married.”

“Jealous?” Ben teased. Her past feelings for Toby didn’t even concern him. He knew that Olivia was with him and loved him. Ever since they had first said those words to one another, she told him now constantly. And each time, his chest swelled just a little bit more. He knew that she wasn’t going to run off and be with Toby.

Olivia nudged him playfully then smiling, kissing him again. “No. I just can’t believe that Toby is getting married before me.”

Across from them, Jamie started to cough uncontrollably and Ben glared at him as Olivia got up and rushed to get him some water. He thanked her, snickering at Ben as he sipped at the glass of water.

“Are you dying?” Violet asked, having come down the stairs upon hearing her husband’s coughing fit.

He shook his head but then coughed up his water upon seeing her. She was still wearing the bridesmaid dress for Toby and Sadie’s wedding – a red thin-strapped dress with a white silk sash underneath the bodice, giving it an empire waist. “Holy shit,” he gasped.

Ben also was staring but quickly adverted his eyes when Olivia elbowed him. Violet rolled her eyes then crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yes, Jamie. I have breasts now,” she said. “I have to in order to feed our son.”

“See?” Olivia said, leaning back into the couch and resting her head on Ben’s shoulder. She yawned, covering her mouth as she did so. She was still suffering from a bit of jet lag and hoped that Jamie and Violet wouldn’t mind if she wound up taking a nap on their couch. “I told you she was crazy. Vi, I told you. You look hot.”

Ben nodded his head, staring at her again. “It’s true, Violet. Even though you’re my best friend’s wife and I love my girlfriend, I’d still do you.”’

Olivia rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know I was dating such a romantic.”

“Hell yeah you are, Livi,” he grinned and she couldn’t help but laugh before kissing him.

Completely forgetting Jamie and Violet in the room, Olivia smiled, pushing her forehead against Ben’s. “I love you,” she said softly, butterflies flapping around her stomach.

Ben smiled. “I love you too,” he whispered back, his chest swelling like it always did.

“I will probably never get used to that,” Jamie broke into their moment, now standing next to his wife with his arm around her shoulders.

Violet though was smiling. “I think it’s sweet.” Her face then brightened. “Oh my goodness! Imagine if we live in London and Livi, you and Ben live right in Scotland! We’d be neighbors! We’d be so close!”

Ben smirked, shifting Charlie in his arms. “Not really Violet but we’ll let you think that.”

Olivia smiled at her best friend’s enthusiasm then looked at Ben. “Are we going to see another Highland sunrise this visit?”

Ben stared at her, not believing that she was there but at the same time, having never felt something so right before in his life. “Aye,” he said softly. He knew he was going to marry her. He knew that he would have his family with her. She was his dream and she was going to make all of his other dreams come true. “We can see as many sunrises as you want.”

The End.

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Thank you to all those that stuck with me throughout this story and hectic time in my life. This story was always meant to end here. Ben and Olivia were probably my favorite to write so for me, there are loose ends but that's just because their story won't end - not in my head anyway.