i still love you • blake griffin

•ten•

When Vivian woke up the next morning, she came face to face with Ford. He had been lying beside her for fifteen minutes, and he was surprisingly quiet.

"What's up, kid?" He waved as she sat up. "Where's your dad?"

As if on command, a shirtless Blake walked in her room and sat on the bed. He never looked like that when we were married, she thought while struggling to keep her eyes on his face.

"It's about time you woke up, Sleeping Beauty," he said, making her roll her eyes. "All you do is sleep your life away up here."

She glared at him. "It's not my fault your daughter keeps me up all night."

She got up to go to the bathroom, but Blake grabbed her hand and gently pulled her on his lap. He really just wanted to see if she'd get up, but she didn't. He smiled mentally because he knew they were making progress.

"I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat," he suggested while running his thumb across her hip.

"Alright."

He let her get up so she could get ready and when she was finished, she checked her phone and saw that she had two missed calls and a voicemail from her father. She laughed to herself because he was the only person she knew that still left voicemails.

"Hey, baby girl. I'm in California because I wanted to surprise you, but I couldn't remember your address. I'm still at the airport, so call me when you get this."

She looked at the time and realized he only called seven minutes ago, so she got her purse and rushed downstairs where Blake & Ford were waiting for her.

"So, my dad is here, and I have to go pick him up from the airport," she said hurriedly as she walked to the front door.

"Okay. We'll go pick him up, then we can all go out to eat."

Blake wasn't all that thrilled to see Vivian's dad for obvious reasons. They'd always gotten along but after Blake & Vivian divorced, they didn't see or talk to each other. Blake figured the man still hated him.

They left the house and went straight to the airport, where they found her dad talking to a woman he just met.

"Daddy!"

John Walker excused himself from the conversation with the woman to greet his only child. But when he saw her stomach and Blake trailing behind her, he stopped in his tracks. He & Vivian talked all the time, but not once did she mention she was pregnant or talking to her ex.

"What's going on here?" he asked after giving her a hug.

"Well, Dad, Blake & I are having a baby," she said, concluding her sentence with a grin. "And before you ask, we are not getting back together."

John looked at the two of them before he chuckled at the look on Blake's face. He knew he was nervous, but he had no reason to be. Yes, of course, John did hate Blake at first, but he eventually got over it.

"Don't look so nervous son," John said, patting the nervous younger man on the back. "I don't hate you."

He grabbed his suitcase and they went outside to Blake's car. They went to lunch and while they ate, the former couple explained their situation to John.

"So, what are you having?" John asked. "Am I finally getting a grandson?"

Vivian sighed and patted his hand. "Sorry, Dad. You're getting a granddaughter — a mini Vivian."

Her father looked at Blake sympathetically. "Good luck with that."

She playfully glared at the two men as they laughed, and they continued their conversation.

"Can I get you guys anything else?" their waitress asked, directing the question more towards Blake. She'd been flirting with Blake the whole time they were there; he was just too oblivious to notice.

"Just the check," Blake answered. She nodded with a smile and went to get their check. Vivian waited until she was out of plain sight, then she smirked at him. "What?"

"She wants you so bad," Vivian laughed. "Why don't you get her number?"

He raised an eyebrow. "She's not my type. Besides, I thought you didn't want me dating anyone while you're pregnant?"

John sat next to his daughter, keeping Ford entertained while he listened to the conversation being had. He knew he needed to have a talk with her some time later in the day.

"I still don't, but once the baby's born, you can go back to doing whatever you want," she said.

Vivian didn't mean what she said, and John knew it, but he didn't want to say anything.

•

Vivian walked into the living room and sat down next to Blake & Ford. Her feet & back hurt, and she just got off the phone with an annoying client, so she wasn't feeling all that great.

"You okay?" Blake asked when he noticed how tired she looked.

"No," she said, causing her dad to look her way. "But I'll be fine."

Both Blake & John kept their eyes on her while Ford gently poked at her stomach, making her laugh.

"Bibinan tummy big," he said, looking up at his dad.

Blake chuckled. "That's because your baby sister is in there."

Ford looked back at Vivian and put his hand on her stomach. "Hi, sister."

The baby kicked, and Ford jumped into Blake's lap, not understanding what just happened.

"It's okay, sweetie. That just means she likes you," Vivian reassured him.

While the four of them relaxed watching TV, Blake's phone rang. He excused himself to answer his phone, so John took the opportunity to talk to Vivian.

"Dad, are you okay?" she asked when she noticed he was staring into space.

"'Once I have this baby, you can go back to doing whatever you want,'" he said, repeating her words from earlier. "Really, Viv?"

"What?" she shrugged. "I was just being honest with him."

Truthfully, Vivian wasn't "being honest" with Blake. She really was just trying to convince herself that they didn't need each other.

"Remember when you were in college, and you & Blake broke up for about three months? And remember when he asked you if he could ask out another girl? What did you tell him?" When she didn't answer, he answered for her. "You told him, 'I don't care. You can do what you want.'"

Vivian cringed at the memory. "What was the purpose in bringing that up?"

"You had a tendency of telling him things you thought he wanted to hear because you loved him."

Vivian looked at her father out of the corner of her eye, not liking where the conversation was going. "What are you hinting at, old man?"

"You still love Blake."

She laughed as if the idea were ridiculous. Of course she no longer held any resentment towards Blake, but she certainly didn't love him — at least she thought she didn't.

"I do not, Daddy," she said, although she didn't sound very convincing.

John laughed and shook his head at his delusional daughter and sat back on the couch as Blake walked back into the living room.