i still love you • blake griffin

•thirteen•

"I hate you, Blake Griffin!" Vivian screamed out in the delivery room. She had been in labor for five hours, and she just wanted it all to be over. "My God! Why did I have sex with you?!"

Everyone in the room laughed at Vivian's hysterics, but she didn't find anything funny. She was seconds away from shouting numerous expletives at everyone until Dr. Greene interrupted her thoughts.

"Okay, Vivian, I can see the head. I need you to take a deep breath and push," Dr. Greene announced.

Vivian did as told and pushed until she couldn't push any more. She threw her head back against the pillow, and Blake used his good hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. A couple of pushes later, the delivery room was filled with the loud cries of baby Griffin.

"You did it, babe," Blake whispered to Vivian right before he kissed her temple. She smiled weakly and rested her head against the pillow. She was exhausted, but the only thing on her mind was holding her baby girl.

After the umbilical cord was cut, the baby was taken to get cleaned and wrapped in a blanket. Dr. Greene happily placed the newborn in Vivian's arms, and she became overwhelmed with emotions.

"Do we have a name for this one?" Dr. Greene asked.

Vivian told Blake he could come up with the name for the baby, and it was a task he took very serious. He was content with the name he chose, and he hoped Vivian liked it as well.

"Amari Nicole Walk—"

"Griffin," Vivian interrupted. She loved the name Blake chose, but she wanted it to be known she wanted her daughter to have her father's last name. "Amari Nicole Griffin."

Blake kissed the top of her head while she looked down at their yawning baby. Dr. Greene watched the former couple in awe with their new bundle of joy, and she smiled before leaving them alone.

"Where did you come up with that name?" Vivian asked when she noticed they were alone.

He smiled. "Well, I wanted to give her a name that really fit her. Amari means 'miracle from God,' and I thought it was perfect. And Nicole, of course, was your mom's name."

Vivian became emotional all over again hearing the meaning behind her baby girl's name. This was the best day of her life, and she couldn't imagine it getting any better.

•

"She's so beautiful," Sloan gushed as she looked at her new baby cousin through the large window of the nursery.

Sloan & Natalie sped to the hospital when they got Blake's call about Vivian giving birth. He also called Brynn to see if she would let Ford visit his sister and surprisingly, she agreed; so Sloan picked him up and brought him with her to the hospital.

"She is," Natalie said in awe. "Usually babies are ugly when they're first born, but she's gorgeous. And I'm not just saying that because y'all are my friends."

Blake shook his head and chuckled. "Thanks, Natalie. I think."

They all turned their attention back to the window to look at the new addition to the Griffin family. Sloan picked Ford up so he could see, and she pointed Amari out for him.

"Look at your baby sister, Ford," Sloan said. "Her name is Amari."

"Mari! Hi, Mari!" he waved at the newborn, who was wide awake and kicking her little feet.

Blake couldn't help but smile at his oldest child. He couldn't wait to see Ford as a big brother.

"I'm gonna go check on Vivian."

"Oh, we'll come with you," Natalie said, causing Sloan to nudge her in her side with widened eyes. "Actually, we'll just wait until you're done."

Blake chuckled again and nodded. He was going to take Ford with him, but the little boy protested because he wanted to stay with Amari. So while Ford stayed with Sloan & Natalie, Blake nervously walked down the hall to Vivian's room. He didn't even understand why he was nervous but then again, Vivian always made him nervous.

He poked his head in her room and saw that she had just woke up, so he stepped inside. "Hey."

She smiled. "Hi. Are Natalie & Sloan here yet?"

He nodded, sitting in the chair across from the bed. "Ford's here too, and I think it's safe to say he's already obsessed with Amari."

"Aw. He's gonna be such a good big brother," Vivian continued to smile. Blake agreed with a simple nod while he just stared at the love of his life. Vivian's cheeks began to heat up because of his staring, so she held her head down and picked at her fingernails — until she noticed the large ring on her left ring finger. "Bl...Blake?"

He moved across the room until he was kneeling by the bed. He took her hand in his, and they sat like that for a while so Blake could get his thoughts together. His heart was racing a million miles a minute because of fear of rejection, and Vivian's heart was racing just as fast because she couldn't believe what was happening.

"Remember in high school when we had that playoff game, but you were too sick to come? But then you showed up anyway because you wanted to support me?" Vivian smiled and nodded. "That's when I knew I was in love with you."

Vivian kept her head down and played with the fabric of her hospital gown. This was her first time hearing this, and it made her a little giddy inside. But, of course, her pride would never allow her to let Blake know that.

"So..." she dragged out while trying to keep from smiling. "What was the point of sharing that with me?"

With her hand still in his, he got off his knee and sat beside her on the bed. "To remind you that I've always loved you," he said with a smirk. "Look, Vivian, I wanna spend the rest of my life with you as your husband. I know I messed up, and I'll never forgive myself for hurting you the way I did; but I'm asking for a second chance because I wanna be more than your friend and the father of your child."

Vivian couldn't stop the smile on her face from growing at Blake's little confession. Her head was telling her not to fall for his tricks because if he cheated once, he'll do it again. However, her heart was telling her to give him a second chance because this was the man she loved. She was torn.

"How do you know you want to marry me again?" Vivian asked after a brief silence. "It's been an emotional day, and you're probably just —"

Blake shook his head and squeezed Vivian's hand a little, causing her to look at him. "This is what I want, Viv. Honestly, I didn't even want a divorce. I just went along with it because it's what you wanted." He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "You don't have to give me an answer now. I know it's a lot, especially since you just gave birth. I just want you to think about it."

With those being his final words, he gave her a peck on the lips and left the room to go back to the nursery.

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i don't even have an excuse for not updating. i'm sorry.