#brolivia

"Bryce—" she giggled, wiggling in his arm as he tickled her soft skin with a flurry of kisses. "Stop!" She exclaimed, though her elated tone contradicted her sentiment.

"Are you gonna make me?" He breathed, nipping at her ear.

"Maybe..." She leaned further into him, his warm chest pressing firmly against her back. A smirk grew on her face as she slowly retrieved the spatula from the batter bowl. With a quick movement of her wrist, she propelled it toward him.

Bryce skillfully dodged the spatula swooshing toward his nose, the dough-coated utensil landing on her neck instead.

"Hey! No fair!"

"Who's the one holding the spatula?" He contested.

"This is your fault," she challenged. She blew a stray strand of hair away from her face with a huff.

"Hmm...You look good enough to eat." His brow rose as he pulled her back in. "Don't mind if I do." He lowered his lips around the batter on her neck. His tongue swirled, gathering the delicious dessert. "Mmm. Just as I suspected."

"Huh?" Her eyes closed as she held onto the counter to steady herself. "What's that?"

"Perfect." He sucked her supple skin, kissing her slowly. "Absolutely perfect."

Epilogue:

"Ughhh, not again," Keiki groaned. She stalked past the kissing couple to the fridge, taking out a pitcher of orange juice. "I thought we had this conversation already."

"I'm wearing pants! No boxers." Bryce gestured to his grey sweatpants hanging low on his waist. "I listened."

Keiki poured herself a glass of juice, watching as Olivia elbowed Bryce and tried to recompose herself. She didn't enjoy their constant PDA, but she loved her brother and how happy Olivia made him. A slow smile threatened to erupt on her lips as the pair of love birds giggled. She rolled her eyes, scoffing at them once more. "Whatever."

"I packed some cookies for you to take to school for lunch, Keiki." Olivia gestured toward the small Tupperware container on the side of the counter.

"I'm not five," Keiki attempted to protest.

"Where's mine?" Bryce complained.

"You've eaten your share already." Olivia's brow rose as she smirked at him.

"If Keiki doesn't want hers, then I'll take these."

"Hey!" Keiki quickly snatched the container of cookies. "I never said I didn't want them. Her voice quieted, "Thanks, Liv."

"You're welcome."

Keiki tilted her head and stuck her tongue out at Bryce, who made a face back at her.

"You both love this; you know that, right?" Olivia interjected.

Bryce enveloped Liv once more in his arms, earning yet another eye roll from his younger sister.

"Whatever." She shrugged indifferently taking her leave. As she left the room, she let her growing smile spread, grateful to finally have a family and a place that felt like home.

Prompts: @choicesmonthlychallenge: baking

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this art and the little drabble that was inspired by it. I love this family so much and greatly appreciate your support of them!

Edit to add this moodboard I made for MC Monday/International Women's Day:

Strong women in Olivia's life

Olivia's mother, Cameron Hadley, is a psychiatrist. She has helped many people overcome challenges and traumas in her practice. She has written several books that have gained some recognition in the mental health community. In her personal life, she taught Olivia that no matter what struggles she faces in life, she can overcome them with the love and support of those around her and that she should never give up on her dreams.

Olivia's maternal grandmother, Mary Evans, was a homemaker and part-time secretary. She taught Olivia the value of hard work, not letting others bring her down, and the importance of taking care of those around her. She is so proud of her "Olive" for being the strong, talented, kind, and compassionate women she has become.

Cameron Hadley FC: Kate Walsh Mary Evans FC: Jane Seymour

"Oh—" Her eyes widened, her smile falling flat.

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Well... you definitely succeeded." She nodded in agreement as she surveyed the scene. "I can definitely say I did not expect this."

His frosted coated fingers threaded through his ragged hair. "I tried! They were supposed to look like that—" He pointed to the photo and recipe he had pulled up on his now flour-dusted tablet. "I don't know what happened. I followed all of the directions. It's a simple heart inside a cupcake; how is it this hard? I can do a heart transplant in my sleep, but this—"

Olivia bit her lip, stifling her laughter. "It's okay." Her hand caressed down his arm, attempting to reassure him. "Hey, it's the thought that counts."

"I'm sorry, Liv. I really tried. I thought I could do it. I know how much you love sweets and just thought you deserved someone baking for you."

"That's sweet—" She pinched a bite of a broken cupcake. "Oh, and what you said is sweet too."

"You don't have to eat that. They look horrible."

"That's the secret about baking fails. Even if they look like—well, let's just call it less than perfect; they can still taste great. And these absolutely do. I love them."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm." She broke off another piece, savoring the moist cake as it melted in her mouth. "Besides, as much as I love cupcakes, I love a certain studmuffin even more." Her fingers danced playfully up his chest.

His brow arched, and a flirtatious smile spread across his face. "You bake me so happy, Liv."

"You bake me happy too." She brushed a soft kiss over his lips, letting the heat of their breath mingle together. "All I kneed is you."

Bryce leaned forward for another kiss but found his efforts halted when Liv quickly pulled away.

"What?" She shrugged nonchalantly. A sly smirk grew as she picked up a cupcake. "I can neeed my studmuffin but still enjoy cupcakes on the side."

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little drabble. 💖

Likes, reblogs, and comments are greatly appreciated.

The weary lines around her eyes relaxed as she traced his handwriting. A night with Bryce—she sighed softly to herself—it would be nice... if it hadn't been such a long day; if she hadn't had to tell a family their child was positive for lymphoma; if she hadn't had to restrain a violent seizure patient...she rolled her shoulders back, shifting her neck, trying to relieve her aching muscles.

She took out her phone. It was almost 8 already. As much fun as she had with him, a hot shower and her pillow were calling her name.

"Got your note ❤️. I'm exhausted. Raincheck? 🥺🙏 "

His reply followed quickly. She hadn't even finished gathering her things. "I'll make it worth your while 😏 ."

Her face fell in her palm as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. A quiet cry of exhaustion rumbled on her lips as she exhaled not wanting to disappoint him.

Another text followed, "Look behind your sweater."

Her shoulders slumped at his cryptic text. She just wanted to relax. She lifted her sweater off the hook, revealing a single red rose and another note: Hey beautiful! I hope this made you smile. See you in a few.

She held the fragrant flower to her nose, its soft sweet scent calming her and leaving a smile on her face.

Her eyes closed as she worked up the energy to be her cheerful self just for a little longer. She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and changed quickly. She sent one last text as she left the locker room, "On my way!."

She checked her reflection in the cool silver of the elevator doors as they closed behind her, carrying her to Bryce's apartment. The pads of her fingers tidied the worn makeup beneath her tired eyes.

A vibrant red blur caused her lips to curl as the reflection of the rose reminded her of him.

The things we do for love, she thought to herself. The last word repeated as a warmth spread through her. Love. Her nose scrunched as she attempted to temper her spreading smile. She did love him, and she hoped he loved her too. She thought he did, but it was hard to know for sure. He was different with her, kind and gentle, but he still had his party-boy flirt reputation. He never strayed from her, but it was hard to ignore the other interns' and nurses' ogling gaze. She hoped his feelings were as deep as hers, and she was more than a booty call after a successful day of surgeries.

The door swung one a few seconds after she knocked, revealing Bryce standing shirtless, his grey sweatpants hanging low on his hips.

Olivia chewed the corner of her lip, her eyes raking down his toned, tanned physique.

He chuckled softly, his fingers curling beneath her chin, lifting her gaze. "Like what you see?"

Before she could respond, his lips brushed gingerly over hers. "I do, too!"

Her cheeks warmed under his tender greeting as he slipped his hand in hers, guiding her into the apartment and closing the door behind them.

Without another word, he led her toward the bedroom.

Olivia wanted to protest, to ask for a proper greeting before jumping into things, but her eyes were too busy, tracing down the very pronounced v-shape between his lower abs and obliques. She was having a hard time remembering why she ever considered saying no to this detour.

"I know you had a long day—" Bryce's tender voice pulled her thoughts back. He gestured into the warmly lit bedroom illuminated by candles. The bed was adorned with pillows, blankets, and towels; massage oils sat nearby. "I thought you deserve a night to relax and be spoiled."

"Bryce—" His name slipped from her lips as her fingers covered her mouth. All other words to convey her gratitude were lost.

"You give so much of yourself to your patients. Those kids are damn lucky to have you, and I am too!"

Her eyes welled with unshed tears at the kind gesture. No one had ever done anything like this for her.

He slipped her bag off her shoulder and offered to remove her sweater. "There's a warm bath waiting for you. Extra bubbles because I know you love them. Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting here to spoil you when you're ready."

She shook her head to the sides in disbelief. "I can't believe you did this for me. You didn't have to do this."

"I know, but I wanted to." He cradled her jaw in his strong hand, his thumb gently caressing her cheek, collecting the tear that slipped out. "You mean the world to me, Olivia. I hope you know that."

She nodded, attempting to hold back her tears of joy at his affection. "I do now. Thank you, Bryce."

He guided her head forward, brushing a kiss to her forehead. "Go relax in the bath; then, I'll treat you to the world's best massage."

"World's best, huh?"

"Mhmm." A sly grin played on his face. "Don't forget, magic hands!"

"How could I forget?" She laughed, turning her face to press a kiss to his palm.

"Go," he encouraged, taking a step back and gesturing to the bathroom. "Can I bring you wine or tea?"

She shook her head, taking a step forward. Her body craving the relief being submerged in warm water would bring. "No, thank you."

"Anything else I can get you then?"

Olivia paused in the bathroom doorway in complete awe of the relaxing scene he had created just for her. "Um, actually, yeah."

"Anything. Just name it."

She turned back, extending her hand to him, her warm smile meeting him, "You."

"Are you sure? I know you've had a long day. If you need to be alone—"

"No, I'm sure." She entwined her fingers with his once more. "All of this is beautiful, and I am absolutely taking you up on the world's best massage, but all I need after a long day is you."

This has been a WIP for so long I don't even remember what I had planned originally, this wasn't it (I don't think?) Who knows 🙈

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you so much for reading. I truly appreciate the support. Likes, comments, and reblogs are so greatly appreciated.