If you thought one kid around camp was a disaster waiting to happen, just imagine there being two.
The pregnancy was accidental, coming years after you and Arthur had gotten together, and it's not like it had been unwanted. He was still hesitant when it came to the thought of being a father again, he had long since confided in you about Eliza and Isaac, his failure to protect them, his failure to even be a proper father, but you had comforted him best you could. You wouldn't force him into something he didn't want, but he did want a family, with you, he just didn't know when would be the most ideal time to do so. Your lives weren't exactly perfect for raising a child, but in the end, you two didn't have much of a choice.
Arthur looked almost afraid when he held your daughter for the first time, treating her delicately (she was just a baby), looking almost unsure of what he's supposed to do. When there weren't others around, when he really had the chance to get comfortable, to feel as though he wasn't being watched and judged, he rested her against his chest and looked content. He was happy to have another chance at fatherhood, even if he believed he didn't deserve that chance.
Her and Jack got along well, almost a little too well; the two had a tendency to wreak havoc across the camp, especially if they were fighting over something. Such a thing was happening now, and while Abigail gathered up Jack to scold him for causing a ruckus, your young Olivia was not having it.
"Go to the tent, Olivia, or you won't be seein' the light of day again."
"I don't wanna." Your three-old rebels, and you search the camp for her father, the stern one. Arthur sees your look from where he is talking to Javier, and excuses himself from the conversation, approaching you and Olivia.
"Go to the tent." Arthur says in his gruff, don't talk back to me voice, the one he sometimes uses when he robs people; Olivia listens almost instantly, toddling her way to the tent while you follow close behind her.
"She really don't like to listen to me." You pout, glancing over at Arthur as he enters the tent with you.
"That's because you don't punish her; she knows she can get away with it." Arthur crosses his arms after sitting Olivia down on her bedroll and holding out a finger to her, telling her to stay put until she was given permission to move.
"No, you just have a meaner face than I do."
"Can't argue with that."
You and Arthur both seat yourselves comfortably in the tent, using the time together to catch up on what's been happening and what the other is doing. He's normally out, busy hunting or robbing or doing anything he can to earn money for the gang and to take care of the two of you. You stuck around camp for the most part, figuring your stagecoach robbing days were over after you'd had Olivia, though you'd jump at the opportunity to go hunting or fishing with Arthur alone. An hour passes when you finally decide to let Olivia up again, ordering her to stay close to camp since the sun was setting and it would soon be dark.
"Let's go sit out by the fire."
You and Arthur sit down on the log positioned in front of the fire, Uncle and Javier already gathered around, Reverend Swanson joining soon after. You're more than content to just listen to the conversation, Arthur poking fun at Uncle's inability to be useful, Javier laughing along with them, and the good ol' Reverend drunk off his ass again. It's not long before it's time for dinner and you call Olivia over to eat; this time she doesn't rebel, because her father is right behind you, giving her a look that says listen or you don't get to eat tonight.
"Such a cute little girl, ain't ya?" Karen coos after joining you three around the campfire with her own bowl of food, pinching Olivia's cheek playfully with her free hand, causing the little girl to burst into a fit of giggles.
"Takes after her mother." Arthur states, picking up your daughter who had previously been running around the fire and sitting her on his one leg, where she made herself comfortable. "Good thing, too."
"Hush." You hold up a spoonful of food to Olivia's mouth but she turns away, leaning back against her father and going slack against him. She liked to lounge on him, almost instantly flopping whenever he picked her up or held her because she knew he liked to cuddle with her. Arthur shakes his head, not able to keep the smile off his face even if he is about to scold her; he kisses the side of her head, making her sit up straight even if she would prefer to be a boneless creature.
"Eat your food." He takes the bowl from you and feeds Olivia himself; you don't say it out loud, but you're endlessly grateful that Arthur took an active part in your daughter's life. You couldn't imagine all the trouble Abigail had to go through raising Jack herself, as it was stressful enough raising Olivia with the two of you. "Good girl."
"You know what, we're gonna have another kid, it's gonna be a little boy, and he's actually gonna listen to me."
"Don't curse yourself now," Karen laughs, "It's real cute to see Olivia bein' daddy's little girl."
You had to agree with her on that one, knowing they'd had a deep bond from the moment she was born. Arthur was the one who woke up in the middle of the night without a second thought, changing her or cradling her until she fell back asleep, only waking you up if she needed to be fed. He'd been completely on top of it all, and seeing her chubby little face was one of the only things that made him light up after a long, aggravating day. She only ever seemed to calm down from her crying fits when he was the one to hold her, and you swear you'd even caught him singing to her once; he refuses to admit to it, but you know.
When the food is done, everything around camp beginning to wind down, you glance over to Olivia to see her yawning. She would refuse to go to bed if you tried to make her to now, so you stay sitting around the fire, leaning against Arthur and listening to Javier as he strums his guitar and hums out a tune. You feel yourself falling asleep, eyelids growing heavy, and you pray as you look down at your daughter that she's finally asleep; thankfully, she is, curled up against Arthur's chest and holding tightly onto his shirt.
"Ready for bed?" You ask him, and he nods his head, carefully standing so as to not disturb Olivia's sleep.
You tuck her in, checking the time and hoping she might actually sleep in a bit tomorrow since she fell asleep so late. You can still hear the tune from Javier's guitar as you zip the tent shut, smiling as you wonder if Olivia will remember how often she fell asleep to Javier's playing once you left the camp officially. You'd been making plans with Arthur for awhile now to leave the group when it was convenient, most likely whenever Dutch decided to enact his plan to go to Tahiti, where the two of you preferred to stay in America if you could help it. Arthur had been loyal to Dutch for so long you never thought he'd go for leaving when you first suggested it, but you couldn't help but think after the birth of your daughter, his priorities had changed.
You lay down beside Arthur, making yourself comfortable as he lays on his back beside you.
"Finally got you all to myself." You throw an arm across his chest, cuddling closer as he makes more room for you to get closer to him. "It's nice, havin' a family and all. Ain't really normal, but it's nice."
"I... I'd have to agree." Arthur clears his throat, . "Never thought I'd get to... you know, be a dad. A real one, not just one who..."
"I know." You move your hand to where his cheek is, stroking it, enjoying the feeling of his stubble against your hand. "You're a good dad, Arthur. A great one, even. I'm real proud of you."
"You're a good mother." He responds, leaning into your touch. "Even if Olivia don't like to listen to you."
Arthur hears your breathing change as you finally fall asleep, falling in line with the sound of his daughter, curled up against your back. He noticed she had a tendency to move around in her sleep, and since he was the first one up in the morning, he always got to see the cute scene of his two greatest loves in this world curled up together. He's still afraid, afraid that this happiness will be ripped away from him, that either you or Olivia might disappear or end up dead because of your association with him, and every night it's a fight to get rid of those thoughts. To accept that, as you said to him more than once, he deserved to be happy after all he'd been through.
It felt good to have a family, to love and be loved, and he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.