Thanks again for all the support. One more after this!
Barba leaves his office just after five- surprising Carmen who has gotten used to leaving hours before her boss.
He places their takeout order from his Uber, and then opens his texts to read Liv's message for the hundredth time that afternoon.
The 'xx' at the end of her message fills his heart with hope. He regrets being a coward and running when things got tough. His life has been lonely since he stopped spending time at the Benson household. He's hoping that he will get a chance to apologize tonight, and if he's lucky maybe Liv will give him a second chance.
He's still staring at the message when the driver lets him know they've arrived at the restaurant.
Twenty minutes later he is juggling the takeout bags and his briefcase to knock on her apartment door.
A muffled, "Rafa! Rafa!" can be heard through the door, and it makes him smile. He's missed spending time with Noah; hadn't realized how much he looked forward to spending Saturday mornings at the park with him until the weekly ritual was replaced with doing paperwork in his office.
When Olivia opens the door Noah slams into Barba's legs and holds on tight. She reaches out to take the bags of take out and his briefcase so Barba can properly greet the little boy.
Barba reaches down and lifts Noah, pulling him into a hug. "Hi, Noah. You're getting so big! You must be eating a horse every night for dinner!"
"Dat silly, Noah don't eat horse!" Noah laughs and wraps his little arms around Barba's neck.
Together the boys make their way into the kitchen where Olivia is unpacking the food. Rafael wants to greet her the same way he did her son, but settles for gently squeezing her shoulder and a soft smile.
He takes in the bruising on her face and feels oddly satisfied that she didn't see any reason to try and hide it: she's not wearing any makeup. In fact, he feels very overdressed in his work suit as Liv and Noah are both in comfy sweats.
"How was your day?" he asks her quietly, rubbing Noah's back as the boy seems to have settled in for a snuggle.
Liv swallows and gives him a small smile. "It was okay. Nothing terribly exciting happened which was nice." She knows if he stays after Noah has gone to bed they'll get into details, but now is not the time.
Barba just nods, accepting her brief explanation. "Did you have fun with Mommy today, Noah?"
Still clinging to Barba, Noah's answer is muffled into his shoulder. "Yep. Love Mama."
Before, Rafael would have answered 'I love Mama too'. But he doesn't have that right anymore, so he swallows those words down and says, "Yeah, she's the best."
Noah sits up in Barba's arms to look at his face and says happily, "Love Rafa too!"
Tears spring to Olivia's eyes and she returns her focus to the food to distract herself. She doesn't want to start crying in front of Noah, she's not sure she'll be able to stop.
Rafael doesn't miss Liv's reaction, and has to suppress tears himself. He smiles, his voice husky when he answers, "I love you too, Noah."
Noah smiles happily at the adults, and cheers when he sees the chicken balls on his Mickey Mouse plate. "Hungry! Chick ball!"
Liv and Rafael busy themselves with getting dinner on the table and Noah set up- both trying to ignore the awkwardness Noah's declaration caused.
After a few minutes they are back to their new normal, chatting lightly about inconsequential things like the latest gossip around the precinct and the DA's office. By the time they are finished eating Noah has red sauce covering him. Rafael offers to wipe him clean but Liv brushes him off, opting to just put him right into the bath instead.
While she gets Noah cleaned up and ready for bed, Barba tidies up the remnants of their dinner and opens a bottle of red to breathe, hoping he will be welcome to stay.
He's sitting on the couch deleting emails when he hears the distinct sound of Noah's footie pajamas pitter-pattering down the hallway.
"Night night Rafa," he says, reaching his arms out for a hug.
Barba obliges the toddler, picking him up and pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. "Night night, Noah. Have a good sleep, buddy."
"Otay," Noah mumbles in response.
Barba carries Noah back to his bedroom. There he finds Liv, sitting in the rocking chair.
"Rafa come back 'morrow?" the toddler's question causes Liv and Barba to lock eyes.
"I have to work tomorrow, Noh, but I'll come back soon I promise. How about we go to the park on Saturday?"
Noah perks up at the mention of his favourite place to go. "Slide?"
"You know it," Barba replies with a smile.
Olivia lifts one eyebrow, silently questioning what he's up to.
Barba just shrugs and kisses Noah once more before lowering him onto her lap for story time. "I opened that Cabernet you like, I hope that's okay?" he questions tentatively.
Liv nods, shifting Noah in her lap. "Yeah," she replies quietly. "I won't be too long, he's pretty tired."
Barba nods, then leaves them to their story, giving Noah one last wave before he exits the room.