"Liv, wake up," he urged.
She groaned and tried to pull him back into bed with her muttering something about the sun not being up. Brian tried not to laugh at the sight of her trying desperately to pull the blankets back over her head. He climbed into bed and sat against the headboard, reaching over and pulling the blanket off her head. The fight for sleep was useless, so she rolled over and snuggled against him, hoping it would entice him to lay back down.
"I want to get to the game early so we can get good seats and maybe practice a few swings with Noah," he protested, knowing she couldn't resist her son.
"You play dirty," she mumbled as she climbed across him and headed towards the bathroom.
"Lieutenant don't think I don't know what you were doing with your hands back there," he retorted as he followed her towards the sink. She had already begun brushing her teeth and met his eyes in the mirror, giving him an innocent shrug. Brian wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck as she continued to brush her teeth.
"You had your opportunity," she replied as she wiggled free to rinse her mouth, "That ship has sailed, buddy. We have to get to the cold, damp park to practice."
She crossed the bathroom to turn the shower on as he watched his opportunity slip away. This wasn't going to end in his favor – that he knew for sure. She stripped her pajamas off, gave him a smile and slipped behind the shower curtain.
"Livvvv," he whined.
"Love you," she replied cheerfully.
x
Olivia watched from the bleachers as Brian pitched to Noah and guided him on how to hit the ball. They had both practically dragged her to the park and gotten impatient with her when she asked to stop at Starbucks on the way. When they got to the park they immediately instructed her where to sit and what seats to save before running onto the field.
Her heart felt a tiny twinge of sadness that Noah was more excited to show Brian his little league skills. It was silly and it was part of Noah growing up, but it still tugged at her. She reasoned that it was good for him to have a positive male role model and it was good for Brian to be free and act like a kid again. He certainly deserved that time back.
Mary was waiting on the bleachers with an extra blanket folded up beside her. She waved to her as she made her way over to sit beside her.
"Hi Liv, brought some extra blankets for you guys," she greeted. Olivia smiled and gave her a quick hug before sitting down.
"Thanks, Mary, that was thoughtful of you," she replied as she covered her legs with the extra blanket.
"My son texted me before the sun had even risen this morning!"
"Well if it makes you feel better, he dragged me out of bed before the sun came up too," she shared a smile with the older woman, "I'm glad you're here, Mary."
"Me too, Liv," she responded, her voice a little shaky. Olivia wrapped an arm around her and gave her a squeeze. Mary smiled sadly at her and took a couple deep breaths.
"Your son is pretty amazing," Olivia stated quietly as Mary regained her composure.
"I know it's none of my business, but I'm happy things worked between you two," she replied quietly.
"Certainly took us long enough," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"You've always been my favorite, Olivia. Hell, you're the only one I've actually met!"
The statement caught Olivia off-guard; she hadn't considered the other women that Brian had dated and she certainly had never considered whether or not he had introduced them to his family. The sentiment tugged at her heart a little and she silently chided herself for being so emotional.
x
When the game began, Brian paid close attention to Noah every time he was up to bat or on the field. To Olivia's surprise he was calm and helpful, offering encouragement and cheering louder than her at times. She leaned into him and rested a hand on his leg, he smiled at her affection and wrapped an arm around her. It was comforting to Brian to have the connection back where words weren't needed and the silence was comforting.
Noah ran to the bleachers as soon as the game ended, excitedly chattering a mile a minute about catching a pop fly ball. Though little league didn't keep score, her son was enthralled with the game. She told him how proud she was and asked where he wanted to go for a celebratory lunch. Noah was quick to answer affirmatively that he wanted to go to lunch.
"Can Mary come too?" he asked.
"Of course, sweet boy," she replied, "Why don't you ask her if she's free?"
"Mary can you come to lunch with us?" he asked.
"I would love to go to lunch," she smiled.
"Come on buddy, let's get your stuff together," Brian guided him as he grabbed his bag off the ground and followed him towards the dugout. When they returned, Brian offered his arm to his mother and they fell into conversation while Olivia glanced over at Noah. Her son had become pretty enthralled with Brian and she sometimes felt a tiny pang of jealousy, but she knew that having a positive male role model in his life was key at his age. She was pleasantly surprised when Noah grabbed her hand as they made their way to the restaurant.
x
"I'm too tired," she mumbled when she felt Brian's hand caress her side in the dark.
"I'm not trying to make moves, I'm trying to cuddle Lieutenant," he chuckled into the darkness.
"I'm sorry that was bitchy, you've been wonderful today," she replied as she pulled his arm around her and spooned up against him.
"To be fair I did wake you up before dawn, so maybe I should've seen that coming," he smiled and kissed the back of her head.
"Let's go out this weekend, just us, on a real date night," she offered.
"Yea?" he asked.
"Yea, doesn't have to be fancy, just get out of the house and spend some time together," she responded, "Maybe your mom could come over and watch Noah."
"She'd be ecstatic, Liv," he replied.
"Love you," she said as her sleep filled her voice.
"Love you too."
