Hey everyone! I wanted to thank everyone for their incredible words on this story! You all have encouraged me to keep going. My original plan was to have 'the beach' chapter only be one chapter. However, I kind of got carried away with the dialogue between the characters and it is coming out longer than expected. So I thought I'd break it up for you guys, so that you can have a little something to read now. I cannot stress how important it is, to us writers, to get reviews. I swear, your reviews keep me going and the more I get, the more inspired I am to keep writing. So please, with a cherry on top, throw me some reviews. As always happyreading!
Elliot pulled up to the coffee shop 20 minutes later. He was happy to see that Kathy and Eli were already there waiting for him. Before he had decided to move back to New York, Elliot had taken Eli with him while he traveled. Him and Kathy always stuck to the same one year on, one year off again and she was willing to oblige sending their youngest overseas, as long as Elliot kept his head on straight. Since he hadn't even come close to turning back to his old ways, Kathy was allowing him to take Eli back early. It had been occurring more and more and he kept contemplating with himself about asking for a change of custody agreement. Kathy had done her time raising their kids, she raised the four oldest pretty much by herself. After their split, she went to Florida to start over. With a job as a nurse that allowed her to finally get out of the house after so many years of being in. She had met Jack, a doctor at the hospital that she worked at and they had hit it off right away. Elliot was happy for her, she deserved a better life than he had given her the 30 years they were together and she had finally had it. With him not working, he figured that maybe he could take Eli in full time and Kathy have him on holidays and vacations. He didn't know when the right time to talk to her about it was but he knew it was going to need to happen.
"Hey dad." Eli said as Elliot got out of the car.
"Hey bud." They gave each other a quick one handed hug before Eli jumped into the front seat.
"Thank you for getting him."
"He's my son Kath, you don't need to thank me."
She nodded, "I know." They stood there in silence for a second before she said, "So have you seen her?" When he had informed Kathy that he was moving back to New York for good, she knew he would find the one woman who always held his heart.
He crossed his arms, "I have."
"How is she?"
He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, "She's great. She's a mom."
"She always deserved to be one." She waited until he nodded to continue, "Have you met her child?"
He nodded once more.
"Anything I should know about?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She sighed and crossed her arms, "I mean are you two serious already?"
"What does that matter?"
"It's just…"
"Just what Kathy? We've been divorced for seven years now, our kids are grown enough to understand that we all have to move on, and our grandkids will never know us together. There's no one to explain this to."
"What about me Elliot?"
"What about you? You're remarried already."
"Yeah, I am. But I didn't fall in love with Jack while we were married." When he didn't respond, she continued, "I'm not trying to attack you. I just wish you would have realized it sooner. It would have saved us all a lot of heartache."
"I know and I've apologized for that before."
"You have. I'm glad you've realized, we both deserve to know what real love is."
"I'll always love you Kath."
"And me you Elliot. But not like I love Jack or you love Olivia."
He sighed, "I'm sorry."
She shook her head, "Don't be." They smiled at each other warmly, "Go be with your son, he looks like he's about to start shooting daggers through the windshield."
He laughed, "He better not think of putting anything through any windshields."
They gave each other a quick goodbye hug before he got into the car and pulled out.
"Thanks for getting me dad." Eli said as he turned to look at his dad driving.
Elliot smiled, "Of course. Anytime you want to come to me Eli, I'm only a phone call away."
There were a few minutes of silence between the two before the son said, "Are you gonna be staying in New York for good now?"
"Yes I will be."
"Is there a way I can stay with you dad?"
"You are staying with me son."
"No I mean…" Eli took a deep breath, "I mean permanently dad."
"Permanently? Like you don't want to go back to your mom?"
"I do but not for long periods. Can't mom just have me holidays and you have me during the rest of the time?"
"Is there a reason for why you want that?"
"Besides the obvious ones?" Elliot raised his eyebrows slightly at Eli's change in tone. "I mean, I'm constantly having to change schools and mom is always working. It's just not fair."
Elliot nodded his head in agreement, "Have you spoken to your mom about it?"
Eli shook his head, "I wanted to speak to you first, then I thought maybe you could talk to her about it."
"Of course you did." Elliot chuckled. "You know I would love to have you full time, so I'll talk to her."
"Thanks dad."
As they continued to drive down the busy streets of Manhattan, Elliot thought briefly about what he had told Eli about Olivia. Although he had not spoken to her for most of Eli's life, he had tried to keep the memory of her in the young boy's head. He had told him repeatedly the story of his birth and how Olivia had saved both him and his mother. "So you remember the story I always tell you? With Olivia?"
"The woman who helped deliver me?"
"Yes, her." He saw Eli nod out of the corner of his eye. "Well, I've recently reconnected with her while I've been here and she would love to see you."
"I would like to meet her."
"Good." He smiled, "She also has a son. His name is Noah, he's six and he wants to meet you as well."
"Is he one of those annoying six year olds? Because I swear Jack's son drives me…"
"Watch it Eli."
He huffed slightly, "I would like to meet him too then."
"Thank you. You feel like the beach today?"
"Are we meeting them there?"
"As long as that's okay with you son."
"It's okay if we have pizza afterwards."
Elliot laughed, "Deal."
"And if we invite Kathleen."
He raised his eyebrows, "You want to see Kathleen?"
Eli rolled his eyes, "Of course not! But I would like to see my niece. Better yet, let's just get Hailey."
"We'll call and invite them both."
Eli groaned before smiling. "Fine."
When they both got back to Elliot's apartment, they took turns hopping in the shower. Elliot sent Olivia a text message telling her how he had successfully picked up Eli and how he was dreading having to wash her scent off of him. She had responded with a "Stop it!" before telling him that Noah was more than excited to go to the beach.
After his shower, he called Kathleen to tell her the plans. She was more than happy to meet them there as well. As Elliot got their things together, Eli took a quick nap on the sofa. He awoke when his father kicked the couch hard enough to make him roll off.
"Dad!"
Elliot couldn't stop himself from laughing, "I honestly didn't think you were going to fall."
"It's not funny. I was sleeping!"
"Well now your not." Elliot said with a shrug of his shoulders and a laugh, "So help me load the car."
Eli responded by picking up a pillow from the couch and throwing it at his father. Elliot was quick enough to catch it and laughed again. "Still quicker than you."
"Just wait! You won't be one day." Eli said as he grabbed a bag and followed his dad to the car.
"Moooommmmmm!" Olivia heard as she was sitting on her bed putting her sandals on. She couldn't blame Noah for his patience now running thin with her. She had escaped to her bedroom a little over an hour before and still hadn't emerged. She realized shortly after Elliot left, that she hadn't gone to the beach in forever. Noah usually always went with his nanny while she was working and on the weekends he never asked to go. Due to the fact that she hadn't got into the water, other than to bathe, in who knows when, she didn't have anything suitable to swim in. She had bathing suits that fit her, but they all revealed way to much for her now. She had two bikinis that were probably from before Elliot had left, a black one piece she had bought for her trip with Brian that had crisscross openings along the sides and a subtle oval shaped opening between her breasts, and a two piece that would be considered an 'old lady' bathing suit that she had bought the year prior. Once she had laid out all her options, she almost banged her head against her bedroom door. She wasted no time throwing the bikinis in her trash can, which left her with her one piece or her old lady bathing suit. She knew the one piece would still fit her but she also knew it would show her scars on her inner thighs. As much as it seemed like she was embarrassed about them, she wasn't. She had learned throughout the years to embrace the fact that she had survived. But the scars were personal, intimate even. Something that she only wanted those close to her seeing. Elliot was close to her, people at the beach were not. However, she also knew that the 'old lady' bathing suit would not flatter her in anyway. After the way Elliot had made her feel the night before and the way she was still bathing in the afterglow, she didn't want to wear something that wasn't going to flatter her. She briefly cursed Elliot for making her feel so sexy and wanted because in the end, she had chosen the one piece and a yellow sun dress that stopped just above her knees to go over it.
When she finally came out of her room, Noah was pacing back and forth in his swim gear. "Finally! I've been ready forever."
"I'm sorry, I had some wardrobe problems."
"Mom, it's the beach. A bathing suit is literally all you need. There's not even that much wardrobe to think about."
"It's different for girls Noah."
"I'm glad I'm not one. I'd drive myself crazy."
Olivia laughed, "Yeah, it has to be nice being a boy."
"You have no idea."
They both laughed. "You ready?"
"Mom, I've been ready."
"Of course you have."
Mother and son arrived at the beach before Elliot and Eli did. Noah was quick to help his mom unload the car and pick a spot on the sand. By the time Olivia had the blanket she brought laid out and Noah covered in sunscreen, Elliot was calling her on her cellphone.
"Hello."
"So I see this really pretty brunette in a yellow sundress and I kind of think I want to get to know her better. What do you think my chances are?"
Olivia laughed and looked behind her, spotting him and Eli walking towards them. She waved at them and hung up the phone without responding.
"Does that mean you think I don't have a chance?" Elliot said as he got closer to them.
"Will you stop it."
"Yeah dad, you really have no game." Eli said.
Elliot mocked offense and Olivia couldn't help but laugh with Eli. "Okay, since you two are all buddy buddy, I'm going to set up the umbrella." He playfully glared at them before going to say hi to Noah.
They laughed together once again before Eli spoke, "So dad says you're the woman who helped deliver me."
"That's me." Olivia took a second to look over the young man in front of her. He was tall, almost her height already and had the face of his mother. His blue eyes, like all of the Stabler kids, were his fathers. "You're so grown."
"Can you explain that to dad because he doesn't seem to think that yet."
Olivia laugher, "I meant grown as in height grown, not mental capacity Eli."
Eli groaned, "I still will never get what that means, mental capacity," he used his fingers to put quotes around the words.
She raised her eyebrows slightly at him, "Your dad giving you a rough time?"
"Nah, he just woke me from my nap and according to both dad and mom I get cranky when I'm woken."
She nodded, "That's understandable. No one likes to be woken up. I swear sometimes I catch myself almost throwing my phone against the wall when my alarm goes off."
"See dad, Olivia doesn't like being woken by her alarm clock and you woke me up by kicking me off the couch."
Noah giggled, "You kicked him off the couch?"
Elliot, who was setting up the beach umbrella that he had just bought, looked up from his task, "I didn't kick him off the couch. I kicked the couch and he got startled and rolled off."
"See Noah, that's his way of trying to prove his innocence. When he starts talking like that, he's guilty." Eli said as he made his way toward the young boy. "I'm Eli."
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Noah." They shook hands.
"So, you ever been sand boarding?" When Noah shook his head in the negative, Eli grabbed the board, "Want to learn?"
Noah nodded his head enthusiastically, "Yes! Mom, can I?"
"Go for it."
Both adults watched the boys as they made their way to the water. "That went smooth." Elliot said as he turned his attention back to the umbrella.
"Yes, it did." Olivia watched him finish putting the umbrella up and move her blanket so that it was under the shade. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." When she took a spot on the blanket he continued, "Kathleen and Hailey are going to meet us also."
"That's great! When will they be here?"
"Who knows, those two are always fashionably late."
Olivia laughed and leaned back on her hands to watch the boys. Noah had just been handed the board after intensive instructions from Eli.
"Hey." Elliot said.
"Mmmm?" She responded looking up at him.
"I love you."
"Are you one of those guys that say 'I love you' twenty times a day?"
"Would that be a problem?"
She pretended to think about it for a moment before shaking her head, "No it wouldn't."
"Good." She smiled at him as he sat beside her. "You gonna take that dress off?"
She raised her eyebrows at him, "You gonna take that shirt off?"
He didn't waste any time pulling his shirt over his head. "Yes."
"Good to know. But no, I'm not taking my dress off."
"Why not? I've never seen you a bathing suit before."
She laughed, "So?"
"I want to… see you a bathing suit that is."
She looked around them quickly. There were a few families surrounding them but all weren't close enough to hear their conversation. "Seriously? You more than saw me naked last night and you're complaining because you haven't seen me in a bathing suit?"
"See, why would you bring up last night? Are trying to make me have to hide a hard on?"
"Jesus Elliot. I didn't mean… I mean…" She blew out a breath, "I was just making a point."
"By bringing up that fact that I was inside you last night?" He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face when he saw her cheeks turn red.
She looked at him in disbelief and huffed, "I'm not taking my dress off."
"So you're not going to get in the water?"
"I'll put my feet in."
He sighed, he thought he had done a great job the night before assuring her that she was stunning. "You're beautiful."
She laughed, "I don't doubt that Elliot, I'm just uncomfortable with people seeing certain parts now."
He nodded his head slightly in understanding, "Actually it's better if you just model it for me later because I don't think I'm very comfortable with people seeing certain parts of you either."
She shook her head with a smile on her face, "God, your just as cocky as you always were."
He glanced at the boys, who had given up sand boarding to start jumping over the waves. They were paying absolutely no attention to the two adults sitting in the sand. Elliot moved closer to her and placed his hand on her thigh, moving it slowly up, "Just let me peek."
"Elliot." It was a warning but yet had a playful undertone to it.
He shifted his body so that he was sitting directly in front of her. With both hands now moving up on her thighs, he saw her take a deep breath. "A little one." He watched her glance over his shoulder to look at the boys, "They're not paying any mind to us."
"You're like a child." She whispered as she slowly lowered herself down to her back. He followed her slightly, so that he could continue to push her dress up her thighs. When his hands made contact with the swim material on her hips, he purposely swiped his thumbs over her center. The contact made her sit up instantly, "Elliot!"
He grinned, "What? It was an accident."
"You're so full of shit."
"Okay, I'm sorry. It won't happen it again."
"I swear El, you'll lose the peeking privilege."
He mouthed an okay and crossed his heart before she laid back down. His hands once again continued their journey upwards. When the slits in the sides of her suit came into view, his fingers began to trace the skin on the inside of each of the dips.
"El…" she warned.
"What? I'm just peeking." As his fingers made contact with another dip, he heard a loud "HEY!" come from right behind them.
Who do you think it is?!
