Oliver paced the den trying to think of the best way to break the news to Annie. He couldn't figure why he was agonizing so much aside from having to be the one to break the little girl's heart. He was no stranger to bad news. Over the years he'd learned how to disconnect from whatever he was saying and whomever he was telling it to. Annie was an entirely different story.
He glanced over at the couch. To think an hour before he'd sat there with Grace in his arms. For a few minutes, his troubles melted away and he felt a renewed hope for the future.
"I suppose we still have a lot to talk about later," he'd said to her after Drake had tracked them down when the first of the FBI agents had arrived.
Grace nodded. "We probably should."
"I know my timing is terrible. It's just that this entire day-"
Pressing a finger to his lips, she said, "I know. None of this has gone like either of us imagined. Not with Annie and not with us, I'm sure."
"I should have kissed you that night we came back from Annie's first night with us…"
"Why didn't you?" she questioned.
"Because I'm a damn fool."
With a slight roll of her eyes, she said, "It was a serious question."
"That was a serious answer. I should have. But I was…"
"Overwhelmed?" she offered.
"I guess that's a good word. One minute I'm coming home from a stressful business trip, the next I'm running around the city with an eleven-year-old."
"I will admit it was a bit uncharacteristic." She smirked. "But I always suspected you had a soft side."
"Oh?"
"You aren't as hard on me as you seem to think. You treat all of us well here."
"Nonetheless, I plan on treating you much better from here on out."
Grace's eyes reflected the twinkle in his before he pecked her lips a final time before parting.
Oliver smiled to himself. Even while fretting over the impending conversation with Annie, thoughts of Grace brought him joy. Now that everything was out in the open, he could let himself admit just how frequently his mind had been wandering to her. It would be next to impossible to keep a professional distance the rest of the day. Not that he wanted to, and probably wouldn't.
He shrugged off the thought. There wasn't a need for any grand announcements about him and Grace. Not considering Annie's news and Christmas Day. And if Drake's lack of surprise in finding him kissing Grace said anything, the rest of the staff wouldn't pose questions, either.
Grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair, he decided to stop tormenting himself with what to say to Annie. No matter how hard he planned, he was going to have to wing this one. What he needed more than a rehearsed speech was to steal a couple more minutes with Grace before Annie woke up.
