A/N: now that I'm not on spring break and I'm studying for exams I won't be posting as often and/or they'll be quite short. anywho. enjoy


"Mama?" Noah looked up at his mother on the way home from daycare about a month later. "Do you love Mr Elliot?"

She looked at him, puzzled. "Why do you ask?" She hadn't talked about Elliot with Noah, partially because she didn't know whether or not he would feel betrayed by her moving on.

"Well…" Noah looked down at his feet while he walked. "I heard you talking to Mr Elliot on the phone last night. You were laughing a lot… and Katie said her daddy is really happy now. She said he was sad before he met you but he's happy now."

Olivia's face turned a bright red hue. "You know… you're quite the detective for your age. Mr Elliot and me, we're just friends."

There was a brief silence before Noah spoke once more, "It's okay if you love him, Daddy wouldn't care… He would want you to…"

She knew that most 5-year-olds said shocking things like that, but her Noah had always been different on that level. Now, she was wondering how to respond to such a message, although true.

Trevor would have wanted her to move on, especially since it's been 2 years since he passed, but she couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal. Occasionally when she's missing him too much, she pulls out his old college crewneck and lies in bed with it. She'll hug it, sniff it, cry into it until she's feeling numb. When she feels that way all she wants is to be engulfed in his arms, the feeling of familiarity and safety protecting her from the harsh reality known as life.

"Noah…" She started but didn't know how to continue.

He looked up at her, one of his curls falling into his beautiful blue eyes. "I want you to too. I want you to be happy."

Tears filled her eyes to the brim, causing her to have to use her sleeve to clear her vision. "I love you, Sweet Boy…" She kissed the top of his head and pulled him in for a hug. "How about we get some ice cream, I could use something cold."

. . .

"Daddy?" Katie came down the stairs calling out for her father. She and Noah had discussed a plan at daycare about asking their parents how they felt about the other.

"Yes, Katie?" He was on his computer, probably doing something for work, she wasn't quite sure.

Before she asked him, she bit her lip, a nervous habit she subconsciously picked up from her mother. "Do you love Noah's mom?"

"Where's this coming from?" He looked up from his computer, his reading glasses perched towards the end of his nose.

"Well… you're happy. And Noah says you talk to his mom a lot. He says you laugh and smile with her."

He sighed. It had been their promise, to be honest with each other, he didn't want a rebellious teenager on his hands later on in life who wouldn't tell him anything. This was his attempt at raising a kid who would feel comfortable confiding in him. "I'm going to be honest with you, Katie… That's what we promised each other… right?"

She nodded.

"I do… I do love her."

"Then why don't you tell her?"