They were both startled awake with the apartment door closed with a bang. Olivia and Elliott both had the automatic reaction to go into fight mode. "It's just me, dad". Katie yelled from the kitchen. "I have coffee and bagels for everyone". Katie could hear movement from the bedroom, and as she looked around the lounge room, she saw that Olivias blazer and handbag from last night were still where they were when she left the night before. "Morning, Olivia", she shouted out with a laugh. "You have about 10 minutes to bail before everyone gets here, or you can stay and brave the lot of us again."

"Hi, Katie", come Olivia's quiet reply from her dad's bedroom. Olivia looks at Elliott in horror, having been caught like a couple of teenagers. "It's up to you. Do you want to get out before they all get here. What time is it? Eli's game was at 7:30 am". He says as they both look at the clock and see that it is already 10:30 am. "Fuck", They both exclaim at the same time. "I am going to bail. I still have to go home and get ready to meet Lucy and Noah and don't particularly want to run into all of your kids wearing last nights clothes. Katie is bad enough". Olivia pulled on her jeans and grabbed her bra. Making her way into the bathroom, she went to the toilet and brushed her teeth.

While Olivia was in the bathroom, Elliott pulled on his pants, grabbed a fresh t-shirt, and made his way out to the lounge room. "What are you doing here". He said to his daughter. "Well, if you remembered the discussion last night, we all agreed if Eli won his game, we would all come over and have breakfast to celebrate. So here I am as he won. I just happened to leave before everyone else and picked everything up. But they will not be far behind. I am guessing 5 – 10 minutes if you are both lucky," She said smugly". I would appreciate this not making it into the group chat". Laughing at her day, "Too late for that cant you hear my phone going crazy in my pocket, you dirty stop out".

Elliott groaned inwardly, knowing the conversation that was about to happen with all of his kids. On the other side of the bedroom door, Olivia took a deep breath to steady herself as she walked out now in her Jeans and Elliott's t-shirt looking as pulled together as she could with no make and without her underwear. Deciding to leave her top in his room because that was a humiliation Olivia could live without at this moment. "Hi, Katie", she said again. Katie turned around to grab her dad's coffee from the countertop and passed it to Olivia. "I think you need this more than dad does right now," Katie said as deadpan as she possibly. She gratefully took the coffee, grabbing her jacket from the back of the couch and picking up her bag.

"I am just going to go". Olivia gestured toward the door with her coffee in hand. Elliott followed her to the door throwing a look over his shoulder at his daughter to keep her mouth shut. "I am just going to go to the bathroom". Katie said, making her way out of the room to try and give them some privacy. "I am so sorry about this, and I forgot that we had all agreed to have breakfast if Eli won his game to celebrate as this game put them into the finals. I also have not slept in this late in at least 15 years,". He said to try and explain. "It is fine. I am as surprised as you. It has been a while since I have even slept that well". In one look, there are volumes said without either of them talking.

Leaning forward, he gently kisses her. Even the simple gesture makes him take a stuttering breath. "I will call you later. Enjoy your afternoon with Noah". Kissing him back, "see you later". Leaving the apartment and walking toward the elevator, she stood there and waited for the elevator to come. As the doors opened, she let out the breath she was holding with relief as the car was empty. Walking out to the street, she started walking back to her apartment as the previous night ran through her head.

Lucy had dropped off Noah that afternoon, and they had a quiet afternoon watching movies on the couch after he told her about how great the party was the night before. "Mom, I asked Lucy if Elliott is your boyfriend. Lucy said I would have to ask you. Surprised by his question, "That is a difficult question, we are best friends, he is not my boyfriend, but we are starting to see each other more, and he may be one day. Is that alright with you?" trying to be gentle with her question to him. "That is fine but does that mean we get to do fun stuff the all of his big kids". Smiling and nodding at the reply ", Yes, sometimes it will. Is that okay with you?". "Yeah, that is fine with me as long as we get to do fun stuff, there are a lot of girls". Laughing at this on "Yes, he does have three girls, but he also has two boys, and they like to do sports and stuff that you would like, but his girls like to do those things as well". Noah's eye opened in surprise "really, that would be cool to do stuff with big kids".

"What do you want for dinner, Noah" Olivia asked from the kitchen. She was looking in the fridge and closing the door again, deciding that they could order delivery. "We can have something delivered, anything but pizza as I had it last night". Taking his time to think, "Can we have Chinese? I feel like egg rolls". "Is there anything else you want or just what we would usually have?" Noah just nodded in confirmation from the couch. Olivia unlocked her phone to place their standard order; Olivia's phone started to ring.

"Hi"

"Hi, I hope I am not interrupting."

"No, I was just about to order dinner."

"What are you having?"

"Chinese"

"What about you?"

"Nothing yet, The kids only left a little while ago. It has been an interesting day."

"Yeah, has it? I hope everything was alright after this morning, and I am sorry I bailed on you. I was just not ready for everyone."

"No, no, it is all fine. We were the talk at soccer this morning. The kids wanted to discuss me getting my shit together and asking you out. Katie very delicately pointed it out to them that I already had it under control by sending a group text about how she found us this morning."

"What are you doing?"

"Not a lot. I was going to watch the game. Eli is spending the night with Dickie."

"Do you want to join Noah and me, Chinese and a movie?"

"As long as you are not cooking, count me in."

"I am better than I use to be, thank you." Leaning the phone away from her, she called out to Noah. "Noah, do you mind if Elliott comes over for dinner and to watch the movie with us?" "Can he bring ice cream? We don't have any left."

"Did you hear that? He is happy for you to come over as long as you bring ice cream."

"Strawberry."

"Why do you ask stupid questions as if there is any other flavour."

"I will grab ice cream and Chinese and head over."

"I can order dinner."

"It is fine. I will sort it on the way? What does Noah eat?"

"Extra egg rolls and the same as me."

"Like mother like son?"

"Something like that."

"Okay, I will see you soon…Liv"

"Yeah, El."

"I want you to know I have zero regrets about last night, yes I do wish this morning was different, and we had more time together, but I am glad it happened."

"So am I El, I will see you soon."

Less than an hour later, Olivia let Elliot into the apartment with dinner in one hand and ice cream in the other. "Thanks for picking it up" she smiled as she stepped back from the door as he walked into the apartment. "Hi Elliott, you have a lot of kids," Noah said to greet him. "Mom only had me, and you have five; that's a lot." Olivia just lightly shook her head and rolled her eyes at her sons' candid comment. "You can have that one. I fielded the questions this afternoon he asked me about if you are my boyfriend or not". Raising an eyebrow in question, "How did you answer that one." Just smiling at him, she leads him toward the kitchen. "I will let you know later, and you can tell me how it went with the kids".

"Noah, can you set the table to please," Olivia asked from the kitchen. Making his way to grab plates and chopsticks from the draw, she connected her phone to the portable speaker, and soft music started to play. Moving the containers to the table and taking their seats, they sat down and started serving and eating dinner together for the first time. IT seemed somewhat surreal to Olivia to be eating dinner with Elliott and Noah, as she never thought it would happen.

"I heard you asked your mom if I was her boyfriend?" Elliott asked. Nodding in reply as his mouth was full of egg roll. "What did your mom say?" he asked the kid to get straight to the point. Finishing his mouthful, "She said no, and then said you are best friends and maybe one day you would be." Olivia looked at both Elliott and Noah. "Okay, we are doing this now." Smiling at her, Elliott continued, "Would you have an issue if I was your mom's boyfriend." Thinking about it for a moment, "Well, my friend Tyler's mom has a boyfriend, and he is nice and does stuff with Tyler. They go to the park and the zoo and stuff. Would we do stuff like that?"

"Yes, we can do stuff like that, but we could also go out with my kids and do fun things with them, but we can also stay here and have movie nights and things like that. How does that sound to you?" IT was a genuine question that Elliott was asking Noah, and as he is waiting on a reply, he was nervous about the answer. It had been Noah and Olivia for so long. Elliott knows that his being in their lives is a big decision for himself as well as Olivia. "

"I am fine with that," Noah replied so simply and went back to eating his egg roll. Looking at Olivia, he smiled. "Well then, I guess I am your mom's boyfriend; mind you, we need a better word for it than that, But only if she wants me to be." Looking at her the whole time, he said it. Noah looks at her for confirmation to see if she was or not. Not having the words, Olivia nods her head to answer yes. "Well, there you go, Noah, to answer your question, yes, I am your mom's boyfriend." Elliott could see that Olivia was overwhelmed with the conversation, so he changed the topic.

"My son Eli made his soccer final today, and it is next Saturday. We can all go and watch it if you are free?" Appreciating the invite "I am not working next Saturday so we should be able to make it." They finished dinner and cleaned up as Noah went in to start the movie. "So you are, my boyfriend, are you." She asked shyly. The last relationship she had been in was over four years ago, but she and Ed had never been like this. "I just don't want to rush this, El." Pulling her into his arms to hug her, he said into her ear, "Is it a rush Liv, we have known each other for over 22 years. Yes, I have been gone for a while, but I feel we are meant to be here together now." Kissing her cheek lightly as she turned her face toward him. Olivia leans up, capturing his mouth, kissing him gently. His hands fall from where they were hugging her—slowly running down her body to rest on her hip as he gently pulls her toward him. Deepening the kiss by running his tongue over the seam of her lips, she opens to him. "The movie is starting," Noah calls from the lounge room. Pulling apart from each other, they grab their drinks and make their way into the lounge room.