* A quick update! *
The sound of clinking dishes filled the small kitchen in the apartment as Olivia emptied the cabinet of plates to set the table with. The utensils followed, along with Noah's sippy cup, a bottle for Raegan in case it was necessary, and two glasses of wine, one for Liv and one for Rafael, her dinner guest.
"Are you sure you don't need me to help you with anything?" Liv stood on the outskirts of her kitchen watching Rafael with a towel draped over his shoulder, spoon in hand, as he made their dinner.
Rafael stirred the contents of his meal's pan. "I have it under control. Besides, I don't think the kitchen is where you show your best skills."
"Hey! I can cook." Olivia defended herself.
"I don't know that bottles of formula or boiling noodles really counts as being able to cook." The attorney poked fun at his counterpart, knowing that she did the best she could, but also knowing that she hadn't ever been one to spend any more time in the kitchen than necessary.
Liv smacked him playfully as he came closer to where she stood. "Whatever, I have a few more capabilities than that."
Those capabilities were becoming evident to Rafael as he spent more and more time with Liv and the kids. It was hard with their always-busy schedules, with Noah and Raegan who needed plenty of attention, but they did what they had to do in order to get time together. Most of the time it meant spending evenings just like tonight, at Liv's apartment, making dinner and playing with the kids. And although, it wasn't some fancy dinner or fun night out, it was enjoyable for both of them. Rafael loved nothing more than watching Liv and her kids and Olivia was enjoying just how much Raegan and Noah were taking to the district attorney.
Within minutes the couple and both children were at the table. Olivia dished up Noah's portion of Rafael's dinner. "This looks great, Rafael. Thank you for doing this."
"Well I was a little tired of coming over for take out." He smirked at the eye roll he received from the woman sitting across from him. "And we're always at your place making a mess, so it's the least I could do."
Everyone enjoyed their dinners quietly, the food taking a quick priority over conversation for a while. That was until the all too familiar cries of a certain baby girl began to fill the apartment. Liv moved to get up from her seat, but Rafael beat her to it and was up on his feet in seconds, heading towards the swing where Raegan had previously been asleep.
"Ahh, baby girl, what is wrong?" Rafael would only ever let his soft side show when he was around the kids.
As he walked back to his seat, Olivia responded. "I think she probably needs to be fed. I can take her."
"It's fine." The man reached for the bottle Olivia had already made in preparation for the crying child. "You can finish. I've got her."
Liv finished her dinner, but watched the man and little girl the whole time. She had always wondered what it would have been like if Brian was still around when Noah had come home, or any man in her life being around with the kids, and she honestly had never pictured that person being strong-willed, no emotions Rafael Barba. But he fit right in. Maybe it was because there was no awkward getting to know each other stage or the issue of understanding a mother of two and sergeant's schedule. Whatever it was that allowed Rafael to fit in with Liv, Noah, and Raegan, the former detective would not be using her skills to uncover it; she was simply going to allow something good to happen.
"I should be getting Noah into the bath and ready for bed here pretty soon." Olivia spoke from her seat on the floor next to Barba and her son, where they had moved after dinner to play for a while.
Rafael looked to her. "I can stay here with Raegan while you do that, then you only have one child to worry about."
"Are you sure? You don't have to do that."
"I want to Liv. Besides, do you have some other plans for after they're in bed?" The look on the DA's face said exactly what his question hinted at.
An hour later the two were cuddled up the couch together, a movie playing in the background. Both kids were fast asleep, Noah in his room and Raegan in her crib that sat in the living room where her brother had previously slept. However, the kids were the last thing on either of Rafael or Olivia's minds.
Rafael stared into Olivia's eyes, a content look on his own face. "What are you thinking about, Rafael?" She asked him.
"I'm thinking that your eyes always say everything that you're thinking, that's why they're so pretty. They've always got a different expression."
Liv chuckled. "Oh how suave you are, Mr. Barba."
The attorney gently swept a stray piece of hair from her face. "Oh I try Ms. Benson."
Without even a thought Olivia found herself inching just that much closer to the man sitting next to her, all the while her lips meeting his in a little bit more than just a kiss. Rafael's hands found their way around her waist pulling her in even closer to him, their lips never parting. Her hands let her fingers run through his hair, as they found themselves no longer sitting, but instead lying on the couch, her body on top of his.
The moment they came up for air, Olivia looked up to see the crib across from the couch. "We can't do this."
"What… What do you mean? I didn't mean to push us too fast…" Rafael seemed a nervous wreck all of a sudden.
"No, no, it's not that. I just meant we can't do this here. I don't want to wake up the baby."
Rafael chuckled embarrassingly; he hadn't meant for his insecurities to show in front of Olivia. "Shall we take this somewhere else then?"
Liv nodded and carefully got up from the couch. She took a hold of Rafael's hand, pulling him along behind her as she walked away from the living room and sleeping baby, towards her bedroom. Rafael shut the door as the last of him filed into the room.
Olivia let go of his hand, sitting down on the bed. Rafael stood above her, taking a moment to look at the woman before he allowed his lips to find hers again. He leaned over her as he held her face in his hands, caressing it as they vigorously searched each other's mouths.
Liv's breaths were shallow as she took a moment to part from his touch. "We have to be quiet or we'll wake the kids." The grin that followed the comment only satisfied Rafael's own wants.
Hours later found the couple wrapped in each other's arms, Olivia head resting on Rafael's chest. Both of them were content, happy with each other's company. Liv hadn't expected everything in their relationship to happen so fast, but there was nothing that felt wrong about her decisions with Rafael. They were both adults, they both knew what they were getting into and they very well both seemed to be just fine with what had come of their choices.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" The question caught Olivia off guard.
She lifted her head from his chest to make eye contact with him. "You're asking me this now? I would say I must be pretty okay with us after the time we just had."
"I just… I meant… I want to make sure that you don't feel like I'm pushing you. We've only been whatever you want to call us for the last month; I don't want to scare you away."
Olivia looked at the man, who was wearing nothing, lying beside her in the bed she had once shared with someone else. He was considerate and he was thoughtful, but Liv found it so strange that all the confidence he had in his professional life meant nothing to him in his personal life. No matter what he was like in the courtroom, he would never be the same vengeful man in a relationship and Liv couldn't help but think that maybe that was what made her so attracted to him.
"Rafael, I want this just as much as you do. I know it didn't seem like that at first, but this is working and I like how it's working. You don't have to worry about anything. For once in your life why don't try not to control everything?"
The man let out a laugh. "Oh yeah, let's talk about control Sergeant Benson."
Before Liv could come back with another smart ass remark, the previously silent apartment was suddenly filled with the cries of not just one child, but both children.
"Ughhh." Liv dug her into Rafael's chest, knowing that their time alone was over. She got up and grabbed her robe hanging from the back of the bathroom door.
"Here, let me help." Rafael got up from the bed, slipping his boxers back on. "I'll go get Noah."
"Thanks." Olivia gave him an appreciative look. "You can bring him back in here."
The two went their separate ways. Rafael picked up a crying Noah from his bed in his room, the little boy calmed almost immediately as he got into the man's arms. Meanwhile, Liv removed Raegan from her crib, cradling her in arms, trying to stop her from screaming for her next meal. Olivia made a bottle as quickly as she could and made her way back to the bedroom where Noah laid in bed next Rafael.
"You okay, buddy?" Olivia asked Noah as she gently sat on the bed with his sister in her arms.
"I think someone just wanted some attention." Rafael watched as the little boy snuggled closer to his mama.
With both kids in bed with them, Rafael and Olivia knew that their night together was over. But as far as Olivia was concerned, no matter how good her time with Barba had been, it was even better to be cuddled up in bed with her kids and the man she was most certainly beginning to fall for.
* Please let me know what you guys think! *