So, I've decided that Lucia Barba is like the greatest person on earth and I hope that someday we may see her again.
They spent the next two days not focusing on anything but the three of them, but before she knew it, they were back in the car, headed for the airport. She leaned her head back and gripped his hand tightly. He got them parked and unloaded from the car and he held her hand just as tightly as they walked into the airport. They turned toward each other and Barba opened his mouth when…
"Oh good. So, I don't have to call you now". His eyes widened and he looked over Olivia's shoulder to see his mother walking toward them. "Now why are you already…" she slowed up as Olivia turned to see where Rafael was staring. "Oh. Ok." His mother smiled slightly and crossed her arms over her chest.
He sighed and dropped Olivia's hand. "Mom, what are you…"
"I got an early flight. So…" she kept smiling as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Lieutenant Benson, correct?" She asked, giving her son a quick hug.
"Please, Mrs. Barba, call me Olivia."
"Well, it would seem that you should call me Lucia then" she said, looking back and forth between the two of them. "I now I understand why you didn't want me to come earlier than today, Rafi." He ran his hands over his face while his mother laughed. Then she noticed the little hand holding on to Olivia's.
She knelt down and looked him in the eye. "And you are…"
"I Noah."
"Well, Noah. I'm Lucia. I'm Rafael's mom."
"Raf's mommy?"
"Yeah. That's me."
"Like this my mommy?" he asked pointing up at Olivia.
"Exactly like that." She stood up and held out her hand to Noah. "I have an unopened bag of pretzels in my bag. Would you like some?" He nodded wildly and walked over to where Lucia had left her bags. Olivia just laughed and pulled Rafael's hands off his face, linking their fingers together, pulling her closer to him.
"Hey."
"Liv, I'm so sorry. She wasn't supposed to be here for another few hours and.." She quieted him with her lips on his. With his hands still wrapped around hers, he looped his arms around her back and deepened the kiss. She felt herself control slowly start to fade away when she heard an announcement over the loud speaker and remembered where they were. Barba must have remembered at the same time because he ended the kiss just about as she was going to.
"Raf, please… I think your mom is fabulous."
"She is smiling at his. Widely. While Noah sits on her lap. I'm never going to hear the end of it. No. Really. She's here for a week and you and Noah are all she is going to want to talk about."
She ripped her hands out of his and wrapped them around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. He hugged her around her waist and sighed into her neck.
"I'm going to miss you too so much, Liv."
She pulled back and looked him in the eye. "Raf. We are going to miss you so much. Especially Noah. He has officially become your number one fan."
"And you?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.
"Raf, I… I can't even…" she sighed. He could see a war waging behind her eyes. "Raf, the truth is leaving you is one of the hardest things I've done in a long time. Coming down here I had questions about what this was and now that I'm leaving I know that…"
"Know what?"
"That I love you." The smiled that spread across his face was maybe one of the most amazing things she has ever seen from him.
"Liv, I love you too. And that boy over there, with my mother. He's amazing. Thank you for bringing him into my life."
They just smiled at each other until Rafael glanced over her shoulder at his mother and Noah. "FYI. I'm fairly sure she's helping him make a Christmas list." Olivia laughed and released Barba to look back.
"I'm seriously never going to hear the end of this."
Olivia just laughed as they walked over and gathered up Noah and the rest of their bags. They made their way through security and Barba felt part of his heart walk through that security gate. He covered his heart with his hand and when she turned back to look at them, she did the same. He blew her kiss and watched until he could no longer see them.
"She's more beautiful than I remember from that day at the courthouse" his mother said from behind him.
"She might just be the most amazing woman I have ever laid eyes on. And she loves me" he replied, turning to look at his mom. She smiled and rested her hand on her son's cheek. He helped her pick up her bags as she looped her arm through his.
"Now, you are going to tell me everything about Olivia and Noah and why you were trying to keep me from that adorable child."
"Mom..."
"You will need to give me her number. When I get back to New York that boy and I are starting Spanish lessons."
"Mom!" he yelled at her as they walked out of the airport.
She collapsed on her bed, exhausted from a day of travel with a slightly pissy 3-year-old who was blaming her for ripping him away from his new best friend. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked at the screen, smiling. She accepted the video call request and flipped over, resting her head on her hand.
"My mother has been relentless!"
"Well if it makes you feel better, Noah is currently not speaking to me because halfway through the flight he realized you weren't with us and is currently blaming me."
"Family."
"Yeah, no kidding." She sighed and rubbed her eyes.
"You need to get some sleep" he said, laying back against the pillows of the ottoman on the porch.
"Is that the ocean I hear in the background?"
"Yeah. My mother finally stopped asking about you and Noah. Mostly because she wanted to take a shower, but still… I took my chance and went to hide out here."
"I miss that sound. And you. But mostly the ocean". He laughed as she winked at him.
"God damn, Liv, I miss you two being here so much. I turned on Bubble Guppies this afternoon just because."
"It happens."
"Liv…" he trailed off just looking at her on his screen. "Liv, I… I just…"
"Raf. I know. But you will be back in… 15 days… so…"
"You counted?"
"For Noah."
He just nodded and smiled. "Well, tell Noah that I also counted too. For his sake."
"I will. I better go, Raf. I've got some stuff to do tomorrow and Lucy is going to take Noah for a few hours so I can run to the office…" She saw a look come over his face. "What?"
"I can just feel this slipping away a little, Liv. I wish we could just…"
"Rafael Barba. Don't you do this to me. We got this. You and me. You and me for Noah. You and me AND Noah. I don't care where we are. We. Got. This."
"I love you" he replied. Her face softened and he wanted to grab her and kiss her for a ridiculously long time.
"I love you too." She pressed a kiss to her fingers and pressed them against the screen. He did the same.
"Get some sleep, Liv. I'll call you tomorrow and we can…"
"Are you talking to Olivia?" he dropped his head as his mother yelled from the house.
He watched her start to laugh, throwing her head back. "Your mom is amazing. I'm so looking forward to getting to know her."
"Get some sleep, love."
"You too. I'll…" she glanced at her screen. "Uh… Raf… did… is there a chance your mom is texting me?"
"I'm going to kill her" he growled out. They bid each other good night and he got up to have yet another conversation with his mom about how his phone is off limits.