In the grand scheme of things, Amie's party was smallish. There weren't too many kids because Amie hadn't gone to school to meet them yet. But it was still fun. Elizabeth's nephews and sister came, Nora was there and of course Ace. Thankfully, there were a few kids around Amie's age that lived next door that came also.

The favorite thing so far was the bouncy house. Elizabeth's oldest nephew Kameron offered to take Nora in the bouncy house so she let him, knowing he would protect her and make sure she stayed safe.

"Mama! Fun!" Nora said, running over to her.

"Oh good! Did Kam help you?"

"Yeah, Mama!"

"Do you want to go pet the goats?"

"Yes, goat."

As they walked the short distance to the petting zoo area and heard Amie giggling, Nora got more excited.

"Goat, Mama!" Nora yelled, running ahead.

"Daddy! Look! He's kissing me," Amie laughed, talking to Lucas.

"Daddy!" Nora repeated, pointing to Lucas, raising her arms.

Lucas looked up at Elizabeth, not sure if he should pick Nora up. Elizabeth shrugged.

"Daddy," Nora said, perhaps thinking that was Lucas' name.

"I'm Luke, sweet pea. Can you say Luke?"

"Daddy," Nora said, patting his face.

"Sorry," Elizabeth mouthed.

Lucas enjoyed holding a small child, looking forward to maybe adopting again and maybe a younger child this time. Not that Amie was much older. Just different.

Vi pulled Elizabeth over to the side. "Did Nora just call him Daddy?" she whispered.

"Yeah, she heard Amie call him that and must think that's his name."

"That's…very cute."

"It is."

"And so is he."

"I can't disagree."

"Are you going out for coffee again Monday night?"

"I'd like to if you don't mind me getting home late again."

"I'm good with it."

"Thanks, Vi."

After washing hands for all the kids, it was time to decorate their own cupcakes. It was definitely a messy project and Lucas was very thankful she had set it up outside on the deck.

"Daddy!" Nora said, running over to Lucas. When he picked her up, she put her thumb in her mouth and snuggled into his neck.

Elizabeth couldn't help but mentally swoon over the adorable, sexy man that was holding her daughter. Did she just think Lucas was sexy? Friends don't think that about their friends, do they?

She walked over and reached for Nora. "Come on, honey."

"No! Want Daddy."

The last thing she wanted was Nora's meltdown in front of everyone.

"I don't mind," he told her, putting his hand on her back. "Really."

Elizabeth let him and she took care of the kids who were making a mess with frosting and sprinkles.

Vi's husband showed up to help make the hotdogs for the kids. Lucas just held on to Nora who was sleeping soundly. Elizabeth couldn't help but watch him.

Once all the kids were eating, Elizabeth took Nora back so he could eat and spend time with Amie and Ace.

"This isn't really like her," she told him. "She must think you look trustworthy."

"What about you, Elizabeth?"

"What about me?"

"Do you think I look trustworthy?" She looked up into those eyes and bit her bottom lip, drawing his eyes down there.

"Something like that."

"Enough to go with me for coffee again Monday?"

"Yeah. I'll be there."

"Good."

….

"What am I doing?" Elizabeth said Monday evening, as she got dressed for her class. She pulled out two skirts, one long and one short. She knew she had nice legs but was it presumptuous to wear something that Lucas might find attractive?

"How's it going?" Vi asked from the doorway.

"I'm scared. I like him, Vi. How am I supposed to do this?"

"Choose this short skirt and wear that black sweater that hugs your curves and some strappy sandals. Then straighten your hair and put on some lipstick. Then you will be all set to knock him dead."

"I don't want to do that, do I?"

"Yes, even if you just want to be friends right now, this will get his attention."

"What if I just want to know what it would be like to kiss him?"

"I'd say you are a normal woman who has a teeny crush on a hot single dad, who by the way is wonderful with Nora."

"So…short skirt and black sweater?"

"Yep. Trust me."

Lucas sat down in the back of the class, knowing that's where Elizabeth liked to sit. Before she arrived though, someone else sat there. "I'm sorry, my friend is supposed to be joining me."

The guy got up and moved, thankfully understanding.

"Hey," she whispered, bringing her sweet vanilla scent with her.

"Hey. You look nice."

"Thanks."

She crossed her legs and he got a very nice glimpse of her long, toned legs and then sandals that showcased her slim ankles and painted toes. Yikes!

"Nightmares or trouble sleeping," was written on the board.

Lucas needed to pay attention to this class. Poor Ace struggled a lot with sleep.

"Nightmares are common, unfortunately," Molly began. "Especially kids with a history of trauma or abuse. You may think that there is nothing you can do to fix it except to console them. However, therapy has been shown to assist in this. Perhaps its just getting off their chest whatever is bothering them. Maybe its talking to someone that is removed from the situation. Whatever the case, it has been shown to work. Anyone want to share about their situation?"

Lucas raised his hand. "Lucas."

"My son has a history of trauma and right now, he sleeps on his sleeping bag on my floor. I'd love to help him but I'm concerned that talking about his past with someone he doesn't know might set him back. What if it makes it worse?"

"What if it doesn't?" Faith asked. "My father abused me when I was small and it took a very long time to get over it. I still have occasional dreams. But talking to someone who was safe and that I began to trust, someone not a relative, helped immensely."

"Isn't everyone different, though? I don't want my son to be too afraid to go anywhere or talk to someone he should trust, like a teacher, if something were to bring up the past into his memory when he's at school."

"That's valid," Molly told him. "And yes, everyone is different. Kids have different experiences. I'm not suggesting that therapy is for every single child. But keeping their feelings inside may do more harm than good. If you don't want to try therapy at first, maybe he'll talk to you."

"Maybe."

Lucas sat down and Elizabeth could tell he was a bit dejected. She almost grabbed his hand to give it a squeeze but instead she put her hands under her legs.

Lucas sat silently for the rest of the class and after, she could tell he was still acting differently.

She offered to drive to the coffee shop and when they arrived, Lucas sat for a moment in the car. So she sat with him.

"I'm a good listener, Lucas."

"What if we got our coffee to go and went to the park to talk?" he asked.

"Sure. That sounds good."

A few minutes later, they sat on a bench in the park and watched the pond in front of them.

"So, you don't have to talk if you don't want to, Lucas. We can just sit here."

He looked at her and nodded but decided he needed to get stuff out.

"I am worried about Ace."

She nodded and waited.

"I didn't have abuse or trauma in my childhood. Yes, my mom was strict and still is, but I didn't ever question if she loved me. Because of that, I feel like I can't bond with him, because I really don't know or can't imagine his position. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does."

"I've avoided talking about anything that might be a trigger because I want his childhood to be a good experience from this point forward. I want him to be happy. But…after the class…is it the wrong choice? Am I harming him in a different way? Why did I think that being a single dad was a good idea?"

He stood up and started pacing.

"Because you wanted children, you wanted to give a safe and loving home to someone and that is what you are doing. Lucas, if you want my opinion, you are not harming Ace. You are doing the best you can. He loves you."

She stood and took his hand for just a split second to stop his pacing. "Come here."

"What?"

"Hug?" she asked, opening her arms.

He walked forward and wrapped his arms around her and she did the same, reaching up and around his back. She rested her head on his shoulder and it felt right with her right there.

"You are doing fine. You are a good dad."

"I appreciate you saying that." He patted her back and stepped back, wiping at a tear that had fallen. "Really. I'm glad you are my friend."

"Me too." The thought of kissing those lips of his had faded with that "you are my friend" statement. He wasn't ready for more and she wasn't even sure she was.

"And thanks for the hug."

She shrugged and sat back down on the bench. He joined her a moment later, sitting a few inches closer so his pant leg was brushing her leg. It may have been a conscious decision or not, she wasn't sure, but it felt nice to connect even in that minor way.

"So how are things going at your house? Nora in her own room yet?"

"Nope. Its alright though. I like hearing her breathing. I won't let her sleep in my bed though. It has to be her crib."

"Its good she's young. I don't know what her past is but she's very young and probably won't remember it if its something terrible."

"She's an orphan. Her parents died when she was six months old and she was in foster care since then. So yes, she won't remember."

"Its somewhat of a blessing, though very sad."

"She's got me now and I think I'm doing an okay job."

"Oh! Yes of course you are. She's an angel and you obviously love her very much."

"I do."

She sat quietly for a moment. "You every think about dating again, Lucas?" she blurted into the silence.

"Not until recently, no. I was content."

"What changed?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer or why she asked the question. She had just told herself she needed to be patient with him. "I'm sorry. Please don't answer that if you aren't ready to."

"I met this woman. She's an interior designer and she is very talented."

"Lucas."

"Its true. Elizabeth, you made me think about dating, even if I'm not sure I'm ready yet."

"I'm a patient person, Lucas. There is no hurry."

He nodded and looked at the sunset. "We should probably get home to our kids, huh?"

"Probably yes."