The next day, Olivia decided she needed a break from Fitz and his special brand of chaos. So, when he texted, "What time should I swing by tomorrow for Ellie?" she replied, "Whenever fits your jam-packed schedule of being insufferable."

Fitz showed up at 9:17 a.m., which, for him, was suspiciously early. He walked in, holding a cup of coffee for himself and a smoothie for Olivia.

"Don't think this bribe will make me forget yesterday's duck fiasco," she said, taking the smoothie anyway.

"Bribe? It's called being thoughtful, Liv. You should try it sometime," Fitz replied, plopping himself onto her couch as if he lived there.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him. "You've never been thoughtful a day in your life. What do you want?"

Fitz grinned like a cat that just ate a canary. "So, funny story—I got invited to this 'Bring Your Kids' charity event tonight."

"No," Olivia said immediately.

"You didn't even hear the rest," Fitz protested.

"Let me guess," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to help you wrangle Ellie at this event because you can't handle her on your own for more than twenty minutes without a disaster?"

Fitz looked genuinely offended. "Excuse you, I can handle her just fine. I just thought you might want to go because they're serving free wine."

"Ah, there it is," Olivia said with mock realization. "The Fitzgerald Grant Strategy: lure me with alcohol and chaos. Hard pass."

Fitz leaned back, smirking. "C'mon, Liv. It's for a good cause. Plus, Ellie in a little dress? Adorable. You in a dress? Less adorable but acceptable."

Olivia threw a throw pillow at his head. "Try that line again, and I'll use this smoothie as a weapon."

"Relax, it was a joke," Fitz said, dodging the pillow with an infuriating grin. "Mostly. But seriously, I already RSVP'd for the three of us."

"Of course you did," Olivia said, sighing dramatically. "You know what? Fine. But when Ellie decides to pull the tablecloth off the charity buffet, I'm not stopping her. That's all you."

"Deal," Fitz said without hesitation. "But for the record, if she does that, it's called performance art."

That evening, they arrived at the event fashionably late because Fitz had forgotten Ellie's shoes at his apartment. Olivia, in a sleek black dress, tried to keep her sarcasm under control as they walked into the ballroom.

Ellie, looking like an angel in a tiny floral dress, immediately stole the spotlight.

"Aw, she's so cute!" one of the other parents cooed.

"Yup, all me," Fitz said smugly, adjusting his tie.

Olivia snorted. "Right. Because 'cute' and 'Fitz' go hand in hand."

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Liv," Fitz replied, grabbing a mini quiche from a passing tray.

For a while, things were relatively calm—Ellie charmed everyone, Olivia drank her free wine, and Fitz spent most of the evening making sarcastic small talk with the other parents. But then Ellie discovered the dessert table.

"Fitz," Olivia hissed, watching as their daughter tried to climb onto the table for a better look at the chocolate fountain. "Do something!"

"Why me?" Fitz whispered back. "She's obviously inherited your taste for drama."

"She inherited my sense of dignity," Olivia shot back. "The climbing-on-furniture gene? That's all you."

By the time Fitz wrangled Ellie off the table, her hands were covered in chocolate, and she'd somehow managed to get a marshmallow stuck in her hair.

"Well," Fitz said, grinning as he carried Ellie back to their table. "I'd say the night's a success."

Olivia stared at him in disbelief. "This is why I need wine."

"You're welcome," Fitz replied, stealing her half-full glass.

If nothing else, at least they were consistent.