Undercover

Chapter 35

He wants to be honest with Noah but he also doesn't want to start treading sensitive water without Olivia. "Well when 2 people have known each other as long as we have it's hard not to develop strong feelings for each other. Your mom and I are no exception." Noah shakes his head comprehensively. "I hope someday I can be that close with someone" he expresses.  Elliot's eyes fall to meet Noah's "You will little man.-Elliot rubs the top of Noah's head-You'll find someone, and when you do make sure you never make the mistake of letting them go."

As soon as the words leave his mouth the gravity of the situation and how asinine it really is to let someone you love go hits him like a set of bricks. He feels the tears pooling in his eyes and swallows hard around the lump in his throat. He only wishes he could go back and right his wrongs. He never would have been able to leave his kids but maybe he could have convinced Kathy not to go to Rome.

If he had stayed where would Olivia and him be now. Living together? Married? Adopting Noah together or having their own child? He adores Noah and thinks he's a great kid but he can't help but imagine the impossible-Olivia carrying his child. Watching her glow the way that women do when motherhood becomes them, watching her belly swell as his baby grows inside of her, dealing with all of the mood swings, hormones and cravings that inevitably come with every pregnancy, watching her bring a beautiful boy or girl into this world that is the perfect mix of both of their features, watching her navigate the joys of parenthood and helping her figure it all out.

He knows that he needs to heed his own words and stop thinking so much about the past and all the things they could have had but as much as Kathy is to blame so is he and he can't help but curse himself for it. He attempts to focus on the show as the tears in his eyes slowly dissipate.

~~~~~

Olivia fastens the black lacey bra and slips on her dress. It's a casual dress, not too formal, revealing enough to be fun and catch a guy's attention but not so revealing that if she moved wrong all her private bits would be hanging out, which seemed to be a running trend. She pulls her hair into a high messy bun and pulls a couple loose strands free on the sides. She doesn't want it to look like her hair is plastered to her head in a fixed position.

She throws on some light lipstick that compliments her complexion and applies some light eyeliner and mascara. Last but not least she spritzes herself a few times with her favorite perfume, one she has no doubt will drive a man crazy, and slips on her heels. She reminds herself that although they're not long high heels to still be careful because due to lack of a social life she never wears heels and therefore risks seriously injuring and embarrassing herself if she's not careful.

She flips the light off in the bathroom and makes her way to the living room. As she rounds the corner she finds Elliot and Noah bunched together around Elliot's phone watching videos of remote control cars just like Noah's and completely ignoring the show on the TV. She can't help but smile as she takes a second to admire and appreciate the moment.

She takes a heartfelt inhale as she tries to digest and closes the distance that kept her shielded from their line of vision. "Hey." She mutters quietly and they both look up. Elliot's eyes go wide and his mouth falls open as soon as his eyes meet her body. His eyes endlessly trace her body over and over as if he's undressing her with his eyes and she feels completely naked under his gaze.

"You look great mom!" Noah exclaims sweetly. "Aww thank you so much sweetheart." She leans over the couch to hug him and can't ignore the feeling of Elliot's eyes burning a hole into her. She lingers for a few moments before finally relinquishing him. "You about ready to go?" She asks softly and his eyes quickly rise to meet hers. "Uh. I'm sorry. What-What was that?" He realizes he's practically drooling over her and slowly closes his mouth.

She smiles shyly. "I asked if you were about ready to go." "Yeah-Yeah. I'm ready whenever." His eyes inevitably fall to her body again, and she blushes as his gluttonous eyes scan her body. "I'll go ahead and call the cab then." "Cab? Why are you taking a cab mom?" Noah asks curiously. "Well sweetheart it's been a while since a
Aunt Amanda and Uncle Sonny have been out so they wanted to have a couple of drinks."

"Oh. Because of Hudson?" He asks excitedly. "Yes sweetheart because of Hudson." She replies with a warm smile as she brings the phone to her ear. "I can't wait until Hudson grows up so that I have a boy to play with." Noah admits and Olivia chuckles. "I know." She laughs and rubs his cheek. She finishes up the call for the cab and they advise that they'll be there in approximately 15 minutes. "Do you maybe want to wait outside? It's a nice night. We could use some fresh air."  "Yeah. Of course." He stands and maneuvers between the table and the couch making his way to the door. Noah quickly stands and throws his arms around Elliot's waist.

The sight brings tears to Olivia's eyes and she brings her hand to her mouth trying to stifle her own gasp. Elliot crouches down and gives him a hug and she almost dissolves into a puddle of tears as a quiet sniffle escapes her. Elliot and Noah glance at her before she abruptly excuses herself to the bathroom. "What's wrong with mommy?" Noah asks innocently as he slowly pulls away. "Nothing buddy. Mommy is fine it's probably just allergies or something." He gently removes his hands from Noah's sides and progresses down the hallway.

He gently knocks on the door before slowly cracking it open. "Liv?" He whispers quietly. "Yeah. I'm fine El." She says as she opens the door the rest of the way and steps into the hallway. "You sure you're alright?" "Yeah I'm okay." She assures him but he can still see a tear in her eye and reaches up to wipe it away. "I've just never seen him show that sort of affection to any man. I think he's growing a little attached to you."

"Yeah. Maybe a little" Elliot mutters and she can hear the smile in his voice. If the sound of his voice didn't give away the happiness surrounding how Noah feels about him the broad smile spread across his face definitely did.

He chuckles lightly before leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "I uh-I think I might be growing attached to him too."