Caleb
This inflatable pool I bought takes up most of the flat section of Olivia's backyard.
It's just a cheap inflatable thing that's less than a yard deep, but it will provide hours of fun this evening.
Ethan crouches beside it in his swim trunks, holding the hose into the center while the water fills slowly, watching the sides stretch and crinkle as the pool rounds out.
"It's taking forever," he says, adjusting the hose so the stream makes a splashing sound. I swear he thinks it's not working if the hose is under the water.
"Good things take time, kid." I set the bag of charcoal next to the grill and tear it open, stacking briquettes in the center the way my father taught me when I was about Ethan's age.
"How long, though?" He leans over and presses his hand against the water, testing the temperature. "And it's cold."
"Ah, it's hot out today. It'll feel good… Give it about twenty more minutes." My chest is tight with anticipation. After the past few months, Olivia and Ethan deserve a good night.
"Twenty minutes is forever," he groans and flops back onto the grass, still holding the hose pointed at the pool.
The babysitter, a teenager named Kayla who lives three houses down, sits in the lawn chair scrolling her phone and glancing up every few seconds to make sure Ethan hasn't drowned himself.
She protested the pool, but I promised to take the blame, and Ethan vetoed her too with all his pouting. She's a pushover.
"Caleb, do you think my mom will get in the pool?" Ethan asks, staring up at the sky.
"I think your mom could use a night where she doesn't have to think about anything except relaxing and eating burgers." I arrange the charcoal into a pyramid and stuff newspaper underneath it. "But we have to wait for her before we start the fun. That's the rule."
"Whose rule?"
"Mine."
"That's a dumb rule."
"It's a respectful rule. Your mom works hard and she deserves to be here for the good stuff, not just the cleanup." I light the newspaper and watch the flames lick up through the charcoal, blue at the edges and orange in the center. "Besides, she'll be home soon."
Ethan rolls onto his stomach and props his chin on his fists, watching me work. "Do you think she'll do a cannonball?"
"I think the pool is about three feet deep, so a cannonball would just hurt."
"What if she belly-flops?" He's so full of questions, and I'm enjoying this more than I thought I would.
"Then we'll hear about it for a week." I grin at him and he grins back, and the kid has so much energy bouncing around inside him, I can feel it from ten feet away.
He's been cooped up with the stress of everything his parents are going through, and even though he doesn't know the details, kids pick up on tension.
"Can I have a burger before she gets here?" he asks, and it's almost a complaining grumble. I bet I could hear his belly rumbling a block away, but I won't cave in. I want a family meal because I feel like I'm becoming part of this family.
"No, sir," I respond, putting the lid on the grill so the briquettes get warm faster.
"Can I have some watermelon?"
"Nope."
"Can I have anything?"
"You can have patience." I wipe my hands on my jeans and turn to see the pool getting there. It’ll be icy, but you only live once.
"I don't like patience," he says, picking a blade of grass and tearing it in half. "Patience is boring."
While the briquettes heat, I stack the burgers on a paper plate and season them with salt and pepper then set the plate on the porch railing.
As I look down at the bench, I remember a few nights ago when Olivia and I sat and talked, then ended up in her bed.
God, I want more of that, and I want it every night.
I think I'm helplessly in love with this woman, and tonight may be the night I tell her.
The pool's about halfway full now and Ethan abandons the hose to run over to inspect my burger-making process, standing on his toes to see the plate. I'd never let him touch the grill while it's hot, but I let him peek at the food.
"Those are huge," he says.
"They'll shrink when they cook."
I hear a car pull into the driveway out front and Ethan's head snaps toward the house.
"Mom's home!" He takes off running around the side of the house before I can say anything, and I hear him yelling through the front yard about the pool and the burgers and the watermelon.
I can't believe I'm already smiling before she's even out here. What has this woman done to me?
Olivia comes around the corner a minute later with Ethan pulling her by the hand, still in her work clothes with her purse slung over one shoulder.
She stops when she sees the backyard—the pool filling up, the grill smoking, the watermelon sitting on the porch steps, and me standing there with a spatula and a paper plate of raw burgers.
Her face lights up brighter than I've ever seen it as she glances at the sitter and then me. "You did all this?" she asks.
"It's just a pool and some burgers."
"It's not just a pool and some burgers, Caleb." She sets her shoes and purse on the porch and after paying the sitter, she walks across the grass toward me while Ethan runs back to the hose to finish watching the pool fill. "When did you even have time to do this?"
"Oh, I managed…" I lay the first burger onto the grill, and it sizzles and spits. "You've had a rough few weeks and Ethan needs a normal night. So do you."
She stands next to me at the grill and bumps her shoulder against my arm. "Thank you."
"Go change. Burgers will be ready in about ten minutes."
She heads inside and comes back a few minutes later in shorts and a T-shirt with her hair pulled up. When she walks over to the pool, Ethan's already sitting in it with the water up to his chest, splashing and kicking.
"Mom, get in!" he shouts, slapping the water with both hands. The icy pool water splashes up and she squeals and jumps back.
"Let me eat first, buddy."
"No, now! The water's perfect."
"Let your mother eat, Ethan," I call over from the grill, flipping burgers. "She just got home."
"You sound like a dad," Ethan says, and though I'm sure he doesn't understand what he's saying, it makes my chest twist.
Olivia looks at me from across the yard, and I see something flicker behind her eyes, but neither of us says anything about it.
I turn back to the grill and press the burgers down with the spatula, listening to them pop as I wrap my head around the fact that if I end up with Olivia, I'll be a stepdad.
I don't hate it at all.
We sit on the grass with paper plates in our laps eating dinner. It doesn't feel like a real family dinner, at least not the kind when I was a kid and my parents were comfortable with each other, but I have no doubt that if we do this often enough, it’ll start to.
After dinner, Ethan drags us both into the pool, which is cold enough now to make Olivia gasp when she steps in.
"You said it would warm up," she hisses, wrapping her arms around herself. Though she has a bra on under that T-shirt, it does nothing to hide those tight nipples that make me wish we were alone.
"It did warm up. You're just sensitive." No chance in hell this warmed up a single degree yet.
"I'm not sensitive. This is freezing."
"It's refreshing," I say, laughing.
"It's freezing, Caleb." She splashes me across the chest, but I don’t even flinch. "Of course you don't react. You probably showered in ice water for thirteen years."
"We didn't shower in ice water." I'm laughing now, so tempted to splash her back that I almost do, but I restrain myself.
"I don't believe you."
Ethan launches himself at my legs and wraps around them, trying to knock me over. I grab him and lift him up, shrieking and kicking water everywhere, soaking Olivia—who throws her hands up and yells at both of us. I set Ethan on my shoulders and he grabs my head for balance.
"Dunk her!" he yells, pointing at his mother.
"We're not dunking your mother." I hold his ankles so he doesn't slide off. "The pool's too shallow. There's nowhere to dunk."
"Then splash her!"
"That I can do." I kick a wave of water at Olivia, and she screams and splashes back. Ethan laughs so hard, he nearly falls off backward. I catch him and set him down, and he immediately starts a game of war, running circles around the pool while Olivia chases him, splashing the whole time.
It's basically the best night we've had since I got here, and I don't mind if it never ends.
After another half hour of splashing and chasing each other around the pool, Ethan starts shivering, his lips turning a little blue. Olivia notices right away.
“Alright, buddy, time to get out,” she says firmly, taking him by the hand. “You’re freezing. Inside for a hot shower and pajamas.” I notice she's shivering a little too, and I'd love to wrap my arms around her and warm her up, but that pool just about froze me.
Ethan groans but doesn’t argue much. I lift him out of the pool and wrap him in a big towel. Olivia walks him to the back door, giving him instructions about not leaving the water running too long. When she comes back outside, the yard is quiet and the sun is setting.
We start cleaning up together. I gather the wet towels while she picks up the paper plates and leftover food. The sun has gone down, leaving everything in that soft twilight glow and setting the atmosphere for the moment I've been hoping for.
“You were good with him tonight,” she says quietly, tossing the plates into the bin. “Really good.”
I glance over at her. “He’s a fun kid. It's easy to be good with him.”
She smiles a little, but there’s something heavier behind it. I think tonight was perfect, and we've really connected.
“Olivia,” I start, setting the towels on a chair. “I need to say something.” She stops and looks at me, waiting. “I like this,” I tell her, gesturing between us and toward the house. “Being here with you and Ethan. It feels right. I like coming home to you two. I like being part of your days.”
Her cheeks flush slightly. She tucks a strand of wet hair behind her ear. “I like it too, Caleb. After everything with Derek… I wasn’t sure I could trust this kind of thing again. But you make it feel safe. You make me feel safe.”
I step closer and take her hand in mine, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to be here with both of you. Not just for now—for as long as you’ll have me.”
What I see in her eyes is a mix of fear and longing. “I want that too. I like having you around. It’s been a long time since I felt like I could lean on someone without worrying it would all fall apart.”
I reach out and brush my thumb across her cheek. “We don’t have to rush anything, okay, but I need you to know I’m falling for you."
Olivia leans into my touch for a second, whispering, "Me too…"