I wasn’t sure what to do with my newly realized feelings toward Oliver, so I did my best to set them aside. But it wasn’t easy. I had always thought I was straight, but appreciated guys on an aesthetic level. Maybe had a few thoughts about doing something more, but had never been interested in following it up in reality. After awkwardly staring at several good looking guys and a good bit of internet searching, I’d come to the conclusion that it was Oliver I was attracted to, and Jen I had been attracted to. It was specific to the person, not their gender.

So much had changed for the better since Oliver had entered our lives. It was amazing how much more I enjoyed my full days off with Chloe now that he had joined our lives. For one, I felt so much less guilt leaving Chloe in his care, especially at night, because I barely had to wake him up to let him know I was heading out. Nothing against Helen, she had been amazing for the three years she had watched Chloe. She had always been willing to come over during my late night emergencies, but that meant she had to get up, get dressed, and come over to the house and wait until I got back. 

And Oliver felt so much more comfortable bringing Chloe over to the clinic, which meant I got to see my daughter more. Helen had always worried about interrupting my work. In addition, I rarely had to think about making dinner, as Oliver almost always had something waiting by the time I got home, which meant I got to spend more of my time enjoying Chloe, and less of my time running around feeling like I was trying to play catch up. Oliver had someone found a place in every corner of my life. I loved it. I was confused by it. I ignored it as best I could.

The three of us were enjoying breakfast together for once. I had taken over breakfast duties for the morning, making the oh-so-gourmet meal of toaster waffles. At least I had real maple syrup. Oliver had beaten me up and made coffee. He grimaced every time he watched me make it the way I liked: half flavored creamer, half coffee, but he rarely said anything. He didn't have to, his face spoke volumes. I teased him by smiling as I happily inhaled. "Sugar makes the world go round!"

"I think you mean caffeine makes the world go round, but you might be an exception. There's definitely more sugar than caffeine in that cup."

I smiled into my cup. It took a bit to pull out Oliver's snarky side, but I always felt a sense of deep satisfaction when I did.

"So, Chloe bug, what are we going to do today?"

"Can we ride horses?" she asked through a mouthful of waffle.

"Wait until you're finished chewing to speak," I said automatically. As to the horses... "Ah, I don't think we can ride horses today. You, ah..." I cast around for an excuse that wouldn't turn into an argument about whether she was big enough to ride a pony yet, let alone a full horse. "You have to make an appointment with the stable before, so maybe a different day, but not today."

She didn't seem to upset by that, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What else do you want to do?"

She shrugged her little shoulders. "The things Oliver takes me."

I looked at him for help.

"We go to the park and the library. We go to the coffee shop and she gets a whipped cream sprinkles."

"What, no whipped cream sprinkles for you?" I chuckled.

He made a gagging face, but swiftly morphed it to a smile when he saw Chloe's eyes on him. "Nope, I like my old person coffee."

I raised my eyebrow at that. Oliver was anything but old.

"That's what Chloe calls it," he explained.

Well in that case... "That's because she's a smart girl. Isn't Oliver super old, Chloe? Even Daddy doesn't drink old person coffee."

Oliver pinned me with an "oh really?" look.

Chloe didn't even miss a beat. She finished her bite of waffle and then said, "But you're lots older than Oliver, Daddy."

"Zing!" Oliver yelled, cracking up. 

I took a long, slow sip of my coffee, pretending to glare at Chloe, "I know where you sleep, child."

She giggled and squirmed in her seat.

"What about putt putt?" I asked suddenly. Chloe was getting old enough for putt putt, right?

"What's pud pud, Daddy?"

"Putt putt, sweetie. It’s like golf..." Yeah, that was a great way to explain it to a three-year-old. "You have a tiny ball, and a stick with a flat thing on the end, and you try to hit the ball through houses and up hills, and through mountains and castles." That still sounded complicated.

"Castles!"

Well, at least she'd understood one part of what I'd said. Oliver was giggling into his coffee. I would have liked to see him explain it any better. And I really hoped that I had remembered right, that the nearest putt putt had a castle.

"Oliver, do you like putt putt with castles?"

"I sure do, sweetie."

That seemed to make up Chloe's mind. If Oliver liked it, it was good in her book. Damn, she was so cute. "Okay, we go putt putt."

"After you finish three more bites."

She gave me a long suffering glare, but took another bite.

"So what are you up to today?" I asked Oliver.

"Oliver wanna go putt putt," Chloe said through her waffle.

"Chloe, swallow before speaking. And I don't think Oliver wants to go putt putt with us today." The man had been with Chloe for six days straight. I loved my little girl, but she was mine, and even I wasn't sure how well I'd handle spending all day every day with her.

She swallowed and turned sad, puppy dog eyes on me. "But Oliver likes putt putt."

I shot a "help me" look at Oliver.

"Actually," he said. "I don't have any plans. If it's not an imposition, I'd love to go putt putt with you."

"Really?" I blinked in surprise as Chloe bounced in her seat. "It's your first day off in a week. You don't want the break?"

"One, I think I've told you a few times, I really love kids. And two, it's not as if Chloe's a particularly difficult one." 

My heart swelled with pride. It was one thing to think your kid was well behaved and sweet, and another to have someone else confirm it.

"Okay, then. We're all going putt putt!"