Soraya Lane - Mission - Soldier to Daddy

He’d taken Charlie out for a walk, then come back to wait for her. The two of them were hanging out on the sofa, Charlie tucked into the crook of Luke’s arm, yabbering away. And now that she’d finished dinner for tonight and tomorrow, she was ready to go.

“Mommy, can we take Dad to the ice cream shop?”

Olivia laughed. It seemed that Charlie thought his dad was a playmate rather than a grown-up.

“Sure,” she called out. “Just let me rinse this cloth out and we’re out of here.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

Olivia drew in a deep breath. Luke was watching her, his eyes trained on hers. Too close for her not to feel jittery. “Uh, no, I’m just about done.”

He nodded. “Okay, I’ll tidy up the cushions on the sofa and get Charlie’s sweater on.”

Now it was Olivia who was nodding. She didn’t trust her voice. When Luke was at a distance, with Charlie, anywhere so that she was the one observing him rather than being up close and personal, she was fine. Close range turned her into a ball of knots.

She took one last look around, flicked the light switch and walked toward her son. “Let’s go.”

They stepped into the elevator and Olivia found it hard to breathe. Being with Luke like this, as if nothing was wrong, as if they’d always been this way, was making her uncomfortable. Because it felt as if they were living a temporary lie. With lies always came hurt, and she knew she had more of that coming, by the bucket load.

As they walked out onto the sidewalk, side by side with Charlie in the middle, Olivia couldn’t help thinking how normal they must look to passersby. A mommy and daddy out for a nice afternoon with their child, without any hint of their dysfunctional reality.

“Swing me!” demanded Charlie.

That made Olivia smile. He always wanted to be swung, but she rarely had another adult with her to do it.

“Come on, then,” she agreed.

Charlie held up both hands. She grasped one, then looked over at Luke. He appeared confused.

“We have to each hold one hand, then swing him forward as we walk,” she explained.

Luke did as he was told, but Olivia could see from the look on his face that he had no idea what it was all about. She guessed he’d never had anyone swing him as a kid.

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