A trip to the park?

~Hello. Good morning. I hope you and Eve slept well.

I texted you to check if Eve's feeling much better. I understand this may seem strange, but please let me know when you think it's appropriate for me to get her some ice cream. I really want to fulfill my promise to her.

Tell Eve that I said hi.

From Oliver Frederick.~

'I still don't know what to do about him. I think it's time to put an end to all this.'

But how would she explain to Oliver that she doesn't want him to get overly involved in their lives?

'Oh my, I can't take this anymore.'

She was pacing my room nonstop, reading the text he sent over and over again. 

"He wants my permission, or what? I'm going to lose my mind over this."

Ping!—another text from Oliver. 

~Emma, I know you read my text; reply. Please.~

'Was I being too stubborn by not responding to his text message for more than three hours? No, but Eve has been talking about the park, and strangely enough, she wants to go with him. What the hell did he say to her?'

~Hello, Mr. Oliver, 

I have been so busy today, so I couldn't text back.

I agree with Eve going to the park tomorrow, but I have to be present. 

I hope you have a wonderful day, sir.~

She threw down her phone and kept moving back and forth.

"I hope the text doesn't come off as impolite to him. God, I am so nervous. Why am I nervous? I shouldn't be nervous; I am pacing around way too much. Ugh, I hate it when I am like this."

Ping! 

"Oh, I think he just replied."

She picked up her phone and cautiously swiped upward to see what was there. 

~Deal, and of course, you have to be present. I look forward to seeing you and Eve tomorrow.~

She thought to herself, 'Wow, now that wasn't so hard, Emma,'

As she walked back to the sitting room, she heard Eve giggling at the cartoon. Emma stroked her hair slowly when she glanced up at her and said, 

"Mommy, how is your friend doing?"

"What friend?" 

"The one who promised me ice cream—I want to see him." She added, pouting, "Is he not coming again?" 

"He is not coming today, darling, but he will be here tomorrow." 

"Really? Then can I wear my favorite dress?"

"Sure, you can, baby." 

'Oh no, she likes him already; I am fucked!'

***

She had never seen Eve so happy in a park, but here she was trying to get her prepared.

'I don't know if I should be happy or not, and I hope he calls off this whole plan.'

Ping!

That must be Oliver. 

~Good morning, Emma, I am outside your building.~

~I will be out in a sec.~

'Shit, that was quick.'

"Eve, it's time for us to leave."

She stepped out of the house with Eve. The afternoon light cast a warm glow, as did the subtle noise of cars passing to and fro, and there stood Oliver in all his glory.

He had regular clothes on, which is quite surprising to see; he looked relaxed, approachable, and annoyingly handsome. 

"Mummy, Oliver, your friend's here." Eve's eyes sparkle with excitement. 

I grinned at her words, 'Only if you know he's not my friend but the person who feeds us.' 

"Hello, Eve, you look so pretty today," Oliver said, smiling at her. He glanced at me and said, "You look beautiful." 

"Thank you; you look... different." 

With a flicker of amusement in his eyes, Oliver's smile widened.

'Damn, he looks so good; no wonder all the women at work want to be with him.'

Bending slightly to the eye level of Eve, he said, "Are you ready for some fun?" 

"Yes!!!" Eve exclaimed. 

While we made our way to the car together and drove off to the park, I laughed at her cuteness.

***

As they approached the park, it became clear just how popular this place is. Families, friends, and couples are swarming in from the entrance, filling the air with laughter and chatter. Despite the crowd, Eve is beaming with pure joy. 

"Wow, look at all these rides!" She cried out. "Oliver, can we ride the carousel, please?" 

"Sure, Eve, but I need to get us some tickets; I will be back." He offered, already moving to the ticket booth. 

"Thank you." 

Emma watched as he maneuvered through the crowd with ease. She still couldn't get used to this sense of security, yet here he was, all calm and collected. 

He returned with a handful of tickets and handed them to Emma. "Let's start with the princess's request; off to the carousel!" He said it, grinning as he carried Eve in his arms. 

The carousel was a hit with Eve. She watched as Eve rode on a colorful horse, taking candid pictures of her and Oliver.

'I must say, he really adores her, and I'm glad about how cautious he is with Eve. But why are you happy?' I wondered. 

"Emma, we are heading to the Ferris wheel; let's go!" Oliver called out from a distance. 

"I guess I have to let loose a little." I muffled, as I hurried to keep up with them. 

The next stop was the Ferris wheel, a place I would never return to, and we immediately headed to the teacup ride. Eve kept squeaking with glee as they spun around. 

After the last ride, Eve visited an ice cream and burger food stall. Eve, who was still excited, immediately pointed at the flavor she wanted, and they all settled in with burgers. 

"Thanks for today. We really had a lot of fun."

He smiled—a warm and genuine smile that made Emma's heart skip a beat.

"You're welcome," he replied. "I am glad to be here with both of you." 

'Has my heart just skipped a beat? oh Emma.' 

As we ate in silence, the crowd surrounding us started to fade away, slowly leaving them in their own little world. Observing Oliver and Eve's interactions, she came to the realization that she was becoming overly at ease and that she needed to intervene to prevent harm to both of them.

When they got to the front of her building, she noticed Eve had fallen asleep. She went inside and tucked Eve into bed before going back to Oliver. 

"She must have been exhausted," Oliver said, smiling at her.

"Yeah." 

She glanced up to see him already staring at her.

'What does this man want?' 

"I really appreciate all the things you've done for me and Eve. I don't know if I can thank you enough, but I need to clarify something." 

"Go on." He said he was giving her his full attention. 

"Why are you doing all this?"