Paul sent Oscar a small smile. “That’s wonderful.”
“Liam helps me with my art projects,” Oscar told his dad. “And we found a secret room in the old museum!”
Paul’s eyebrows rose. “A secret room, huh?”
“We were looking for some things that were in a photo we found,” Liam explained.
Chloe cleared her throat. “Well, it’s been a big night. We should probably get Oscar home.”
Paul looked at his son. “I’m staying in town tonight. If it’s okay with your mom, it’d be nice if we could spend some time together tomorrow.”
Oscar looked up at Chloe. “Please, Mom. Can dad come and see us? I could show him my dinosaurs.”
Chloe looked at Paul. “What time do you fly home?”
“Three, but I have to be in Kalispell by two o’clock at the latest.”
Chloe bit her bottom lip. “Why don’t you come to our house at about ten o’clock? After Oscar’s shown you his toys, we can make his favorite pizza recipe for lunch.”
For the first time since Liam had met him, the tension in Paul’s shoulders seemed to disappear. “That’d be great. I’ll bring some of the ice cream Oscar likes.”
Chloe’s eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t say what was obviously running through her mind. “We’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
Paul kneeled down to hug Oscar. “You did great tonight. I’m proud of you.”
Oscar hugged his dad tightly. “Do you promise to come back?”
Paul kissed the side of Oscar’s face. “I promise.” He straightened and glanced at Chloe. “Thanks for letting me be here.”
She nodded politely. “You’re welcome. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” Paul gave a brief nod to Liam before leaving.
As he walked away, Chloe held Oscar’s hand. “Come on, sweetheart. You have to change out of your costume before we go home.”
As they headed toward the room set aside for the students, Liam knew Chloe was upset. “How are you holding up?” he asked quietly as Oscar skipped ahead.
She sighed softly. “It’s been... a lot. Thanks for being here. It made it easier to spend time with Paul.”
He offered a gentle smile. “I’m glad it helped.”
Another parent stopped to talk to Chloe, and Liam waited beside her. It was interesting listening to her talk about what was happening in the school and hearing what Oscar’s friends would be doing over the holidays.
Oscar eventually returned wearing his jeans and a warm jacket. “Can we get hot chocolate on the way home?” he asked hopefully.
“That sounds like a fantastic idea,” Chloe told him.
Oscar grinned at Liam. “My friends are having hot chocolate, too.”
As they stepped into the chilly night air, Liam took a deep breath. Tonight had been different from what he’d expected. It was hard to reconcile the man who’d had multiple affairs and gambled away his family’s savings with the person he’d met.Paul seemed like a nice person who was genuinely interested in spending more time with his son. Whatever happened with the custody arrangements, it wouldn’t be easy for anyone.
“Did you have fun tonight?” he asked Oscar.
“It was awesome,” Oscar declared. “Mrs. Thompson said it was the best Christmas play ever.”
Chloe slipped her hand into Liam’s, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“What café were you thinking of going to?” he asked her.
