Oliver let out a chuff of embarrassed laughter, scratching and shaking his head. He'd really put his foot in it, hadn't he? "Did you tell me that before?" he asked, "I'm sorry if it slipped my mind in all the craziness. You just seemed so...natural, I guess, I must have jumped to conclusions."
He smiled apologetically. "Still, it's a tough job, raising a kid on your own, even if he is already half grown." Sometimes especially because he was half grown, he imagined.