"Hello Angel." Damon spoke, almost cursing himself. This boy was his son. Why was he so awkward around him?
The boy blinked a few times before his eyes widened in excitement as he pointed a small finger over. "Papa!"
He waited for Avery to confirm it with a nod, while Damon closed in and opened his arms. "Yes. It's me, your papa."
The servants had unloaded the car and brought over the bags of innumerable toys, one of which Damon took out to show the boy. "Look, I brought you toys."
"He doesn't like dragons. He has always found them disturbing." Avery snorted when Damon placed a silicone toy dragon in Angel's hand. He was about to retract the toy when Angel excitedly hugged it.
He smiled dotingly. "I'm glad he likes them now."
So this was what it felt like to play with one's son. Damon had never been happier in his life. He showed a few of the toys to the little boy and played with him while the rest were taken away to his playroom.
As they drove a firefighters truck, Avery watched at the side for her son's expressions. She could tell that he found it foreign to play with his papa but he loved it.
At some point, Damon gave him a custom-made plush toy. The toy was an adorable chibi version of Damon, and when Angel pressed its tummy, a voice recording played out.
"I love you, Angel."
The boy looked surprised as he pressed the toy's tummy over and over. When he heard his father's voice, he broke into a happy smile and hugged the toy. "Papa!"
Damon kissed his cheek contently. If he didn't get to see Angel again, at least the boy would have the toy and play the recording whenever he missed his papa.
"Angel, it's time for your bath and Damon has to leave." Avery broke the news about half an hour later, which was definitely not good news to the father and son duo.
Damon looked over at her. "I…"
She shut him up with a glare before he could say that he was not in a hurry to leave.
Angel held up his five tiny fingers to signal that he would like to spend time with his father for five more minutes.
Avery smiled dotingly. "Okay. But when five minutes are over, your papa really has to leave."
Angel joyously dragged his father to play for the remaining five minutes, before he reluctantly let his nanny take him away for a bath.
"You can take a cab. The subway is too far away." Avery dismissed Damon.
He frowned. "Aren't you going to drop me off? I can't get a cab in this kind of neighborhood."
She crossed her arms. "Then walk home."
He chuckled, having expected this kind of heartlessness. In truth, he already knew that she would dismiss him so he had contacted his chauffeur and had him wait nearby.
"Then see me to the door. Your villa is so grand I forgot the way." He exaggeratedly demanded.
She was in a good mood so she ignored his insanity and once again led the way.
"He is an active child." He spoke to strike conversation.
She shot him a glance but instead of the mean remark he expected, she shook her head. "Not usually. He is rarely ever this active and happy. It's great to finally see him smile. He rarely does. "
She paused before adding, "Sometimes, I don't know what he is thinking either."
"But at times like now, you know exactly what he is thinking." He guessed.
"Sadly, yeah." She deadpanned and let out a sigh. "He doesn't interact with other kids. At least not as much as they want to play with him. It was impossible for him to realize that he is different from them, until he saw you."
He felt guilty under her gaze. However, he didn't regret insisting on meeting Angel. If they never met, the boy would never have realized what he didn't have, but his life would never have been complete. He would have been sheltered forever and who knew what would happen in future? Perhaps he would still notice the difference between him and other kids at some point.
She slowed down as she added, "After seeing you, he realized that whenever we go to theme parks, zoos and the mall, the other kids would be accompanied by their parents. They would be a family of at least three with both parents present."
Her words sliced through his heart.
"On the other hand, he would only have me. I would hold his hand and accompany him to all the rides he wanted, buy him everything he needed and all the snacks he wanted to eat. But… other kids would have their tall dads carry them on their shoulders so they would see things from afar. I could only hold him in my arms."
"Avery…" His heart clenched at her words.
"You know what actually sucks?" She ignored him. "It's the fact that no matter how good I am as a mother, no matter how hard I try to fill in both roles, I will never be his father. And he will always seek his scumbag father."
____
AN
Don't forget to drop your comments!
Her words felt like knives stabbing right through his heart. "Avery…"
"Don't say anything." She interrupted him before he could say a word more. "I wasn't trying to get to you to say a word."
He knew this. She was merely trying to get it off her chest. She was the best mother he had seen so far and from an outsider's point of view, it looked like she was handling it with much ease. Most of the things were fairly manageable because she loved Angel more than her life, and because he was her first priority. However, only she knew the difficulties that loomed beneath the surface.
The fact that there was no father was one thing. He knew that she must have had it difficult before she managed to be this stable, especially with Angel's medical condition. Yet, she had no one to talk to about it. Her family was a bunch of scumbags while he, the man who should have been responsible for filling all those gaps, had been away for all this time. It broke his heart.
"I know you don't need me to say anything but I still want to say it." He slowed down which forced her to turn around and look at him. When she stopped walking, he closed in on her. "Avery, I can't turn back time and be there for my son when he was one, two and three. I can't reverse the situation and…" He knew he would probably earn a beating for saying it but it was just as important so he added, "I can't be here for you for the nine months that you were expecting him."
Her eyes squinted and he grabbed her hand to stop the words that she was going to say. "But I'm here now. I will be there for him whenever he needs me. Now and forever." He wanted to add, 'I will be there for you whenever you need me.' But he knew that not only would she kick him out, but she would also ban him from coming to her residence.
She swatted his hand away in annoyance and looked up to meet his eyes, hers full of warning. "Don't say things you cannot fulfill. I'm not a child, you know. And it's even more wrong to give empty promises to a child."
"I know, Avery." He lowered his voice, understanding her logic. "It will give them the impression that it is okay to break their promises. But I'm not giving an empty promise nor am I saying it to make you feel better. I will be there for our son whenever he needs me."
She didn't say a word more. Only time would tell how much of his words he meant. What a conniving liar! Anyone who heard him would believe him. If she lost part of her memory, she would probably believe him too, like the fool he thought she was. This man before her had said those exact words years ago. He had made her believe that she meant the world to him, that he would never leave her. Yet…
"Avery…" He knew what she was thinking from the hate in her eyes. He deserved that glare, he had no complaints about it.
"What else?" She snapped.
He wanted to add that he had not lied to her, that she still meant the world to him, but he knew better than to do that. "Have a good night. When you tuck him in bed later, please give him a kiss for me."
She pursed her lips for a second as if she wanted to say something but just nodded in the end. For some strange reason, she gave her lips a slight lick.
His throat tightened. Did she know what she was doing? It was already bad enough that he had wanted to kiss those lips since he saw her but had been unable to do so. She was still near him…
'Kiss her,' a voice whispered in his head—it must be the devil. If he did that, all his effort would be nullified.
But then again, if she liked the kiss, she wouldn't react too negatively, right? He swallowed and tried to shut off the temptation. But she looked just too alluring right now. She was still looking at him and her eyes seemed to draw him in like a vortex, sucking the soul out of him.
'Don't be such a chicken, Damon. Kiss her.' Came the temptation again, which must have emanated straight from hell. 'She wants it too, or she wouldn't be giving you that look.'
He looked into her eyes. It was impossible to know what she was thinking. It was in fact impossible to know what gaze she was giving him because no matter whether it was a glare or a curious gaze, it translated into an inviting stare in his own eyes. What was worse, his manhood hardened in his pants, agreeing to the temptation of kissing her. Traitor.
She blinked, making him give in. But just as he moved an inch, she turned away. "My son needs me. I'll go up now."
His manhood twitched. Well, he would definitely need a cold shower later. She turned and sauntered away, unintentionally giving him a clear view of her silhouette. She was not petite in the past but now after having a child, she looked much more feminine with perfect curves in all the right places.
Make that two cold showers.
_____
AN
I'm in a good mood today so early chapter!
Don't forget to drop your comments and reviews...the book doesn't have a rating yet. Just four reviews left, so I would appreciate it if you dropped by the review section and left a rating to help new readers find the book easily. Thank you! XO
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