LUCIA'S POV.
"Mom? Mommy?" I heard a faint voice, waking me up. When did I fall asleep? I opened my eyes and shut them immediately, shielding my eyes from the bright morning light. I opened them again after a few seconds and I saw Evan in front of me, looking confused.
When I raised my head, my neck started to hurt and I realized that I was in the living room. My God, my body hurts like a bitch.
I sat on the couch wrapping myself in yesterday's clothes. My eyes hurt like hell from crying so much last night.
"Mom? Why are you sleeping here?" I stood up immediately.
Evan asked and I didn't know what to tell him.
"Um... had some work and I ended up sleeping here." I lied, scratching my head nervously.
"Today is Sunday. So we have to go out for breakfast." He whined. I was not in the mood to go out and have breakfast, but it was our Sunday routine and I couldn't refuse to go. He would be upset. "Girls are so lazy." He said and I stared at him wide-eyed.
“What did you say?" I said, faking anger. He looked at me and smiled mischievously.
"You and Em are so lazy, mom." He repeated and immediately I wrapped my fingers around his arm and pulled him to me. He ended up in my lap and I started to tickle him. His laughter filled the room, brightening me up a lot.
It temporarily removed my mind from Damon.
"Say sorry," I demanded. I knew it was childish, but come on, I'm just thirty-one.
"S-sorry." He said in between laughs and I stopped. I laughed loudly and he pouted. "Come on, now. I'm hungry." He said, still pouting.
“Is Em awake?" I asked him and got off the floor with him in my arms. He shook his head.
"That's why I said, girls are lazy." He said. I narrowed my eyes at him and he immediately apologized again. I laughed at him.
"Go wake her up and ask her to brush her teeth. I'll get your clothes.” I instructed him, then set him down. He nodded and ran off to their room. I made my way to mine and got ready. I picked out the clothes for the kids. Jeans and t-shirts will do.
After getting ready for myself and then the kids, we went to the cafe nearby, where we usually went. After I made sure they both were settled in, I took my seat.
"Hello, Lucia." Mrs. Cathy, our regular waitress, welcomed us.
"Good morning, Mrs. Cathy." I smiled at her. She greeted the kids and they greeted her back. She asked for our orders and we gave them. Evan wanted pancakes and Emma wanted egg toast and I ordered some coffee and pancakes for myself.
“Mommy?” Emma called me as we began to eat. I was drinking my coffee and I nodded my head at her. "There was a man in our house yesterday. Who was it?" She asked, making my heart skip a beat. I choked on my coffee and Evan pushed the water glass toward me. I drank it. "Who was it, mommy?"
"H-he... he's an old friend." I lied through my teeth.
"Oh." She said and continued eating. The rate of my heartbeat increased drastically. What if they come to know he's their dad? Would they leave me for him? No, no. They wouldn't.
"Mommy, I want to go to the washroom,” Emma whispered in my ear, pulling me out of my thoughts. I nodded and helped her out of the chair.
She was so familiar with the place, so she walked there by herself, without me. Evan And I Even made a little conversation about a girl in his play school.
A few minutes passed and Emma hadn't come back yet. I and Evan had long finished our breakfast and were waiting for her. Where was she?
Being a mother, I was worried because she was taking so much time so I stood up and started to go in search of her toward the washrooms but then I saw her tiny figure coming back. My heart raced for the second time since we arrived at the cafe, as I saw who was accompanying her.
"Mommy, I met your friend near the washrooms." She said, pointing at Damon. She was holding his hand and he was looking
at me intently.
I froze on my cappuccino.
"Hello, Nanny!" Damon said, not taking his eyes off me, I gasped at him in shock. How the hell could he say that here?
"That is Evan. My brother." Em said, Introducing Damon to Evan.
"Hi, Evan," Damon said looking at him. Evan just smiled at him.
"Well, um... Let's go. I have some work to do." I grabbed Em's arm pulling her away from him. Hurt flashed across his face, and I almost felt bad. I hurriedly paid the bills and left some tips before collecting my things and the kids. Then we headed out without glancing at him.
I buckled the kids up in their seats and
made my way toward the driving seat but I was blocked. I looked up from the ground to see Damon.
I tried to walk past him but he grabbed my wrist and turned me around to face him.
I started to talk but he interrupted me, like always.
"We need to talk Lucia. Call me." He said and gave me his card. I pulled my hand out of his grip and crumbled the card before throwing it on his chest. I turned away and walked to my seat. I locked the doors and started the engine
This whole week has been drastic. My thoughts were always filled with only one person. I keep thinking about him even though I don't want to. He even haunts my dreams. His blue eyes taunt me. I couldn't even concentrate on work.
"Emma! Evan!" I call the kids to take my mind off things. Only they can make me feel better.
"Yes, mom?" Evan says.
“What do you guys want for lunch?" | ask them.
"Chicken cheese sandwich!" Evan exclaims. I turn to look at Emma and she's already nodding her head.
"Okay then." I started to cook lunch.
While I made lunch, Evan kept talking while Emma was silent. She was coloring some cartoons in her book and I guess she was in some other world. But she also seemed a little off and I started getting worried. I was about to ask her what was wrong with her but
Evan started speaking again.
“Oh, mum! I almost forgot. We have a parent meeting tomorrow in school." Evan says. "You should be there," Evan added. Emma looked up at me as if she wanted to ask me something but she was restraining herself from it.
"I will be there,” I promised.
"All the other kids are going to come with their mommy and daddy. But we both are going with only mommy." Emma said, stressing the word only.
There It was. The situation in which I have to answer the kids about their father.
The father, who broke their mother's heart. The father, who didn't even let her tell him that he was going to be a father. The father, who left us when we needed him the most. That father.
"Yea. Because we don't have a daddy." Evan says to Emma, but both of them are looking at me with...I don't know. Eagerness? Hope? I don't know. I serve the kids with the sandwiches and turn away pretending to clean something. When I turn back to fetch some juice for the kids they both are still looking at me, their plates untouched.
"Eat your food, guys," I say.
"No," Emma says and crosses her little arms over her chest. I narrow my eyes at her but she still gives me that angry, hurt look. I let out a sigh.
"All the kids in school have a daddy, but we don't. Even Molly has an uncle Nathan. We don't have a father. Why mommy?" She asks, her eyes filled with tears. My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes. The last thing I want is my kids crying.
"I-I don't know. Maybe God thought good children need only a mother." I lied. Seriously, Lucia, ll Does that even make sense to you? The voice in my head snaps at me.
"Really?" Emma wipes her eyes. I go to
her and cup her face in my hands. "Yes, darling." I kiss her forehead.
The next day, At work, I was very busy. A big company needed interior designing and we all were working our butts out on it, very hard. If this project is successful, I will be promoted and there will be a raise in my salary. And, because of this work, I couldn't go to the kids’ school for the meeting. They will be upset.
“Hi, Lucia." I hear a voice and I turn around. My eyes widen as they land on Harry. What is he doing here?
"How are you?" He asks and sits in front of me.
"Hi. I'm good. What are you doing here?" I ask.
"I came to see you.” He said and tried to place his hand on mine. I pulled my hand away, and so did he.
"For what?" I ask, harshly. Harry is really good-looking and a good man. But that's it, I wouldn't go any further than that, I wasn't ready to give myself to any man now.
"W-will-l y-you go on a d-date with me?" He stutters, his eyes looking so hopeful.
"No." I pull on the stern look on my face and answer him immediately. He sighs.
"Look, Harry. There are hundreds of girls out there, go and try them. It's not gonna happen to me." I say and stand up, leaving him at my desk and going out of my office.
I called Liam in the evening and told him everything that happened today.
"Give him a chance," Liam said.
Is he serious? I thought. He knows me as nobody else does and he says that. He knows I love only one person. I sigh letting it go. I have to pick up the kids. I lock the doors and head to my car.
On reaching the school I park my car in the parking spot and get out. I enter the school and go to the receptionist. Her eyes look up at me and they narrow, which is unusual.
"Hi, I'm here to pick up Emma and Evan," I say to her.
"But, ma'am, they were already picked up.” She says, her eyebrows furrowed.
What?
Who could have taken my kids?!!!!!