Lovers

Chapter 10

Sky

I wake up to the sound of Xander laughing by my ear. My eyes pop open and lazily move down to see Xander playing with the sheets.

"Want some breakfast?" I pull Xander towards me and plant a kiss on his forehead before looking up at Ethan.

"No. Not right now, thank you." I whisper and begin walking to my closet with Xander in my arms.

He watches as I maneuver and pick my clothes  for the day.

"I can help you." He reaches out for Xander, and without hesitation, Xander reaches for his dad. I watch as they begin talking to each other.

"What are we going to do today?" I ask as my hands roam around my set of clothes.

"We have something to do around five pm. Layla will watch Xander until then. I also want to discuss the babysitting arrangements with you."

I raise my eyebrow and turn to face him.

"What do you mean? Layla is going to watch him." I cross my hands over my chest. He lays Xander on the bed and sits across from him.

"Layla has her own family. Even though it hasn't been long, I believe it is time Layla goes back to her family. Of course, you can always talk to her. However, I do plan on taking both of you to my house. Unless... you don't want that." He avoids eye contact with me as I sit across from him.

"I'll talk to Layla. Thank you for letting me know. I don't mind living with you but we should slowly try to make this work." I laugh as Xander spins around the bed.

"Just to make things clear, you hiding the fact that I had a son is still not forgotten. I will try my best to look past it just like you gave me a second chance. Hopefully at my house we can start all over again." He lays his hand on top of mine

I open my mouth to respond but his phone ringing intervenes.

"I'll be back." He quickly gets up and walks out the room.

I reach for Xander and walk back inside my closet where I quickly find some pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I carry Xander around as I do my morning routine. As I'm putting some lip palm on my lips, Ethan walks back in and takes Xander from my hands.

"Do you remember the new intern?" Ethan asks as he dances around with Xander.

"Samuel. Yeah, Why? Did you double check with his department?" I walk out the room with Ethan following.

"Yeah. Everything checks out. He just got hired about a month ago. However, there is a rumor going around in the office." His concern voice makes me stop midway from opening the fridge.

"About?" I raise my eyebrow and continue pulling out the ingredients I need.

"Female workers feel uncomfortable whenever he is around or working with him. The head of the department also mentioned his interest in us." They take a sit in front of the island as I mix the pancake batter.

"In us? You and me?"

"I thought you didn't want to eat breakfast? I made you an omelet." He points at the dinning table and I go grab it.

"Thank you. But I am craving some mini pancakes." I smile at him and begin making three tiny pancakes.

"Mr. Clark said he asked multiple questions about us. He tried avoiding answering any personal questions but Samuel's persistent concerned him. I was just on a call with my assistant to keep an eye on him." He lets Xander down.

After I finish making pancakes I bring the omelet over and dig in.

"He might just be awkward around female workers." I shrug and fill a glass with milk.

"That might be the case; however, I just want to keep a tab on him." He starts playing with Xander while I eat my breakfast in silence.

After getting ready, we decide to take Xander to the park. During the ride to the park, Xander and Ethan exchange some words. Of course, Xander mostly spoke gibberish but Ethan was invested in the conversation.

"He is such a smart baby." Ethan announces as he pulls up to a parking spot.

"Yes, he is." I turn in my seat and watch Ethan get out the car and unbuckle Xander. He opens his eyes but falls back asleep. Ethan looks up at me.

"Are you coming?" He gently pats Xander on the back.

"You can go ahead. I'll be right behind you." Ethan reaches over the car seat and hands me the keys. He closes the door and begins his walk to the park.

It is weird seeing Ethan without a suit and holding a baby. However, he doesn't seem to mind carrying Xander. His laughter gets carried through the wind and my chest tightens.

Before he is able to sit on a bench, a lady walks up to him. They converse for a while and my eyes twinkle with admiration and love as he smoothly points to towards me. I awkwardly look away and begin checking my bag for all the necessities.

I lock the car behind me and spot Ethan sitting on a swing with Xander tuck between his neck and shoulder.

"He's heavy right?" I smile as he nods in agreement.

"I'll get use to it though." We fall into a comfortable silence. I look back at the open park and catch the lady's eyes. I glance back at Ethan who swings slowly. I twist my swing to face his.

"What did you talk about with the lady." I don't have to point at the lady as he stares back at me knowing exactly who I'm talking about.

"She introduced herself to me. I didn't even have time to say anything before she suggested attending her church club. Something about father's taking care of their child without the presence of a mom. I quickly told her about you." He shrugs.

"Where is her baby?" I look back at the park and spot the lady talking to a couple.

"I have no idea but since Xander is up!" He begins his walk to the park. I sit by myself as I watch Ethan hold his hands as he wobbly walks across the bridge.

The hairs on my skin rise as I feel a cold stare. I survey the area and bite my lip. The lady is still talking to the couple, and the children from the daycare are aimlessly running around. My eyes catch a figure standing far from us. His body doesn't move. His stance makes me uncomfortable as he continues glancing around the park.

His hoodie moves as the wind blows.

"Wait a minute." I squint my eyes.

"Is that Sam?" I stand up from my spot but the sharp cry of a little girl catches my attention.

I kneel down to help her up. After making sure she was alright I look back up.

But Sam isn't there.

Maybe that wasn't Sam. I shake my head and smile at the teacher.

I glance around while conversing with the teacher but the man doesn't appear again.

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