Coffee, Brownies and the Ruthless CEO (MxM)| FILLING THE VOID series, BOOK 1

22. Chapter - Dangerous Encounter

OLIVER's POV

It was Wednesday, two days since Josh left for his business trip, and I missed him so much my body hurt. I had a day off today, and although I managed to keep myself busy with cleaning the house and shopping, I still wasn't able to take my mind off the fact he was going to be gone for next five days. I was thanking god I had plans for the afternoon when Matty got out of the kindergarten.

Polishing the last mirror in the house, I put all cleaning necessities to their places and went to make myself a cup of coffee. It was surprising, but despite having a café and being able to prepare all kinds of coffees, when at home, I used the ordinary coffee machine as most people. I loved my special coffees, but it was easier to just pour a cup and add some cream.

Sitting down in the kitchen, I put my legs on the other chair, relaxing for a minute. The house was quiet. I hated when Josh had to leave for a business trip, and this silence always reminded me just how strong this hatred was. When Matty was still a little baby, the silence was nonexistent. Except for his naps, when I was glad he gave me a break for a bit, he was a lively child who liked to babble, laugh and cry all day long. Now, that he was in the kindergarten, it was too lonely without him.

Slowly sipping the hot beverage, trying to relax some more, a sudden ringing of a phone made me jump. I almost spilled it all over me, but luckily managed to find balance to keep it safe. Running over to my mobile phone, I smiled when I saw the name of the calling person.

"Hey," I said, probably overly eager, feeling my cheeks grow red when Josh started to laugh.

"Well, hello there. I bet you spent the whole day cleaning. You're always so hyperactive when I'm gone. I feel like I'm in the way when I'm home," he said, his voice full of undisguised humor. He always joked like this to make me feel better, and it worked, at least until he hung up. The moment I was left alone in that terrible silence again, I was back at square one.

"Shut up. How's it going? Any chance you would come home earlier?" Hearing my voice waver a little, I bit down on my lower lip, just barely surpassing the groan that threatened to break free. I didn't want him to hear just how weak I was at the moment. It could possibly distract him at work, and being a reason for his mistakes wasn't something I wanted to be. If anything, I wanted to support him just as much as he's supported me up until now.

"What's wrong? Did anything happen?" The tone of his voice lowered, and I almost swore out loud instead of just in my head.

Shaking my head, I chuckled a little. There was no way he would let this go unless he got a satisfactory answer.

"I miss you," I whispered, going over to the couch and lying down, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm just more emotional because of all the mess with Victor. I know I shouldn't let him have such a power over me, but I can't help myself. I'm so scared he is going to find out about Matt and take him away from me; my mind is all over the place. He would do it just to get back at me. He's always been childish in matters like these, and I doubt he's changed since then." Murmuring, I closed my eyes, trying to calm my beating heart. Just thinking about a situation like that made my already stressed self all panicked.

"Ollie," Josh sighed, and I could already hear what he was about to say. We had this conversation the morning after I got back from the meeting.

"I hate the guy. You know how much I despise him for hurting you and Charlie like that, but I don't think he would do something this stupid. What would he do with a kid he's never seen before? And Matty might be a bit shy in front of others, but you know what a pain he can be when he is angry or cranky. Your ex would definitely surrender after few hours because Matt would not stay quiet. He is too emotionally fixated on you. You are his dad and took care of him since he was born. He wouldn't endure being without you. And there's no way any sensible judge would give him to someone who he has never seen. The only scenario that could happen is shared custody, and even that is highly improbable. Moreover, you are a man, and even though the experiment project you went through is publicly known, there are still millions of people who have no idea about it. And I'm sure even if they knew about it, they wouldn't want to risk anything. We might know Matthias is just a normal kid, but other people might see your separation as a problem. Men with the ability to bear children are still too new of a concept. No one really knows if the kids are the same as when women have them because of its artificial help. I'm not even sure any lawyer would want to take up this case. Just stop thinking about it and relax. You should make a use of the days I'm not home and do something! Not anything wild or steamy, of course, but you should go out and enjoy your time with Matt. I might've been here for him for a long time, and he likes me, but an alone time with his daddy is something he would never refuse." I could hear a smile in his voice, and my mood got a bit better. Talking to him was something I could do forever. Every time I felt under the weather, a conversation with Josh would make me feel good again.