Chapter 44
Alaia
I adjusted my little one’s sweater. Nick had insisted that the kids visit his house, and after suggesting it for several days, I finally agreed. Ash and Loli have gone to the UK; it’s been a week since they left. They decided to go together, and their absence was deeply felt. Freya and Thea visit us often, as does Cedric, who has rented an apartment for them, so they’ll be here for a few weeks. Since my mother is organizing tonight’s dinner with them, today Elise will accompany the kids for their first afternoon with Nick. I took a deep breath.
“Are you ready, darling?” I asked my beautiful Alana, and she looked at her clothes.
“Noah is ready too,” my mother said, and I turned to see my handsome little prince.
“Today you’ll visit Nick. Aunt Elise will be with you and take care of you. If you want to come back home, just tell Elise, and she’ll bring you back, okay?” I explained clearly to both of them, and they nodded, looking at me with those beautiful eyes.
I pack Alana’s favorite blanket in the small suitcase, and my mother takes both suitcases where we’ve stored the kids‘ favorite toys.
“Let’s go,” I took them by the hand to the van and buckled them into their seats.
“Goodbye, my loves, behave well,” my mother said goodbye, and they waved their little hands and blew kisses.
Elise and I got into the van, and I sent Gavin the location of the house since he’d be the one driving us there.
It didn’t take more than ten minutes to reach the address. Just as we arrived, I saw Nick’s van pull up, allowing our car to enter first.
I took my kids, and that’s when I noticed the house. I couldn’t deny that the house was wonderful and looked quite large.
“Hey, champ,” Nick got where we were and got down to the kids‘ level.
“Hi, Ik,” said Noah, returning the fist bump, or rather, a little fist bump.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he said to Alana, taking her little hand. She smiled, scrunching up her tiny nose.
I admit Nick has stepped up; he’s done everything I asked. He’s present, plays with them, knows more about their likes, watches over their sleep, and the kids have gotten used to his presence.
“Welcome, come on in,” Nick shook Elise’s hand and just looked at me. He pointed to the entrance, which consists of a double door made of wood and glass.
We walked behind Nick, who let us in. The house was decorated in neutral colors and looks very elegant. My children observed everything with curiosity and seemed a bit shy.
“Go ahead, this is your home; you can play as much as you want,” he told the kids, and they looked at each other, starting to walk slowly and approach the objects that attracted their curiosity.
That didn’t seem like a good idea to me, as Alana soon grabbed a statuette from the coffee table in the living room.
“Sweetie, don’t touch that,” I told Alana, approaching where she was and taking the statue. It was Italian art.
“No touching,” she wagged her index finger.
“No, my love p>
“Nick, you shouldn’t have these kinds of objects within your reach p>
“They can touch whatever they want; it’s their house, everything belongs to them.” He looked at my kids, who were watching him.
“Touch,” said Alana.
“No, my love,” I insisted and looked at Nick, “they could break it and hurt themselves p>
“Marshall,” he called and an older man appeared.
“Sir p>
“Remove that piece.” He looked around, and we saw that it was the only one, “and eliminate any object that could endanger my kids,” he said. Elise turned to me, raising her eyebrows.
“As you wish,” he nodded. “Elise, Alaia, this is Marshall. Soon you’ll meet his wife, Sophie; they work for me and are trustworthy people. Sophie is a chef and is already aware of the kids‘ menu p>
At that moment, the mentioned woman arrived.
“It’s a pleasure,” Marshall nodded towards us.
“Nice to finally meet the kids and you,” Sophie said with a kind smile and leaned toward my children, who were just watching the couple.
“Likewise,” I said, and so did Elise. They seemed like good people, but I couldn’t let my guard down.
“Sophie, please show them the house. I’ll change into something comfortable,” Nick said, “as I’ve mentioned, this is your home,” he looked at me and proceeded to go up the stairs.
“Follow me,” Marshall requested, and they showed us every corner of the enormous house. I saw that everything had the necessary precautions, so my kids could move around freely, and to my surprise, everything was in order.
At one moment, we reached the backyard, where we heard dogs barking. I didn’t pay attention until I noticed a boy bringing two huskies, one completely white and the other honey and white. They were beautiful.
I looked at Marshall, thinking the boy had invaded the private property until he came closer to where we were, and Marshall approached to take the dogs‘ leashes.
We soon heard Alana’s excited scream upon noticing the dogs.
“Mommy, Doggy, Doggy!” said Noah, pointing at them.
“Yes, darling,” I said, a bit amazed that the dogs belonged to Nick.
My kids walked towards them, and suddenly I was worried they might get hurt.
“They’re trained, ma’am,” Marshall explained, noticing the tension in my body.
Alana and Noah continued their way until they got close to the dogs, who started sniffing them, wagging their tails, and allowing my kids to pet them. They licker their cheeks and hands, making them laugh. I approached the dogs and petted their furry heads too. They licked my hands and face, never stopping wagging their tails.
“He’s Beast,” said Marshall, pointing to the honey and white one, “and she’s Cupcake,” he mentioned the white one. I quickly stood up.
I sighed as the memories came flooding back into my brain.
“Let’s get some ice cream,” I said, taking Nick’s hand to go to the ice cream cart parked at one end of the park.
“One strawberry and one chocolate,” I told the guy, waiting for Nick’s reaction.
“I wouldn’t eat that ice cream for anything in the world,” Nick said, holding my waist and kissing my neck, making me smile.
“Okay, Mr. Chocolate Ice Cream Hater,” I looked at him sideways, “a Frozen White Mocha,” I ordered. He loves coffee shooks. We received our order and sat under a tree, my back resting on his chest when we suddenly saw something nearby.
“Oh my God!” I said out loud, and Nick wasn’t surprised; he just laughed and shook his head. “They’re puppies!” I exclaimed, delighted to see five husky puppies running in the park very close to us. I crawled over to them, and they jumped on me, starting to play with me. I lost control, unable to stop laughing at the feel of their tiny tongues on my face and several nibbles that only managed to tickle me.
Nick arrived at where I was, and a couple of the puppies approached him and played with him.
“But you’re so cute,” I lifted one in front of me, and it wriggled like crazy, only wanting to keep playing.
Enchanted, we played with them until it was time to take them back. I pouted. Nick came over to me, hugged me, and helped me to walk back to our apartment.
Once we arrived at the apartment, we took a refreshing bath, made love, and got lost in the moment.
We were in bed talking about the puppies and my desire to buy one. Happily, I said the name I’d give it, only to hear Nick’s loud laughter as his head tilted back.
“But who would name a dog Cupcake?” he questioned when he stopped laughing. I hit his chest. “His friends would bully him in the park,” he commented and laughed again.
“A dog like that should be named Beast or something,” he mentioned. I stood silent and
squinted my eyes, annoyed that he was laughing at the name I chose.
“Forgive me, my love. I promise that when we move out of this apartment, we’ll buy a dog and name it Cupcake.” He laughed, and I hit him again, though I laughed too. At one point, he got serious and just looked into my eyes.
“I love you,” he said, kissed me again, and we made love once more.
“Alaia,” Elise called, touching my arm. I blinked, returning to reality.
“Yes?” I said, looking at the dogs and my kids who hadn’t left their side.
“You can go; remember you have to get ready for dinner,” she said. I nodded unconsciously.
Nick arrived where we were, wearing a white polo shirt and light denim pants.
“I see you’ve already met,” he approached the dogs, bent down to pet them, and we looked at each other silently until the kids caught his attention.
“I have to go. I’ll send my bodyguards to watch your entrance,” I said and approached my kids to kiss their heads. The dogs came close, preventing me from leaving.
When I managed to free myself from Cupcake, I said goodbye to everyone and left the house to go to mine. I had some things to do before getting ready.
I went home and went up to my room, took a bath, and sat in front of the vanity.
I stood silent, looking at my reflection, unable to avoid the memories flooding me.
“Everything okay, daughter?” my mother entered my room while I was drying my hair.
“Daughter p>
“Yes, fine, Mom,” I replied.
She had the red dress I’ll wear tonight.
“Are you sure?” she questioned, sitting on the bed.
“I’m worried about the kids and their first day with Nick,” I said, though that was not the reason.
“They’ll be fine. It only took a few weeks to know he does care about the kids,” she mentioned after a sigh.
I nodded, still feeling strange for some reason. I shook my head and pushed all those memories aside.