Chapter 223 Chapter 223
And when it became the most unbearable for her, she finally gave birth—hearing the cries of the baby after he had taken his first breath was a huge relief. She slumped against the pillows behind her back and exhaled. Maxwell said something to the nurses, but she didn’t hear it. She was swimming in her relief, glad that she had successfully delivered the baby without complications.
The following minutes were a blur to her. The newborn was examined briefly by the nurses, its umbilical cord clamped, and then she could hold him. One of the nurses placed him on her chest, and her eyes watered at the beautiful sight. He was tiny. And he struggled to open his eyes, gazing at her face with curiosity. She noticed that he shared Maxwell’s vivid blue eye color.
“Hello, little one,” she breathed, in awe at the way he looked at her. A gurgling noise escaped him, the sound making her smile.
“Look how small he is,” Maxwell marveled, reaching out his hand to touch his son’s much tinier one. His fingers curled around Maxwell’s digit, very lightly holding on to it.
“He is gorgeous,” she whispered. “I’m glad he is healthy.”
“Me too. You did amazing, Valerie,” he said. “I’m very proud of you. Are you alright?”
She nodded and smiled at him before her eyes moved to his finger that was held by their son. “I’m tired, but everything is fine.”
Her hand gently caressed the newborn’s head and back. “Welcome to the family, Eric,” she beamed and placed a kiss on his black hair. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
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Four years later…
Valerie left the office with a smile on her face, enjoying the warm rays of the autumn sun on her face. She made her way to the parking lot, dodging a small demon that scurried over the sidewalk. The melody of her phone’s ringtone reached her ears, so she searched her purse for the small device.
“Hi, Maxwell,” Valerie chirped when she picked up, holding the phone in one hand while she grabbed her car key with the other.
“Hello, love,” he replied. “I just picked up Eric from kindergarten. Do you already know when you will be home?”
“At around five pm today. I’m early,” she smiled and used her keys to unlock the car, sitting in the driver’s seat. “Why do you ask?”
“Eric wants to know if we can have pizza later, and since you’re home soon, I thought I could order something,” he explained. She heard Eric’s voice somewhere in the background, but she couldn’t understand what he was saying. Whatever it was, it made Maxwell chuckle.
“Great idea. I’m hungry, too. We haven’t had pizza in a long time,” she answered. “Salami for me, please.”
“Alright, then see you soon,” he said and ended the call.
She was glad she could depend on Maxwell when it came to taking care of their son. There was no place in the world where Eric was safer than with his dad, so she had nothing to worry about.
Maxwell had adapted to life among humans over the past years, even getting an ID for himself with Thorne’s help. He had a driver’s license too, and his very own car, which he was proud of. Sometimes, Valerie almost couldn’t believe how much the demon had changed ever since he had first met her. Back then, she had accidentally summoned him. They had yet to tell their son the weird story of his parents’ first encounter—Valerie guessed it would earn them a few laughs.
However, there was one thing that would never change—Maxwell’s arrogance towards most humans. He still refused to work for them, opting to make money through other means. Doing odd jobs for witches and sometimes taking care of dangerous, low-class demons had allowed him to make large sums of money over the years. In theory, Valerie didn’t need a job anymore—but she loved hers, so she was working part-time. This allowed her to see her son more often than if she had a full-time job.
The drive home didn’t take long, and by the time she entered the house, the delicious smell of pizza hung in the air.
“I’m home,” she called, removing her shoes and heading towards the kitchen. Eric already sat on his chair and looked in her direction, smiling once he saw her.
“Mommy. Hello.”
She giggled, stopping by to place a kiss on his head. “Hello, honey.”
Then, she moved on to the second demon in the room, who had watched their exchange with a grin on his lips. “Welcome back, love,” he greeted her and hugged her, locking their lips for a brief kiss. They sat down at the table, each of them loading a pizza slice on their plate.
“How was work?”
“It was fun! I finished my news article even sooner than expected, so I had some time left to talk to Thorne and my other colleagues. What about you?”
“Nothing special,” Maxwell shrugged. “Vaughn and Shawn dropped by earlier, but other than that, everything was as usual.”
“And how was your day, Eric?” she asked, thinking that he looked sulky today. His pout rivaled that of his dad.
“Not so great,” Eric complained.
“What happened, honey?”
“I saw a ghost, and I told the other children, but they didn’t believe me,” he mumbled. “They said I’m a liar. Why do I always see things that others don’t? It’s stupid.”
Her eyes briefly met Maxwell’s, who cocked his head and held in a curse. She heard Maxwell mumbling something about “useless humans.”
Valerie reached over the table and gently ruffled Eric’s hair. “It’s not stupid,” she said sternly before her voice softened. “It’s your superpower! The other kids can’t see ghosts because they don’t have it. They don’t have your magic either. You are special, Eric. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.”
“That’s right. Humans are oblivious to what’s going on around them,” Maxwell added. “We demons are far superior.”
Valerie coughed and threw him a dirty look, which made him change his statement a little. “And your mom is on another level anyway,” he winked at her. “She is the strongest human I have ever met.”
“Huh, really?” she sputtered at the unexpected compliment, fighting down a blush.
“Of course,” he confirmed. “Also the smartest, and the prettiest.”
Eric’s blue eyes wandered from Valerie to Maxwell. “Dad, do you like Mom a lot?”
“I like her more than a lot,” he answered with a devilish smirk. His eyes flashed red as he gazed at her. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and he sensed the budding joy within her.
“How much is more than a lot?” his son wondered, munching on his pizza.
Maxwell snorted, holding in a chuckle. “Let’s just say I love your mom very much.”
“Okay, I think I get it. I also love my mom,” Eric nodded, his nonchalance prompting Valerie to giggle.
“Aww, I love you too, honey,” she beamed.
“By the way, can I meet my uncles again soon? I wanna ask Xander something.”