Amy finished setting up the table and Tris happily helped her do it. He couldn't wait for his father to come.
Just then, the doorbell rang. "I'll go get it!" Tris said to Amy in a singing voice as he went over to the door in joy.
He opened the door and got excited the door. "Daddy!" He yelled out in glee as he saw Cole standing before him.
Cole scooped him into his arms. "Hey, champ!" He returned the same energy Tris gave him.
Tris giggled and looked at his Cole's hand. Cole was holding paper bags. "Is that..." He asked curiously.
"Desert. Chocolate chip ice cream and lots more," Cole replied with an amused smile as he walked into the house.
"Hurrayyy!" Tris said, excitedly.
Cole laughed as he walked over to the dining table. Amy was just finishing the last touches of the dinner.
"Momm.. dad's hereee," Tris dragged out and Cole chuckled.
Amy looked up and saw the both of them. She smiled. "Hi," she said as Cole walked up to her.
"Hey," he responded with a smile as he feathered a kiss on her cheek. She blushed.
"Does this mean that you're together?" Tris asked sheepishly.
Amy cleared her throat and looked at Cole.
"Yes," Cole replied as he looked from Amy to Tris.
"Finally," he heaved. "This means we all get to stay together," Tris said, placing his hand on his chest in a dramatic way.
Amy coughed. She haven't thought about it in that manner before. "That's enough now, Tris. Time for dinner. Wash up and come down immediately," she said.
"Alright, mom," he replied and Cole placed him down gently. He scurried off to his room.
Cole chuckled. "I love him," he said, looking over to the room Tris disappeared into.
Amy smiled. "He's very loveable," she replied.
"Just like his mother," he said with a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at her.
She was about to speak when the door opened. Kayla walked in and as soon as her eyes set on Cole, her expression changed. "What's he doing here?" She asked.
"Good evening to you too," Cole replied her. Why did she hate him this much? He wondered.
"Oh, Kayla, you're back. I thought you were going to spend the night at Paul's," Amy said, trying not to sound like she was afraid of her friend.
"We had a fight. That doesn't answer my question," she replied as she walked closer.
"Cole's here for dinner," Amy said firmly. "And if you'll like to join, there's room for more," she added.
"I can't refuse dinner because I don't want to see his face," Kayla replied as she pulled out a chair and sat down.
Amy gave Cole an apologetic look, but he waved it off, assuring her that it okay.
Tris came out of the room. "Aunt Kayla, you're back?" He asked.
"Yes, sweetie. Come give aunty a kiss," she said sweetly and Tris went over and kissed her cheek. She ruffled his hair. "Good boy,"
Cole wondered how she could be so sweet to his replica and then hostile to him. Amy, Cole and Tris joined Kayla at the table to enjoy the delicious savoury dishes made by Amy. From the gumbo, down to the crawfish etouffee and jambalaya, Cole enjoyed every bit of it.
He noticed Kayla would not stop giving him daggered glares, but he ignored it and tried his best to be comfortable around her as he had conversations with his family.
"Daddy, will you stay tonight?" Tris popped out and Cole watched Kayla dare him to say yes to him with her eyes.
"Um.." Cole was beginning to feel waves of heat.
"Sweetie, dad has a lot to do, besides, there's no enough room here to accommodate him," Amy came to the rescue.
"It's just for a night. He can stay in your room or mine. After all, we're a family," Tris persisted as he turned to Cole. "Please, dad, don't say no,"
Cole swallowed. "Alright. I'll stay with you,"
Tris face beamed with smiles. "Great," he replied happily.
After dinner was done and the table cleared, Tris retired for bed with Cole promising to join him soon. Kayla left for her room after staring at Cole coldly.
"She hates me," Cole said as he helped Amy arrange the dishes she was washing.
She chuckled. "She doesn't hate you. She's just being very protective of me,"
He sighed. "I understand her point of view, but.. "
"Just give her time, she'll come around," she assured him as she finished the last dishes. She turned to him. "You'll need to change, you know. I don't have men's wear in my room,"
"I would have died if you did," he replied with a serious look.
She chuckled. "What will you wear?" She asked.
"Don't worry about that,"
"My room is that way," she pointed to where her room was and he nodded and walked away.
A few minutes later, she walked into her room and found him shirtless and she quickly looked away. "I'm sorry," she apologized.
He was amused and confused at the same time. "Why?" He asked.
"Nothing, just put a shirt on," she said without looking back.
He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "It's not like this is the first time you're seeing my body,"
She swallowed nervously. "Yeah, but I didn't walk in on you like this," she replied, still looking shy.
"If you keep acting this shy and cute, I'm afraid I won't be able to let you go,"
"Cole," she said with a sigh and he turned her to look at him. Without saying anything more, he lowered his head and entangled his lips with hers.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the sweetness his lips possessed. Just then, she remembered Tris and Kayla was in the house.
She pulled away from his lips, heaving. She was breathless from the kiss.
"Tris will be waiting for you, you should go meet him," she said.
He smiled. "I have a better idea," he replied.
He left the room and soon enough, he returned with Tris in his arms and Amy was alarmed.
"Relax," he assured her as he placed him on the bed and lay beside him. "When you're done tidying up, join us," he whispered so as not to wake a sleeping Tris.
She sighed a little and nodded. She finished having her shower and in no time, she joined them in bed. Tris was in between her and Cole and they cuddled him close. Cole smiled at her and kissed her hand and then kissed Tris cheeks.
"I love you mom and dad. Please don't leave me alone," he muttered in his sleep. Amy and Cole were stunned by his words.
"We'll never leave you," they whispered to him in assurance.