"I put your mom a blush on for an experiment; you wanna try, Red?" Raven tried to get the attention of the kid and save me from the situation so Red wouldn't vex me.
"Did you put blush on mom, dad?" Rayden teased, causing me to stare. Like, how dare he say things like I wasn't in front of them? And when did he become friends with them? Oh yeah I forgot, this family has boys versus girls and I was the only one.
"N-no!"
"Yes, baby," we replied at the same time, and our answer was not the same, so I just massaged my temple and secretly lured Raven who was occupied with our children. "It was my experiment, baby; I can put it to you." The man elaborates on everything to them. I don't know what the man wants to convey, but I know he is just saving me from them. But I can't understand why he has to.
And why am I blushing in the first place?!
"Okay, Dad, put that to me and Rayden!" Red screamed and was still dancing. I wanted to disobey since it was for the girls only, but Hiro looked at me with a warning. I snarled at him, he really decided to watch me now, while earlier when I was asking him for help he acted defeated. Wow! What a nice friend indeed!
"Baby, you are still eating," I calmly reprimanded, and fortunately, Red followed quickly and even smiled at me, even if his face had dirty food. Unlike Rayden, who is squeaky clean in everything, a kid who knows how to organize his things even if they're still young.
"Don't you have any plans to go on vacation?" I looked at Hiro for a moment when he interrupted me. Now that Raven is here, I suddenly realized that he might have come to Chicago if we fled anytime. "Swimming, playing, come on, too boring here, so we have to have fun after all the things that happen? I think we deserve it. After the tragedy that we face, I think it's better to make ourselves happy.” I nodded.
"Hiro was right; what do you think, Cbiara?" Raven asked me. I suddenly got nervous because I felt that he was very handsome in my eyes. Shit! This isn’t good! I tried to shake my head yet my eyes just kept looking straight at him.
"Everything's fine to me, as long as the kids enjoy it, then I'll go for it." I shrugged off. Whatever they want, I will go along with it. And I don't want to communicate with Raven for now, it's like my heart dropped whenever we had a conversation. How I hate it.
"How about you, Rayden and Red? Do you want a vacation or just swimming?" Hiro raised an inquiry to the kids who were just scanning us.
"Let's go to Chicago!" They both shouted, and Rayden turned to me. I knew immediately what was in his mind, by the spark of his dazzling eyes.
"Mom, I miss our old house." I was suddenly nervous; for sure, Raven wouldn't come with us; he had some documents to do for his company. "Can we go there?" I was hesitating to reply to his question.
"How about Daddy?" I asked him back while caressing his hair. “Do you want to leave him here?” He covered his mouth out of realization, I think he didn't think about it. "If we flew there, we would leave Daddy behind."
"Just a vacation, mom. I just miss being there, but if not with Daddy, then... we'll just stay here." He gave us a thumbs-up, but I wasn't convinced, so I messed up. I was about to check Raven when he instantly dropped a word that I had forgotten.
"I'm your dad, Rayden. Come on, Cbiara, I'm a billionaire, so I can make that happen in an instant, so you have nothing to fear." He gave me an assurance smile on his lips. "If you want, we can go there now. I have my private chopper; come on. You forgot that?”
“I told you, Cbiara, their dad is hella rich and can make the impossible possible," Hiro commented. I pinched him because I didn't remember what he was saying. He'll always be neutral, no matter where I take him.
"I know." My eyes rolled, and I stopped listening to him because he was saying plenty of flowery words.
The kitchen was filled with laughter; it was as if the people who lived there had no problem, even though, in truth, we didn't know if we were safe. All I know is that we want tranquility.
Everything's been good between us and the kids; nothing's wrong. I decided to just let it through, yet here I am, being someone who is easily discouraged.
***
We went to Chicago at that time for a week.
Along with Red, Rayden, Hiro, and I filled the entire gazebo in the interior of my house here in Chicago. Perhaps this was a get-together that we organized; I was vaguely thinking that Dad was there, socializing with us and visiting here as well. He must enjoy playing with the kids just like Raven. He was dreaming of having a baby boy, unfortunately they weren't blessed.
I whispered, "I wish you were here, Dad," as a sudden, chilly air touched my skin. I closed my eyes and felt it. It was my father who gave me a hug and assured me that everything would work out because I have them now. No, Dad, I won't be worried anymore.
"Come over, Mom!" Rayden called me and showed me some of their father's tricks. I don't know what Raven did, and it looks like he bamboozled our son. "Look at that!" I laughed because of that magic that Raven performed whenever I was crying in front of him. He even winked at me after he did that.
Hiro poked my side, I rolled my eyes. "Hey, why are you feeling thrilled?" Hiro was teasing me this time with his tiny voice.
"I'm not Hiro! You're just imagining things!" I said, but the flustered of his eyes were making some movements. Darn it! "Hiro, it's not like that!"
"Gosh! Not me, Cbiara, not me. You blush, I saw it." He pointed out, I was hitting his biceps. "I know you, Cbiara, more than your own parents; I know you from head to toe, so you can't lie to me even a bit. I know if you are in love or just happy."
"Hiro, I'm just glad that Rayden got along with his father, and that's it!" The children were far away, so I followed his voice because they couldn't hear us.
"Cbiara, I'm your friend. I support you and Raven, come on. You two have children and I know that you are in love with him and Raven was in love with you too.” He was crazy for forcing that kind of idea.
“I told you, what we have is just co-parenting and nothing else.”
He dismissively opposed my answer, “Shut up girl! You deserve each other, after what you two have been through? You two really belong in each other's arms! He pointed out over and over again, and like Rayden and Red, he wanted to force us that look good together.
"Shut up, Hiro! It's not possible!"
"What? He has no lover, just like he explains, and you don't have any since then. Maybe that's why you don't want to accept anyone before.” I minimize my gaze at him. “Even if a lot of men back here in Chicago would court you, you immediately dump them. Maybe, because you have plans to be back with him, right?" He narrowed his eyes at me, so I tapped his forehead. I heard him moan.
“Shut up! I was prioritizing my babies!”
He murmured, “But I know you like that idea, don't I?” I froze for a moment and shut my mouth while staring at the man who was glimpsing towards me.