Chapter 29 A sucker for their cuteness
NOVA
"Mum!" River called out to me, grinning as he raised a chocolate bar. "Should I get this?" He pouted, his grey eyes sparkling as he watched me, knowing how much of a sucker I was for his cuteness. "Of course. Anything for you, darling." I leaned down and ruffled his hair, smiling at my darling. "You can get as much as you want. Just know, you can't have more than a bar a day," I added, reminding him of the rules I made.
"I know." Grinning, he threw the bar into the shopping cart and rushed back to get more, while I stood by, waiting for him. From where I was, I could hear Willow laughing as Brion carried her on his shoulder so she could reach for the snacks on the last rack.
Seeing how happy my kids looked was enough to ease the disappointment I felt when Mara called and told me she had an emergency at home. She needed to return to take care of it and had to drop the kids off at our location since they were awake.
At first, I wasn't pleased. I thought they would ruin our date, but shopping with them gave me immense joy, one I knew I wouldn't have gotten while on a date with Brion.
"What's wrong? Thinking about me?" Brion joked, smiling as he carried Willow down, so she could join her twin. Her golden curls bounced as she ran over to River, who was trying to get as much chocolate bar as his little hands could carry.
"Watching them makes me emotional," I confided, observing my babies as they chose their favourite snacks while competing on who would get the most.
"Same," Brion whispered beside me. "I know they are not mine, and I don't share the same bond you have with them, but I can feel your affections. It's the same as mine. I feel like a fan..." He trailed off, coughing as he kept his gaze averted from mine. "What do you want to do after this?" He turned to look at me, smiling to ease the nervousness in his gaze.
I had been with him for five years and could tell his emotions. No matter how hard he tried to hide them from me, I could tell.
"Anything is okay. We can go to the park or -"
"Get an ice cream!" Willow yelled out, rushing towards us with her arms filled with snacks. "Mum, let's get some ice cream," she repeated, passing the snacks to Brion, so he could help her put them in the cart.
"Aside from that." My tone was stern, and I hoped my face conveyed the same emotion.
"That's not fair, mum!" She pouted, folding her arms. "We haven't had ice cream since we arrived in Paris!"
"That's true!" River seconded, walking over to us as he, too, gave Brion his snacks to help him put in. "Can't we have just a little today, mum?" He requested, giving me the same puppy eyes he showed me earlier when he asked to get chocolate bars.
I averted my gaze so it wouldn't affect me, knowing I would only end up giving in to his demands should I continue looking at him. I needed to be stern, to put my legs down and give rules I knew none of them would love.
"No." It took a lot for me to say that, but I knew I had to do it. I was only doing this for their sake, even if they would only take it as me being wicked and not letting them have as much sweetness as they wanted.
"Uncle Brion," Willow went over to him and hugged his legs, peering up with cute eyes, ones that were so similar to her brother. Even though they didn't share the same eye colour, they had the same expression. "Please, Uncle Brion."
"We love you," River added, hugging his other leg. "You are the best uncle in the world. Our favourite uncle."
"I'm your only uncle," Brion mumbled, not loud enough for them to hear.
I stifled my smile as I watched them, knowing he would give in. My babies knew the right way to press his buttons. They were good at that.
"Please, Nova," Brion begged, peering at me, just as my babies turned their focus on me. With their puppy eyes as their greatest weapon, and a sulking Brion looking at me with his palms joined in plea, I realized I was a goner. I had never been immune to their charms.
Sighing, I gave in to their wishes. Like always. "Okay."
"Yeah!" Willow and River high-fived each other as Brion came close and placed a kiss on my right cheek.
"Thanks for putting a smile on their faces."
I blinked, dazed at his display of affection. This wasn't the first time he had pecked me. He does that most of the time, especially whenever he wishes to console me. However, this was the first time he had done it in public.
I was frozen in shock, too stunned to react as I watched him squat to converse with my babies. Slowly, I shook my mind off the frozen state it went into. Coughing, I straightened, clearing my throat, so I wouldn't sound odd when I spoke. "Is there anything else you wish to add to the cart?" I asked in a normal tone, one that concealed a racing heart.
"Yeah." Ruffling their hair, he got up. "Let's go check them out. The kids are excited about the ice cream you promised them." Smiling, he pushed the cart to the checkout point while I followed behind with my babies, who were now back to arguing about who had the biggest snack.
"I will be right back," I said to Brion the moment we got to the checkout counter. "I need to visit the restroom. I will be back before you finish checking this out."
"Okay." He made the sign with his fingers, grinning when I sent a grateful smile at him. My kids were still busy arguing about who got the highest chocolate, so they didn't notice when I slipped away. Walking towards the restroom, I was pleased when I noticed there weren't many people around. It would have been -
"Nova?"
I froze at the call.
Fuck.
Why the hell do I meet him everywhere I go?