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Alette's POV

"Reecie, which one do you think he would like more?" I questioned, staring at the hundreds of toys on the aisles. When I didn't get an answer, I turned around to see him standing there, looking at all the toys, and seeming very out of his element.

I giggled at his frazzled state, and his eyes flitted over to look at me.

"He likes...trucks," Aresius said lowly, "And...puzzles."

I nodded, and reached forwards to grab a dump truck and a puzzle of an excavator. I looked at Aresius to see if he approved of my choices, and he nodded his head once. I beamed, and he grabbed the two toys from me, and we started walking to the cash register. His hand swung by his side, and it looked lonely, so of course I grabbed it.

He came to an abrupt stop, which made me think he was going to let go, but instead he exhaled slowly and intertwined our fingers.

I blushed of course.

We walked side-by-side, my shoulder brushing his bicep, till we reached the cash register.

The older woman working quickly scanned the two items, as well as a yellow gift bag with little boats on it that I had chosen to put the gift in.

"$37.64," she said.

Aresius immediately moved to pay, but I slid in front of him and paid with my card before he could. Quicklt grabbing the bags and the receipt, I thanked the woman and we both walked out of the store.

"Why did you do that Alette?" I looked over at him and gave him my best strict face.

It didn't work.

"Because it's my present to him silly, so of course I had to pay for it," I said matter of factly.

He didn't look too happy about it.

We got into the car and he started driving to our destination.

While I had met Dr. Hughes before, I was nervous about meeting his family. I was only going to Aresius because he seemed slightly unnerved about the whole ordeal. But I was nervous.

I tapped my foot and fidgeted with my hands, trying not to think of the worst-case scenario.

What if I ruined this poor kid's birthday party? I would never forgive myself.

As if he noticed my heightened anxiety, Aresius placed his hand securely on my thigh, stopping me foot from tapping.

"You're fine Alette."

Well now I definitely wasn't fine.

His hand on my leg made my stomach do flips and I couldn't describe how I felt; it wasn't a feeling I was familiar with.

I turned red, trying to keep my thoughts clean.

A sharp turn of the car made me gasp and shut my eyes, while his hand on my thigh gripped harder, his fingers slightly digging into my skin.

My fear only lasted for a second or two because we were back to driving normally.

"Alette, you're okay?" he asked, his voice seemed uncertain.

"I-I'm okay Reece," I whispered.

I didn't have a chance to linger on my fear because his tight grip on my thigh made me feel as fuzzy everywhere. The heat from his hand emanated all across my body, and I couldn't think of anything else.

What a great distraction.

I stared so hard at his hand that I didn't notice when he pulled into the driveway of a cute two-story house with a well kept garden.

He parked the car and turned towards me, unbuckling my seatbelt. I just stared at him.

"Ready?" he asked, looking right into my eyes.

I nodded because I knew if I opened my mouth, I would say something not so good.

He exited the car, and opened my door for me to get out. We grabbed the presents, me with my yellow bag, and him with three blue gift bags of presents that he had purchased some time before.

I grabbed his hand and we walked to the front door of the house. He rang the doorbell, and I let go of his hand, in case he didn't want his friends to see us holding hands.

I didn't want to embarrass him.

He blinked slowly once, and then turned his head to me. I smiled at him, confused as to why he was looking at me, until I felt him reach for my hand again. He held on tightly.

Oh.

The door finally opened, and Dr. Hughes stood in front of us. He did a double take when he saw me, but recovered quickly.

"Well hello, nice of you to finally turn up," he deadpanned looking at Reece. Then he looked over at me, "Wonderful to see you Faye, I hope you're doing well, come in come in!"

We both stepped into the house, Reece letting me go first, and I looked around at the cosy home that was littered with toys.

"Hi Dr. Hughes, it's nice to see you again," I said to him softly.

"Oh please call me Oscar, you'll make me feel old, and only my bones can do that," he joked.

I laughed and Aresius exhaled.

"And your white hair," he said, under his breath.

Oscar glared at him, "I'll punch you, don't try me."

"Oscar Isaac Hughes! Stop threatening Adler and let him come inside," came a voice from a woman walking into the room. Actually, she waddled.

She wore a pale yellow dress and had a fluffy dark caramel coloured afro. She was also barefoot, and extremely pregnant. She looked stunning and smiled brightly as she walked towards us.

"Oh hello! It's so wonderful to meet you; I've heard so much about you! I'm Selina!" she said.

Heard so much about me? From who?

I smiled softly, her energy was contagious, "Hi, I'm Faye, its nice to meet you. Thank you for having me over so last minute."

I didn't even know if Aresius had told them that I was coming, but judging by Oscar's face when we walked in, he hadn't.

"Oh my goodness of course! I'm so glad you both are here! We missed seeing Adler it's been way too long," she moved to give me a hug and I hugged her back as well as I could with her big belly in the way.

"Sorry, I feel like I'm about to pop, I'm ready to get this kid out of here," she said exasperatedly.

I giggled, and she gestured for us to come into the lounge. The whole house was brightly coloured, and looked so classy, but still well lived-in.

"Your home is beautiful Selina," I complimented, and she beamed.

"You're so sweet thank you! I'll take all the credit because he did not do a thing," she pointed her thumb at Oscar, who was walking with Aresius behind us.

"Well damn, I'm sorry, I did try to help but you wouldn't let me do anything after I couldn't tell the difference between beige and cream. You did a wonderful job sweetie," Oscar defended.

"Well you could've tried harder," she rolled her eyes and he frowned.

I giggled at their antics; their interactions made me yearn for something I couldn't quite place.

We all sat down in the living room, me sitting next to Selina, with Aresius and Oscar across from us.

As we were settling in, Selina let out a hiss of pain, clutching her stomach in both of her hands. Oscar immediately leaped forward and kneeled in front of her.

"What's wrong Leena?"

She took a few short breaths, her face scrunching in pain. She exhaled slowly, "Sorry, it felt like a contraction, but I'm sure it wasn't anything."

"You're sure?" Oscar asked, his tone serious.

She nodded and gave him a small smile, leaning down to kiss him, "I'm okay mi corazón."

He got up and sat back on his seat, and she turned to me, "Sorry about that, we keep having false alarms. My due date was a couple days ago but this little monster doesn't want to come out."

I shook my head, "Don't apologize, I'm glad you're okay," I said, reassuring her. She smiled, patting my hand.

"So," she started in a teasing tone, "How did you and Adler meet?"

I turned red for some unknown reason, but was saved from answering when I heard small footsteps running down the stairs.

"Uncle Adler! You came!"

Aresius stood up and a small body bounded into the room, and jumped into his arms.

Woah.

The little boy, whose face I couldn't see yet because it was tucked in Aresius' neck. He had blonde-brown hair like his father, but it was curly like an afro, similar to his mother.

He finally let go of Aresius' neck, and was placed on the floor. He had tan skin and green eyes, with some freckles all over his nose. He was adorable and I wanted to awe. He beamed up at Aresius, with admiration clear in his eyes.

Same kid, same.

"I'm so glad you're here," he said, lisping some words. I might cry at how cute this kid was.

Aresius nodded, "Happy Birthday Row, I'm sorry I missed your party," he said seriously, still not smiling.

The boy didn't look like he cared though, he just continued beaming toothily up at him.

"It's okay! You're here now, we can play!" he screamed excitedly, "Mommy can w-"

He trailed off when he finally saw me, his face scrunched in confusion.

"Buddy, this is Adler's gir-uh friend, Faye, can you say hi?" Oscar said quickly.

He walked over to me, and stuck out his hand, "Hi my name is Rowan and I'm 5!"

Aw my heart.

I grabbed his small chubby hand and shook it, "Hi Rowan, I'm Faye, its nice to meet you! Happy birthday!"

"You're pretty! I like you, can we get married?" he asked decidedly.

My eyes widened and I turned red.

"Woah okay kiddo, that's not how that works," Oscar jumped in.

He looked over at his dad, a confused look on his face, "Why not? If you like someone, you should just tell them, and if you want to marry them, you should just ask them," he said, "Grown-ups are weird," he mumbled under his breath.

"Uh...no that's just...um ," Oscar looked over at Selina for help.

She looked as though she was in holding in a laugh and stood up, "Rowan, why don't we show Adler and Faye the new game you got for your birthday?"

His face instantly brightened and he nodded excitedly, running out of the room.

"Sorry Faye, he jus-" Selina hunched over mid-sentence in pain, and then suddenly, there was a small gush of water.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"I think my water just broke," Selina said.

The next couple of minutes passed by in a panic as Oscar rushed to make sure they had everything, while I stood with Selina, trying to keep her as comfortable as possible.

Aresius and Oscar helped Selina to the car, and I waited with Rowan. He grabbed my hand and I gave it a little squeeze reassuringly.

Oscar and Aresius walked back in, and Oscar kneeled in front of Rowan, "Hey buddy, your mom's going to go have a baby, she's going to be fine okay? Adler, and Faye as well, are going to take you to Adler's house, and you're going to have a sleepover! Sound fun?"

Rowan nodded, still looking slightly troubled and moved forward to give his dad a hug, "Mommy and the baby are going to be okay?"

"They're going to be totally fine."

"Okay dad, I'll see you guys later, I love you," the two hugged again, and Oscar rushed out.

And then there were three.

Aresius looked a little caught off-guard so I decided to take charge.

"Hey Rowan, why don't you and Re- Adler, go up to your room and grab some pyjamas and things you want to pack for tonight?" I asked him, and looked at Reece who nodded along.

The two went upstairs, and I decided to look for a mop to clean the floor. I quickly cleaned and they came back downstairs, hand in hand.

Something about how gentle and sweet he was with Rowan gave me butterflies.

"Ready to go Rowan?" I asked him kindly. He nodded at me, and walked over to me.

"You're sure mommy's going to be okay?" he mumbled looking troubled.

I reached down and picked him up, hugging him tightly, "She's going to be fine Rowan, don't you worry. Meanwhile, you get to have a super fun sleepover!" I told him, trying to get him to stop worrying.

I looked over at Aresius, and he was staring at us with an undecipherable look in his eyes.

"Let's go to Uncle Adler's house now Rowan, and you can open your presents."

I set him down and the three of us walked out to the car, Rowan's bag and presents in hand. Aresius opened the back door for Rowan and buckled him in, putting his stuff beside him.

Then he opened the door for me, and as he was about to walk away, Rowan chimed in, "Make sure you buckle up Faye too!"

I turned bright red as Aresius paused and then buckled me in as well,

I tried to make my face return to its normal colour, but it definitely didn't work. Aresius got into the car, and reversed out of the driveway, and we began the drive to his house.

Most of the ride passed with Rowan talking and me replying to him. Aresius didn't say a word. I could tell he was tense because he drove with both hands on the wheel, and his knuckles turned white.

I wished there was something I could do to help him, but I didn't want to overstep any boundaries.

We reached his house and got out of the car. I noticed Aresius' shoulders looked tense and his jaw was clenched.

I hoped I hadn't done anything wrong, I worried in my head, but covered it with a smile as Rowan grabbed my hand excitedly and pulled me inside the house.

We all took off our shoes, and Rowan slowly walked inside, his eyes darting everywhere. He looked up at Aresius, as if asking for permission for something and Aresius nodded.

Rowan grinned and walked forward, yelling "Grasso!"

The cat seemed to hear the commotion and came into view but when Rowan walked towards him, he took off, running away. Rowan laughed, seemingly thinking that he was playing a game and ran after him.

I giggled watching the two.

Babies and animals, could it get any cuter?

Aresius walked past me, into the living room and put Rowan's presents and his bag on the coffee table. He turned to me, and we made eye contact, but he immediately averted his eyes, his jaw tense.

Ouch, I ignored the pang in my heart.

His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket, seeming even more agitated. He picked up the call, and walked away towards the kitchen.

I didn't know whether or it would be okay for me to leave now, but before I could think about it further, Rowan walked into the room.

"He didn't let me catch him Faye," he pouted, referring to Grasso who had climbed up on a high shelf.

I pinched his chubby cheeks, "Sorry Rowan, we'll let him get down when he wants and maybe we can pet him later?" I consoled.

"Okie dokie," his eyes wandered until they landed on the gift bags that contained his presents, "Are those for me?"

"They sure are for you! Why don't you go sit down and I'll see if Uncle Adler wants to come and open presents now," I told him, ruffling his hair.

He nodded in excitement, and went to sit down on the sofa, waiting patiently with his hands in his lap.

Was I getting baby fever? I think yes.

I walked slowly to the kitchen, my heart pounding. I didn't know what was bothering Aresius, and I had always known him to be gentle around me, but being upset made people do things they wouldn't normally do.

He faced away from me as he used both of his hands to lean on the kitchen counter, his head down.

I cleared my throat, "U-um Reece?" I waited for any acknowledgement, but the only thing that told me he was listening to me was the way his shoulders tightened when I spoke.

"Rowan wants to o-open his p-presents now? Do you want to co-"

"Start without me."

Oh.

"O-okay, we'll do that now. D-do...um a-are you ok-"

"Alette I can't right now."

Oh.

I cursed my eyes for watering at his tone, I felt like I shouldn't push further but what had happened?

I took a breath and mumbled an okay, before speed walking out of the room.

I wiped my eyes quickly, before walking into the living room. I placed a fake smile on my face, "He's a little busy right now Row Boat, how about we start with the presents I got you, and then you can open the one's Uncle Adler got you afterwards?"

He giggled at my nickname for him, and then his eyes widened, "Wait...you got me presents too?"

I laughed softly, "Of course I did, do you see the yellow bags?"

He reached forwards and grabbed the bag. He ripped the tissue paper out and grabbed his presents, squealing in excitement at what he had gotten. He put them down and wrapped his tiny arms around me in a hug. I picked him up and sat down on the sofa with him in my lap. I hugged him tight, whilst he said thank you.

Selfishly, I think I wanted to hug him more because it made me feel better, especially after the encounter with Aresius.

I finally let him get out of my lap and he started taking the packaging off the toys. From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw someone standing by the entrance of the room, but when I checked, I didn't see anything, so I brushed it off.

Rowan and I spent the next little while playing with the toy I had gotten him, and we had started the puzzle when Aresius walked into the room.

"Look Uncle Adler! Look at what Faye got me! She's the bestest," he beamed, rushing to show him the truck and puzzle.

I blocked out Rowan's talking and Aresius' noises of acknowledgement, looking down into my lap, fiddling with the bracelet on my wrist.

Should I ask him if he's okay now?

Did I do something that bothered him? I thought about everything that had happened today and decided that showing up at his house uninvited was probably not the best idea. He was also probably weirded out from when I asked him on a date.

Before I could list of all the other things I had done to bother him, Rowan said loudly, "Faye come sit with us!" He patted the cushion on the loveseat beside him.

I hesitated, but got up and sat beside him. He showed us both all the features of the truck and boasted about how great it was.

"I have to go to the bathroom now!" he said suddenly, jumping up. He put the truck down onto the sofa, and looked at me for permission.

"Did you need me to come with you sweetheart?" I asked him, tilting my head.

"Umm no I don't think so," he said, thinking hard about his answer. I nodded at him smiling, and he walked off into the direction of the bathroom.

The room was blanketed in silence the moment he left. I looked down into my lap, twiddling my thumbs. Grasso walked over to me, now that Rowan was out of the room, and I stroked his soft fur, basking in the comfort it gave me; the distraction it gave me from the agitated mountain of a man beside me.

His whole body twitched slightly, so I looked up at him, deciding to be brave and try my luck again.

"Are y-you alright Aresius?" I asked him softly, subconsciously moving closer to him.

His eyes closed, and his jaw clenched. He breathed through his nose.

"Enough."

Huh?

My brows furrowed in confusion, "W-what do you mean? Did something happen?"

"Just stop it."

Oh.

My eyes stung with tears, and I swallowed thickly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do anyth-"

He gave a dry laugh, and it confused me even more.

"Of course you didn't mean to do anything."

What?

"Reece c-can I...did I...can I help you in any way? Do you want to talk about some-" my blubbering was cut off by the look he sent me, that made my entire body freeze.