❝I'll plant a row of daisy seeds,

In the space below each eye,

So they'll remind you of your beauty,

When they bloom each time you cry.❞

Felix

Humming along to the radio, I drove to pick Owen up from school on my way from work. The mere of idea of his smile as he would see me pick him up makes my mouth curve into a smile of it's own. Then, going back home to find Evelyn waiting for us, ready to bicker with me. Oh, how I love bickering with that redhead.

Pulling my sunglasses down, I walked out of the car, locking it and walking into the building. Kids with tiny backpacks skipped holding hands with their parents, briefing them about the first day of school. As I made my way to Owen's class, my heart dropped.

There she stood, the so called mother of my child, the woman I hate more than anyone could ever comprehend. It took all the patience inside me to not pull her away from Owen, as she bent to her knees and looked at him with those steel blue eyes I once trusted. Owen looked up at her in a confused manner, almost scared.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Almost yelling out loud, I walked to them, gently dragging Owen towards me.

"Oh, Felix. We've been waiting for you."

She pursed her lips into that ever famous pout, making disgust run through me. What does she want now, after all these years without a single contact? She had the audacity to leave her own child alone, crying without the love of a mother, without once informing anyone about her whereabouts.

"Why are you with my son?" Controlling my anger, I picked Owen in my arms, facing away from her.

"He's our son, Felix." She emphasised. "I'm his mother."

"You're his what now?" Nothing could help me from controlling the bitter laugh. "His mother? Tell me one thing you know about being a mother. I don't think being a mother involves running away from you responsibilities and leaving a sobbing child alone, deprived of love."

"Oh cut that." She waved her hand nonchalantly, clearly not caring about it. "You've got a new mother for him anyways, haven't you?"

"You aren't half the person she is."

"Neither do I wish to be." She snickered. "How did you even choose her? That bland simpleton. What's her name? Evelyn, right?"

"Control your mouth, Stella. That's my wife you're talking about. Before you utter another word, I am warning you. Stay away from my son. I don't care what you're up to and why you are back in the city but I do not want you close to my family. Try harming my family and I'll forget boundaries."

Before she could open her mouth in defeat, I stormed out with Owen.

×■×

Evelyn

Sitting on the couch, I scrolled through e-mails as I waited for Felix to drop Owen home. I had learnt to make some pancakes and was dying to make those for him as he came back. Hearing the apartment's door open, I more or less skipped my way to Owen, bending down to hug him tightly.

"How was your day, sweetie?" I mumbled to him.

"It was good." Something was definitely wrong, I could feel it. He stood tense in my arms as I felt Felix shuffle his weight from one foot to another.

"Hey...Owen?" Felix brushed a hand through Owen's hair. "How about you go get yourself changed while Daddy talks to Mommy, huh?"

"Y-yeah." Nodding in approval, he looked away and ran towards his room.

"Felix?" I placed my hand on his forearm as he looked away, distant. "Felix? What's wrong? Please answer me."

Pushing past me, he flopped down onto the couch, staring into his palms. I took no time in running back and sitting next to him, a hand shaking his shoulder vigorously. I felt my heart thud loudly against my chest as my brain played the worst scenarios.

"Felix, you're scaring me. Please speak up."

"She's here." He whispered. "She's here, Evelyn. Stella's here."

"What do you mean 'she's here.'?" I took his hand into mine, rubbing it gently. "Calm down, take a breath."

"I can't!" He lost it, yelling out loud. Noticing the fear in my eyes, he dropped his voice lower. "I'm sorry-I just-she was in his school today. She tried to contact him."

"Stella is his mother, Felix. She wouldn't do anything to her child. Why was she there, to be precise? What did she talk to him about? What did she talk to you about?"

"You-you don't know the woman. She's insane. She could do anything for fame, for attention. I swear I-I'm familiar with that-that hunger in her eyes, that makes her look so...I don't know. I just-all I know is that she's trouble, Evelyn. That woman will bring us trouble. She could-"

"Shh." I placed my hand over his mouth, shutting him down. "Calm down, you're blabbering. I know, it's a shock, her being around us, here in the city. But we can't really do anything right now, can we?"

"I don't know, I'm just confused and everything's chaotic. What if she takes my child away Evelyn?"

And that's when I noticed the actual terror in his eyes as he locked his with mine, terror washing over his face at the idea of her taking Owen away from us. I tried to cover up my emotions, even though I felt muscles tense as my heart beat louder and louder, a chill running down my spine. One of us had to be strong now.

"Did she mention a threat? What was she up to?"

"I didn't have a proper discussion with her. I knew talking to her would just make me lose my control and vent out some anger. She could use it against me, so I decided to not overdo anything and left."

"Well that's-that's not bad."

"It's not good eit-" He straightened up as he heard the sound of Owen's small steps walking in our direction. "Owen, weren't you hungry? Daddy will make you some sandwiches."

"No!" I stopped him. "I learnt to cook some pancakes, the batter is ready. Just sit back and let me make them real quick."

"Woah woah woah-" He jumped up from his seat. "You-cooking in my kitchen? Nope. I would rather stay alive."

"Wha-Felix!" I copied his actions, standing up abruptly. "I can cook-I mean-if I try. I learnt the thing, just let me do it."

"Fine then." He shrugged, pulling his mobile phone out of his shirt's pocket. "I've got a call to make, don't end up poisoning my child." With a smirk in my direction he walked towards the bedroom.

"Our child!" I yelled behind him, biting back a smile. "Come on, Owen, let's get you some pancakes and have a little bit of talk."

Felix

"Great. We'll discuss the presentation tomorrow." Ending the call, I walked out of Owen's room. As I made my way to the kitchen, I stopped hearing Evelyn talk to Owen. Standing on the kitchen's doorway, I saw her sit next to him on the dining table, passing him what looked like edible pancakes.

"Owen, baby." She spoke softly stroking a strand of hair from the front of his forehead. "Mommy is going to ask you a few questions about your day, okay? And she expects you to answer honestly."

"Okay." He mumbled, taking a small bite of the pancake, smiling at the taste. Phew, edible.

"So," She raised her eyebrows expectantly. "You met someone today, right? Your mom?"

"Y-yes." Owen avoided eye contact, quickly eating up the pancake.

"What did you two talk about?"

A part of me wanted to join them, to stand with her as she asked him, to protect him as he tried to answer, probably scared from the encounter. But another part, the scared and confused Felix, couldn't bring himself to do it. I was afraid I'd lose my control at the mention of her name. I had to keep my anger under control, the last thing I would want would be for Owen to be afraid of me. Deciding to let her do it herself, I leaned against the doorframe.

"She's...scary."

"Scary?" She gulped. "Why's that so? What did she say, baby?"

"She told me she's my real mother." He looked up at Evelyn with big innocent eyes, and I noticed sorrow pass through her eyes for a second. "And I told her you're my mom, because you live with us and take care of me and daddy while she stays away and never visits."

"Oh, dear." She stood up from her chair, hugging him close to her chest. With a kiss on her forehead, she stood back straight. "What happened, then?"

"She got mad, Mommy." He still held her by her waist, not ready to let go. "She said only she was my mother and that she would take me with her. Will she take me away, Mommy?"

"No, of course not!" She placed a finger under his chin, making him look up at her. "Nobody can ever take my sweetheart away from me, right? You'll be here with Mommy and Daddy, don't worry."

"Promise?"

"Promise." She picked his now empty plate, transferring it to the counter. "You've had a long day. You should take a nap now, hm?" Picking him up from the chair, she walked out. She gasped as she almost collided into me.

"Oh, hi." She looked down. "I'll just go put Owen to bed."

"I'll join." Thrusting my hands into the pants' pocket, I followed her to Owen's bedroom.

She gently laid him down on the tiny bed, pulling the covers over him while I pulled us the small chairs to sit on. She hummed an old song to him, stroking his hair gently, and within a few seconds, she succeeded in putting him to sleep.

"He looks so innocent, sleeping." I mumbled, not knowing how to start a conversation.

"Like an angel." She agreed, smiling.

"Thanks," I looked into my palms, trying to make up words to politely thank her. "for talking to him. I know I should've been there but...I don't know-I was just anxious. I didn't want to scare him further."

"Felix," She passed me a gentle, reassuring smile. "I understand."

And then we fell back into the comfortable silence, lost in our respective thoughts, except for the gentle snores from Owen and the creaking of the tiny chair as I shuffled in it.

"Evelyn," I broke the silence, making her look up at me. "I wish you were his actual mother." The mere sentence welled up tears in her eyes.

~