Chapter 49: Motherhood
"Mom, would you read me another story?" Caleb asked sweetly after she had carefully tucked him into bed.
His doe eyes looked at her with bubbling enthusiasm. Not even a shadow of exhaustion could be seen in his young, handsome face.
"But we already read two stories." She gently patted the boy on the head. "It’s time to close your eyes and sleep." Then, she switched the lampshade off, leaving a small nightlight on before turning to leave the room.
Although she wanted to indulge the child, it had been way past his bedtime. As his new mother, she should know when to draw the line between spoiling him and disciplining him.
"But, Mom, I’m not yet sleepy." The little rascal pulled his cover off of him, jumped off the bed, and stopped her before she could even make another step.
"Please..." He wrapped his slender little arms around her waist, pleading. "Please, Mom, just one more story."
But she guessed it was not as easy as she thought as she looked down at the child, clinging to her like a Koala bear.
It seemed that motherhood had no clear rules, no definite guidelines to follow on how to raise a child. But no matter how hard it was, she was willing to learn.
"Okay, just one. Then, no matter what, you have to close your eyes, even if you have to pretend to sleep." She told him, exercising a tone that she would usually use when negotiating a deal.
When she got pregnant years ago, she thought becoming a mother would come naturally. That a woman would know what to do once she gave birth to her child. But she supposed that was just her naivety, her ignorance talking.
Now, she was learning that parenthood didn’t come with an easy handbook, but rather a trial-and-error approach.
"Is everything okay in here?" Behind the door, a head suddenly peeked inside. "Hey, buddy, why are you still up?" Unexpectedly, her husband strode into the room, seemingly checking up on them.
"Hey, Dad." Caleb cheerfully greeted his father. "Mom is about to read me another story. You should join us." Without giving his father a chance to reply, he grabbed his hand and pulled him together with her toward the bed.
Caleb immediately jumped in the middle of his bed and patted both sides of him, beckoning them to join him. She took the right while Oliver moved to his left.
"Dad, why don’t you read this time?" Caleb grabbed the book from her hand and placed it in his large ones.
Without hesitation, Oliver opened the book and started reading. But Oliver stopped him, putting his tiny fingers across his lips.
"Dad, you have to make those big voices?" He demanded, seemingly unsatisfied with his father’s performance.
Oliver looked at her as if he had no idea what to do. Clearly, her husband had not done anything like this before.
From what she heard, Oliver wasn’t exactly a hands-on father. But she was glad that he was trying. "Come on... just make some funny voices." She said.
After several pages, Caleb finally yawned. Then, she noticed how his body sagged, and his eyes became droopy. Soon, his breathing evened out, and his body became still.
"He’s asleep now." She announced, informing her husband that he could stop reading.
Slowly, she slid out of the bed and tucked the blanket around the child’s small body. Then, she dimmed the lights and tiptoed towards the door.
Hastily, he followed, pulling the door behind him, but leaving a slight opening.
"Where are you going?" He quickly asked when he saw her move toward the stairs, instead of walking toward their bedroom.
"I’m just getting some water." She readily said an excuse that she had rehearsed in her head while her husband was busy reading the story.
Without waiting for some sort of reply, she strode to the stairs without even looking back.
In truth, she needed space. She wanted some time alone.
After today—
After her mother-in-law passed the responsibility of being the new lady of the house to her—
After Dianne gave her the family heirloom—
After she heard the conversation between Maximus and Taylor—
She wanted time to think.
Alone.
"What have I gotten myself into?" She silently asked herself, making her way into the long hallway until she reached the enormous kitchen that could probably fit her entire apartment.
Automatically, her feet carried her to the cabinet, her hands pulled out a glass from inside, and then she filled it with water from the faucet. Doing exactly what she said she would do.
But she never actually drank the water. Instead, she just stared at the clear liquid as a small ripple disturbed its surface.
"Why was Dianne being so nice to me?" She muttered, confused by the older woman’s behavior.
Dianne was supposed to be this evil mother-in-law who was about to make her life a living hell. That was how she had pictured her for the last six years.
But all morning, even at dinner, Dianne had been nothing but the loving mother that any daughter-in-law would die to have.
"What was wrong with this family?" She frustratedly ran her fingers along her bare neck, imagining the beautiful necklace that Dianne had given her earlier. "She wasn’t supposed to welcome me into her family with open arms." She mumbled with a deep sigh.
Of course, she felt guilty. But in every war, collateral damage was unavoidable.
What about Maximus?
Her mind turned to the man who had been the bane of her existence. The source of her suffering.
Was she wrong about him all this time? Did he get rid of her just to protect his son from their enemies?
Maybe so.
But was that enough reason to get rid of her and her family?
Did that excuse him from what he did to her and her family?
No!
Determined. She was going to make Maximus pay for his crime.
But something else nagged at her.
"Caleb needs his mother."
What did Maximus mean by that?
Caleb’s mother?
Was he referring to Hazel? Did he want Hazel back in Caleb’s life?
Who else could that cruel bastard be talking about?
"I have to move fast." She finally spoke again, before Maximus kicked her out of this family.
"Stop living under the illusion that this is your family." She mentally chastised herself.
She was supposed to be looking for evidence to convict the Morton men. Instead, here she was playing house with Oliver and his family.
No! That had to stop. She needed to focus on what she had set out to do.
But before she could think of anything else, a commotion and a voice startled her.
"Hey, what’s taking you so long?" He spoke behind her, making her jerk and move involuntarily, accidentally knocking the water that was sitting on the counter.
The glass crashed to the floor. Shards of clear crystal had scattered on the tiled surface.
Then, blood oozed from her feet where a sharp piece of glass cut through her skin.
"Ouch!"
"Careful!" He was beside her, lifting her up off her feet even before she could make a step.
"I’m sorry." Oliver quickly apologized as he moved her toward the center island, away from the broken glasses. Then, he helped her sit on the edge with her feet dangling on the side.
"I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just worried that something might have happened to you, so I followed you." He hastily explained his sudden presence.
Truthfully, she thought it was a lame excuse, but at the moment, she could only concentrate on the throbbing pain in her feet.
"Let me see." Her husband said, putting his hand on her heels while gently lifting her foot closer to his line of sight. "It’s a little deep, but I don’t think it would need stitching." He said after he had assessed the wound.
Her husband gently set her foot down, ran across the room, and opened a drawer. He came back a few seconds later, carrying a first aid kit.
Suddenly, she remembered clearly how he would always tend to her injuries. Well, she was the clumsy one between the two of them.
Since Oliver was a varsity player, he was used to having a few cuts here and there, so he knew a thing or two about applying first aid.
"I can do it." She tried to take the tweezers from his hand, but he gently swiped her hands away.
"Stop being a baby. I got this." He said, using the tweezers to pull the embedded shard off her skin. Then, he put pressure on the wound to stop it from bleeding.
"This will sting." He warned her as antiseptic dripped to the opening on her skin.
Biting her lip, she kept herself from crying and moaning in pain. But he was right. It stung as hell.
But the pain eventually subsided, but what she didn’t expect was the lingering sensation of his fingers as they tried to soothe her pain. And the feeling of his breath as he blew tenderly along her wound.
It reminded her of the past. About the love that they once shared.
For a brief moment, she felt she was transported back in time. She was in their little kitchen, while he was trying hard to fix her broken ankle.
"You need to be more careful." His soft voice echoed in the room. Worried but affectionate.
"I know exactly how to ease the pain." He said. Then, he had his lips kissing the skin near her ankle as if his touch would drive the pain away.
Well, she guessed it worked because the next thing she knew, she was clinging to him for dear life as he carried her away from the kitchen to their bedroom.
Then, the ripping of a strip snapped her back to the present as he put a plaster to cover her wound.
"Avoid getting it wet, so it won’t get infected." He told her before putting away the medicine kit.
"Thanks," She finally said as she jumped off the kitchen island, but the excruciating pain made her gasp and lose balance.
But he caught her before she hit the floor.
"I got you." He said, once again, lifting her up into his arms, bridal style.
