A Promise To The Beloved (Completed)

6. A Proposal...

"Did you see that? He replied to me!" Elated, Ashton looked at Lilly.

Yes, she had seen that and if she were, to tell the truth, she didn't like it one bit. Sam who always ignored the strangers was now happily getting close to the one man he needed to stay away from.

"Ok. Now," Lilly interrupted the chatting of the toddler and 'his new friend'.
"Give him back to me." She said stretching her hands towards the little boy. "Come, Sam."

But the toddler refused to go back to her.  Rather he wrapped his arms around Ashton's neck and buried his face in his wide chest.

Lilly gasped at the boy's refusal. 'Traitor!' Her mind screamed inwardly while Ashton laughed rubbing the toddler's back.

"Hah! he refused you which means he likes me more."

"Please come down from your high horses Mr Ashton King or I am afraid you might fall." She bit out before shifting her attention to the toddler again as she cooed at him.
"Sam, come here."

But the toddler refused to even look at her. His refusal of her once again aroused the jealousy towards the man who at the moment was being showered with all his love and attention but then again she couldn't deny the fact that Sam hadn't gotten any male figure in his life and this was the first time a male had made an effort to get close to him. No matter how much she hated this Ashton King but she couldn't ignore the look of love and adoration that shone in his eyes for Sam.

If the circumstances had been different...if he wasn't Sebastian's brother...if he wasn't here to steal Sam then maybe she would have liked him because of the way he treated Sam or maybe it would have been something more than just like...

A throaty chuckle brought her out of her reveries and she heard Ashton speaking. "He doesn't want to come back to you." He looked at Lilly with eyes that were shining as if he had returned victoriously from a war.

"So little one," looking at the toddler he continued, "You had your breakfast. Right?"

Sam once again replied with something in his gibberish language which earned him another laughter from Ashton.

"OK then. Since I knew your aunt is a miser and she won't even ask me for a tea or coffee so I had my breakfast before coming here. And I am happy to see that she is at least feeding you nicely."

The taunt didn't go unnoticed by Lilly.
'Does this man find it so enjoyable and fun to infuriate me every time he opens his mouth?' she had wanted to ask but controlling her anger she placed her best smile on her face and said.
"Sam knows that we treat our guests with love and respect but we need to be wary of strangers. Right, Sam?"

"But I am not a stranger. Right, Sam?"

The two adults looked at each other challengingly as the toddler turned his head from the man to his beautiful aunt and back again and then he clapped his hands as if enjoying a show.

"OK Samuel, I have a gift for you." Ashton turned his attention to the boy as he continued, "Let's go to the living room."

Sitting on the couch he placed the toddler on his thigh and held him there securely wrapping an arm around his tiny body. With the other hand, he pulled out a soft toy from the carry bag he had brought with him.

"Here," he said handing the toy to the toddler. "Your gift."

Lilly watched as Sam inspected the toy with his chubby hands and curious eyes and finally smiled.
'His first toy from anyone in his paternal family.' Lilly smiled as her heart clenched at the scene.
'Sam deserve someone who could love him, adore him, spoil him, a male figure in his life but that someone can't be Ashton King.'