Charlie's POV
My eyes drift closed so that I can block out the image in front of me, even if for only a moment. When I reopen them, though, I'm a thousand times angrier and everyone's looking up at me.
I know better. I know better.
I feel small arms winding around my legs, and I can't help but soften at that a little bit. "Mummy I missed you today." I lift Marley up and he immediately buries his face into the side of my neck. I scan the room, noticing his little cars and track neatly set up in a corner. Just as I suspected, he was off doing his own thing. He's not real big on strangers, and I'm sure it has something to do with the accident, even though he was so young.
Calmly, I walk over to Liyana, who's giggling and perched in a brunette's lap while holding what seems to be a brand new doll baby. "Baby!" She shouts and the brunette pinches her cheek and ruffles her hair. I can feel the brunette's eyes on me as my eyes meet Li's.
"Mummy." She smiles when she sees me, holding out her arms and I immediately lift her to best of my ability. "Up." The brunette is soon to rise, dusting off her pleated skirt. I have a pretty good idea as to who she is, and it only pisses me off more.
"Hi, I'm Genevieve. We're meeting...a lot sooner than I thought." She holds out a hand for me to take, which I don't take. Right. "I hope you don't mind. I helped myself to some wine while Zayn got in the shower." She smooths out her shirt, before pointing to the nearly empty glass on the coffee table. "Actually, quite a bit of wine," she laughs.
I'm pretty sure my eye just twitched, that's how fricking fucking mad I am. But I won't do this in front of my children. I immediately begin marching past the brunette and towards the sliding glass doors, upon hearing someone reach the end of the stairs and come down the hallway. "Genevieve, we should probably go...where are...oh. Shit."
Sitting the kids down, I actually chuckle as I slam the doors shut. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. But I don't even wanna listen to the rest of whatever's being said-though I'm sure she told him that I wasn't very...welcoming.
Am I being unreasonable? Good, I didn't think so either.
I lead us over to the jungle gym. A smile tugs at Marley's lips as he pulls on my hand much more quickly. "I'm happy you home, mummy. I wish you pickeded me up today." My blood boils. "Come on, wanna watch me go down da slide?"
I nod, though Li's moving just as quickly trying to get up there with Marley. But I scoop her up and spin her around (leaving her a giggling mess) and stick her in the baby swing. She loves it.
"No." I hear before I see Zayn shaking his head, and moving rather quickly across the lawn in sweats, a white t shirt and a black beanie. "Charlie, that wasn't-"
Marley comes down the slide, landing right on his butt before breaking out in laughter. "Mummy! You see'd it?"
"Yes baby, I saw it. You were awesome," I tell him, breaking my eyes from Zayn just in time. I lift Li's swing up as she begins to whimper, letting her go just a little bit higher this time. "Daddy! Me!" She squeals in delight.
"Good job, babe," he says, shifting his eyes to her, but they're back on me a few seconds later. "Charlie, listen-"
"No."
"Can you let me explain? I didn't fuck her."
"Fuck," Marley says from the ground with a smile, before turning around and running up the stairs to the slide.
My eyes snap to Zayn's. I'll admit, it was one of the many thoughts running through my mind. But no. I'm even more pissed off at the fact that she was with my kids.
