Sugar-Coated Lies

19: Anna

Five years later

Iris

"It's lunch time! Anna!" I sighed and wiped my hands on the washcloth.

"Anna!" She's probably playing outside again, when she's outside come what will she will play and there was no stopping her, I leaned out of the door to see her running up and down the grass.

"Anna!" She stopped and rushed to me.

"Mommy." She hugged my legs, I smoothed my hand over her red hair smiling at her.

"Darling, you need to come in to eat, there's a storm looming anyhow, you need to play inside after lunch."

"Yes, mommy." She pouted and with her stuffed toy under her arm paced towards the table.

A lot has changed in five years as you can see, I unexpectantly became a mother after starting my own business, soon after that I bought this house. Today, however, I was working from home since I haven't spent that much time with Anna these past few days.

Being a working single mother isn't what I was expecting but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I haven't seen Scott since the day I said goodbye. The last thing I heard from him was an article in the newspaper which was about his new restaurant and how he already built a chain of them. I guess he quit his job with Hunter or gave him free reign so that he could build the restaurant, and here I thought that it was only going to be something he's thinking about thinking about.

When I read that article I was a bit shocked and I felt somewhat proud, I think I may have been the one to plant the seed of the idea in his head.

After I left there were days where I contemplated calling him and talking to him but when I did I didn't know what to say so I would end the call before even saying something.

"Mommy, is James coming over again?" I smiled, I know she absolutely loves my fiancé.

"Yes, he'll be here tonight, Sammy is going to look after you tonight when we go out." She happily clapped her hands together, her whole mouth was full of spaghetti sauce and her hands too, so sauce went flying everywhere. She stopped clapping and looked at the saucy table mortified.

"Sorry, mommy." I shook my head. She was about done eating so I needed to clean up anyhow.

"Oh dear me, come here. " I took the cloth and wiped up the sauce from her face and hands.

I looked at myself in the mirror, James would be here any minute. Sammy our babysitter was already here, she was downstairs playing dolls with Anna.

I heard the front door open and ' Mr. Brooks." being greeted, I chuckled when I heard that. It was all too clear that our babysitter had a crush on James. Who wouldn't have, he was tall with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and had the body of a Greek god, his personality was amazing, he is such a sweet and caring man.

He proposed to me about a year ago, Anna loves him to death. At first, when I told him about Anna I thought he would freak out like the previous men I've dated but thankfully he was ecstatic to meet her, he loves Anna as much as she loves him if not more. I heard the knock and then James entered.

He stopped in his tracks and stared at me.

"You look...wow. " His eyes lingered on me and then trailed to my shoes and back up to my eyes.