Holding Her, Loving You

Chapter Eight: The Fàbregas Dinner

“Aren’t you coming mama?” Alejandro asked as he prepared to go out with his father, it was now the beginning of September and a lot had changed since Cesc had come back into their lives; their lawyers had done a lot of work and now Cesc got to see Alejandro twice a week.

Belina shook her head as she smiled down at her son as she prepared him for the dinner with Cesc’s family; she knew that Cesc adored spending time with the six year old and that he was starting to form a bond with him.

“I have to go to work… but I’m sure you’ll have fun with Cesc,” Belina said as she ran her fingers through his hair, she smiled softly as she moved away; she didn’t want to spend a lot of time with Cesc since she knew he had a girlfriend and she doubted that Daniella would be pleased with having her around.

Belina also didn’t want to upset her son with the fact that she hadn’t been invited to the dinner that he would be attending.

The sound of someone knocking made Alejandro look at his mother as Belina sighed as she ran a hand through her hair before she moved to answer the door; she smiled at Cesc as she allowed him to step into his home.

“Hola,” Cesc greeted as he looked at his ex-girlfriend as he looked around her home before his eyes settled on Alejandro; he knew that this was still awkward for him and Belina but he was glad that he got to spend time with his son.

“So I’ll bring him home about nine… we’re going up to Arenys de Mar for the dinner,” Cesc said as he looked at the brunette, who nodded her head knowing that Núria would be thrilled to meet her grandson for the first time.

***

“You must be Alejandro, your padre has told me all about you,” Daniella said as she smiled down at the little boy; she hadn’t been pleased to hear that he was coming to this dinner but Núria had insisted.

Cesc rested a hand on his son’s shoulder as he showed him into the living room, he knew that this must all be strange for Alejandro and he wasn’t sure how to make this easier on him.

“Alex… this is my girlfriend, Daniella,” Cesc said softly as he introduced his son to the woman in his life, he knew that she was going to be around a lot and it was important that Alejandro got along not only with Daniella but Maria and Joseph as well.

“It’s nice to meet you,” the little boy said as he looked up at the woman before him, he didn’t know what it was but he didn’t like her; there was something about her that unsettled him and he didn’t want to be left alone with her.

“Cesc is that you?” Núria called as she entered the living room, her brown eyes lit up as they landed on her son and grandson; she smiled as she wiped her hands as Daniella walked out of the room so that she could check on Lia.

“This is your Abuela,” Cesc said as he smiled at his mother, he knew that she had been upset with him after he had told her of Alejandro’s existence and now she was meeting him, he could see that she was excited.

“Hola,” the six year old said softly making Núria smile before she moved forward and hugged him, she glanced at Cesc wondering why he hadn’t brought Belina; she adored the brunette and had told Daniella to tell Cesc to bring her to the dinner.

“He’s looks just like you,” Carlota mused as she leant against the wall and smiled at her older brother, her brown eyes focused on her nephew wondering how Daniella was going to cope with the fact that she had a step-son.

“So we are having pisto manchego for dinner, is that okay for you?” Núria asked as she smiled down at her grandson, she ignored the looks from Maria and Joseph who seemed far from impressed that they weren’t the centre of attention.

They had recently moved to Barcelona to be closer to their mother and had been thrilled about how much attention that they got from Cesc and his family; however since it had been revealed that Cesc had a son with another woman, they hadn’t been the centre of attention.

Alejandro nodded his head making Núria smiled before she disappeared back into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner; the little boy glanced at the two older children wondering why they looked far from happy.

“So Alex when do you go back to school?” Carlota asked as she sat down, she smiled at Cesc knowing that he wanted to go and check on Lia before lunch; the footballer nodded at her before he slipped out of the room leaving Alejandro with his sister.

Cesc sort out his mother who was in the kitchen, he smiled as he watched her for a moment knowing that she was hiding something; his brown eyes soften as she smiled at him.

“He reminds me of you,” Núria said as she looked at him, she smiled at him knowing that he was wondering what she thought of Alejandro; the brunette sighed as she spotted Daniella watching from across the room holding Lia.

Cesc’s face lit up at the sight of his daughter before he moved to see her while Núria watched him, a feeling sinking into her stomach as she realised that while he was bonding with Alejandro, his new family with Daniella came first.

***

Daniella stared across at Alejandro as dinner was served, her brown eyes watched him as he talked softly with his family while her children were ignored; she knew that it was silly especially since Alejandro was Cesc’s son but it unsettled her how fast he had been welcomed into the family.

“So Alex how is your madre?” Núria asked as she looked at her grandson, she ignored the look that Cesc shot her since she had been looking forward to seeing the brunette again and was disappointed that she hadn’t been able to come to the dinner; however she suspected that it had something to do with her son’s girlfriend of two years.

“She’s fine… she had to run into the office today,” Alejandro said as he shrugged his shoulders, he kept his eyes down as he ate trying to avoid the looks that he got from the other children; he knew they didn’t like him and he had a feeling it was because of the attention he was getting.

“Really what does your madre do?” Carlota asked curiously, she knew that the brunette had loved baking but she doubted that Belina would have been able to make a living doing what she loved as a single parent especially with no support.

“She’s a paralegal,” Alejandro said making everyone sort of go silent, Carlota looked at her mother wondering what had happened; she knew that Belina hadn’t been interested in anything like that when she knew her.

Núria licked her lips as she looked at her son, she knew that this was something to do with him, she had adored Belina above his other two girlfriends; Carla had been a lovely girl but she wasn’t suited to the life that Cesc was living while Daniella only seemed interested in the lifestyle that Cesc had.

Núria had always held hope that Belina would be the one for her son, she hadn’t known what to think when he had dumped her out of nowhere and now she knew why she was a little disappointed.

Cesc sipped on his drink as he looked at his son, he was glad that things were going so well between them and he hoped they would bond better.