BUSINESS MARRIAGE (COMPLETED)

014

"I think I might like your mum"

HER

Surprisingly the car ride from the event back home was not awkward , I was too busy fussing over Ava to pay attention to matters of the heart. Those 17 minutes 43 seconds that she was missing were terrible, my subconscious kept thinking up a million and twenty point five seven things that could have happened to her. When Paxton told me what she said, I broke down in another round of tears. It was my fault for pushing her into this life so fast and I just left her there expecting her to automatically fit in.

When we got home I carried her from the car inside even after she told me she was fine to walk on her own. I let her stay up to watch as much tv as she wanted and carried her to her room after she fell asleep.

2 hours after we got home I just removed my dress and showered, my mind still guilting me. Different possibilities of what could have happened kept popping in while I showered, brushed, wore my pj's and lay in bed. Paxton had disappeared immediately when we got back, the room smelled like his body wash so I knew he had been here.

After about 30 minutes of me being unable to fall asleep, I get up and go round the house in search of him. I passed Ava's bedroom and saw that the light was on while I distinctly remember putting it off. I opened the door and peeked inside to see Ava sitting on her bed awake. "Darlin, why are you still up?" I asked entering and shutting the door behind me. She looked at me and I saw the tears at the brim of her eyes. "Ava, what's wrong" I asked, taking a seat on her bed and pulling her on my legs, holding her head against my heart. She spoke after a few minutes of silence " I'm sorry for making you worry about me"

My heart broke for the millionth time "Ava it's fine, I shouldn't have left you alone for so long. It's my fault"

"No it's not, you are the bestest mommy in the whole world" she stood up and went to her backpack coming back with a piece of paper. The paper had a 3 stick-people

She pointed as she spoke, her voice still wavering from the tears earlier "This is you, this is me and this is Paxton. I want us to be a family forever, but I'm not like the other kids there, I don't want you and Paxton to leave me".

I knelt down looking straight in her eyes "Ava, you are a part of this family already, you made us a family. We love you just the way you are, we don't care if you are not like the other kids okay? You are you, and that's all that matters"

She smiled through her tears and said "That's the same thing Paxton told me"

I took a handkerchief from her wardrobe and cleaned her face. "Now, do you wanna sleep in my room or you're okay here?" She said she would stay in my room tonight so we took her unicorn pillow and went to my room.

Paxton was still MIA when we got to the room so Ava and I made ourselves comfortable on the bed. Just as I was finally drifting to sleep I heard Ava whisper "I love you mommy".

*The following morning*

I woke up to the smell of pancakes wafting through the air, I brushed my teeth leaving Ava to sleep in and went downstairs. What I saw in the kitchen was a sight to behold. Paxton was standing over the gas cooker flipping pancakes wearing an 'I cook for kisses' apron. I rolled my eyes at the cliche-ness of this situation but then I remembered something - Paxton CAN'T COOK.

He turned around just as the realization hit me and a megawatt smile was on his face. I hoped this was not gonna be my last meal. I walked up to the stove and hid my shock when he placed a peck on my cheek and said good morning. The pancakes looked good-ish..... some had circular-ish properties while others just looked like blobs, at least they smelt nice. I took my chances and tasted one...... surprisingly it also tasted nice. "Oh don't look so surprised, I'm not that terrible a cook" then he looked at the pancakes then to another table and before I knew it ......

I had a face full of flour. I glared at him while he was trying to pull off the innocent face but was failing miserably. I took a fist full of flour and retaliated which turned into a full blown flour war.

The kitchen was a mess and both of us were laughing our heads off. I felt pain at my sides from laughing so much but it didn't stop me from continuing. What did stop me was when Paxton trapped me against the counter and looked down at me with this look in his eyes. It's times like this I wish I was a character in a romance novel who would look into someone's eyes and see the world. Like I remember reading a book where the character saw 'the eyes ignite with male satisfaction and was later replaced with sheer male smugness'. When I look into people's eyes all I see are irises.

He kept looking at me and then I saw his mouth moving but I didn't hear anything, I shook my head to clear my thoughts then asked what he said "I said I want to try us, like you and me, together. Without the contract, I can't deny it any longer that I'm attracted to you and not just physically. Will you go out with me?"

I couldn't help the smile that came to my face when I said yes, the attraction was there, I couldn't deny it either and how he was with Ava was a big help in my decision. His smile grew wider when I said yes. He placed a small kiss at the corner of my lips before going to clear his body of the flour. I started cleaning up the mess we made, the smile never leaving my lips. Paxton came down with Ava and they helped me clear up before we sat down to eat. Paxton later admitted that he used pancake mix and just put out the flour to make it look like he cooked it from scratch.

We spent all morning together watching movies with Ava, lazing and not getting any work done. I had a deal with a partner that I needed to wrap up today though so I went to the bedroom and put on a shirt and did my hair to look professional but left my shorts on, not bothering with it. I took my laptop to my office and made the video call. It took about 2 hours because the clients were being difficult but we eventually came to an agreement that would benefit both sides. I changed back to the tank top and went down to see Ava and Paxton asleep on the couch.

I didn't hate the contract so much right now because if not for it, I won't be gifted with this sight before me.