As they stared down on the chubby cheeky baby, who was fast asleep, Vanessa stole a glance at him, and caught him also looking at her.
They locked looks and smiled "I want to be in his life".
She smiled "I like that".
He nodded.
As she served the catfish pepper soup, he inhaled loudly, she laughed.
He took a sip and widened his eyes, "I love it".
She looked at me, "please don't tease me jare, I know I'm not that good at cooking".
"O ye of little faith".
She laughed and nodded, "nice one".
They devoured the entire pot of pepper soup, then she brought out a plate of jollof rice with fried crabs on it.
Tyler was having so much fun, he looked at her and feigned shock "are you trying to get me fat?"
She played along and gasped "oh, you caught me".
They laughed and ate.
Solomon raced down as she put in a movie, Tyler laughed as the little boy took his position close to him, then paused and pointed at his nose.
"Your nose looks funny".
Vanessa was in shock as Tyler laughed, "don't talk like that to your dad".
His laugh, Solomon's hand, her shock, it all faded away as he stared at the boy.
"You're my Dad?"
Tyler couldn't believe she had just blurted it out like that, but it was going to happen one way or the other, they hadn't just known how to tell him.
"Yes cutie, I'm your dad".
"How old am I?"
"Two and a half".
"Correct, where have you been".
"Let me get you some juice okay?"
Tyler nodded "yea".
"Me too,mum".
"Nahh, people who question others don't need juice".
He grumbled, he had a choice to choose between juice or questioning Tyler.
They both knew he would take the latter.
Vanessa couldn't believe she had done that, she could hear the question and answer segment ongoing as she poured the pineapple juice into a glassy jug and set up the tray for Tyler.
She came back in and saw them, hands over each other shoulders, Solomon was literally swinging on the couch because he was too small to level up with Tyler.
She set the tray in front of him, and whispered into his ears, "I'm so sorry".
He smiled and nodded.
What kind of agreement had they reached.
As she escorted him to his car, Solomon had his face pressed to the window and kept waving which Tyler kept doing also.
"So what made him stop questioning".
"I told him the truth".
"What!"
"Calm down, except some part tho, but I wasn't going to lie to my son, he needed answers and I gave him what he needed".
She nodded "I'm sorry if this whole stuff messes up your life in any way".
He knew what she was indirectly asking even though she might not have meant to.
"I'm not in a relationship, and I'm glad that all these is happening. Would I want it in another way, yea sure, but this is what it is and I'm grateful to God for it all, even if sometimes I don't understand why".
He smiled.
She nodded and bade him goodbye.
