Chapter 22 Eric

Chapter 22 Eric

I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Cathy’s current situation. I couldn’t get it out of my head that the Alpha of Sith had been able to poison his own daughter. If I could prove it, I would have taken it immediately to the Council of Elders, but without proof, there wasn’t much I could do but look after Cathy and make sure she took her medication.

"This way to the right," Cathy said, pulling me out of my thoughts and back to reality. "We’ll go straight to my home, and Nani already picked up Elliot at the kindergarten."

I followed the instructions she gave me and felt a lump in my throat. I had so much weight on my shoulders. The pack, Cathy, family business, and my son, who I had no idea about and who was already a little man.

I was intrigued by his reaction. Would he be upset with me? Would he love me?

Cathy put her hand on mine and gave me a sincere smile as if she had heard my thoughts. "It’s going to be okay," she told me. "Elliot is going to love you."

"I hope he does because nothing would make me happier," I assured her.

We parked in front of her house. It was small, but it looked quite comfortable and modern in design. Combining shades of black and gray, surrounded by apple trees and various flowers that adorned a stone pathway leading to the front door, as well as its vast windows.

Luckily the house was located on the outskirts of the city, and we were not surrounded by large buildings nor crowded by the hustle and bustle of cars and people.

"It’s time," she said as taking a deep breath. "Follow me."

I took her by the hand and felt her tremble subtly and her pulse quicken. She tried to open the door but couldn’t get the key to work, so I took it from her hand and opened the door.

"Thank you," she said, and I replied with a nervous smile.

The TV in the living room was on with an extremely loud volume echoing throughout the place. The house smelled of freshly buttered popcorn.

"They haven’t noticed we’ve arrived. They must be really focused," she commented in relief. "Let’s surprise them."

We passed the foyer and then walked down a small corridor that connected the kitchen to the living room and, finally, the bedrooms.

The boy with short hair the same color as mine was with his back to us, sitting next to a young red hair woman holding a bowl full of popcorn. They were both immersed in watching a superhero movie and had not yet noticed our presence.

Cathy tiptoed over and covered Elliot’s eyes with her hands, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Guess who it is," she told him facetiously.

The red-haired lady with freckles and blue eyes paused the movie and smiled with a distracted look.

"Mommy!" cried Elliot turning to her and hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much."

"Hello, Mrs. North," the lady greeted her. "Elliot has been asking me all day about you. I’m glad you’re home," she finished with a kind smile.

"I can imagine Nani," Cathy replied. "How did my little angel behave?"

The nanny had noticed my presence but was immediately focused on her conversation with Cathy. On the other hand, Elliot was still hugging his mother and hadn’t seen me.

"Elliot behaved very well, as usual. Today his teacher told me he got A+ on a surprise reading test. She spoke very highly of him."

I smiled helplessly by reason, and I felt at home, surrounded by everything I really needed. Somehow, I knew this was the right place.

"Thank you for taking care of my little boy," Cathy carried Elliot, leaving him facing me.

Elliot furrowed his brow and looked at me curiously and hid behind his mother, and whispered something in her ear.

Cathy smiled and gave him a kiss, and set him down. "Go introduce yourself," she asked him.

Elliot walked to me with his eyes fixed on me, clutching his little arms behind his back and giving little stretches with his knees. "I’m Elliot North, and I’m five years old, almost six," he told me in a tender voice.

"Well, Hi, Elliot. I’m Eric Night. It’s nice to finally meet you," I said, approaching him slowly as Cathy encouraged me making a sign with her hands. "And I... I’m your father."

Elliot’s eyes widened like saucers, and he looked at his mom. Cathy nodded at him, and the redhead next to my destined mate had the same shocked expression as the boy.

"So, you’re my dad?" he asked again.

I nodded, and he ran into my arms. I welcomed him, putting my arms around him. Once I held him, he squeezed me very tightly with his little arms. "I’m happy to meet you. I thought you would never come," he sobbed and clung to me tighter.

"I’ll go take Nani to the door," Cathy said, looking at us with a look laden with tenderness. "Say goodbye to Nani, baby."

I approached the woman without letting go of my son. "Bye-bye, Nani, I had a lot of fun," he told her. "Come back to play with me, please!"

"Goodbye, little one." She ruffled his hair and smiled at him, "It was a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Thank you for taking care of my son," I said and bowed my head a little.

Cathy left the living room with the nanny and left me with Elliot, who, as soon as I put him on the floor, ran clutching my hand over to a corner where he kept his toys and started pulling them out one by one.

"This is a Power Ranger. It’s one of my favorites." Elliot handed me a blue ranger action figure as he pulled out more toys. "I always wanted a dad to play with," he said with excitement.

I looked at him so excited and happy, but at the same time, my heart was beating slow from the guilt I carried for missing so many years of his life and so many special moments.

"Do you want to play something?" I asked him.

"Yes!" he said, running over to the TV plugging in his console, and sat down in the middle of the couch with two controllers in his hands. "My mom is really bad at video games; I always beat her," Elliot says proudly.

Cathy was walking into the living room. She heard him and couldn’t contain her laughter. I sat on my son’s right, and Cathy sat on the other side.

"Are you ready?" I challenge him.

Elliot’s eyes lit up, and he handed me the control. "I was born ready," he said, using a feigned voice with a deep, menacing tone.

He put on a wrestling game, one that I used to play, and was very good. Elliot wasn’t bad at all, but I let him beat me at the last second just to make him happy.

Cathy watched us and melted on the couch, she didn’t say anything the whole time, but her gaze was fixed on me.

My son and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing video games. Afterward, we ran outside around the house, playing catch while Cathy caught up on work and occasionally spied on us through her study window.

The afternoon went well, and the sun was about to set. I was exhausted, but Elliot had lots of energy. He also told me stories of adventures he had had with his mom and at school. I treasured them and enjoyed his company. My son was the sweetest and funniest boy I had ever met.

When we were about to go back to the house, a car with a large pizza on top of it pulled up to the front door of the house, and a young, skinny guy came to us and pulled out two pizzas. "Does Mrs. North live here?" he asked, reading a paper stapled to the first box.

"Yes," Cathy replied, coming out of the house. "Thank you very much."

"Pizza," Elliot yelled and ran to her. We waited for the pizza delivery guy to get into his car and watched him disappear. I helped Cathy with the pizzas, and we went into the house together.

"I bought your favorite," she announced.

"Pepperoni," he said with a lit-up look.

I carried Elliot to wash his hands in the sink, and we sat down at the table to share the meal. The atmosphere was very familiar, and I felt very comfortable. I enjoyed the pizza, which tasted like glory, the best pizza I had ever tasted, but I knew it wasn’t because of the flavor, not because of the melted cheese or the temperature of the food but because of the company.

After eating, Elliot went up to his room to get ready for bed.

"Thanks for spending the day with Elliot," Cathy said. "I loved watching you guys have fun together."

I hugged Cathy and gave her a kiss. She sank into my chest and squeezed me.

I felt her reassurance. Our bond had developed since I marked her. Allowing me to feel her emotions when we were close.

"I don’t want to miss any more special moments with him," I said, "With either of you. Cathy, please think about my proposal. Come live with me at the mansion," I ask her.

After some thought, she seemed to make up her mind. "We will, but first, let me arrange things here," she shared serenely. "I don’t want to stay far from you either."

"Mommy, can my dad tell me a bedtime story?" Elliot had crept downstairs, and we didn’t hear him.

Cathy looked at me, and I nodded.

Elliot had called me dad for the first time, and I felt the coolest thrill in the world, like my heart was crumpling and everything around me was going out of focus.

"Come on, what kind of stories do you like?" I asked him as I followed him.

His room was decorated with superhero posters, a lava lamp on his nightstand, and a bed with blue sheets.

"Tell me about one of your adventures," he asked as he lay down.

I tucked him in and arranged his pillow, sat on the edge of the bed, and told him the story of one of my trips where I hiked through the Amazon jungle in search of a rare plant for a remedy for his grandfather.

Before I finished the story, my son was fast asleep. I gave him a kiss and got up carefully so as not to wake him up, turned off the light, and when I came out, Cathy was waiting for me with a bottle of wine.

"Elliot is a special boy," I mentioned.

"He is. He’s the apple of my eye," she said, coming into her room just across the hall from our son’s.

We walked in, and she took a sip of wine straight from the bottle and offered it to me. I took a swig, set the bottle aside, and gave her a kiss, gently pressing her cheeks with my palms. "Thank you for raising our son all by yourself. You did an outstanding job," I gave her another kiss.

Cathy leaned back from me and sighed calmly. "I never thought I’d have you here with me, not in my wildest dreams," she confessed. "But I’m glad it happened."

Her scent had grown stronger, and the room had her smell permeating everywhere. Being here felt like being in paradise.

She had spent all day working in her studio, and her eyes were closing on their own, and she was breathing slower and slower.

"Do you want to take a shower with me?" she asked.

"I’d love to, sweetheart," I answered with a smile.

I took off my clothes and helped her out of hers, and we stepped into the glass-walled shower that was roomy enough for both of us. She turned on the hot water faucet and stood under the water that cascaded over her wetting her whole body and exuding a little steam. Her skin flushed from the heat. I hugged her and let the water clean us. Then I took the liquid soap and lathered her body gently, using my fingertips to massage her back. I pressed myself against her and felt our bodies rub together.

After the shower, we dried off. She was having a hard time staying awake, so I took her hand and led her to bed with me. I Filled a glass of tap water and one of the pills Dawn prescribed, gave it to her in her mouth, and then helped her settle into bed, tucked her in, and lay down next to her.

"Goodnight, my darling," she said almost in a whisper, kissing me and settling on my chest.

"Sweet dreams, my love." I put my hand on her lower back to keep her glued to me and lay in silence with my eyes closed, enjoying the moment and wanting it to last forever.