“Daddy!” Addison screamed from where she stood and both men turned to her and immediately a smile appeared on both their faces. But het tiny legs mover towards Tony and wrapped her tiny arms around his legs.
Damien felt his heart tighten and suddenly his eyes stung as he watched his daughter happily run to his rival. That was his daughter calling another man her father. To say that he was angry would be an understatement.
He needed to speak to Harriett and find out how she could let them call him their father when she wasn’t even in a romantic relationship with him.
What right did he have to be called that?
“Come here, my love.” Tony said on purpose and carried Addison in his arms while Adrian stared at Damien.
Harriett couldn’t raise her head to look at Damien because she knew that he would be fuming.
“He isn’t your father, Addison.” She sighed and took her from Tony, guilt enveloping her.
“This is your father….. your real father.” She revealed and the children just stared at Damien with a blank expression. They didn’t know who he was so they were still skeptical about being around him.
“Say hello.” She moved closer to Damien and attempted giving Addison to him so he could hold her but a loud scream left her lips and she hugged her mother tightly.
“No!” She screamed, moving away from Damien no matter how much Harriett tried making her go to him.
Damien couldn’t even utter a word before them and though he was hurt by Addison’s refusal to be around him, he knew that she was only a child and couldn’t be blamed.
Adrian on the other hand was different. Instead of screaming and moving away like Addison, he walked slowly to Damien and grabbed his legs, wrapping his small arms around him.
Damien felt a movement on his foot and when he looked down, he saw Adrian looking up to him with a toothy grin.
“Hello!” Adrian smiled at Damien and it was as if a weight had been lifted off Damien’s chest. He didn’t know why Adrian wasn’t repulsed by his presence just like his sister but he was happy.
Realizing that he didn’t even know their names yet, he turned to Harriett who immediately understood what he wanted.
“Adrian. He’s Adrian and she is Addison.” She said and he nodded, giving one look at Addison who had still not warmed up to him.
“Hey, big guy.” Damien picked Adrian up and as he looked at the child up close, a tear slipped out of his eye.
He was definitely his son. Adrian looked exactly like him when he was three years old.
“Mummy’s friend?” Adrian asked, touching his hair.
Damien shook his head immediately, holding him close to his body.
“Not mummy’s friend. I’m your father. Your daddy.” He explained, his words coming out softly but Adrian frowned, turning to look at Tony.
“No Daddy Tony?” He asked, turning his face to his mother and Harriett nodded.
“Yes, love. No daddy Tony. This is your daddy.” She said and a smile appeared on his face as he squealed and wrapped his arms around Damien’s head.
“Daddy!” He repeated over and over again and Damien shut his eyes, overwhelmed with happiness.
All he wanted was to be loved by his children but when Addison refused to come to him, he thought it would be same for Adrian but it seemed that luck was on his side.
Now, all he needed to do was to put in extra work to make Addison like him and possibly love him one day.
“It looks like you’ll be spending the day with Adrian then.” Harriett said.
“No. I’ll spend the day with Addison too.” He said confidently and Harriett raised her brows at him, wondering how he planned on making that work when Addison wouldn’t even let him touch her.
“She won’t come with me but… she’ll follow you anywhere.” He said and Harriett crossed her arms, wondering where he was going with that.
Two seconds later, Herself and Tony finally understood what he was trying to say and Harriett shook her head, dismissing the idea.
“No. A big No, Damien.” She said, knowing that it was a part of his plan to spend the day with her and act like everything was okay between them when they weren’t.
“You’re not doing it for me, Harriett. You’re doing it for the twins.” He suggested, still holding onto Adrian.
“My answer is No, Damien. I’ll stay here with Addison and Tony. Have a fun day with Adrian. Oh and, Bring him home by six.” She dropped Adrian’s bag pack and a note containing the things he shouldn’t eat. When she was done, she gave Adrian a kiss on his forehead and walked away with her daughter and Tony walked behind her.
*
*
As heartbroken as Damien was by Harriett’s, behavior, he was still thankful that she let him spend the day with Adrian. He knew that letting him back into the children’s lives wasn’t an easy decision for her to make but she was doing it anyway.
He had already made up his own mind. He might have not been there to watch the twins grow up but he would never leave their side again.
Harriett was no exception.
He was going to win her back slowly but first he needed to get rid of that man who calls himself her doctor.
Damien couldn’t help but feel threatened by him and to think that he gets to see Harriett at every time of the day and spend literally every second with her made Damien want to punch his face.
The night before, Damien had already browsed through the internet, looking for fun ideas for father and son so he was not exactly clueless.
He took Adrian to an amusement park and watched him play with the other kids. Next, they both went to watch a children’s movie at a cinema and he used that opportunity to bond with him.
Whenever he walked past people, they would always compliment him, saying that he looked good with his son. Some thought he was a single father and he had to correct them, letting them know that Adrian had a mother.
It was noon and time for Adrian’s lunch according to the note Harriett gave him. Since he wanted more bonding time with his son, he decided to take him to his house and prepare the food himself.
When they arrived, he put on the TV for Adrian as he went to the kitchen, going out to check Adrian every ten minutes.
Thirty minutes later and his bowl of Mac and cheese with steamed chicken was ready. Too much food for a three year old? Damien didn’t care. He planned on giving his children any and everything as long as it wouldn’t harm them.
He had just finished feeding Adrian when his doorbell rang and before he could go out to see who it was, the door unlocked, signifying that the person had already entered the house. His first thought was that it was his mother since she knew the passcode to the door so, he picked Adrian up and hurried to the door to surprise his mother.
But, when he saw who it was, his face fell.
“I should’ve changed the damn lock.” He muttered under his breath.