Kevin’s POV
I could hear everything Ella was discussing with Gabby from where I was. To an outsider, Liam and I looked like we were having fun sipping juice and watching the kids have fun but what we were actually doing was far from it. We were being detectives the way Ella was.
It wouldn’t be easy for Ella to quiz Gabby and ask her the name of the school her daughter attended if we were there. It would be awkward so we had to leave so Gabby could be fooled into thinking that she was having a harmless woman to woman chitchat with Ella instead of feeling like she was being interrogated by a family.
I knew that Ella was going to ask about Melody’s school the moment she had the opportunity to and she didn’t disappoint me. I smiled as I listened to the women talk, knowing Liam was also doing the same.
“Dad!” Neo chuckled as he ran towards me, breaking into my concentration.
Damn, I hadn’t gotten to know the school Melody attended. I wasn’t bothered too much about that as I knew I would get to know from Ella and bent down to Neo’s eye level, giving my son all the attention he wanted.
“What do you want, little man?” I asked.
“Can we come to Melody’s house tomorrow? She said we could.” Neo asked.
“You would have to ask from your mum if you could and Melody would have to seek permission from her mum before you can consider yourself truly invited.”
Neo pouted. “Melody said her mum wouldn’t mind.”
“Okay, buddy but still we have to make sure Melody has approval from her mum before we can decide if you would come tomorrow or not.”
“You are no fun, dad.” He sulked and walked away from me.
I chuckled with amusement as I looked at his departing figure and straightened up to look at Ella but she was already done talking with Gabby and was being introduced to the other adults.
I signaled to Liam that we should interact with the other adults here too so we wouldn’t stand out.
Few hours later, the party was over and it was time to go home but the boys weren’t willing to leave. Melody wasn’t an exception to the tantrum display either. She kept crying as the boys were and asked us to let the boys stay for some more minutes even though it was late and the party had ended a long time ago.
The other kids had gone home and we were the only guests remaining in the house. I was at a loss for what to do. I didn’t want to break the kids’ hearts by pulling them apart but we needed to go home too.
Gabby chuckled, amused by their tantrum more than being exasperated. “I knew Melody would like them. I can’t believe how attached they are to one another already.”
I let out a sigh, wondering if it was the mating bond at work. It seemed the red witch was right. I glanced at Ella and realized that she was also thinking of the same thing though she had a scowl on her face. She wasn’t too happy about the confirmation. I knew exactly how she felt. I was also still trying to wrap my head around the news that I was going to have only one daughter-in-law even though I had had a long time to process it till now.
Ella scowled at the boys. “We have to go home now, boys. Gabby and Melody need to rest as well so stop being a bother.”
“They are not a bother. Are they, mum?” Melody whined, looking at her mother.
“Can we come tomorrow then? Melody said we can visit.” Neo said.
Ella and Gabby looked at each other and I sighed. The visit was strange to both mothers.
“We have to be somewhere tomorrow.” Ella said quickly before Gabby could pressured to consent to a visit she didn’t want to.
Ella’s POV
I had thought I had solved the problem at bay by telling Gabby that I had to be somewhere with the boys tomorrow. It was a lie, by the way and I was sure that Kevin and Liam knew that with the glint that appeared in their eyes when I talked. I was going to pay for my lie soon. That was certain as I knew that the boys were going to ask me where we were going when the day broke and wouldn’t let me rest until I took them out and take responsibility for my words.
I didn’t know where I could take them at the moment but I knew I was going to find something to work with when that time came. I only hoped that they didn’t ask me where we were going right here as I couldn’t think of anywhere that I could take them now.
My brain was that down.
“Oh! Okay.” Gabby smiled, the smile a bit awkward and wondered what the smile was for. Was she sad that the boys wouldn’t come to play with her kids since she wanted her girl to be friends with them or she was relieved that she wouldn’t have to play host tomorrow? I couldn’t figure her out and it felt like that was weird.
“Can’t they still stay, mum?” Melody asked her mum.
“It’s late, dear.” Gabby replied her.
Melody was adamant. “They can watch the Dago show with me. It would soon start and they would miss the first few minutes of it before they get home if they decide to go home now.”
“They might not watch the show or like it like they do.” Gabby explained.
Finally, there was a hint of exasperation in her voice and I knew she was as tired as I was and would love to find a bed as fast as she could.
I knew without a doubt that the boys didn’t know of the Dago show. I monitored all of their screen time and knew what they watched and didn’t. I doubted if they had even heard of the show. I was sure that we were about to go home now. Melody had shot herself in the leg with that offer. She wasn’t going to get what she wanted with that offer.
I turned to the boys, expecting them to be confused and turned off the show offer but they looked like nothing I was expecting. They were excited and I was shocked by their attitude.
Would these boys ever stop shocking me? I couldn’t stop wondering.
“Cool. We can stay to watch the Dago show.” Nathan breathed, his eyes shining with excitement as he could barely contain himself.
“You heard her, dad. We would have missed the first few minutes into the show by the time we get home.” Neo added.
I snorted. As if they knew the channel that the show was being shown on. They were only glad to latch on to a means of staying for long with Melody.
It was Kevin Neo had addressed but it was Liam who spoke up before Kevin did. “We have a TV at home, boys and you can always watch the replay so it wouldn’t feel like you missed out on anything. Let’s go home.”
“Uncle Liam.” The three boys sulked.
“Let’s go home. Enough of this delay.”
“You heard their uncle, baby.” Gabby said, addressing Melody.
Melody pouted. “I know they do before I said that. Mum, don’t you think it would be more fun if we all stay to watch the show than me having to watch it alone?”
I would have laughed right now with the whole situation if I didn’t find it ridiculous. I couldn’t believe we were here trying to let our kids go home and persuading them to. If it wasn’t late, I would have suggested that we pull them out of the house and drag them home but that would be a problem. The boys wouldn’t go home quietly without a fight. They would go home kicking and shouting and the last thing I needed at this moment was having to apologize repeatedly to the neighbors that they would disturb or might wake up from their sleep.
One would think that the boys had never had friends with the way they were behaving at the moment but it was not true. Though few, they had friends at home. Though they didn’t have friends here, we hadn’t stayed here for too long to have them behave like this.
What was Melody’s excuse then? She had many friends here and hadn’t clung to anyone else when it was time for them to leave, asking for them not to.
I was automatically reminded of the prophecy by my cruel subconscious and I scowled. I cursed at the wicked red witch, wondering why her deals were never favorable.
Gabby saw the scowl on my face and assumed that it was because I was mad at her daughter for being annoyingly persistent.
She turned to Melody. “Now, let’s go and don’t be a nuisance, Melody.”
“It’s okay. The boys should stay. It’s not like I can make them leave against their wish without dealing with the consequences. I’m too tired to listen to them cry tonight. Moreover, it’s tiresome standing here and trying to convince them it’s a good idea to go home. My feet could do with some rest at the moment.”
“Me too.” Gabby said, sharing a smile with me. “I would love to sit.”
The kids heard that and that was all they needed to know. They didn’t care to ask for permission if they could watch the show together before they held one another by the hand and bounced off to the sitting room.
I shook my head even as a smile played on my lips. “I’m embarrassed for my sons. I can’t believe how they act clingy as if they never had friends.” I said, chuckling to hide how slightly annoyed I was.
Gabby shook her head with an amused smirk on her face. “I knew Melody was going to like them.”
I nodded with a sigh. She was right. I was beginning to accept that the red witch was right as well.