"So you're telling me every single one of our man are disappearing out of the blue?" James asked Secretary Lee as he took off his vest.
"Yes sir, and it seems like David is trying hard to hide the identity of his new born baby." Lee replied. "I think you should rethink what you want sir, it's not really understanding on how you want to hurt the innocent baby." He added.
James turned to face him with ferocious eyes, he got close up to his face and chuckled. "Do you think I care, do you think he cared when he took everything from me?"
"He took the person I loved away, and everything I valued. So it's only fair for me to take the two things he values in this world." He stated.
He slowly ran his fingers through Lee's hair and smiled, "you're supposed to be on my side, why do you care so much about a lowlife child and woman."
"I'm always on your side sir, I just think it's unreasonable for you to take out your anger on two innocent people." Lee stated trying to keep his composure.
"Than should I take out my anger on you, since you want to protect two useless beings." He said
"Do as you like sir, I'm here to please all your needs."
James stared at Secretary Lee, his dark eyes glinting with a dangerous mix of anger and amusement. The room was thick with tension, and the air felt almost suffocating as Lee stood his ground, even though he knew how volatile James could be when crossed.
"You're here to please all my needs, huh?" James repeated, his voice a low, mocking drawl. He took a step closer, his presence looming over Lee like a predator sizing up its prey. "Then you should know what I need right now is loyalty. Unquestioning, absolute loyalty."
Lee swallowed, trying to maintain his composure. He had seen this side of James before—the side that was relentless, ruthless, and terrifyingly unpredictable. "Sir, my loyalty to you has never wavered. But I also believe that there are other ways to get what you want without dragging innocent lives into it."
"Innocent?" James spat the word like it was poison. "There's no such thing in this world. Everyone's got blood on their hands, Lee, even you. Even that precious little baby. Do you really think David is some kind of saint? He's hiding something, and I'm going to rip it out of him, piece by piece."
James's fingers tightened in Lee's hair, yanking his head back slightly as he glared down at him. "Don't mistake my patience for weakness. I will get what I want, and if that means breaking David by going after his family, then so be it. No one crosses me and gets away with it."
Lee winced but didn't flinch. "I understand, sir. I only want to ensure that your plans are carried out in the best way possible, with minimal risk."
James released his grip on Lee's hair, smoothing it down almost affectionately before stepping back. "Good. Then stop questioning me and start thinking about how we can make this work."
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Early 6 in the morning as Mary and David were sleeping, David woke up to cry's of Soren. He slowly got up sliding his fingers through his hair and walked up to Soren's crib.
"You're up early today." He said his voice raspy and low.
As he carried him out of the crib Soren stopped crying, "are you hungry or do you just want to disturb daddy?" He said holding him up enough for him to look at him. Soren let out a gho with a little smile as he stretched out his little arms.
"How about we head back to sleep with mommy, it's still early." He said softly as he walk up to the bed.
David gently lay back down on the bed, cradling Soren close to his chest. The baby's tiny fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt as he made soft cooing noises, his earlier cries fading into contented murmurs. David smiled, his heart swelling with a warmth that only Soren could bring.
As he settled into the bed, Mary stirred beside him, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She turned over and saw David holding Soren, her tired face softening into a smile. "Already up with our little troublemaker?" she whispered, her voice still thick with sleep.
David nodded, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "He decided it was time for an early morning wake-up call," he replied with a quiet chuckle. "But I think he just wanted some company."
Mary reached out, gently running her fingers over Soren's tiny hand. "Well, he's in good hands," she said, her voice filled with affection. "Thank you for getting up with him."
"Of course," David said softly, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "You need your rest. I've got him."
Mary smiled, her eyes closing again as she snuggled closer to David and Soren. The three of them lay there together, wrapped in the quiet peace of the early morning. Soren soon drifted back to sleep, his small breaths matching the slow, steady rhythm of David's heartbeat.
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That afternoon:
As Mary prepared some snacks David laid Soren in the nursery for a nap, as soon as he fell into a slumber David walked out quietly closing the door behind him.
He headed downstairs where he found Mary cutting up some fruits in the kitchen, "you've been eating a lot of fruits lately." He said as he walked behind her and hugged her.
"Maybe it's the birth effect." Mary chuckled.
David smiled as he watched Mary carefully cut the fruit and giving him a bite of every fruit.
"How much longer do I have to wait?" He asked, "huh? What do you mean?" She replied as she turned her head to look at him.
"How long do i have to wait for this?" He asked sliding his hands down to Mary's part.
Mary quickly grabbed him and smiled, "six weeks, and it's only been 3."
"Also I'm not letting you have any until you take me on a date, you know all these times you've never taken me out for a date." She stated.
"If a date is what you want, then a date you shall get." He smiled hugging her tightly and kissed her neck.
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2 weeks later:
Mary's pov
"Pe-yew, you took one smelly poppy." I smiled as I placed Seron on his changing table.
"Pe-yew, you took one smelly poppy," I smiled, wrinkling my nose dramatically as I placed Seron on his changing table. He giggled, kicking his little legs as I carefully unbuttoned his onesie. "You're lucky you're cute, kiddo."
Seron cooed in response, his bright eyes watching my every move. As I cleaned him up, I couldn't help but think about how quickly the past few weeks had flown by. He was already getting so big, and every day with him felt like a new adventure.
Once Seron was all fresh and clean, I picked him up, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "There we go, all better."
Suddenly the door bell rang, I grabbed my phone checking the doorbell camera not expecting anyone. There was Liam standing at the door on his phone, "what the heck is he doing here?" I muttered to myself as I tossed my phone in Soren's crib and headed downstairs.
"You're uncle is here, bobba. You excited to see me?" I cooed to Seron as I headed downstairs, I gently held Soren in my arms wondering what Liam could possibly want. I wasn't expecting anyone today, let alone him. As I reached the door, I took a deep breath and opened it, trying to keep my tone neutral. "Liam. What are you doing here?"
Liam looked up from his phone, a smirk already on his face. "Good to see you too, Mary." He shoved his phone into his pocket and leaned casually against the doorframe. "I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd stop by and see how my favorite nephew's doing."
I crossed my arms, not buying his casual drop-in for a second. "You were in the neighborhood? You live 3 hours away."
He chuckled, shrugging. "Fine, you caught me. I'm here for Soren, you know since he was born I haven't got so much time to spend together with him. So I'm here to take him for the weekend." He revealed.
"What the heck are you talking about Liam, you can't just take my child without informing me first, also his only 5 weeks I can't have you take him somewhere three hours away." I told him.
"David said it was fine if I took him, plus I'm going to be down here fat while. You know Kate just got back in town." He stated.
"Yeah, and you'll be busy making your own child. Will you even have time to look after Soren."
Liam grinned at my comment, but I wasn't in the mood for his charm right now. "Come on, Mary, I'll take good care of him. You know I'd never let anything happen to Soren."
I shook my head, crossing my arms tighter. "Liam, this isn't about trust. He's barely five weeks old, and I'm not comfortable with him being so far away from me right now, especially when you didn't even ask beforehand."
He sighed, his playful demeanor softening. "Look, I get it. I know you're protective, and you should be. But I'm serious, Mary. I just want to spend time with my nephew. I haven't been around much, and I thought this would be a good way to bond with him."
I bit my lip, torn between wanting to believe Liam's sincerity and the protective instincts that kicked in every time I thought about being apart from Soren for more than a few hours. "Liam, you can't just make decisions like this without talking to me or David first. I don't care if David said it's fine. You should have asked me."
Liam rubbed the back of his neck, realizing he might've overstepped. "You're right. I should've talked to you first. I'm sorry. I just... I thought it'd be a nice surprise."
I sighed, softening a little at his apology. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not ready for Soren to be away from us like that. How about this—next time you're in town, you can spend the whole day with him here, at the house. I'll even step back and let you two have your time together."
Liam's face brightened a bit. "Great idea, but just know I'll be down her for a week so if you need a babysitter for the week I and Kate are free."
I raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden offer. "A whole week? Are you sure you want to spend that much time here?"
Liam grinned, leaning casually against the kitchen island. "What, you don't want me around?" He teased. "But seriously, yeah. I'm taking a break from work and school, also Kate's here too, so I figured it'd be nice to spend some time down here with her."
I shifted Seron in my arms, trying to process his unexpected stay. "Well, I appreciate the offer, but you know how things are with a newborn. It's not exactly easy."
Liam's face softened, and he glanced at Seron, who was now starting to squirm a little in my arms. "I know it's tough, but that's why I'm offering. You and David deserve a break, even if it's just for a few hours. Let me help you out, Mary."
I looked down at Seron, then back at Liam, realizing that maybe having an extra pair of hands around wouldn't be the worst thing. And if Kate was here too, it could actually be helpful.
"Okay," I finally said. "But no big plans, no disappearing with him for the weekend. You can help out here at the house."
Liam raised his hands in mock surrender. "You got it, boss. Just let me know when you need me, and I'll be here."
I sighed, half-relieved and half-wary, but I smiled nonetheless. "Alright, Liam. I'll hold you to that."
He grinned and winked. "Good. Now, why don't you let me hold my favorite nephew while you take a quick break?"
I chuckled, gently handing Seron over to Liam. "Just be careful with him."
Liam cradled Seron expertly, his playful demeanor softening as he looked down at the baby. "Don't worry. I've got this."
As I watched him with Seron, I realized that maybe Liam really did want to step up. Perhaps having family around wasn't so bad after all.
TBC