It was a lazy afternoon. Bella was folding laundry on the couch while Rachel sat on the living room floor, carefully coloring in a princess picture. Lucas, sitting in his now-familiar spot on the couch, leaned back casually, his attention shifting between Bella and Rachel. He didn't had anything important in the office today so he joined them for lunch and currently wasn't in a mood to leave from there.
Rachel's eyes lit up as she put down her crayons and looked at Lucas. "Mr. Handsome, why do you come here every day?"
The question caught Bella off guard. Her hands froze mid-fold, and she quickly busied herself with a pair of socks to hide her reaction. Ofcourse Rachel had noticed his regular visits this entire week.
Lucas, unfazed, leaned forward with an easy smile. "Because I like spending time with you and your mom," he said warmly, his eyes still on Bella.
Rachel tilted her head, considering his response. "Do you like my mumma?"
Bella's cheeks turned pink. She avoided Lucas's gaze, focusing intently on the pile of laundry. Rachel again started with do-you-like-my-mumma thing. Sigh...she need to tell her daughter that it was wrong to ask this question.
"I do," Lucas said with sincerity. "Your mom is pretty amazing."
Rachel nodded firmly, as if this were a well-known fact. "She is. But you're special too, Mr. Handsome. You're my favorite." Meanwhile a pregnant someone was shocked hearing his reply.
Lucas grinned and held out his hand for a high-five. "Well, you're my favorite too, Miss Rachel."
The innocent interaction filled the room with warmth, but Bella felt a mixture of emotions...amusement, embarrassment, and something deeper she couldn't quite name.
Rachel skipped off to her room, leaving Bella and Lucas alone. Bella turned to him, trying to sound nonchalant. "You handled that well."
Lucas chuckled, his gaze resting on her. "Kids have a way of asking the most direct questions, don't they?"
"They do," Bella agreed, folding another shirt. "But Rachel's right...you've become a big part of our lives lately. She also noticed that."
Lucas's expression softened. "Does that bother you?"
Bella hesitated, then shook her head. "No. It... it feels right. Like you belong here."
Her words hung in the air, and Lucas leaned forward slightly, his voice quieter now. "I feel the same way."
For a moment, Bella let herself believe that this connection...this growing bond...could lead to something real. But before she could say anything, Rachel returned with her drawing, breaking the spell.
"Look what I made!" Rachel announced, holding up her colorful masterpiece. It was a family picture with a mother and father and a little daughter.
Lucas took the picture with exaggerated reverence. "This is incredible! Can I keep it?"
Rachel giggled. "Okay, but you have to hang it up somewhere special."
"Deal," Lucas said, tucking the picture into his coat pocket.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a comfortable rhythm. By the time Lucas left, Bella found herself smiling, her heart a little lighter than it had been in weeks. She now found solace in his presence, comfort in his talks and gentleness in his every actions. She has started to get used to him.