This Time...Maybe - Anderson Family Series Book 2

Chapter 25: Warmth and Flushed

Ellie awoke with bright lights shining through the gap on the curtains on her room, she was disoriented for a while, then noticed the unfamiliar surroundings and was about to panic, when memories of yesterday came back. She flopped down on the bed and saw that it was already eight o'clock, she overslept considering that sleep came at three in the morning.

She stretched her limbs, climb down from the bed and took a shower. She went out of the room and was immediately drawn to the twin's shrieks of laughter accompanied by a baritone playful shout of Ethan. She followed the sound and found them outside, playing, what seems to be a fight between a hero/heroine - the twins and the monster which is Ethan.

The twins rushed to her when they noticed her standing by the doorway with Nate firing a question.

"Did you sleep well mama?"

She smiled at him before ansnwering his query. "Yes, I did, how about the two of you?"

"We slept well mama?" Ally answered.

"Did you had your breakfast?" She asked which the twins answered with a vigorous nod.

"There is breakfast upstairs Ellie that Mrs. Goodman prepared."

She wanted to ask who Mrs. Goodman is but opted not to, instead she gave him a simple thanks. He just nod at her and urged the kids to play with him again.

Her heart leaped at the picture, something she had dreamt about for as long as she can remember - him being with them. A sudden pang of pain came, and what ifs started to sprout again at her head, but she quashed them instantly. There is no use going down the memory lane, it was already in the past, what matters most is today, the present. She smiled when she heard their laughter again, and warmth spread throughout her chest toward the very tip of her fingers, the twin's happiness is always the sole reason for it, but not today - the additional sound may have caused it - as what she is dreading.

---

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck and clear the kink on his neck from bending over the blueprint he's been making for a client. He went to his office after playing with his kids and remembering it caused a picture to flash on his mind - Ellie's interaction with them this morning. He knew even from then that she will be a good mother and he admired her for bringing Nate and Ally up with good manners, if only their relationship isn't estranged then it would have been perfect.

He sighed at his thoughts and was startled when he saw the time, 'Oh shoot!' It's almost noon and lunch isn't prepared yet. Mrs. Goodman told him that she cannot prepare lunch for she will go to her daughter who is living two hours away, that is why she already left after preparing breakfast. He will just order something but he needs to ask the kids what they want to eat. So he stood up, left his home office and went to the house through the breezeway. The smell of a homecooked meal stopped him on his track and he was rooted at his place by the kitchen's doorway at the picture he is seeing. Ellie is by the stove, mixing something on a pot, while the twins are both sitting on the chair by the center island and are babbling about something. They both shouted 'Papa!' when they noticed him standing there like a fool. He cleared his throat and approached Ellie slowly - he knows he is like a predator moving on his prey stealthily so as not to spook it or her. He stopped when he is at an acceptable distance from her.

"You're cooking?" He asked while eyeing the pot of what seems to be a beef stew. His mouth watered at the sight and checked his mouth for any drool, then his stomach rumbled loudly making the twins chuckle, even Ellie smiled - not a forced one, thankfully.

"Papa, the dragons in your stomach are growling loudly." Ally's comment made him turn away from Ellie and stalked towards them playfully with mirth clearly evident on his face because they both shrieked. The sudden bing of the oven caught their attention and the twins clapped.

"It's finish mama." Nate commented which Ellie confirmed with a "Yes, it is."

"We will prepare the table mama." The twins said and both went down from the high chair they are in and went towards the drawers where the utensils are kept. Ellie instructed them calmly while taking out the pan of baked bread from the oven. He swallowed the pool of saliva on his mouth at the mouthwatering meal. He shook his head and helped the kids in placing the plates on the table while Ellie served the food. They said their grace and ate heartfully with the twins voices as background while they repeated what they saw on tv this morning. They finished their meal and he helped clearing the dishes and washing it, much to Ellie's protest, so here they are, working side by side - quietly, too quiet for him actually.

He cannot take the silence anymore, so he cleared his throat and fail to catch Ellie's attention - much to his dismay. He took a deep breath and started talking.

"Thank you." He expected no reaction from her, that is why he was shocked when she responded, though a quipped one.

"For what?"

"For accepting my offer, for the three of you to live here with me, and for cooking the meal." He answered lightly.

"You're welcome." She said and took a deep breath before continuing.

"They needed this, that is why I conceded." His brows furrowed when she spoke the last sentence.

"What does that mean?" He asked and his brows furrowed more at her answer.

"I conceded for their sake, not for anything else. They do not have a father-figure while growing up, though Lucas and Drake had been there for them, for us these last years, they kept distance with them, especially Nate. They both know that their Uncle Lucas and Uncle Drake will not stay with their lives forever, unlike their real father."

Still with furrowed brows, he digested what she told him and realized something which he blurted out with wide eyes.

"You didn't had a boyfriend since I left!?"

---

Ellie didn't know what to think at Ethan's sudden comment. Yes, she didn't had any relationship after he left, mostly because her focus was solely on the twins and partly because she is afraid of entering new relationship. Another reason - though she still refuses to acknowledge, is the fact that she still harbors feelings for him, even after all these years. But she will not give him a chance to know that. So, gathering enough courage, she faced him with arms crossed.

"Yeah, I didn't had a boyfriend after you left, so?" She asked in a snappy way and even raised one brow for an effect. Instead of cowering at her sudden outburst like she expected him to do, Ethan's face lighten up like a christmas tree. Her blood started to boil when she saw him flashed his signature smile.

"Why?" His question made her pause, when she didn't answer, he followed it up with another another one.

"Do you in any way still feel something for me?"

Her eyes widen at his question, and she felt her face starting to flame, fearing that she might do something to confirm his suspicion, she glared at him, answered a quipped "No." Then left without a backward glance so she didn't saw the wide smile and the twinkling of eyes that shown on Ethan's face.

---

Ethan still feel the elation even days after the incident at the kitchen. Ellie has been avoiding him eversince, though, she really was avoiding him even before but more so now. He cannot help but to remember that time, her blush while walking away contradicts her negative answer which makes him hopeful that she indeed still has feelings for him. The memory always put a smile on his face making him look like crazy, like right now. He saw that his staffs keep eyeing him like some psycho, who escaped a high security mental facility. His assumption was confirmed when he asked one time his secretary, Sylvia - a widow, whom he treated like a second mother.

"Why is everyone staring at me?"

"Because boss, you haven't been this happy since you hired everyone inside this office, you rarely smile much more laugh." She said pointedly before leaving.

His brows rose at the remark and just shook his head. He then urged himself to face the work waiting in front of him and smiled while keeping the memory of Ellie's flushed face in a corner of his mind and heart.

He cannot wait to come home. He had never experienced in the last eight years the excitement of coming home in his big house, but since Ellie and the kids are staying with him, he is always looking forward to be with them after a day's work.