Lovely Affair ||COMPLETED||

||Self-Control||

Annabelle and Matthew each sat in chairs in front of a table where they were currently placing bows on each wrapped present. Matthew let out small grunts each time he had placed a bow wrongly but laughed each time when Annabelle messed up. She would give him a fake scowl, but would laugh it off with Matthew. It had been a day after Annabelle was last at Olen's home when she had come back. Olen had asked her if she a little bit of time to be with Matthew and look after him as they would be very busy on that day. Annabelle, knowing she had previously helped her mother with food preparations, gladly agreed.

"Uh oh, I think someone needs a little accessory on his head," Annabelle told Matthew as she took the cover for the taping off the bow.

Matthew's eyes widened as he saw her do this, stood from his chair so quickly, and Annabelle chased after him as he ran out the room. She saw him run into his parents room, and she decided against just running inside and instead knocked on the door. She heard a come in, and when she opened the door, Olen greeted her with a smile and she smiled back at him. He held his finger up at his lips and pointed towards his closet.

"Well, I don't think he's here Mr. Olen."

Annabelle quietly walked towards the closet door and opened it in a swift movement. Matthew let out a shocked gasp but giggled when Annabelle placed the bow on his head. She laughed and helped him out of the closet. She gave him a hug and placed a kiss on his cheek. She had done so before, and it hadn't been a problem with either parent.

"My dear prince, please take this bow so kindly in my memory as you descend into battle," Annabelle told Matthew as she fixed the bow on his head.

"I'll protect you, my princess," Matthew then added. He let go of her and stood defensively in front of her, facing Olen. "This is my princess!"

Olen, who caught his son's drift, got on one knee, bowed his head and said, "I have lost the war with you, Prince Matthew, I will take my defeat."

The three of them laughed and then calmed when Olen received a call. He answered it while Annabelle had ushered herself and Matthew out of the room to give him some privacy. Olen smiled at their retreating figures and answered his phone with a simple greeting. It was his wife.

"I'm stuck in traffic, it'll take me about two more hours for me to get there, I still need to need to pick up my mom's watch," he heard her say.

He sighed saddened and said, "don't worry, they're almost here, about an hour or so away. I'll just tell your mother to wait a bit."

"Thanks, honey, I have to go, bye."

She hung up before he had the chance to say goodbye but was more than okay with it as she was driving. When he heard Annabelle and Matthew laughing from down a room, he took steady steps towards it. He wanted to surprise them before they could sense he was close.

"...and then you have to remember the corners, I hate it when the corners mess up," Annabelle explained to Matthew as she showed him how to wrap a present her way.

Olen laughed a little and caught the attention of both his son and Annabelle. She smiled at him as for Matthew, he stood and ran into his father's arms. He hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek. Matthew laughed at his father's actions as he knew he was trying to embarrass him. He pulled away from his dad and smiled.

Olen smiled back and said, "you have to take a shower now, can't have you smelling."

Olen told Annabelle he would be walking Matthew towards the restroom and would be back in less than a minute. Surely, Olen returned as planned and advised her it would be best to linger in the living room as to not cause his son discomfort. When she agreed, she and Olen entered the living room where they took a seat on different couches. Annabelle smiled at Olen when she remembered what her bag was carrying for her.