Sophia's heart dropped to her stomach, and a sickly feeling climbed up her throat. She tried to take a deep breath, but the ache in her chest was too loud to bear.Her gaze dropped to Eli and then shifted back to Alice. They had the same hair, exactly the same shade of blonde. One could tell with just a glance that Alice was indeed Eli’s mom.And at that moment, everything seemed to fall in place. No wonder she felt Eli's eyes seemed familiar. Her mind hadn't been playing tricks on her, and the nagging feeling that had prickled her skin the moment she saw Eli’s eyes was not just because his eyes were familiar to Alex’s eyes.It was because she had already thought of the possibility.A deep breath escaped her lips, and she tried to remain calm despite the feeling of nausea that suddenly climbed her throat.Sophia knew she had to speak or say something to cover the silence, but at that moment words failed her. She simply couldn't utter a word.She hated the fact that her presumptions we
The event slowly came to an end after Aiden and Eli had paired up and gotten a prize for winning an obstacle course with hurdle jumps. An announcement came over the loudspeaker, signaling the fair's final hour. And the last minutes of the event were supposed to be spent relaxing. Everyone was supposed to find a spot to sit around with their family. Families started gathering under trees, laying out blankets, and unpacking snacks. Sophia led the kids to a spot beneath a wide oak tree, the ground beneath covered in thick grass. They sat, wind-down tired but happy. Laughter still bubbled from Addie now and then she talked about Alex’s dramatic dunk tank fall and also how Aiden absolutely devoured every pie in the pie-eating contest despite rejecting the invitation to join at first. Aiden shrugged. “Well. It was a bit fun.” Anyone who knew Aiden would also know that what he said was a big compliment for the event and that he actually had fun. Sophia settled beside Alex on the mat
The afternoon drifted slowly, and there were a lot of events to keep every single one of them busy. They played game after game, darted between stalls, and collected an embarrassing number of prize tickets that no one quite knew what to do with. At one point, Alex found himself standing on a water tank, arms folded, glaring playfully down at the children and Sophia, who were quietly laughing at him. Beside him there were a couple of other fathers who were in the same situation. “Please tell me Addie would at least get the giant stuffed panda and that I didn’t just get soaked for nothing.” At the same time he said so, one of the volunteers in orange walked over to them and handed them a big white giant stuffed panda. “That throw was magnificent. Where did you learn that, Adeline?” The female volunteer asked. Addie smiled proudly, and her gaze darted to her father; they both shared a look, and then she said, “It’s a secret.” This made the young lady smile warmly. Sophia collect
The moment the boy noticed the people walking over in his direction, particularly Addie and Aiden, he was already scrambling to his feet, awkwardly brushing imaginary dust off his jeans, his eyes darting between the twins. Addie spun around with the kind of bright enthusiasm only she could pull off, her curls bouncing with the movement. “This is the new boy! He’s a transfer student. He came two weeks ago and sat near me during reading time!” Aiden crossed his arms and rolled his eyes dramatically. “You mean you stood up from your seat and marched over to his side.” “Well,” Addie huffed, placing her hands on her hips. “My point is we sat next to each other. Who went over to whom doesn’t really matter.” Aiden scoffed, clearly not impressed at all. His jaw tensed, and he glanced at the boy like he’d just been asked to shake hands with a lizard. He didn’t like him—and he wasn’t even trying to pretend. The way his sister was clinging to the new kid annoyed him and made him uncomfortab
“What about the picnic basket? Please don’t tell me we forgot to pick that up from the kitchen counter.” Sophia cast a worried look in Alex’s direction, adjusting her sunglasses as the car continued moving, the light ahead turned green, and he eased them forward with one hand on the wheel and the other still resting on Sophia’s thigh, his thumb tracing circles against the seam of her jeans. Alex pressed a button, and the tinted glasses cracked open just slightly, enough to let in the sunlight, catching in the loose strands of her blond hair. Sophia was dressed in a light brown button-down, soft and loose, tucked just enough into her jeans to look put together. Her hair was tied back messily with one of her caramel-colored scrunchies. In fact, she made sure everybody was dressed in a little bit of something brown before they left the house. Addie had a light brown ribbon tied around her ponytails, bouncing with every excited movement. Aiden wore a simple beige-brown hoodie, sleeves p
The word was so soft, Sophia almost thought she imagined it.But the way Alex froze told her otherwise. He didn’t move, he didn’t even breathe, as if the world had stopped just for him.Then came a small smile. Unsure at first. But it grew, slow and full of something that made her throat tighten. He looked at Aiden like he was seeing him again for the very first time.“Hey, buddy,” Alex said, his deep voice too low, like speaking too loud might scare the moment away.Alex looked up finally, and their eyes met, and Sophia knew they both felt it.Aiden had called him Daddy.And it was so natural. It didn’t sound like he had forced himself to say it. It was just a soft, probably subconscious word that slipped out of his lips due to surprise.Alex didn’t say anything else. Though Sophia could see the way his fingers curled slightly at his side, like he was stopping himself from reaching out. His eyes stayed fixed on Aiden, blinking a little too fast.And then, just like that, the moment p