Sullivan mansion

Blaine could hardly sleep the whole night as he tossed and turned. 

He would finally get to meet his son and he was not even sure what he liked or what toys he wanted.

He woke up early that morning and went to his daughter’s nursery in his former unit. As he bathed her himself, fed her and played with her, he resisted the urge to tell her he was finally going to see her brother, even though they were in the room alone.

He did not know who would be listening, and he would hate to break his promise to Ariel that no one would know he had any idea his son was alive, till whenever she felt ready.

As he finally walked out of the unit sometime later, he passed by a maid heading in, which made him squint. 

Why did that person seem familiar, although he was quite sure he had never seen her face in this house?

She was obviously a new maid, so why did it feel like this was not the first time he was seeing her? 

He shook his head, deciding this was not the best time to worry about such trivial matters.

He had his chauffeur drop him at a public gym. “I’ll be gone for a while,” he said, tapping the headrest of the driver’s seat. “Drive around and pick me up in two hours.” 

He did not miss the strange look the chauffeur shot him, but then he bowed quickly and Blaine walked out of the car into the gym. 

He made inquiries at the front desk for effect as he watched the two cars that had brought him here instead of a whole convoy drive off. 

Then he smiled at the receptionist and walked away into the garage. 

He was looking around when he heard a honk. His eyes traveled to the SUV that he believed had just honked, and he saw the taillight flash.

He walked warily towards the car even as he heard the sound of the door unlocking. 

He finally relaxed when he pulled the door open and saw Ariel sitting in the driver’s seat.

“You’re driving.” His statement came out flat and when she turned to him, she smiled a little.

“You’re scared?” She asked as her hand went to the gear and took her leg off the brakes. 

He knew she was teasing him now.

“Wouldn’t it be unfortunate to die mere minutes before meeting my son,” he said, as he fixed his seat belt. 

It was still unbelievable that this was happening. He was going to meet his son, and at Sullivan’s territory.

For one second, he could not help thinking what he would do if he found out that it was a trap. 

He glanced at her now, looking the most casual she had ever looked since they met, in a flare-shaped housedress, her hair in a messy bun, the only piece of jewelry on her, their son’s ash pendant.

What if she was actually a selfish gold digger and her attitude the past few days had only been an act?

She must have felt him looking at her, because she glanced at him, her eyes falling on his lap, and then she turned back to the road.

He frowned when he saw her hand grip the steering wheel, and her eyes darted towards him again, looking round his body. 

He might have drawn the wrong conclusion if at that moment she did not say,

“Is there not even anything you want to give him when you meet him?” she asked.

“Of course,” he responded immediately, finally realizing what this was about. 

She really thought he was going to meet their son for the first time with empty hands?

He planned to do more in the coming days, since this first visit had been quite unplanned.

But for now, “I was planning to stop at the mall.”

She nodded and as he watched her shoulders relax, he felt a pinch of guilt. 

He had not reacted well to the news of her pregnancy, so she must think that he was the worst father ever.

“I cannot come with you,” She said, as she drove into the parking lot of a mall. “I am not properly dressed.” 

He frowned at her a little, thinking she looked perfectly fine to him. But knowing women, he said nothing and hurried into the mall, bringing his baseball hat down.

She was shuffling through a playlist when he returned, and looked up at him, her hand hanging midair.

“Here.” He handed her a bouquet of flowers, and he saw the blush stain on her cheeks before she frowned and almost rejected it.

He pushed it into her hands quickly and said, “See it as the beginning of making up for the mother’s days I have missed and the push presents I should have gotten you.”

He saw her eyes melt at that, and she took the bouquet of roses from him, her fingers absentmindedly fingering the pendant on her neck. 

Her eyes closed briefly and the muscles in her face seemed to relax before her eyes snapped open quickly again. 

She turned around and placed the bouquet in the backseat, not so gently, and turned forward again to start the car. 

He made no comments and sat quietly as she pulled out of the parking lot.

Now that they were going straight to the Sullivan mansion with no more stops, he was beginning to feel anxious. 

What if his son did not like him?

He knew how babies around that age could be. They were quite picky with the strangers they let hold them, and if they did not like you, they shrieked like they had just seen a monster.

He took his hat off as the car drove onto a quiet road with not very many houses in sight, each house having almost an acre of manicured lawn between them and the next. 

He had never been here before, this residence that Sullivan took far away from his family house on the other side of the city.

He looked around, taking in the surroundings, thinking this was the only thing his son had known in the last year and believed was his actual home.