57 Chapter 57 – Building Blocks and Wise Advice
Chapter 57 Building Blocks and Wise Advice T
Hazel’s POV
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Leo and I sat cross–legged on the living room carpet, surrounded by the wooden building blocks Liam had given him. My son’s small fingers worked carefully to balance each piece, his tongue poking out in concentration. These blocks had become his prized possession, and I couldn’t help but notice how often he reached for them when he was thinking about something.
“Mommy, will Liam come play with me today?” Leo asked, his innocent eyes looking up at me as he placed another block on his tower.
My chest tightened at the question. “Not today, sweetheart. We’re having lunch with Aunt Evelyn because she’s leaving for her trip, remember?”
The sound of our front door opening interrupted us, followed by Chl and Noah’s familiar laughter echoing through the hallway. Leo abandoned his blocks instantly, his little legs carrying him straight into Noah’s waiting arms.
“Uncle Noah!” Leo squealed as Noah lifted him high into the air, spinning him around until they were both dizzy with laughter.
We spent a few minutes catching up in the living room before gathering our things to head out. During the car ride, Noah and Leo were already making elaborate plans for their afternoon mall adventure, complete with stops at the toy store and the indoor playground.
The restaurant was busy with the weekend lunch crowd, but we were seated quickly at a corner table with a perfect view of the bustling street outside. Evelyn arrived just as we were settling in, her radiant smile lighting up the entire space as she approached our table.
“Finally, I get to meet this perfect boyfriend I’ve been hearing so much about,” Evelyn announced with a mischievous grin, her eyes dancing as she looked at Chl, who was practically glowing with happiness.
“Evelyn, he really is perfect. Just look at him,” Chl gushed, reaching over to squeeze Noah’s hand while he turned an adorable shade of red.
We all burst into laughter as Noah stood up, his cheeks still flushed, and politely introduced himself to Evelyn with the kind of old–fashioned charm that had won Chl’s heart. After we ordered our drinks, the conversation flowed naturally to stories about my hometown and Evelyn’s upcoming travels.
Leo, who had been quietly coloring on his kids‘ menu, suddenly tugged on Evelyn’s sleeve. “Aunt Evelyn, do you know Liam?“
Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Yes, I do know him. He’s my friend. Why do you ask,
57 Chapter 57–Building Blocks and Wise Advice
little one?”
“Are you gonna see him today?” Leo pressed, his eyes bright with hope.
“I will see him. Do you want me to tell him something?” Evelyn asked gently, running her fingers through my son’s soft hair.
“Yes! Tell him to come play with me again at my house, please,” Leo said, his voice filled with such earnest longing that my heart clenched painfully in my chest.
The attachment my son had formed to Liam was something I couldn’t understand, and it worried me more than I cared to admit. How could I explain to a four–year–old that sometimes. adults make mistakes that hurt people, and that meant we couldn’t see certain people anymore?
“I’ll tell him, I promise,” Evelyn said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Leo’s head before turning to me with knowing eyes. “Looks like they really connected, Hazel.”
“They did, Evelyn. And now I don’t know what to do about it. Leo clearly misses him,” I admitted, feeling the weight of my son’s disappointment settling heavily on my shoulders.
“Maybe you should listen to what your son is telling you,” Evelyn said with a meaningful wink that made my stomach flutter with uncertainty.
The rest of our lunch was filled with easy conversation and laughter, the kind of comfortable atmosphere that only comes with true friendship. When it was time to say goodbye, Evelyn and I made plans to meet again next month when she returned from her business trip. She would be -coming back for a week every month, which meant I’d have my friend’s support more regularly. As we were parting ways in the parking lot, Evelyn caught my arm and looked at me with serious eyes.
“Sweetie, you need to forgive him. Liam made a mistake, yes, but he won’t make another one. And Damian was just trying to protect his friend, you know that.”
“Evelyn, he hurt me so deeply. I don’t know if forgiveness is possible right now,” I replied, my voice heavy with the sadness I’d been carrying for weeks.
“Hazel, pride has never made anyone truly happy. Think about that, Evelyn said firmly, giving me one last kiss on the cheek before getting into her car and driving away.
We headed to the mall as Noah and Leo had planned, and I tried to push Evelyn’s words out of my mind. The indoor playground was a welcome distraction, filled with the sounds of children laughing and playing. Leo threw himself into every activity with boundless energy, his face flushed with excitement as he climbed through tunnels and slid down colorful slides.
After an hour of watching the boys play, Chloe and I were exhausted and needed a break. Noah waved us away with a grin, promising to keep Leo entertained for as long as we needed.
We wandered through the mall, window shopping and enjoying the chance to walk at a leisurely pace. When we passed by the boutique where we’d bought our dresses, Chl grabbed my arm
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57 Chapter 57 – Building Blocks and Wise Advice
and pulled me toward the entrance.
“So, boss, decided it’s time to update your wardrobe?” Chl asked with playful sarcasm as we walked through the door.
Adrian was leaning casually against the counter, deep in conversation with Stella, the sales associate who had helped us before. He looked up with a teasing smile when he saw us.
“Are you two following me around now?” he asked, his tone mock–suspicious.
“You wish,” I shot back, laughing at his expression. “We brought my son to the mall for some fun,” I explained, waving hello to Stella.
“Ah, the famous Leo. I swear I don’t know who talks about that kid more, you two or Liam. Where is he? I’m dying to meet him, Adrian said, looking around expectantly.
“He’s at the playground with Chl’s boyfriend, who happens to be his godfather,” I replied, though “He’s I couldn’t help but be curious about Adrian’s comment regarding Liam talking about my son.
“Another person I need to meet then, this lucky guy who managed to win over our Chloe,” Adrian said, turning to Stella with a grin. “She claims he’s the perfect boyfriend.”
“Oh my God, then don’t let him get away, honey. You’ve found yourself a rare specimen,” Stella said with a warm smile.
“Well, ladies, since Mr. Perfect is in the picture, we should plan something fun for next Saturday. You can wear those stunning dresses we picked out, Adrian suggested, though his eyes kept drifting to Stella in a way that made his real motivation obvious.
“I love that idea, boss. Stella, you’re definitely coming with us. It’ll be amazing,” Chloe said enthusiastically, not giving the poor girl a chance to decline.
“I’d absolutely love to. And I’m actually off work next Saturday, so the timing is perfect,” Stella said, her excitement genuine and infectious.
We quickly exchanged phone numbers and made plans to meet for lunch during the week to properly organize our night out. Just as we were finishing up our impromptu planning session, Chloe’s phone buzzed with a text from Noah letting us know they were waiting at the food
court.
We said our goodbyes to Adrian and Stella, promising to keep in touch about our plans, and headed off to reunite with our boys for the rest of our afternoon adventure.
58 Chapter 58- Train Sets and Unbreakable Bonds.
