Episode 14

MATHEUS...

I arrive at the address that Rafa gave me, and her father is the one who opens the door, great... That's exactly what I needed.

"Sir..."

"Speak up! What are you doing here?"

I don't even have time to respond, as Rafa comes up behind him and squeezes his arm.

"It's all right, Dad... You can relax."

"Are you sure?" he asks, much calmer now, looking into Rafa's eyes.

"Yes, daddy. You can go help Mom in the garden. I'll manage here..."

"Very well, if you need anything, just ask Ana to call me," he kisses her forehead and enters the house.

I put one hand in my pocket, as the other one holds a gift for each of the twins, and I wait for Rafa's permission to enter.

"I have some rules..." I nod. "First, don't think you own the house, I'm the one in charge here; second, don't try to give orders to the kids, as you barely know them; third, only come here when I allow it, and fourth... I let you come here to meet the kids, not to rekindle whatever we had."

I nod again. She gives me passage and I enter the house, it is simple, elegant, and cozy, just like her. The twins are sitting on a carpet in the living room, surrounded by toys.

"Children..." both of them stand up, Ana quickly and then she helps Pedro. "...your... father..."

"Hi..." I say calmly.

They both smile widely, each of them comes up to me and hugs my waist, so I kneel to hug them properly.

"Hi my little ones," I hug them tightly, but gently.

"I thought you weren't coming, Dad..." Pedro says a little sad. "Are you upset about how I ignored you?"

"No, son, of course not..." I kiss his forehead. "I'm not upset at all."

"Daddy, I'm happy that you're here," Ana says happily.

"I'm happy too, daughter. Here, I brought something for you," I hand them each their gifts.

I didn't bring the jewelry, as I know Rafa would want to burn me alive if I did that, so I stopped by the mall and bought something that I know they will like, and that Rafa won't kill me for.

For Ana, I bought a jewelry box with a ballerina that plays music, so she can keep the jewelry I will give her in the future. The box is pearlescent with gold and silver details, the ballerina is a little doll about 10CM tall, she is dark-skinned and wears a classic outfit from the Nutcracker, in white. The interior of the box is red velvet, it also has a mirror on the lid, decorated with small pearls and LEDs.

"It's beautiful, Daddy... Thank you," she gives me a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

For Pedro, I bought a different box, as I noticed he likes space, planets, from what I observed in his hospital room. This one is like a hologram projector, when activated, it reproduces a part of our Milky Way in 3D, while emitting some sound effects. The box, besides being a projector, also has space to store jewelry, all in black velvet inside, with some silver stones. On the outside, it is made of ebony mirrored black glass, with various drawings representing meteors, also in silver.

"Wow, Dad... That's cool..." he hugs me tightly too, and it's impossible not to be moved. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I leave a kiss on his hair, and when he steps away from me, he has a joyful smile on his face.

They pull me onto the carpet and start teaching me how to play with them, a little while later, some other children arrive and run over to where the twins are, one of the girls hugs Pedro tightly as soon as she sees him.

"Pepe... I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Fla..." Pedro responds, hugging her back.

"Guys, this is our dad," Ana says happily, and I feel a little lost, not knowing how to interact with them.

"Hello, children."

"What's your name, Ana's dad?" one of the boys asks, this one has been attached to Ana since he arrived, and it makes me slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm Matheus. And what's your name?"

"I'm Igor. Ana and Pedro are my best friends."

"A beautiful name, Igor. And what about you two?" I ask the other two who haven't said anything yet.

"I'm Henrique."

"And I'm Luana."

"Uncle, are you dating Aunt Rafa?" before I can respond, Rafa joins the conversation.

"Kids, who wants popcorn? Grandma Mari made plenty for you, why don't you go to the kitchen and get some?" they scream happily and go there, I observe how Rafa avoided the question and consider the possibility of her having another man.

"Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"You completely dodged the subject..."

"Did you have a creative answer for six children, about why the parents of two of them don't live in the same house, let alone date?" I swallow hard and look away "that's what I thought. Look, Matheus, I've been handling these kids for a long time, so I know what I'm doing when I cut a conversation in half."

She walks towards the kitchen, and I... I sit on the couch, waiting for her to tell me if I can leave and go after them, or... send me away. I only know one thing, whatever she orders, I'll do it. Even if she tells me to clean her feet with my tongue.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***