Ch. 10

Colton

"Ignoring me the whole time won't make a good impression on the kids. We're here to make sure they have a great time." I told Luna, whose eyes focused outside the side window.

"I'm not planning to ignore you." She finally turned to me. "I'm struggling to understand why on earth we're in this together? I wouldn't have shown up if I knew you were coming."

"I'd still show up, no matter what. The kids' happiness is more important to me."

"Same here. I really care about their happiness. But I'm too transparent. I can't fake how I act around you. They'll know I hate being with you. And especially after last night..."

"So, about last night, what's getting on your nerves? Me, or the kiss?"

"Seriously, can you cut it out? Just so you know, the kids can hear everything you're saying."

I checked out the kids in the back using the rearview mirror. They were busy watching a video for kids on YouTube.

The amusement park was just a thirty-minute drive away, so they could still watch their favorite kiddie show.

"Hey, kids, did you hear anything?" I asked them.

"Huh? What did you say?" Samuel asked.

"Nothing. Just keep watching TV. I was just checking."

"Are we there yet, Uncle Colton?" Zoe asked, then yawned.

"In a while." I said. "Take a nap. I'll wake you up once we're there."

I saw Zoe nod and doze off.

"See? They're not listening. We can discuss whatever."

"I'm not interested in talking to you. If you don't mind, I want to sleep."

"So, you didn't get any sleep last night? I bet you were thinking about me and the kiss."

"Can you knock it off? I wasn't thinking about you or that kiss." She sighed heavily, then blurted. "Anyway, you shouldn't have done that."

"You shouldn't have slapped me."

"How is that even related?"

"The next time you slap me, you know what comes next." I told her what to expect.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, then yawned.

"Have a nap. You need energy for later."

She didn't reply. When I looked at her again, she had her eyes shut. I guessed she was already out like a light.

I grinned. She looked absolutely amazing in her outfit. Besides her blond hair, she looked the same in college. Her personality hadn't really changed, just in a more low-key way.

We made it to St. Nicholas Kids Amusement Park. I parked next to the van with the bodyguards and nannies.

"Luna, we're here." I shook her arm.

She woke up all refreshed. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was absolutely gorgeous.

"What are you staring at?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing, umm.." I said, trying to come up with an excuse. "Oops, you had a little drool there."

"What?" She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "No, there isn't."

"Ha-ha. Got you." I chuckled, then turned to the kids at the back. "Wake up, sleepyheads! We're here!"

Bursting with energy, the kids woke up from their nap and immediately began shouting with excitement.

"Yay!!! I can't wait to ride the Monster Train!" Joshua shouted.

"Can we ride the carousel first, Uncle Colton?"

"Sure, Zoe."

As the door of the SUV swung open, the attentive bodyguards and caring nannies swiftly stepped forward to assist the children in getting out.

Just before Luna and I stepped out of the car, I turned to her and said.

"Let's have a ceasefire today, only for the kids. How about we ignore the conflict and act like besties?"

"Besties? Are you kidding me?"

"For the kids. We want them to have a great time today, right?" I offered a handshake to seal our agreement. "Plus, you don't wanna disappoint Sweet and Sebastian either."

"Okay, fine. For the kids." She clasped my hand.

When our hands touched, it was so electrifying. It brought me back to that moment when I kissed her last night. I was burning up, craving more of her touch and kisses.

Then she quickly pulled her hand back, as if she had got burned.

"Good, you can hate me again afterwards."

"Oh, you bet I will." With her chin held high, she stepped out of the car.

As promised, I called Sweet when we got to the amusement park.

"Hey, you never mentioned Luna is coming," I blurted right away. "You know how it is between us."

"My bad. Totally slipped my mind to mention. Actually, Sebastian called her after I spoke to you." She said in a very apologetic tone. "The kids love her, just like they love you. They'll have so much fun if you and Luna join them. They feel at ease with you guys. You're basically their second mom and dad."

"I love your kids. They're just too adorable." I said, then exhaled heavily. "This is gonna be super awkward for me and Luna."

"Just avoid doing anything that will tick her off. Okay? She's a really nice woman. Kind, calm, and totally charming. I don't get why you two don't get along."

"You've got it all wrong about her. She's anything but calm. She's got a temper that goes from zero to an erupting volcano real quick."

I heard her sigh, then answered. "Just be nice to her, okay? It's about time you two became friends. For us and our kids. You're both our family."

I pursed my lips and said. "I'm down to being friends with her. She's the problem. She's holding onto the past. For heaven's sake, that was eight years ago."

"Alright, whatever. Hopefully, you guys can sort things out soon. I have to go. Sebastian is waiting for me at the restaurant. Remember to snap more pics."

"Absolutely. Have fun. Bye."

Luna kept her promise and was super nice to me. She was always smiling, making her look so lovely. I could tell that she was genuinely having fun.

The kids had a blast riding all the kiddie games, but they still wanted more. They were screaming, laughing, jumping and running like there was no tomorrow. We also played carnival games, won stuffed animals for the kids, and walked around the park with them, getting cotton candy, popcorn, and churros.

"I don't know how Seb and Sweet manage to keep up. They're bursting with energy." Her face got all red from the sun.

"Same here. Especially the boys. No wonder Sebastian is always complaining of backaches." I laughed aloud, then I asked her. "Are you tired already?"

"Very. Can we find a place to relax?"

"I have an idea." I said.

We all hopped on the Ferris wheel, taking in the park view and snapping some cute photos. We also went on a relaxing boat ride, taking in the sights and having a good time together.

"You feeling better now?" I asked Luna.

"Yeah, a lot better. Thank you."

We exchanged smiles, just like two good friends.

We wrapped up the day with an early dinner at McDonald's. We enjoyed the delicious burgers, fries, and ice cream while we talked about our day. The kids had a ton of fun. They were going on and on about the rides they went on and how much they enjoyed it. We snapped so many photos and sent them to their parents.

We went back to their place, exhausted and stuffed. The kids were asleep in the back of the car. It was just us, Luna and I, who were wide awake.

"Did you have a good time today?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Totally, except for the part where I had to chase Zoe cause she was going after the birds on the ground." She said.

"Yeah, that was a fun sight to see."

We both laughed, thinking about what had happened earlier.

I glanced at my watch. "It's getting close to seven. You got no plans for tonight?"

"I'm going to watch a new series on Netflix."

"I bet it's about vampires or some mystery movie." I laughed a little.

"Yep, you're right," she also chuckled, then added. "You're going to be late for your dinner date."

"Huh?" I looked at her, confused.

"You mentioned last night that you have a romantic dinner tonight."

"Oh."

I just remembered the lie I told her last night. I felt guilty and my gut was like, "Tell her the truth, man."

"Actually, I totally made that up. Sorry about that. My butler thought it was a date when I mentioned I have a female guest coming over. I don't normally do dinner at the penthouse. That must have made him really excited, and he went all out."

We both found it funny and laughed together.

"The Japanese food was all for you. I know you're a fan of Japanese food." I flushed, admitting the truth. I could feel the heat in my cheeks.

"Thanks. It's comforting to hear that, given the humiliation I went through last night."

"My bad, sorry again. Let me make it up to you. Let's have a proper dinner. There's a new Japanese restaurant that just opened downtown. They've got all your favorite stuff."

She shook her head and laughed. "Nope. I can't eat another bite. I ate two burgers."

"How about we get some coffee?"

I was disappointed when she shook her head again. I finally understood that she would reject every offer I'd made. Hurt. I kept quiet and sealed my lips. I felt dumb for suggesting that.

"Well, that's it for today, I guess." She said as soon as we drive through the entrance of Sebastian and Sweet's mansion.

"Yeah, that's it. I'll see you in your office on Monday."

"I thought you were heading back to LA?"

"Supposedly. But I got to look at your company first. Ian said it's at a critical point. There's so much important work to do to save it."

"Yeah." She smiled shyly, then she said. "Thanks for agreeing to help save our company. I appreciate you accepting."

"You're welcome." I nodded. "I just hope you'll be supportive and put our personal stuff aside to work on this professionally."

"Sure thing, business is business." She replied.

I'm wondering if she'll actually stick to her word.


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