Chapter 11 -- Douze.


    This was what De had been dreading the whole week ;sitting on a table across her ex-husband and


    son. Leondre seemed excited. This was all for him, only for him. Andre wanted to talk to De about


    their son in fact he wanted to talk about more than just that with her. As for De she just wanted to


    discuss only about her son and co-parenting.


    De looked at the mansion she once stayed in, nothing had changed much. The same way she had


    her flowers around the yard is the same way it was, still well maintained. She always thought maybe


    Andre would rip them out judging by the way he was so angry even hearing her name or even seeing


    her at the time. The same anger made himy a hand on his woman when she tried to tell him about


    their baby.


    "Woah! Is this Mister Andre''s house?" Leo said in awe.


    "Yes, that''s your father''s house now if you follow me. He is expecting you inside.." Albane Gauthier the


    Butler spoke in a professional tone.


    "That''s so cool, like super cool!" Leo was amazed by how huge the house was. As for De she felt like


    she was visiting her haunted past that she never wanted to remember but she had to do it for her son.


    They followed Albane up to the front door. The garden was surrounded with Roman and Greek


    Statues. Andre and De had many things inmon and aesthetic art was one of them. The


    difference was Andre bought everything he thought was beautiful and De captured it in her heart as it


    made her feel what hidden meaning was behind it.


    "Ma''am, I will leave you with Marta." Albane said giving them a brief nod. Marta''s eyes were suddenly


    glossy from tears, she was in forties and was very much close to De once upon a time.


    "De is that you?" She asked clearly shocked and but more so happy.


    "Uhm yes." De returned the gesture, Leo looked at both of them weirdly as they hugged each other


    tightly.


    "And who is this young man?" Marta asked after pulling away from their embrace.


    "That''s Leondre... my son." De let out a proud smile.


    "Oh my goodness. Is he?" Marta asked with her hand on her mouth.


    "Yes, he is." Andre''s son. De said not proud of that fact in anyway.


    "He is so handsome like his father. Oh De, I missed you so much and I''m d you areing back


    home. Andre has been miserable and—" Marta rumbled on and on in Spanish but De cut her off with


    a smile.


    "No no no, I''m not here for that." She let out a sigh. Leo was looking around the mansion with the huge


    ceilings andrge ss doors. The two women talking didn''t even realize that he had went out of site.


    __


    Andre was making his way downstairs because he heard the most mesmerizing voice and herugh


    made him flutter inside. He never thought that he would have her again in their safe haven. Not after


    everything he had put her through. When she agreed to bring Leo, he knew that this was his


    opportunity to make things right. By things right... everything right.


    "Mister Andre— i mean dad." Leo sidled awkwardly. He had been touching things near the fire ce


    and he knew his mom would scold him for doing that in someone''s house.


    "Hey little man." Andre smiled broadly and Leo ran to hug him. Andre lifted him up and higher with his


    height.


    Leo giggled.


    "Where is your mom ?" Andre asked putting him down.


    "She is talking to thatdy. You know when mama starts speaking in Spanish she never finishes." Leo


    said making his father look at him in awe.


    "I know that very well, buddy." He said reminiscing the many times that De would be so mad at him


    she couldn''t speak English anymore, she would start chattering none stop in Spanish and he would


    simply kiss her until she was quiet, it worked like a charm.


    Andre walked to the kitchen where De wasughing about something with Marta. There had never


    been anyughter in this mansion ever since she left.


    De was listening to Marta ramble on about how Donald Trump was now president and how much she


    disliked him. She felt someone''s gaze on her so she shifted her eyes to the left only to see Andre and


    Leo. Andre was dressed casually, his muscrly fit body made him very attractive but she knew some


    people were just attractive to the eye but horrible at heart. Looks could be deceiving.


    "Oh?Se?or,?Breakfast is ready." Marta cleared her throat when she realized her boss was standing


    behind her.


    "Thank you Marta." Andre said in a low tone then she immediately excused herself.


    "Morning." De said awkwardly she didn''t know how to act in front of him. She didn''t even know why


    she felt awkward around him. Maybe because for a long time they didn''t just say morning to each


    other... they made out, showered together and did many other things more than just muttering ''morning''


    "Morning De, I''m d you decided toe." Andre said genuinely.


    "About that, I''m only here for an hour, i have an early shift." She said as they sat around the table that


    looked like it was a feast. Leo was sat in the middle. Andre and De across each other making eye


    contact unavoidable.


    "But—"


    "I had ns for us." Andre said looking at her sadly.


    "You mean with your son right? So you can get know him?" She asked humorlessly.


    "Yes, of course." Andre said clearing his throat. He was caught up in her beauty. Even if she wore rags


    she would still look beautiful. He just wanted to run his hands through her silky long hair. He hated the


    distance between them, he wanted her to be close to him. He just hated this formality, they never had


    to do this before—


    "Where did you meet my mom?" Leo asked anxiously eating. "Were you like in love?" De almost


    chocked on her saliva, she hated when Leo started asking these sort of questions like how he once


    asked a disabled man at the mall if and how he went to the toilet. Leo just had his ways of making


    everything awkward without realizing it.


    "Uhm-" Andre briefly looked at De who looked away.


    "Good question Leo. See I met your mother at Starbucks. The first time I saw her, I thought she was


    the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I would buy coffee that I didn''t even drink just to see her." Andre


    said looking at De who felt like she could just erase her whole memory that had?featuring Andre?


    written on it.


    "Really?" Leo grinned. "Then what?"


    "I kept on going to Starbucks everyday. She didn''t notice me in fact she didn''t want anything to do with


    me." Andre smiled remembering every single memory. De sat there feeling awkward and stiff in her


    ce. She hated visiting the past and would be doing more of that with Andre back in her life.


    ''For Leo, do it for Leo. You can do it without anything going on with Andre. Just set your boundaries


    between each other. It will be fine. Many parent co-parent all the time.''?She constantly needed to


    remind herself.


    "Was it because you are like super famous like my grandpa?" Leo asked sipping on his apple juice and


    engulfing waffles.


    De remembered that the time when she worked at Starbucks, she was saving for college and she


    didn''t have time for boyfriends. She was also having problems with her mother who had became a


    heroin addict at the time. It really wasn''t the best of memories for her.


    "Well partly. I kept on trying and trying to ask her out until she finally said yes." Andre thought about


    how lucky he was. De had only epted to go out with him so that he would realise she wasn''t worth


    it and leave her for someone better but he didn''t and seven yearster they got married, had a child


    and Divorced so that worked out well.


    "That''s so cool." Leo replied. "Like the cute girl in my ss Natalie."


    "But Leo you are too young to know—" De said clearly shocked but Andre cut her off.


    "Wait a go, buddy is she pretty like your mother here?" Andre felt like maybe this role of being a father


    wouldn''t be so bad. De''s mouth was open ajar, how dare he want to give her son advise. Bad advise


    for that matter. She didn''t want Leo to end up like his father and yboy, who ys with woman''s


    hearts and refuses to grow up.


    "She has my mommy''s hair." Leo giggled. "She said she likes my eyes."


    "Baby, I think you should be friends with this girl." De said to her son ignoring Andre''s presence. For


    some reason when De said baby, he almost answered remembering how they had these pet names


    for each other.


    "I think, she thinks, I''m weird." Leo sighed looking at both his parents who seemed concerned. De


    smiled. "You are unique baby." De gave him a wide smile.


    "Just like your mother, you are one in a million." Andre added making De roll her eyes at him. He


    gave her a smirk and her heart bounced up and down. She had to stop feeling like this, it was a weird


    feeling in fact she didn''t want to feel at all.


    "Leo why don''t you ask Marta to take you to your room upstairs on the second wing." He paused as


    Leo jumped up and down with excitement. "I had it set out just for you, whenever youe around. I


    hope you like it buddy." Andre added. De felt her heart lighten, she didn''t think he would do


    something like this. What was he up to ? she thought. Before she could say anything Leo hugged his


    father and Andre felt like this was exactly what was missing in his life.


    Love.


    —


    Andre couldn''t stop admiring her beauty. He thought about how stupid he was. He was an imbecile


    having treated her the way he did. He would do anything to have her in his arms smiling the way she


    always did. De was always a smiler, she smiled all the time at everything.


    He had asked her to take a walk with him in what used to be their garden and she hesitantly agreed


    because yes ;there was a lot to discuss.


    "About Leo... only about Leo."


    "De, I''m sorry." He said clearing his throat.


    "It''s fine, can we not talk about it." She said putting a strand of her hair behind her ear as they walked


    down the same garden they use to walk together a few years back. It was just like before, when he


    would hold her close and kiss her endlessly only now she had put a distance between them. SHE didn''t


    want them even touching, it shocked her and gave her butterflies. De hated feeling like a love struck


    teenage girl around him. She was a mother and not anything else.


    "But we should." He said trying to make eye contact but she looked away every time he did. They


    reached a certain point and sat on the same bench they use to have sex on at night under the stars.


    Andre''s Rendezvous, he was always crazy and outgoing.


    "Andre, I forgive you okay? I already did. Things happen for a reason and maybe it was for the best.


    We were bound to break up anyways." De smiled lightly feeling his gaze on her. He frowned..


    "I never stopped loving you,?mon amour." Andre caressed her left cheek. De felt her body tense.


    ''What was wrong with this man! I hate it I hate it! Can''t we just be civil.''?De screamed in her head.


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Andre, can we not do this. I came here because maybe you should get to know your son and I was


    wrong to keep him away from you." De replied in a low tone. "What we had was a mistake and Leo is


    the only good thing that came out of it." She added and her words felt like a thousand knives stabbing


    Andre right in his chest.


    "It was never a mistake. I know what I felt and I still feel for you. We had something special and I''m


    sorry my mom had to ruin it." Andre wasn''t going to give up.


    "Please—" De was cut off by Andre putting his thumb on her soft perfectly sculptured lips. He


    thought about how much he missed them. He used his thumb to caress her bottom lip. She felt her clit


    throb immediately but pressed her thighs together. Her brown eyes looked up at his, she hated feeling


    this weak. Maybe she should have really prioritize her sex life over the years but in between constantly


    working and having a child to take care of and please.. there was never time for that and the hookup


    culture was never really her thing. A web must have grown in between her legs.


    "De, thank you for giving me a son. Raising him on your own up until now. He is honestly the best


    thing that has happened to me in a while in fact ever since you left." Andre confessed she had him


    wrapped around her finger and didn''t even know it.


    "It''s fine Andre, I really don''t want anything from you or anything to happen between us. I just think we


    should work on us co-parenting." De said avoiding his gaze. The wind blew her hair in all directions


    making her look even more mesmerizing. Maybe he just missed her a lot and dreamed about her being


    here again but now she was.


    "tu brises mon coeur."?Andre whispered under his breath but she heard him and knew exactly what he


    meant. "But you know what I''m wondering?" Andre smirked.


    "What?" De said suddenly interested.


    "I wonder where we made Leondre, it could have been right here on this bench or maybe on the


    kitchen ind or maybe in our bedroom. It''s just crazy how to think I''m a father to someone." He said in


    deep thought.


    De blushed, her cheeks seemed to turn rosy red. "Mon Dieu.."?Andre chuckled. "You still get shy


    talking about our sex life, you haven''t changed a bit?mon amour."?He said giving her a heartwarming


    smile.


    "I just think we shouldn''t discuss it at all." She blushed looking at her hands, her hair swiftly covered


    her face again and she felt Andre''s hands put a strand of her hair behind he ear. His touch made her


    feel unimaginable things.


    "There is no rule against it, I mean?mon coeur,?we were husband and wife although I never thought I


    was capable of dating someone for a year without having sex until our wedding night but you changed


    me, for the good." Andre said reminiscing.


    "I''m pretty sure you got it somewhere else still." De sighed looked at the beautiful purple lc flowers.


    She thought about the time he brought a girl in the mansion and slept with her on their bed just to spite


    her. She realized maybe he wasn''t faithful to her all along.


    "I swear I never did—" He was immediately cut off.


    "You don''t have to exin anything, there is nothing between us and I have no right to question you."


    She exined.


    "But I want you to know that." Andre kept moving closer and closer wanting to remove the space


    between them. She looked her watch and realized she was almost ten minuteste.


    "Oh my goodness, I have to go Andre. I don''t want to bete." She abruptly stood up.


    "You don''t have to." Andre replied.


    "No, I have to get to work. I will get Leo after five." She exined in a hurry rushing back to the


    mansion.


    "You are a McCarthy now and I can help you with Leo. I''m here now Ad." He said stopping her from


    panic mode.


    "I don''t want to be dependent on anyone but thank you and being a McCarthy doesn''t change anything.


    You can do things for your son but I''m not going to be living off you and your maintenance fee for Leo."


    She spat leaving him stunned on the spot, clearly there was no woman like Ad McCarthy she drove


    him crazy without even trying.


    ? ? ?? ?