THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 243: Don’t Be Greedy, Shawn
Their first stop was of course the penthouse at the Masters Place where a sumptuous meal was waiting for them.
To Shawn, this place has become home for him. From the first day his entire family stepped foot in it, it held a different meaning to him.
After guiding the children to wash their hands, they settled around the dining table.
As Shawn personally served their favorite macaroni and cheese, sprinkled with a touch of magic seasoning on their plates, he chatted with them.
"Now, let’s dig in," he said, taking his seat at the head of the table.
"How was your day, you two?" he asked as they started eating.
"We painted today, Dad, I made a rainbow."
"And Elvis helped Ms Richards, our class teacher, fix her computer," Eleanor said for both of them
From time to time a slight smile lit up Shawn’s face as he listened to the children.
And the room was filled with laughter as they discussed their kindergarten adventures and shared playful banter.
After Dinner was finished and the dishes cleared away by the waiter, Shawn had a surprise for Eleanor and Elvis.
"How about a little evening adventure, my little explorers?"
"Sounds great," Eleanor chimed.
"Speak for yourself," Elvis said, pretending as if he wasn’t interested.
Shawn stared at the little guy and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Are you sure you are not interested? It’s gonna be fun, you know"
Elvis cocked his head to the side as if he was actually considering it. "Well since you are both insisting, I have no choice but to tag along."
"We insist. Go get changed so we can get going?"
He took the children to the room where he had prepared different sets of clothings for them.
While they changed he went out to call Carl to get the car ready and instructed him where they were going.
After driving for some time Eleanor couldn’t help but ask. "But where are we going, dad?"
Shawn had a mysterious smile as he said, "You will find out soon."
They drove for another twenty minutes before the driver pulled up in front of one of the high end parks.
"Yeah..... the park!" Eleanor’s excited scream resonated in the car.
The park was illuminated by the soft glow of streetlight against the darkening sky.
And as soon as the door was opened, Eleanor dashed out, running towards the meticulously designed play area which boasted of state-of-the-art equipment.
Soon she darted from there when she saw the stone pathways winding through lush gardens adorned with vibrant flowers that were well maintained such that it bloomed all year round irrespective of the season.
She tugged on her father’s arms, her pure innocent eyes raised up to his in a plea.
"Can we play hide and seek, Dad?" She asked.
Looking away from her breathtakingly beautiful face, Shawn turned to his son. "Are you in, Elvis?" he asked his unpredictable son.
Who knows whether he would say hide and seek was for kids.’I wonder who he thinks he is, if not a kid,’ Shawn thought.
The wonderful view presented by the picturesque landscape created by the flowers was too tempting for anyone to resist, including Elvis, so he nodded nonchalantly, but if one were to look closely, you would see the excitement in those blue eyes.
Soon, they started their game of hide and seek amongst the trees and benches.
Giggles and cheers filled the air as they fished out someone from their hiding place.
"I see you, Eleanor!" Shawn laughed. "You’re really good at this!"
"I almost got away, Daddy." She pouted after being caught by her father.
"Found you, Dad! You’re not too good at hiding."
Shawn chuckled as he emerged from where he was hiding. "I guess you are right," he agreed after being caught several times.
As the evening drew to a close, they sat on one of the benches which was crafted from rich mahogany.
Shawn wrapped his arms around Eleanor and Elvis, and together, they admired the stars peeking through the night sky.
He had never been this free and relaxed in years.
And to think that his children were the ones responsible for this joy.
He looked from one child to the other with deep love oozing from his eyes. "You two make every moment an adventure. I love you both so much."
"I love you daddy," echoed Eleanor.
Who wouldn’t love such a handsome and impeccable daddy that had done nothing but make her happy each time they met.
"I love you too," Elvis mumbled softly but loud enough to be heard by the person beside him.
A warm smile that emerged from the depth of Shawn’s heart spread over his already handsome face when he heard his son’s confession.
’I must have saved the moon in my previous life to have such adorable children.’
When he felt a chill in the weather, he cuddled them closer.
"I think it’s time to go home."
"I love this place dad, it’s so nice," Eleanor said.
Although they only played one game because of the time, they had enjoyed themselves.
"I will bring you back some other time. But then your mother will also come with us. Hopefully," he added.
At the mention of their mother, Eleanor realized that she had a mommy who was far away.
She propped herself up from her father’s embrace and glanced at her brother with a guilty look. "We haven’t checked on mommy since she left."
"Let’s call her," Elvis suggested, casting a look in their father’s direction.
"Go on. You can call her when we get to the car. It’s getting cold out here.
"Ok," the children chorused while standing to their feet.
By the time they got to the car, the driver had already put on the heater and the cold instantly dissipated.
"You can call her now," Shawn said.
Although he would have loved to do a video call so that he could see her, he decided not to, probably because Kathleen might not pick the call if it is from him.
From his smart watch, Elvis dialed their mother’s number and she picked on the first ring.
"Hello sweetheart," Kathleen’s honeyed voice came through from the other end.
Shawn couldn’t help but feel jealous when he heard the way she sounded happy to hear from the children.
’When will she be that excited to hear from me?’ He couldn’t wait for that day to come.
"Hello mum."
"Hello mum." How are you doing? And how is work over there," Elvis asked.
"Work is fine. It’s just that mummy is tired after a long day. How have you been enjoying your day?"
"We’ve had the best day ever, mummy," Eleanor beamed with smiles as she spoke.
"Dad picked us from school and took us to his lovely apartment to have a wonderful meal. After that he took us to the park where we played hide and seek," Eleanor narrated.
"That sounds like great fun," Kathleen said over the phone.
"Yes mummy. Do you know that daddy couldn’t even hide properly? He lost in all the rounds.I was only caught once," she announced triumphantly.
"Well my baby girl is so awesome, and I am super proud of you" Kathleen said.
"Thanks mummy,"
"Dad is here. And he is dying to speak with you," Elvis said with a mischievous grin.
Before Kathleen could come up with an excuse not to talk to him, Shawn quickly seized the opportunity.
"Hey babe, how are you?"
"I’m fine, and you?’ Kathleen had no choice but to respond. Just for the children’s sake. She didn’t want them to be entangled in the affairs of the adults.
"Thank you for giving them so much fun," she continued.
"You don’t need to thank me. It is what I should do as their father. Besides I had so much fun myself and I don’t mind hanging out with them every single day. They are such fun to be with. When will you be done with your work?"
"The day after tomorrow."
Shawn decided to push his luck. "If that’s the case can they spend the night at my place?"
While waiting for Kathleen’s reply, he glanced at the children to see if they were in on the idea and from the wide smile on Eleanor’s face and her head bubbling up and down, he got his answer. Elvis on the other hand just shrugged in consent.
"Don’t be greedy, Shawn," was the rebuke he got as a response.
"They can’t spend the night with you."
"Why?"
"We didn’t make any arrangements for that."
Shawn could imagine Kathleen gritting her teeth wherever she was as she sent her reply.
"I understand. How about I pick them up tomorrow?"
A brief silence ensued before Kathleen’s forced "alright" was heard.
"I have to go now. Mummy is tired. I will call you tomorrow, children."
"Bye mummy they chorused and the call ended.
With hearts full of joy and contentment, they headed back home.
