Chapter 107

107 107. Caring Father

Lea stood from the side of the bed, took her handbag, and got ready to go home. Her main business with Dave was over. She wanted to quickly take a rest and think about the next step she had to do.

“Do you need a lift home?” Dave asked. That handsome young businessman picked up his glasses from the small table beside the bed and put them back on, making them sit nicely on his straight, masculine nose. “I have to go home too.”

“Now?” Lea asked while checking the digital table clock. It’s still 6 pm now. Usually, that workaholic man went home late. “It’s so early. It’s not every day you.”

Dave smiled a little. “I just... want to see Clara. I will try to convince her to take this ... offer.”

Lea nodded slowly. A twinge of pain struck her heart. She wanted to smile, but her face was too stiff to do so.

“Come on, I’ll take you home,” Dave said again while making sure the car keys were in his pocket.

“I’ll go home by myself,” Lea refused. Right now, she was unable to go home with her child’s father. It was too risky.

“It’s snowing pretty hard outside. Just go home with me. I already put the chain on my car tires. It is completely safe. If you take Uber, it’s not certain that they’ll put a chain on,” said Dave half insistently. He then opened the door of the room and let Lea come out first.

“Oh, wait here!” said Dave who remembered something. He then ran into the waiting room and brought back Lea’s furry coat which he had deliberately not brought into the room earlier.

.....

Lea, who saw Dave’s behavior, felt uncomfortable. Dave cared too much for him. What kind of woman would feel comfortable being treated like that by someone else’s fiancé?

“Here is your coat. Sorry, I forgot to bring it inside,” Dave said while helping Lea put on the warm coat. After the long coat covered her body perfectly, he asked again, “Please check again. Is there anything important missing?”

Lea chuckled. “Valuable things?” she asked amusedly as she shoved her hands into her coat pockets. “Don’t worry, I only have these three-dollar pairs of gloves in my pocket,” Clara replied with a giggle. “This is so precious to me.”

Lea’s face, which had been tense before, looked relaxed, making Dave feel calm too. The man’s face smiled and a sweet little chuckle tugged at his lips.

“The most valuable item is here,” said Lea again, smiling sweetly while stroking the small bump in her stomach, full of mother’s love. The radiance of her love for the baby reached Dave’s heart, making the man’s heart skip a beat for a moment.

“You are right. The baby is the most valuable treasure,” said Dave who looked at Lea with awe. Imperceptibly, he brought his wide palms to touch Lea’s stomach from both sides.

Suddenly, a light electric current ran down Lea’s back. Butterflies flutter in her chest. She didn’t know what caused it, it could be Dave’s cold hands, or it could also be caused by the baby’s movement. Ridiculous, no baby in the womb is moving at the age of three months?

As soon as she realized what Dave was doing, Lea immediately moved away, causing Dave’s hand that was touching her stomach, now only to touch the emptiness of the air. Dave flinched slightly at Lea’s reaction.

“Ah, sorry! I just meant ... I wanted to say hi to my baby,” Dave said awkwardly. He then raised his hand, as if blaming his hand for moving on its own. Lea and Dave then stood, far from each other and not looking at each other.

The atmosphere was tense and awkward again. Dave then decided to walk without saying anything. The two then paced up toward the elevator in silence.

Together, they entered the private elevator. Several times Lea stole glances at her former boss, who still chose to remain silent. Lea thought that he was angry because that’s how he usually did when he was angry: stop talking!

“I’m sorry Dave! I just thought that ... you shouldn’t have done that to me because we’re not lovers or husband and wife.” Lea looked at Dave awkwardly, hoping he would forgive her. She was indeed looking for justification. She only moved away because of the chaotic feelings and sensations that his touch caused.

“It’s okay, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. You must be surprised, right?” Dave asked in a low voice, his voice almost caught in his throat.

Lea smiled faintly, relieved that Dave understood why she did that. She was greatly relieved when there was a ding sound, signaling that they had reached the bottom floor.

Dave was right. Outside, the snow was quite thick and still heavy. The snow pile will grow even more in the next hour. It’s not fun at all when you have to linger on the road with lots of risks.

Lea noticed the shoes she was currently wearing were not suitable for the situation. Not winter boots, which were equipped with rubber to maintain balance on slippery snow, but fashionable black ankle boots with pointed toes. God, why didn’t she dress according to the weather forecast? Even considering boots that match the black dress that covers her body at this time.

Seeing that Lea was hesitant to take a step, Dave gentlemanly offered his hand. Lea gasped in surprise as the large, black-gloved palm reached out to her.

“You can slip into those kinds of shoes. My car is a bit far there,” Dave said with a straight face, without hesitation.

Imagining Dave would take her to the parking lot, walking hand in hand, made Lea’s feelings messed up. What if someone saw it and reported it to Clara?

Lea then shook her head quickly. “No need, I can walk by myself.” Lea was desperate to say that because it would not end well. She was not sure that she would get to where Dave’s car was parked without any problems.

Sure enough. Just two steps away, Dave heard Lea’s scream.

“Aaah!”