When the four of them arrived home, Roxanne was already done preparing dinner, and she was resting on the couch. Upon hearing noises at the door, she woke up immediately and went to open the door.
“Mommy!” The kids rushed toward her and hugged her legs. Roxanne lowered her gaze and patted their heads with a smile on her face. “Did you guys have fun today?”
Benny nodded fervently before turning back to look at Lucian with his pair of bright eyes. “Yes! Daddy brought us to the amusement park, and we watched a movie!”
Roxanne smiled when she heard the joy in Benny’s voice. She only realized how Benny had addressed Lucian a few seconds later. When she did, the smile on her face froze. Instead of asking Benny what was going on, she gave Lucian an inquisitive glance.
Noticing that, Lucian explained matter-of-factly, “I told them to address me so when we’re in the public. After all, I’ve already made it known to the public. If others were to hear them addressing me another way, it would be troublesome.”
A weird look flashed across Roxanne’s eyes when she heard that. She patted the kids’ heads and kept mum. It’s a matter of time before they address Lucian as “Daddy.” That’s something I have to accept. I just hope the kids won’t blame me after they find out about their backgrounds.
Archie sensed the awkward atmosphere and broke the silence by saying, “Mommy, I’m starving!” Roxanne came back to her senses and answered, “Let’s eat! Go and wash your hands, okay? I’ll heat up the food.”
The kids nodded obediently, took off their shoes, and entered the house. Lucian washed his hands first and followed Roxanne into the kitchen.
His presence was just impossible to ignore, and it led to Roxanne recalling the kiss they had shared at that exact spot. Her body stiffened instantly. “I’m sorry, I should’ve checked you before telling the kids to address me so.”
Lucian’s deep voice rang out from behind her. Roxanne halted in her tracks and lowered her gaze to hide her awkwardness. She calmed herself down and uttered flatly, “It’s all right. You’re right. They should address you so in public.”
With that, Roxanne quickly changed the topic because she was afraid that Lucian would bring up Archie’s and Benny’s backgrounds. “The food is ready. Let’s eat.”
Lucian knew she was avoiding the topic, so he didn’t pursue the matter. Instead, he helped her bring the dishes out.
By then, the kids were already sitting at the dining table. They had even sat on one side so that their parents could sit next to each other on the opposite side of the table.
While Lucian had taken his seat in a calm manner, Roxanne hesitated for a moment before she eventually sat down next to him.
During dinner, Roxanne was constantly spacing out because of how Benny had addressed Lucian. Besides, she had been kept busy at work for the past couple of days. She only snapped out of her reverie when she saw a peeled prawn in her bowl.
“Have you been tiring yourself out for the past couple of days?” Lucian’s heart wrenched in pain. Roxanne pulled herself together and smiled. “I’m fine. I’m just going to be busy for the time being.”
With that, she wanted to serve the kids some food. However, she saw that the kids’ plates were already filled up, so she instantly shifted her gaze toward Lucian. At that moment, he was still peeling prawns, and he hadn’t had time to eat his dinner.
Roxanne felt touched by what she saw, so she thanked Lucian softly. In response, Lucian served her another peeled prawn.
