Thought you hated Amelie

Sage fastened the apron around himself and washed his hands in the sink.

“We could have ate outside,” Katelyn said. “You attended so many meetings. Aren’t you tired?” Her elbows rested on the kitchen’s counter as she looked at Sage with a pouted face.

“I’m tired. But I wanted to cook tonight’s meal for us,” Sage answered. “Why don’t you rest for some time until the dinner be ready?”

“I’ll prepare the salad,” Katelyn stated, standing straight. She was quick to reach the refrigerator when Sage’s hand slammed it shut, his body pressing on hers from behind.

“Sage,” as she whispered, she tilted her head to find his lips brushing her neck sensually, but not kissing her.

“Just take rest, mate. You are more tired than me. I saw you running here and there since the morning,” he stated.

Katelyn couldn’t argue and turned around. “Sure.” But before walking away, she kissed his lips. Sage’s eyes slightly grew big before he pressed his own lips while his free hand moved to her waist, not letting her move. He had to pull away reluctantly a few seconds later.

“If we don’t stop here, forget the dinner will happen,” Sage muttered. His thumb brushed the loose strands away from her cheek. “Go.” He took a step back, motioning his hand in the air.

Katelyn smiled and ran to the bedroom. She settled into the mattress before pulling out the phone from the pocket of the long coat, she removed earlier. She turned on her stomach and opened Amelie’s contact. Clicking on it, she dialed her number, waiting for the call to get answered.

As soon as it was picked, Katelyn greeted her excitedly. “Amelie, I’ve been missing you. Is everyone good there? And how’s my little nephew doing?”

“Noah is doing well and so is everyone,” came Gabriel’s voice from the other side.

“Brother! What are you doing with Amelie’s phone?” Katelyn exclaimed.

“She’s not in the room. I just walked in and saw the device ringing, so I picked it up,” Gabriel’s deep voice answered on the other end.

“Where is she? Tell her to call me when she’s free,” Katelyn replied.

“Sure. But why do you sound so annoyed?” Gabriel chuckled, clearly hearing the edge in her voice.

“I’m not,” Katelyn shot back defensively. “I’m hanging up. Just have her call me when she gets back.”

Gabriel offered a simple hum of agreement before the line went dead. He set the phone down on the nightstand and began shedding his heavy outer layers, heading into the washroom to refresh himself. By the time he stepped back into the bedroom, Amelie and Noah had already returned.

“Did Kate call?” Amelie asked, checking her phone.

“Yes. You should give her a call back,” Gabriel said. He shifted his gaze to Noah, who was currently treating the large bed like a personal playground, tossing and turning with a level of energy that only a child could possess.

Gabriel moved to the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight, while Amelie stepped out onto the balcony to return Katelyn’s call.

“Come here, Noah! Come to Daddy,” Gabriel said, a soft smile touching his lips as he extended his arms. The little boy stopped his tumbling and simply stared at his father with wide, silent eyes, making no effort to move toward him.

“What? Are you still upset that I didn’t take you with me?” Gabriel chuckled, the memory of Noah’s stubborn, tearful protest earlier that evening fresh in his mind. “It was work, little one. I couldn’t take you to such a place.”

Instead of being coaxed by the explanation, Noah pushed off on his small elbows. He began a determined crawl across the expanse of the mattress, deliberately sliding away from Gabriel’s reach and moving toward the far side of the bed in a silent show of defiance.

Just as Noah reached the edge of the bed, Gabriel’s large hands swept in and scooped him up.

“Ah! Mah! Ahh!”

Noah immediately began thrashing his legs, his face scrunching up as he let out a protest of loud, indignant cries. The noise drew Amelie back into the room; she glanced up from her phone, her expression worried.

Gabriel simply shook his head, offering a silent wave of his hand to assure her that he had everything under control. Seeing the two of them were fine, she stepped back out to finish her conversation with Katelyn.

“Noah, is this really your way of protesting against me?” Gabriel chuckled softly, pulling the boy close to his chest and tucking him into a firm hug.

The resistance vanished instantly. Noah turned calm, his small body relaxing as he inhaled his father’s familiar, grounding scent. He buried his face against Gabriel’s neck, the earlier defiance forgotten in the comfort of being held.

“Daddy was busy, Noah. I must eliminate the threats that could become trouble for us later. When you become a big boy, you’ll understand your daddy’s worries. I don’t want you and Amelie to suffer in any way,” Gabriel whispered with a father’s protective instinct.

Noah lifted his head, his wide eyes scanning Gabriel’s troubled expression. As if sensing the weight of those worries, his little lips pouted on their own. “Daddy,” he called out, the word clear and sweet.

Gabriel froze, his heart skipping a beat. “Did you call me Daddy? Not Pa or Da, but Daddy?”

“Daddy!” Noah repeated, his tiny voice ringing with certainty.

As Noah spoke the full word, a laughter erupted from Gabriel, filling the quiet bedroom. He felt suddenly light-hearted, as if the heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders by a single word.

“Boy, you truly amaze me,” he muttered, pulling his son back into a tight embrace.

Amelie froze in the doorway, her heart melting at the sight of Gabriel and Noah.

“Amelie, Noah called me Daddy. He’s beginning to speak full words,” Gabriel informed her, his smile brighter than she had seen it in weeks.

“Oh my God! Really?” Amelie exclaimed, her phone forgotten as she rushed to the bedside. She leaned in, her hand resting tenderly on Noah’s soft hair, her eyes shimmering with hope. “Noah, sweetheart, can you say it for me? Call me Mommy.”

Noah looked up at her, his big eyes blinking slowly before a tiny grin spread across his face. “Mamma,” he chirped.

Amelie’s breath hitched, a joyous laugh escaping her as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. Gabriel reached out, pulling Amelie into the circle of his arm so the three of them were huddled together on the bed.

After some time, Amelie put Noah to sleep as he finished the milk. Gently lowering him into the crib, she said, “Kate was mentioning about meeting Flora. She said Flora looked scared.”

“Scared? Why? Did you talk to her?” Gabriel inquired.

“Not yet,” Amelie answered. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

She lowered herself to the bed’s edge when Gabriel hugged her from behind as his chin rested on her shoulder.

~~~~~

In the middle of the night, Flora turned on her bed, oblivious that a man was present in her room. She was so deep in sleep that she didn’t realize the man’s fingers touched the bangs on her forehead.

“Flora, you failed to do your last job and ruined me. I seriously thought you hated Amelie,” Alex murmured, his eyes flashing a strange brown color before he withdrew his hand and disappeared from the room through the balcony.