Chapter 947 Thoughtful Hubert, Boris, and Noomi
Phoebe had been pulling long hours lately, leaving early and coming home late.
On the rare occasions she got off work early, she spent her time either with Theodore or with Hubert, Boris, and Noomi.
Today was one of those rare opportunities.
Evelyn brought over a fruit platter.
Phoebe speared a piece of apple and popped it into her mouth. "I haven't seen Dad around lately," she said.
Evelyn shot her a look.
Phoebe persisted, "Are you thinking about forgiving him?"
Evelyn looked away, uncomfortable. "How could I? He left us for years and married someone else. I'm not going to forgive him that easily."
"But he's single now," Phoebe pointed out. "You haven't wanted to remarry all these years because you still have feelings for him. Isn't it better to have him back in your life now?"
Honestly, even if Harper came back broke, Phoebe hoped Evelyn would reconcile with him.
They were at the age where they could enjoy each other's company.
Evelyn gave her a sidelong glance. "Are you trying to speak for him?"
"No, I'm just being honest. Whether you listen or not is up to you," Phoebe said, turning her attention to the TV.
Evelyn stabbed a piece of apple, as if venting her frustration.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed.
She picked it up and saw it was the very person they had just been talking about.
Phoebe craned her neck to peek and grinned. "I'll head upstairs and leave you two to your private conversation."
With that, she got up and went upstairs.
Evelyn was both angry and annoyed. She hung up the call, but the phone rang again almost immediately.
She accidentally answered it and then felt it would be too deliberate to hang up right away.
She finally snapped, "It's so late. Why are you calling me? Don't you know you're disturbing my sleep?"
Harper's gentle voice came through the line. "Are you asleep? I'm sorry, I didn't know you went to bed so early. I'll be more careful next time."
Evelyn was helpless.
Theodore had taken Hubert, Boris, and Noomi to Donovan's house for a private discussion that lasted an hour.
When they came downstairs, Hubert, Boris, and Noomi were playing with Ethan in the living room, sweating profusely.
Ruby stood up from the couch, looking nervously at the two tall men. "Mr. Reynolds, are you done with your meeting?"
Theodore nodded slightly and walked over to Hubert, Boris, and Noomi. "Did you have fun? Mom's calling us home."
Hubert, holding a toy gun, said, "Theodore, we want to play a little longer."
Theodore checked his watch. "Alright, five more minutes. Then we go home, okay?"
"Okay!" Hubert, Boris, and Noomi chorused.
The kids continued their toy gun battle while Theodore and Donovan leaned against the staircase railing, chatting.
They had just been discussing serious matters behind closed doors, but now they were talking about parenting.
"I didn't expect you to be so patient. Three kids the same age can be quite a handful," Donovan said, recalling his own experiences with inconsolable children.
Theodore replied, "They're very well-behaved and easy to manage."
Donovan sighed, not wanting to expose Theodore's facade. He knew Theodore well enough to know he didn't tolerate any nonsense.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have held a grudge against Phoebe for so many years after she lost their baby because of Edward.
Now, Theodore treated Hubert, Boris, and Noomi as his own, likely as a strategy to win Phoebe back.
Donovan couldn't tell how genuine Theodore's feelings for the kids were.
From a man's perspective, Donovan knew he couldn't be as magnanimous as Theodore.
If Ethan were Ruby's child with another man, he would make her regret ever being born.
Treating Ethan as his own? Not a chance.
The four kids were having a blast, but when the five minutes were up, Theodore called them to put on their jackets.
Boris tried to stall. "Theodore, can we play for five more minutes?"
Theodore shook his head and wiped the sweat from Boris's neck with a towel. "We agreed, and we need to keep our promises."
Boris pouted but reluctantly put down the toy gun and ran to tell Ethan, "Ethan, I'll come back to play with you tomorrow."
"Me too," Noomi said, wiping her face with a small towel. "Ethan's house is so much fun. Theodore, can we come back tomorrow?"
"You'll have to ask Donovan if he wants you to come back," Theodore said, passing the decision to Donovan.
Donovan, thinking about the noise the kids had made earlier, felt a headache coming on.
But seeing their hopeful eyes, he reluctantly nodded.
"Sure."
"We'll come back tomorrow!" Hubert cheered, and Theodore grabbed him to wipe the sweat from his head and put his hat on.
"Let's go home."
As they left Donovan's house, Keith and Louis followed closely.
Since it wasn't far, Theodore hadn't brought a stroller.
Hubert, Boris, and Noomi walked hand in hand ahead, while Theodore followed behind.
Noomi pointed to a dark area of the yard. "A stray cat! There's a stray cat!"
Hubert and Boris looked over and quickly huddled close to Theodore. "Theodore, there's a stray cat. It's going to take us away!"
Theodore looked but saw nothing. He laughed. "Don't worry. If there is a stray cat, the bodyguards will take care of it."
Boris's eyes widened in admiration as he looked at Keith and Louis. "Bodyguards are so cool. I want to be a bodyguard when I grow up."
Theodore thought, 'Boris, can't you aim a little higher?'
Noomi shook her head. "No, we can't hurt the stray cats. We should catch them and take them to an animal shelter."
Theodore patted Noomi's little red hat. "Noomi's right."
Hubert, Boris, and Noomi then started discussing their plans for catching stray cats and taking them to shelters.
Theodore listened, amazed at the kids' imaginative ideas. They might not be practical, but they made sense in their way.
He watched Hubert's hair sticking out from under his hat. He had planned to pull out a strand of Hubert's hair for a DNA test, but with Keith and Louis always around, he hadn't found the right moment.
So, they made it home without Theodore getting his chance.
Evelyn had just finished her phone call and looked radiant.
Seeing Theodore with Hubert, Boris, and Noomi, she stood up. "Theodore, thank you. Hubert, Boris, and Noomi didn't give you any trouble, did they?"
"No, they had a great time at Donovan's. It's late, so I'll take them upstairs to get ready for bed," Theodore said.
Evelyn quickly walked over. "You've had a long night. Let me do it. You should wash up and get some rest. You have work tomorrow."
Evelyn had never spent much time with Theodore before and always felt he was unapproachable.
But now that Donovan and Phoebe were running their successful businesses, she didn't feel inferior around him anymore.
Most importantly, Theodore no longer seemed so distant. He was just like any other person now, and she felt much closer to him.
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