Chapter 172
"Casey!" Ollie screamed as the boy bounded up towards me and tripped into my arms.
"I missed you, little guy!" I squealed, hugging him tight and swinging him around. His feet swayed and he giggled excitedly.
We've had Oliver with us since he was a year old and he was the first child that we took in. I immediately grew a soft spot for the little boy.
He reminded me so much of Pio as he grows older. It made my heart swell looking at all their bright smiles, knowing that I contributed to their happiness.
I put Ollie down as the others started to eye the treats like small hungry cubs.
"Okay kids! You know the rules, everyone gets the same amount so don't take others' sweets!" Cole's mom called out before nodding at Adam, so he could start distributing the bowls.
They all swarmed around Adam as he tried to keep up with their grasping hands. Watching him with the kids has never failed to make me swoon.
I took a seat beside Cole's mother as I watched my boyfriend entertain the children that stuck around even after he didn't have any bowls of sweets left.
"How've you been doing, darling?"
I turned to Cole's mother with a smile, "I've been great, Lionett. How are your kids doing?"
Deep down I was mostly curious of how Cole's disabled brother was doing. I've learnt that his name was Ryan.
A couple of months after I gave the money to Cole, he split the money to meet all of his siblings' needs, including Ryan's. He got professional help for Ryan and occasionally, Cole would tell me about his progress.
I've successfully avoided Ryan at all cost even after he moved into this house, scared that I'd trigger a trauma in him.
"The kids are great! I honestly cannot thank you enough for taking them in, sweetheart. You have no idea how much weight you've taken off my shoulders by covering their needs." Lionett gushed as she took my hands in hers and squeezed it lightly.
I could see how grateful she was and I couldn't help but tear up a little.
After knowing that Cole split the money to get Ryan some professional help, I listed his adopted siblings in the list of the orphans staying in the house to be able to cover their financial needs and gave Cole some bonus pays here and there.
Lionett was wrong, I did know how much weight I've lifted off her shoulders; because I was the one who put them there.
To that day, the guilt of what I did to her son hadn't left me and Cole never allowed me to fess up to Lionett. I never questioned why and simply assumed it was probably to prevent her from asking questions that we'd rather forget the answers to.
"And how's Ryan?" I pried further when I noticed she didn't mention him.
"He's doing better every day, darling," Lionett assured patting my hand lightly.
"I'm glad to hear that," I tried to mask how affected I was with the good news by mustering a small smile and holding the tears at bay.
Adam and I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around and spending time with the kids. After helping the Lionett with dinner, Adam and I bid our goodbyes to everyone.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" Cole asked again as he walked us to the door.
I gave him a smile as we stepped onto the porch.
"We're sure, Cole." I declined as I gave him a brief hug. "We have plans somewhere else in a bit so we've gotta get going." I explained further as Adam gave Cole a nod.
We didn't have any specific plans, but Adam went with my lead. I didn't want to take up any food that's supposed to be for the kids' food.
"Alright, visit again soon! The kids miss you guys," Cole waved as Adam and I started walking to the car.
"We will!" Adam called out over his shoulder as he unlocked the car.
As we pulled out of the driveway, I turned to Adam and asked, "So what would you like to eat?"
He eyed me knowingly as I smiled at him.
"What about we do something different tonight?" He asked me as he pulled up at a nearby McDonald's drive-thru.
I didn't question him as soon as I saw the look on his face. He's probably got something up his sleeve.
We placed our orders and took it from the next window before driving away.
Adam parked near a park before getting out and opening my door for me.
There weren't many people in the park tonight since it was pretty late. The only people loitering around were couples.
He took my hand and guided us to the park where we settled on a bench. We opened up the brown paper bag and started eating.
I took a bite from my burger and laid my head on Adam's shoulder while I chewed.
This man knew me so well. I'd choose this over dinner in a fancy restaurant any day. Pigging out on fast food in a park, where there was no one to judge you for your lack of table etiquette.
After finishing our food, we threw away our trash and proceeded to stroll and wander around the park. There was only a few lampposts but the sky was clear and the moon gave adequate lighting for us to see properly.
"Do you remember the time that we first met?" Adam asked me as we walked hand in hand.
"Yeah. God, looking back at it, it was kind of cliché. The nerd caught the attention of the attractive guy, yadda yadda yadda. You were very clingy too," I teased him with a cheeky smile.
Adam rolled his eyes at me but his lips pulled into a smile.
"Well, I remember it quite differently," Adam said. I hummed along before I realized what he said and came to an abrupt stop.
"What?" I voiced, barely audible, turning around to look at him.
