The Tyrant's Wife

Chapter 369: Welcome party(3)

Alyssa’s eyes watered as she stared at the little bundle in her arms. She was afraid to blink and wake up from this dream. It had to be a dream, because how could Desmond ever let her near his son after everything she did? The fact that she was holding the boy in her arms while his parents watched them with no hint of suspicion on their faces was more proof that this couldn’t be real. Besides, how could anyone be so cute?

Holden had big, bright eyes the same brown color as his mother’s, and a nose she could swear looked exactly like Desmond’s. He was the perfect combination of his parents’ best traits. Although it was said babies weren’t really smiling at that age, that it was just an unintentional reflex, she could swear Holden’s full, toothless grin was intentional.

One little leg kept finding its way out of the white cotton blanket he’d been wrapped in. Her heart melted as she tucked it in and she could swear the boy scowled at her.

"Your daddy didn’t like having his legs covered either." She attempted a laugh but ended up choking back a sob.

Zaria was smiling at them. Patting Desmond’s back gently, she said,

"I’ll go tend to the other guests."

Desmond knew she was only leaving to give them time to catch up, which he wasn’t sure he needed. It didn’t matter how much time passed and what they had been through, some things would never change.

One of them was the fact that Alyssa was his mother whether he liked it or not.

The other, sadly, was the fact that too much had changed between them.

It was still unbelievable in some ways. Their relationship wasn’t always sour. In the past, they had some good times together. The memories seemed blurry now but they did happen.

Alyssa must have been thinking the same thing because she suddenly extended her arms to give Holden back to him. "I’ll be on my way. Thank you for letting me hold him."

He took his son back and stared at her. "You can stay a little longer, at least long enough to have some drinks."

While it made her overjoyed that her son was being so kind to her, she knew deep down that she didn’t deserve it. She didn’t deserve Zaria’s kindness either.

So she cracked her knuckles and took the chance while Desmond was holding his son to take one last thing she knew she didn’t deserve. She held his face and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, son." She whispered. Then she turned around and left.

....

"I saw Alyssa leave. Is everything okay?" Zaria asked as she returned to Desmond, who was still standing in the same spot with the baby in his arms.

"I guess."

Zaria nodded, understanding Alyssa’s train of thought.

It is said time can heal all wounds and it was true for the most part. However, that didn’t mean things went back to what they were before the wounds were inflicted. A scar may heal but it would always be more sensitive than the rest of the skin.

And while time may heal many scars, no amount of time would erase the past and the guilt that came along with it.

Desmond had spent a lot of time mad at Alyssa because he thought he had to be ready to forgive her before he could let her back into his life. It took a while to realize that it wasn’t Alyssa he needed to forgive, but himself. He had always partially blamed himself for Alyssa’s selfishness. Once he let that go, he no longer felt so bitter towards his mother.

He didn’t know if Alyssa would ever forgive herself but he was not going to dwell on that. Not when he had a family to take care of now.

The two of them finally walked into the garden where all the guests were waiting. Natalie and Ximena had gone all out, making it look almost like the venue of a wedding, but the countless blue and white balloons were a huge giveaway.

That, and the huge banner with the words "Welcome, Holden Theo Fort" in gold font.

Zaria smiled when she saw it. They had named Holden after Theodore as well, but made it his middle name instead of his first name. They had shortened it after Zeus mentioned what a mouthful ’Holden Theodore Fort’ would be.

"Where’s Theo Jr?" Theodore asked, opening his arms wide to hug his daughter and son-in-law.

"Charming the brains off his godmother." Zaria laughed as she melted into her father’s embrace. She then turned to her mother and noticed the ring glimmering off her finger. "Congratulations you two. I didn’t think I’d ever see the day."

Lucy smiled and hugged her. "It would be such a waste of your efforts playing the cupid role with your brother, wouldn’t it?"

"I have no idea what you’re talking about." She feigned ignorance, and changed the topic. "I was thinking, maybe I should get back to work in a few weeks?"

She felt a series of glares and a chill ran down her spine. She forced a laugh. "Uh...guys, I’m not made of glass. I can wear high heels now."

"Stay a while longer." Lucy said, and Theodore agreed with her.

She turned to Desmond for his opinion, only to receive a resounding "No".

"Well, can I at least work from home? I feel like I’m going crazy staying cooped up in the house." She asked.

With Ximena around and the rest of their friends and family dropping by, as well as the maids, all Zaria had little to do except nurse Holden. Everything was usually taken care of in the blink of an eye and although she took a walk once in a while, she missed going to work.

When Lucy and Theodore went in search of their grandson, she looked up at Desmond and smiled. "I’m sure I can convince my boss to let me handle some work matters, maybe answer some emails."

The look in her eyes told him she was going to enjoy ’asking for work to do’ more than the actual work itself.

He couldn’t stop himself. He cleared his throat and leaned in to ask in a whisper, "How long did the doctor say we should wait?"

"Until I’m comfortable enough. And I’ve been comfortable for a while." She purred.

He took in a hiss of air. If he continued listening to her, he was going to embarrass himself in the presence of the guests.