Chapter 186 - He'll Protect Her
Felicity couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. It was the first time her boy took Hera in his arms. She beamed at her little family while Alexander busied himself, packing his camera safely back into its case.
Suddenly Hunter screamed in horror. Startled, Alexander almost dropped his camera. He rushed to his son while Felicity hugged her little boy to her chest immediately.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Felicity asked, concern dripping from her voice. Husband and wife both looked at their son, worry filling their eyes. Hunter had tears in his eyes, and his face flushed red. He blinked, and the fat teardrops rushed out of his eyes, running down his rosy cheeks. “What happened, Junior?” Alexander asked in a soft tone.
“She peed on me,” he said, his adorable face scrunching in disgust.. Felicity sighed in relief while Alexander rolled his eyes. “You forgot her diaper, Felci,” he stated the obvious, scolding her for being careless. But Felicity had no time to reply as her son pushed Hera out of his lap in disgust. She jumped to her feet in an instant and caught Hera in her arms before she could get hurt.
“I don’t like her. She’s a dirty baby. Throw her out, throw her out. I hate her,” Hunter screamed in anger, roughly wiping his tears from his cheeks using his knuckles. His angry outburst scared Hera and made her cry. Felicity busied herself by rocking Hera in her arms, whispering sweet nothings to make her stop crying.
Meanwhile, Alexander stood in stunned silence. His son was glaring at baby Hera with his tear-filled eyes. For a three-year-old kid, the anger burning in his eyes was too much. He looked furious, and it scared Alexander. He softly called his name, but the boy didn’t take his eyes off Hera, nor did he hear his father addressing him.
Alexander knew only his wife could tame the boy when he was angry. He would listen to no one else. But Felicity didn’t pay any attention to him as her main priority was to make Hera stop crying. Being ignored by his mother only made Hunter more enraged, and he knocked the vase on the coffee table. The glass shattering on the floor startled his mother.
Hunter ran out of the room before his mother could say anything.
“The situation is more sensitive than we thought, Felci. We should be more careful and handle it wisely. You put Hera to sleep, and I’ll talk to Junior,” he said and followed his son to his room.
Hunter was in the bathroom, sitting naked inside the bathtub. His clothes were all carelessly discarded on the floor. Alexander’s heart broke at the sight of his little boy sobbing, hiccupping in-between. He had his head buried between his knees while hands clasped around his legs tightly.
Alexander walked inside, careful enough to not startle the little boy. He sat on the edge of the bathtub and ran his fingers through Hunter’s hair affectionately. The upset boy swatted his hand away rudely. Smiling, Alexander slid into the bathtub and shifted Hunter to his lap. Wrapping his arms around his boy, he kissed the side of his head.
“It’s okay, Junior. I’ll help you clean. Let’s shower together,” he said in a requesting tone. “Mom didn’t come to help me take a bath. She doesn’t love me anymore. She only loves Hera now,” Hunter complained. He turned over his shoulder to look at his father. “She’s so dirty, Dad. Why does Mom like that bad girl so much?” Hunter asked.
“Mom loves you the most, Junior, and I love you too,” Alexander said assuringly. “And Hera is not a bad girl. All the babies do that dirty thing when they are small. You did that too. Do you know you always pissed on my suit when you were a baby every time I got ready to leave for work?” Alexander shared with his son, an amused chuckle following right after.
“I did?” Hunter asked in surprise and scrunched up his nose in a grimace at the revelation while his father kissed his chubby cheeks.
“Babies need more attention because they can’t take care of themselves. That’s why Mom gives Hera more of her time, but it doesn’t mean she loves you less now,” he said, hugging his son tighter to his chest. “You can ask your girlfriend to meet Hera. She’ll be happy to have another girl in your group,” Alexander said, trying to change Hunter’s bad mood.
The little boy scoffed at his father.
“We don’t need another girl because I already have another girlfriend, and Evie is pretty as a princess. Do you know her mommy comes on tv? She plays in movies,” Hunter said excitedly. He forgot his anger for the moment as he spoke about his friends. His eyes shone brighter as they widened in wonder.
Alexander nodded, feigning surprise. Hunter got easily distracted and let his father bathe him. When both father and son got ready and joined Felicity in the living hall, Hera was fed and fast asleep in her crib.
Felicity opened her arms for her baby boy inviting him for a hug which he reluctantly obeyed. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“I’m sorry I forgot Hera’s diaper. It was entirely my fault,” Felicity apologised, rocking her son in her arms. “Hmm, you smell so nice,” she pointed out, inhaling deep. Hunter laughed when she nuzzled her nose into his neck. “I wore your new perfume,” he informed his mother. “I don’t want Hera’s pee to make me smell bad,” he said in a disgusted tone.
“Hey, I’m hungry. Can we have our food now?” Alexander asked, changing the subject, and Felicity smiled in gratitude.
Hunter sat on his mother’s lap and enjoyed his food while she hand-fed him.
“Do you love me, Mummy?” He asked, anticipating a positive reply from his mother. She felt guilty hearing the doubt in his voice. “Of course, baby. I love you the most,” she said with all honesty. Pleased, Hunter smiled big.
“More than Hera?” Hunter asked. Felicity left a soft kiss on his cheek before feeding him another bite. “Yes, more than Hera because you’re my first baby. You called me mummy first,” she said, pride lacing her tone.
“Do you love me more than Daddy?” Little Hunter asked, looking at his father, an unimpressed scowl playing on his face. Alexander raised his eyebrows at Felicity, and she bit back a smile. “I love you more than everyone and everything in this world. You’re my favourite,” she admitted pecking his cheek again.
“And you’re my favourite too,” Alexander stated, ruffling Hunter’s hair. Hunter laughed, delighted and satisfied with their confessions.
“Now that you’re a big boy, I don’t have to worry about your Mom and Hera. You can protect them when I’m not at home,” Alexander said, and Hunter nodded enthusiastically. “You can beat all the bullies who trouble Hera. What a good big brother you will be,” Alexander added in an impressed tone. Hunter eyed his father suspiciously at that.
“Promise me, Junior, you’ll always keep her safe and protect her from every evil,” Alexander asked his son. He was trying to make him accept Hera’s presence in his life somehow, and it seemed working for the time being. “I promise, Dad. I’ll always protect her,” Hunter agreed without any protest.
Felicity smiled at her husband in appreciation. “I’m impressed,” she mouthed secretly to him.
They both spent their whole day confessing how much they loved their son and how proud he makes them.
That day, Hunter never glared at Hera in anger again. But he refused to touch her no matter how much his mother insisted. He silently watched while Felicity crooned Hera into sleep with a lullaby.
“I’ll protect her, but I still don’t like her,” he whispered into his father’s ear before falling asleep too. Hunter slept on his father’s chest, listening to his mother’s angelic voice. Alexander sighed in defeat. It wasn’t as easy as he thought to convince his stubborn son after all. A smile crept into his lips at his son’s promise nonetheless.
With a goodnight kiss to both their children, Alexander shifted Hera into her crib before carrying Hunter into his room.
Alexander couldn’t get enough of his Felicity. He was kissing her greedily while she tried to keep up with his speed and eagerness. He carried her in his arms without breaking the kiss and carefully placed her on the bed. Alexander pulled away from her lips, immediately peppering her jaw with butterfly kisses.
Felicity moaned in appreciation and looped her arms around his shoulders to pull him more into her. They were in the middle of making love when the baby monitor in the nursery went off, startling them both.
Alexander sighed in self-pity while his wife slipped away from their bed.
He couldn’t sleep a wink yesterday as Hera stayed awake the whole night. He wanted Felicity to rest, so he had to take charge.
“We just put her to bed,” he whined. Felicity giggled and righted her clothes before leaving the room. With a helpless groan, he followed her to baby Hera’s nursery.