the various chances

chapter fifty one

Lily

Hannah didn't want to leave Nonna as well as London but she had to join her new school and didn't have much time left for preparations so we were on our way back to New York. There was something suspicious about Jeremy and Nonna gossiping but I thought my over-thinking mind was playing tricks with me and I brushed it off.

Day 1 after being back to pavilion and we rushed our ass to meetings. Since Jeremy had been out for more than a week or so, he had shit ton of work piled up. I helped him as much as I could and we were about 45-50% in it. The evening sky had taken its spot. We were riding back to house. The lines on his forehead and the tension in his muscles showed how stressed up he was.

A week went by the same; I worked with Jeremy side by side. We had cleared up everything and were back on our regular pace the only difference was that now we'd come together, work by sitting side by side and leave together. Neither of us gave shit to what people wanted to say. I was relieved to see the load of work slowly reducing to zero for him.

We were making our way back home when he swivelled the car in some other direction instead our normal route to house. I turn to face him and ask, "Jeremy, where are we going?" Eyes on the road he answers, "for dinner." I nod and we fall back to silence. The trip comes to an end in front of a fancy 7 star restaurant. Jeremy parked the car and rushed to my side to open the door for me. I smile at him, take his extended hand and step out of the car after muttering a 'thank you'.

We walk inside hands in hands and I frown at the fact that when Jeremy told the receptionist about the reservations made under his name. "When did you make the call? I was with you the whole time, I didn't see you doing this", I whine lowly while the receptionist guides us to our table. He chuckles, "love, this was meant to be a surprise for you."

At the corner of the restaurant, our table was situated. Jeremy pulls out my chair for me and I gracefully accept it, thanking him for the same. He took his seat in front of me, gestures to the menu and says, "say what you want to eat." I flip open the booklet and go through it while saying, "why the sudden thought though, not that I don't appreciate it."

He stops at some page and says, "it's been a while you and I were out like this together so why not", he shrugs. I nod at him, "still, I appreciate it very much." He smiles, his blue eyes shining. We place our orders and converse about things here and there before the food came.

After food, Jeremy insisted we take a walk in the nearby park. The silence was heavy, I could feel something brewing in his head and it was stuck. The way his hold tightened on my hands and the sweat forming at the back of his neck. I stop and step in front of him. He frowns. I grab his shoulders and step closer to him, "there is something you want to tell me, go ahead, Jeremy."

The muscles underneath my palms were tense, he sighs, "I am trying to find the correct words but I don't know how to put it." "What is it?" I ask.

"Your grandmother wants us to adopt Hannah."

I frown, "But your family already has her."

"No" –he shakes his head- "she wants us, you and me to adopt her, tell her that she can call us her mother and father." This never came to my mind; I was thinking that Hannah was perfectly fine with the Langford family. I knew that someday she'd want the answers and for sure we were going to tell her but I didn't expect Nonna to bring up something like this.

"She specifically wants us to be her parents", Jeremy says. I never thought we'd come this far where Hannah's custody would be a question for me. As much as I wanted to be a part of her life, I couldn't make myself imagine her addressing me as her mother. The thought of Hannah being around me, constantly in my watch and treating me as a parent was delightful but the doubts in my mind keep on messing up with my emotions.