Enraptured

Chapter 76

"Did you have fun, Theo?"

I passed off our skis to one of my guards as I kneeled down to help him unclasp his helmet. With how cold it was in Gstaad at peak season, Belle had made sure that he was well bundled up for the weather, leaving not even a single inkling of frozen toes. The only problem was that he had practically been turned into a marshmallow with by the time she was done dressing him, making it quite difficult for him to handle any item with his thick mittens.

As the hard cap popped off of his little head, a bright smile beamed up at me as he cheerily replied, "I did! Did you see how fast I went on the last run?"

I chuckled softly as I helped him out of his ski boots, remembering how he barely turned and basically barreled his way down the mountain. "I did see. You are quite the daredevil, aren't you?"

"Yup!" He twirled around in the snow freely now that he was back into his normal boots. Jumping into my arms all of a sudden, he excitedly exclaimed, "I can't wait to show mom the videos!"

I easily caught him before he could fall, tightening my hold, as I kept the both of us from toppling over. He looked so happy at the moment that my heart couldn't help melting at the sight.

It was the complete opposite of his sullen state back from when he had unexpectedly run into that vile birth mother of his. And I would do anything within my power to make sure he could continue smiling like this forever.

Securing his hyperactive little body in my arms, I started to make my way toward the village attached to the ski resort and told him, "Your mom said that she would be waiting for us near the ski rink at four o'clock. We still have a bit of time, so do you want to get something to eat first or go straight there?"

He placed his finger on his chin, delving into deep thought as if I had asked him some sort of centuries-old philosophical question.

I chuckled softly at his action and offered, "There's supposedly a shop that sells very good Belgian waffles near the ice rink. Why don't we order from there while we wait for Belle? I'm sure she would like to try one too."

His eyes lit up at my suggestion, immediately agreed with an energetic nod.

Smiling warmly at his antics, I carefully weaved my way through the crowded village, following the signs for the ice rink and ignoring the fact that my guards were struggling to keep up with me from the sheer amount of people.

As we arrived at the center of the village, a delightful scent of caramelized sugar wafted through the air, making it quite easy to pinpoint the waffle shop. I easily made my way to the front counter and ordered two Belgian waffles through the kiosk.

I wasn't sure if it was my towering height or if the little boy was nearly bouncing out of my arms in excitement, but several people had turned their heads to look at us as we waited for our number to be called.

Although I was used to being stared at in public, I didn't really do much business in Switzerland and wanted to assume that most people wouldn't know who I was. I wanted to spend the holidays with my new family without being turned into a zoo exhibition, which was why I had instructed my guards to keep a bit more distance than usual.

Luckily, it didn't seem like they knew who I was. Based on the snippets of French and Italian murmurs around us, they were mostly just commenting about the "handsome father-son pair."

I wasn't sure if they knew I could understand their words or just simply didn't care, but I brushed off their words as I turned my focus back onto Theo's animated chatter. I didn't care about anyone's opinions besides my two angels anyway.