Defender's Heartbeat

Chapter 19

Manuel

Pedro's girlfriend visited often. I noticed Enzo hanging around Pedro and his girlfriend, giving them a hard time. He was curious about the new person, especially because she was a woman and Elena was kind to him. So, I had some free time during those days because Enzo was busy with Pedro's girlfriend. He had many questions for her, and she seemed happy to answer all of them. However, Pedro was not pleased. He wanted alone time with his girlfriend. If he saw me, he nodded for me to take Enzo away from them. So, I had to distract Enzo and get him away from Pedro and his girlfriend.

Enzo had never experienced a mother's love or any kind of female love after his mom died. I wondered how that felt for him. Maybe it left an empty void in his heart, but he didn't know how to express it. Enzo was mesmerized by Pedro's girlfriend, Elena, and the care she showed him. Sometimes, Enzo was the one waiting for her to come over more than Pedro was. Sometimes, getting Enzo to leave Elena's side wasn't easy for me, but she never seemed to think Enzo was an annoying kid. It was clear she loved children.

Enzo was drawn to Elena's nurturing and caring nature, likely because he missed having a motherly figure in his life after losing his mother at a young age. Her kindness seemed to fill the void left by the absence of love and tenderness in his life. I could see how much he cherished her visits and attention.

"Your brother is so cute," I heard Elena say to Pedro while I was trying to get Enzo away from them.

"You pay more attention to him than me," I heard Pedro complaining quietly, and Elena smiled.

"Come here, boss. Let's go," I told Enzo, who refused to leave.

"I don't want to leave," he said.

"Enzo, can't you see we're talking? Don't bug us while we're having a conversation. Go find something else to do." Pedro scolded Enzo. Enzo looked sad, embarrassed to be scolded in front of Elena.

So he finally left them alone.

One day, after coming home from school, Enzo was super annoying. I had no idea why. As was his habit, he tried to jump on my lap while I was sitting. I didn't like it because he was heftier now, and it hurt when he jumped like that. He kept asking for my help with everything, even though he could do those things perfectly alone. Plus, it was a scorching day. After annoying me for about an hour, he took a break and went to his room.

While he was gone, I enjoyed a drink and a smoke with the other guards during our free time. The other guards in this house had more free time than me. I had little free time because Enzo always wanted me around, even for trivial reasons.

Suddenly, Enzo ran into me and jumped on my lap, hurting my stomach and thighs. "Enzo, that hurts so bad. Don't do that again. You're not little anymore," I scolded him, pushing him down while the other guards chuckled and laughed. They were all aware of my situation now.

"Pedro tried to eat his girlfriend's mouth," Enzo whispered as he got on my lap again.

"You mean he kissed her lips, I guess," I said, smiling while Enzo sat on my lap, which was heavy under his weight. He was bigger now but still acted like a toddler around me.

"Ew, I will never do that," he said, and I smirked.

"You better stop secretly watching them, Enzo. It's not nice," I said.

"I didn't. I was in the garden," Enzo said, looking at his fingers.

"Well, if you see them come to the garden while you're there, you can leave and let them have some privacy," I said.

"Why do they need privacy?" he asked curiously.

"To talk," I said, smiling.

"Why can't I be part of their conversation?" he asked again.