After 2

Chapter 161.

Hardin's POV.

"He better not touch any of my shit." I warn Tessa while we wait for Kimberly to drop Smith off here.

I still don't understand why they can't take him with them to the hospital.

"Would you stop griping, you are behaving worse than he will and he is five." Tessa scolds me and I roll my eyes.

"I'm just saying, this is all you. You agreed to this so he is your problem not mine.: I remind her.

Of course she ignores me and walks into the kitchen. A knock at the door tells of their arrival so I take a seat on the couch and let Tessa be the one to open the door. She glares at me but doesn't make the guests..her guests wait long before plastering on her biggest and brightest smile.

"Thank you so much! You have no idea how much of a life saver the two  of you are right now, I have no idea what we would have done if you couldn't watch Smith. Christian is so sick, he is throwing up everywhere and we.." Kimberly practically shrieks.

"It's okay really." Tess interrupts her, I assume because she doesn't want to hear the gory details of Christian's illness.

"Okay, well he is in the car so I better get going. Smith is pretty independent, he mostly keeps to himself and he will let you know if he needs anything." She moves to the left, revealing a small boy with dirty blonde hair.

"Hey Smith! How are you?" Tessa speaks in a strange voice I have never heard her use before. This must be her attempt at baby talk even though the child is five years old. Only Tessa.

The boy doesn't say anything, he just gives her a small smile and walks past Kimberly into the living room.

"He doesn't talk much." Kimberly tells Tess, lessening the sad look on her face caused by him not responding to her.

As humorous as it is that he didn't respond to her the way she had assumed, I don't want her to be upset so the little shit better knock it off and be nice to her.

"Okay, I'm really leaving this time!" Kim smiles and closes the door after giving Smith one last wave.

"Are you hungry?" Tessa asks him.

He shakes his head no.

"Thirsty?"

Same response, only this time he takes a seat on the couch opposite of me.

"Do you want to play a game?"

"Tess, I think he just wants to sit here." I tell her and watch as her cheeks flush.

I flip through the channels on the television, hoping to find something of interest to keep me occupied while Tessa is babysitting.

"Sorry Smith, I just want to make sure you are okay." She apologizes and he nods.

He looks an awful lot like his father, his hair is practically the exact color, his eyes are the same shade of green-blue and I suspect that if he were to smile he would have the same dimples as Christian.

A few minutes of awkward silence pass during which Tessa stands next to the couch and I can see her plans unraveling. She had assumed he would come in here full of energy and ready to play with her. Instead, he hasn't spoken a single word nor moved from his spot on the couch.

His outfit is as immaculate as I figured it would be, his small white tennis shoes looks as if they have never been worn. When I glance up from his blue polo shirt, his eyes are on mine.

"What?" I ask. He looks away quickly.

"Hardin!" Tessa groans.

"What? All I did was wonder why he was staring at me." I shrug and turn the channel. The last thing I want to watch is 'The Kardashians.'.