His Daughter's keeper

Chapter 24

"He's Daniel an old friend and your sister's father."  The words repeated them selves in my head multiple times as I looked at them,at Danni and back to them again.  

I saw a silent plea on Danni's eyes for me not to say a word that will reversed or changed what Valentina said, I can also see pity and pain in them for me, I looked away and controlling the pang of pain in my heart. 

"Is he our Dad too?" I heard one of the boys asked, I could not tell which one of them, by just hearing his voice. 

"No he's not, he's far away and busy with work." She answered putting more salt to my already bleeding wounds.

Then she talked to them in language I could not comprehend but I noticed both boys remained silent for a long time.

I took a deep breath and turned around to look at them, Valentina looked away, the boys looked  up to me and one of them smiled sweetly. The kind of smile that made half of the pain in my heart go away. 

"My name is Dane it's nice...nice? What should I add again mom?" He said introducing him self and thinking what to say next and when he can't find the right words he asked his mother. It made me smile suddenly. 

"It's nice to meet you Dane!" I said  cutting what Valentina was about to say, making two big steps to move closer to my son and accepting his already extended hand for a handshake. But I could not control my emotions, I found my self knelt down on the floor with him in my arms. And to my surprise he wrapped his little arms around my neck too and whispered. 

"I wish you were my daddy!" I swallowed hard and before I could think straight I found my self whispering back.

"You can call me Daddy if you want to." His hugged tightend. And I smiled secretly in my head.

Drake remaind distant, if Dane jumped from me to Danni and back and starts little conversations, Drake remained at his mothers side. I could not decipher what's running in his little head as his eyes watched me closely like an old man watching his daughter's unsuspecting suitor. 

Valentina's face remained guarded, she barely looked at me and never made an attempt to include me in her conversations with Danni. its Danni who made so much efforts to include me in their conversations. 

"I missed you so much, I hope you don't mind me around." Danni said, with her voice as sweet as sugar.

"Not at all, you can come visit us, once in a while if you wish to spend time with us Danni." I heard Valentina reply. 

"Talaga?!" Danni said excitedly.

"Yeah, but you just have to bare with our little space though." Valentina replied, I saw her smiled a little from the corner of my eyes.

"Yey! Can I sleep here tonight? Biglang Tanong nya sa na surpresang si Valentina.

" I don't mind sleeping on couch If you don't want me beside you." She added batting her eyelashes .  I know that move so well, she used that to me several times to give in to what she wants.

"Okay." Valentina replied reluctantly.

Na pa ngiti ako ulit ng lihim, bilis ako sa bilis ng anak ko, manang -mana sakin. Evil grin.

"Should we all go out to lunch? It's dad's treat diba dad?" She blurted out.

"Sure no problem!" I said before Valentina can make an excuse. 

"I'm hungry!" Dane said, nailing it. Drake frowned. 

While Valentina shook her head in agreement then she excused her self, carrying the baby she calls Sheen with her and when they came back everything seemed ready. The baby was wrapped in some sort of baby carrier and hanging infront of her, she went straight to the mini kitchen made some milk that Im sure for the baby and packed it in the bag, together with an extra water and some milk powder in a container. And a packet of something I don't know. She looked so at ease with her movements I was amazed she can handle all this, with two children and a baby.