Trying Not To Love You

Part Thirty One

Chapter Thirty One

Martha watched Sonny and Ethan run around the park like banshees and her heart melted all over again. Ethan immediately trusted the older man and she loved the innocence of that, in a world that judged him on his past, his behaviour, a child cut through all that and saw only the good in him. Since she’d found them curled up together she’d been barely holding things together. All her common sense and resolve was being questioned by these two males.

She’d hidden in the kitchen when she’d discovered them together, and it was once the coffee machine had filled and she could hear movement in the lounge that she re-entered the room. Sonny was awake, stroking Ethan’s hair, a look of wonder on his face.

                “He crawled in here about six. Said he was looking for you...”

Martha shook her head, “think I’ve lost any authority I ever had over him.” She moved across to them and stroked Ethan’s cheek. “He likes you.”

Sonny sighed, “he’s a lovely kid...too nice to be hidden away Martha.”

Groaning she left the room.

After a shower and changing into jeans and a sweater, she finally rejoined the boys to find Ethan sat up on the worktop in the kitchen directing a still half dressed Sonny to make him breakfast.

                “Apple juice is the GREEN carton!” He giggled as Sonny held up an orange one.

                “You sure? That looks like an apple to me!”

He pointed at the blatantly orange fruit that adorned the juice carton in his hand, and Ethan held a hand to his head and groaned, “Sonny!”

Laughing, Sonny scrunched his hair and finally produced the apple juice that Ethan was desperate for.

                “So what you want to eat” he asked handing him a glass.

                “Shall we all go out for breakfast? There’s a nice cafe near the park?”

Ethan nodded enthusiastically, “great!” Jumping down he ran towards his bedroom grinning.

Martha had looked at Sonny at that moment so at home in the centre of her home, laughing with her son, and looking delicious in just his boxer shorts and felt her mind wander, imagining a future that included BOTH these males, but she couldn’t think like that. If they got out into the fresh air, her hormones would calm and she’d get over this.

But watching the two run around chasing a football, the squeals of excitement echoing around the cold morning, she wasn’t feeling any change. She was still seeing him in a different light, and for a snapshot, she saw how her life could be, life as a family. But it was never happening. She had to keep reminding herself of that.

A couple of hours later Sonny had to leave, he was still wearing the clothes he’d put on the previous morning, and he had to work in the restaurant. Martha had called her father several times; she was more worried about him being home without Sonny than she was about leaving Ethan. Stephanie loved him like her own child, she was the greatest ally.

As they waved goodbye to Sonny, she led Ethan back to the house, only to see Stephanie watching out of the window. Jogging up the steps to her house, she opened the door and found her godmother in her lounge.

                “Visitor?”

Martha nodded, trying not to beam, she’d been so happy with Sonny, away from everything bad, everything traumatic, and not fighting or hiding anything.