Chapter 415 Clearing The Air
“Stop crying, Tony. You’ll get to see Kurt really soon,” Oscar told him after entering the house.
“Oscar, you…”
“Tony is missing him so badly, so how could I stop them from seeing each other?”
Oscar acted like it didn’t bother him at all, but Amelia knew just how much of a compromise he was making by saying that.
“Hurry up and thank your dad, Tony!” she said while trying her best to control her emotions.
“Thank you for letting me see Daddy, Big Meanie! I think you might just be a nice guy, after all!”
Oscar simply tousled his hair before putting his suit jacket on.
“I have a meeting at two, so I won’t be joining you two for lunch. Just whip up something simple today. I’ll have Molly come cook for you tomorrow.”
Amelia checked her phone and saw that it was already one in the afternoon.
“Drive safely, okay? Make sure to have your secretary get you lunch before attending that meeting! I’ll get worried if you work on an empty stomach!” she said worriedly while seeing him off at the door.
Oscar gave her a kiss on the lips and replied with a smile, “Got it, Honey!” He then ruffled Tony’s hair as he added, “You be a good boy and listen to your Mommy when I’m not at home, okay?”
Tony simply tilted his head and looked at him without saying anything.
The smile on Amelia’s face faded when she closed the door after Oscar left.
“Are you unhappy, Mommy?” Tony asked.
Amelia knelt down beside him and asked with a sigh, “Tony, do you really dislike your dad that much?”
Tony frowned as he didn’t understand why Amelia kept asking him about that.
“I don’t actually hate him that much, Mommy. I just want you and Daddy to be together, that’s all. If I like him, then Daddy won’t stand a chance at all! I may be young, but I really like Daddy! Can’t you just give Daddy a chance?”
Kids have very pure and innocent minds. They’ll tell you who they like and dislike without beating around the bush. I can’t blame Tony for expressing his feelings, but him constantly taking Kurt’s side like this is going to hurt Oscar. No father could possibly be comfortable with his own son treating another man as his dad. Oscar only pretended to not care because he didn’t want to worry me.
Amelia felt really conflicted at the thought of that.
“Tony, there’s something I need to discuss with you, okay?”
“Go ahead, Mommy. I’m listening.”
“I know you’re smarter than the other kids of your age. You’re able to think for yourself, so you should be able to understand what I’m about to tell you.”
Tony nodded.
“I want you to stop calling your godfather ‘Daddy’ in front of your dad, okay? This will be our little secret.”
Despite his usual obedient behavior, Tony was exceptionally stubborn about this.
“But he’s my daddy! Why can’t I call him ‘Daddy?’“
Amelia was at a loss for words as she didn’t know how to explain it to him.
“I’ll make you something to eat, okay?”
“Okay!”
Just like that, she finally ended that awkward conversation.
They had just finished eating lunch when the doorbell rang. Amelia opened the door, only to see Kurt standing outside.
His showing up all of a sudden made her feel a little awkward, but Tony was really excited and threw himself at Kurt the moment he saw him. “Daddy, you’re back! I’ve missed you so much!” he shouted happily while hugging Kurt’s leg.
Kurt picked him up before shifting his gaze toward Amelia.
“Come in,” she said after regaining her composure.
Kurt then carried Tony into the house and changed into a pair of slippers.
“Kurt, have you had lunch yet?” Amelia asked.
Kurt was going to say yes at first, but changed his mind and shook his head instead.
“I’ll make you some pasta. You can play with Tony while you wait.” Amelia made her way into the kitchen after saying that.
Due to her current relationship status with Oscar, Amelia found herself being less comfortable around Kurt compared to when they were in Beshya.
Her heart felt heavy when she heard their laughter coming from the living room.
I really want to be good friends with Kurt, but his feelings for me make it impossible for me to be myself around him. I have to keep my distance or it’ll give him a false sense of hope, and that’ll just hurt him in the end. I should’ve stopped him the moment I realized he has feelings for me. By selfishly keeping him around me, I’ve put all three of us in this awkward situation.
With that in mind, Amelia sighed as she continued cooking the pasta.
“Tony, have you been listening to your Mommy like a good boy?” Kurt asked while carrying Tony in the living room.
Tony nodded profusely. “Yeah! I’ve been really good! Why aren’t you living with us anymore, Daddy?”
A hint of bitterness flashed past Kurt’s eyes when he heard that. “You need to stop calling me ‘Daddy,’ Tony,” he said while suppressing his emotions.
“But you are my daddy! Why won’t you two let me call you ‘Daddy?’ You adults are so weird!”
Kurt froze and slowly broke into a wry smile.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Then, why are your eyes all red?”
“I just have some sand in my eye, that’s all.”
Tony squirmed out of his arms and shouted angrily, “You’re lying! You adults are so mean! Mommy only cares about Big Meanie ever since we came home. She even made me do a lot of things I don’t like! Don’t think that I don’t know that you are avoiding me on purpose! You’re all big meanies who only care about yourselves! I want to go back to Beshya with you, Mommy, and Tiffy! Why must I stay here? It’s not fun here!”
Amelia heard everything he said as she stepped out of the kitchen.
Tony is right. I selfishly took him away back then, and now I’m selfishly bringing him back here. I never bothered to consider if he likes it at all. Still, he’s only two years old. Why does he hate this place so much?
Guilt filled Kurt’s eyes when he saw the hurt look on Amelia’s face. “I’m sorry. T-Tony is just messing with me. Don’t take it to heart!” he blurted.
Amelia wiped her hands clean and said with a forced smile, “I’ll go check and see if the pasta is done. You two carry on.”
Kurt’s expression grew stern the moment Amelia returned to the kitchen.
“Are you angry, Daddy?”
Kurt placed both hands on Tony’s shoulders and replied seriously, “Tony, I’m not your real father, so you shouldn’t be calling me ‘Daddy’ to begin with. You’ll just make things difficult for your mommy if you do. Be a good boy and stop calling me ‘Daddy’ from now on, okay?”
Tony’s eyes reddened as he sobbed, “Do you not like me anymore, Daddy?”
Kurt panicked when he saw Tony cry. He quickly wiped his tears as he explained, “I like you very much, Tony. I really do love you as my own son, but our identities are a little unique. You’re Boss’ son, so I should be the one showing you respect and address you as ‘Mr. Anthony.’ Our status has never been equal since the beginning.”
Tony didn’t really understand what that meant. All he knew was that Kurt and Tiffy were no longer close to him ever since he came back here. To make matters worse, there were many others who wanted to separate him and Amelia. They thought he was oblivious to their intentions, but he knew all about it.
However, he couldn’t understand why they wanted to take him away from his mommy.
“Please don’t leave me, Daddy!” Tony sobbed.
Kurt was completely clueless as to what he should do. Even Amelia paused briefly when she came out of the kitchen with a plate of pasta in hand.
“Lunch is ready, Kurt. You can bring Tony over here now,” she said while setting the table.
Kurt then carried Tony to the table and handed him over to Amelia.
She wiped his tears and whispered softly, “There, there… Be a good boy and stop crying, Tony. I won’t force you anymore, so you can call him ‘Daddy’ if you want. You’ve always been doing that, so it’d be hard for you to change all of a sudden anyway. Look at you, always using your tears to soften my heart.”
Tony stopped crying and broke into a smile at last.
Honestly, how is it possible for a two-year-old to be this smart? I wonder where he picked that up from…
“Do you want to have some pasta?” Amelia asked.
Tony rubbed his tummy and said in a cute voice, “I’m really full, Mommy.”
“How about I tuck you in, then?”
“No, I want to watch over Daddy. He might leave while I’m asleep!”
“Don’t worry. Your daddy will still be here when you’re awake.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I promise.”
With that, Tony finally agreed to go to sleep.
Amelia waited until he was sleeping soundly before tucking him in upstairs. After taking a moment to compose herself, she headed back downstairs and sat down in front of Kurt.
“Kurt, did Oscar send you?”
Kurt nodded and placed his fork down. “Amelia, I…”
Amelia waved at him and cut him off with a smile, “We’re still friends, Kurt. Our friendship has nothing to do with Oscar, so I hope we can still be ourselves around each other like in Beshya. Regardless of what our relationship may be in the future, I am very grateful to you for looking after me and Tony throughout the past two years. Please feel free to drop by and play with Tony when you have the time, but you should also take up assignments if there are any. You’re a talented man, and I don’t want you wasting your time on us. Derrick said he’d let you train his men, so you should give it your best. It’d be best if you could start up your own security firm. I’ve talked to Oscar about this too.”
Kurt gave it some thought and agreed with her suggestion. “All right.”
A faint dimple could be seen on Amelia’s right cheek as she smiled at him. “Make sure to seize the opportunity if you ever come across a suitable girl, Kurt. Don’t let it slip you by.”
Although conflicted, Kurt had no choice but to nod in agreement. Deep down inside, he knew it would be very difficult for him to love someone else. Unless he could find a woman who also happened to love him back, he would most probably remain single for the rest of his life.
Kurt had no idea if he could even like anyone else apart from Amelia.
“How’s the pasta?” Amelia tried to change the topic to alleviate the awkward tension.
“It’s good. Your cooking has always been amazing,” Kurt replied with a nod.
Amelia chuckled. Her cooking skills were nowhere near Tiffany’s, but Kurt would always finish everything she made him anyway.
Huh… Kurt is undoubtedly a good man, but I’m afraid I will have to let him down. With Oscar in my heart, there is no space for anyone else. It’s not that I can’t love someone else, but I don’t want to let anyone else into my heart.
