Chapter 7
1366 Words
CHAPTER 7
Ava stared at the little boy.
The little boy stared right back.
Then he smiled.
A slow, mischievous smile that immediately made her suspicious.
"Alex."
Nathan sounded tired already.
"Dad."
"No."
"I didn't even say anything."
"You were about to."
Alex looked personally offended.
Ava couldn't help laughing.
The boy pointed at her immediately.
"See? She likes me."
Nathan slid a hand into his pocket.
"Everyone likes you."
"I know."
The confidence in his voice nearly made her choke.
"Wow."
Alex grinned.
"That's what Dad says too."
Nathan sighed.
Ava was beginning to understand why.
The boy suddenly turned toward her.
"So you're Ava."
"I am."
Alex studied her for a second.
"Huh."
She folded her arms.
"Huh?"
"You look different."
Nathan immediately looked annoyed.
Ava caught it, it was starting to look interesting.
"Different from what?"
Alex opened his mouth.
Nathan spoke first.
"No."
"Dad."
"No."
"You never let me talk."
"You talk constantly."
"That's not the point."
Ava bit back another laugh.
Now she was very curious.
"Nathan."
"No."
"Nathan."
His gaze shifted toward her.
"You don't need to know."
That answer guaranteed she wanted to know.
Alex rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Dad has pictures of..."
"Alex."
The warning came instantly.
The boy groaned.
"You are so boring."
Nathan looked completely unbothered.
"I've accepted that."
Ava looked between them.
Something felt strangely warm about the scene.
A few months ago, if someone had told her she'd be standing in the middle of the art district laughing with Nathan Walker and his son, she would've called them insane.
Yet here she was.
And somehow, it didn't feel strange anymore.
That realization bothered her.
A lot.
Alex suddenly grabbed Nathan's hand.
"I'm hungry."
"You've been hungry all day."
"Exactly."
"That's not helping your argument."
"It should."
Ava laughed.
Nathan glanced at her.
Just for a second.
But something about the way he looked at her made her quickly look away.
Alex noticed.
Children noticed everything.
"You should come eat with us."
Ava blinked.
"Oh."
Nathan looked at his son.
Then at her.
His expression remained calm, but she could tell he was waiting for her answer.
"I don't know."
"You do know."
She frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you're going to say yes."
His confidence was honestly irritating.
"What if I say no?"
"Then Alex will convince you."
The boy nodded immediately.
"He's right."
Traitors.
Both of them.
---
Thirty minutes later, Ava found herself sitting in a restaurant wondering where exactly her self-preservation instincts had gone.
Alex sat across from her happily colouring on a paper placemat.
Nathan sat beside him.
The restaurant wasn't fancy.
Surprisingly.
It was warm and comfortable.
The kind of place families came to after work.
The kind of place Nathan Walker looked completely out of place in.
Alex was currently explaining why dinosaurs would beat lions in a fight.
Ava had no idea how the conversation got there.
"Dad says lions are smarter."
Nathan didn't even look up from the menu.
"They are."
"They're also extinct."
"That's dinosaurs."
Alex frowned.
"Oh."
Ava laughed so hard she nearly dropped her drink.
Alex pointed at Nathan.
"See? She thinks I'm funny."
Nathan finally looked up.
His gaze settled on her.
For a second longer than necessary.
"I noticed."
The smile on her face disappeared immediately.
Dangerous.
That was the problem with him.
He could say something completely normal and somehow make it feel like it meant something else.
She quickly focused on her menu.
Safer.
Much safer.
The food arrived shortly after.
Most of dinner was spent listening to Alex talk.
About school.
About dinosaurs.
About a boy who stole his crayons.
About literally everything.
Nathan listened patiently.
Occasionally correcting him.
Occasionally teasing him.
Watching them together felt strange.
Not because Nathan was a father but because he was a good one.
There was no hesitation when Alex spoke.
No annoyance.
No distance.
The boy clearly adored him, and Nathan clearly adored him right back.
It was written in the little things.
The way he remembered exactly what Alex liked.
The way he automatically moved a glass out of reach before the boy could knock it over.
The way his expression softened whenever Alex smiled.
Ava found herself watching them more than she should.
And Nathan noticed.
"You keep staring."
Her eyes widened.
"I am not."
A slow smile appeared.
"You are."
Alex immediately joined in.
"You are."
She looked betrayed.
"Whose side are you on?"
"My dad's."
"Wow."
Alex shrugged.
"He buys me things."
Nathan laughed quietly.
The sound surprised her.
She'd never really heard him laugh before.
Not properly.
For a second, she forgot to look away.
And judging by the look in his eyes, he noticed that too.
Thankfully, Alex saved her.
"Dad still has her painting."
Silence.
Nathan slowly put down his fork.
Ava looked up.
"What painting?"
Alex happily continued.
"The big one."
Nathan closed his eyes briefly.
"Alex."
"What?"
"The one in your office."
Ava turned toward Nathan.
"You have one of my paintings?"
Nathan looked entirely too calm.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"A few."
"A few?"
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Ava."
"How many?"
Nathan looked suspiciously amused.
"Enough."
That wasn't an answer.
And they both knew it.
Alex decided to be helpful.
"A whole wall."
Ava nearly choked.
"A whole wall?"
Nathan looked like he was considering abandoning his son at the restaurant.
Alex grinned.
"You should see it."
"I would love to see it."
"No."
Both Ava and Alex looked at Nathan.
The boy frowned.
"You're no fun."
Nathan looked completely unapologetic.
...
Dinner ended an hour later.
They stepped outside into the cool night air.
The streets weren't as crowded now.
Most people had already gone home.
Alex walked a few steps ahead of them, kicking a small stone along the pavement.
Ava watched him.
"He's a good kid."
Nathan's expression softened immediately.
"He is."
The answer came without hesitation.
Before she could respond, his phone rang.
Nathan pulled it from his pocket.
The moment he looked at the screen, something changed.
Ava noticed it instantly.
The warmth disappeared.
His shoulders stiffened slightly.
Alex noticed too.
The boy immediately stopped talking.
Nathan answered.
"Talk."
His voice sounded different.
Colder.
More serious.
Ava couldn't hear the person speaking.
But she watched Nathan's face carefully.
The conversation lasted less than a minute.
When it ended, Nathan slipped the phone back into his pocket.
His jaw tightened.
Alex looked up at him.
"Dad?"
Nathan glanced down.
Whatever expression had appeared disappeared immediately.
"I'm fine."
The boy didn't look convinced.
Neither was Ava.
A black SUV pulled up beside them a few minutes later.
A large man stepped out.
Nathan opened the back door.
"I need you to go home with Marcus."
Alex frowned.
"Why?"
"I have something to take care of."
The boy looked disappointed but nodded.
Before climbing inside, he leaned toward Ava.
"Bye, pretty artist."
Nathan looked horrified.
Alex looked delighted.
Ava burst out laughing.
The SUV drove away.
Leaving her alone with Nathan.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Ava noticed something near his wrist.
A dark stain against the cuff of his sleeve.
Small.
But definitely there.
Her smile faded.
"Nathan."
His gaze followed hers.
Immediately.
The sleeve disappeared beneath his hand.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"It looks like blood."
The silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.
Nathan looked at her for a long moment.
Then he stepped closer.
Not enough to frighten her.
Just enough that her heartbeat noticed.
"You ask a lot of questions."
"You avoid a lot of answers."
For the first time all evening, something dark flickered behind his eyes.
Gone before she could fully understand it.
Then he smiled.
That calm, infuriating smile.
"Goodnight, Ava."
Before she could stop him, he turned and walked toward a waiting black car.
Ava stood there watching as he got inside.
The car disappeared into the night a few moments later.
And for the first time since meeting Nathan Walker, she wasn't thinking about the flowers.
Or the obsession.
Or even Ethan.
She was thinking about the blood on his sleeve.
And why the sight of it made her curious instead of afraid.
- Writer
