Chapter 51 - The Hired Daddy (Anj's POV) As the small gymnasium was slowly filled with teachers and staff, parents, and their kids, | could feel my heart in my throat. | sat nervously at the first step of the bleacher bench and watched my triplets play and run around, looking adorable in their pigtails. Who would know that last night, Leyanne proudly recited the multiplication table, Lyra Helene, the periodic table, and Selene entertainedwith solving a sudoku table? | may have lost my opportunity to hone my abilities and skills because of what happened to me, but | am not letting my kids lose their chance.
But today, it was the least of my problem. In a few minutes, the event will start, and the big tarp with the words ‘Family Day’ was like a sharp knife piercing my heart. | could not think and breathe as | saw my girls stop running and watched other kids coming with their mother and father.
Leyanne turned her head to me, her eyes hopeful that a man, claiming their father, would enter the large entrance of the gymnasium. Sky was my last option, but with him saying no to me, | could not force him to be with my children today.
From afar, | could see Dylan looking at me, surely not listening to Anya as she talked to him about school-related things. | evaded his eyes and smiled nervously at my kids, shrugging my shoulders and thinking of just asking them to run away withbefore the event started.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWhen the hosts went upstage and tested their microphones, tears began welling in my eyes.
This is it! | swallow hard, closing my eyes as | stand up and drag my feet toward my kids, breathing hard as | ready myself to talk to them about leaving the gymnasium. This is not fair for them, but joining a family day event with only one parent present will be painful.
| was five steps away from my children when someone grabbed my forearm, turningaround and surprising me. Still panting but looking gorgeously handsand delicious, Sky smiled atand cupped my face.
“Pumpkin, I'm sorry for coming late,” He breathed out, gliding his hand to my nape and his other hand to my neck, and planted a kiss on my lips. “I had to find someone to attend the board meeting, and...” He finally stopped talking and chuckled. “My acting is too much, right?” He whispered, wiping the tears that rolled down my cheeks. | nodded, still crying as | put my arms on his neck, hugging him like missing him very much. The truth? | miss him every day. He moved slightly away fromand smirked. “I realized I'm a lunatic guy,” he said and lowered his head and met the eyes of my children, looking at him with shock on their faces.
“Mommy, why is Sky here?” Leyanne asked, looking at him with lots of questions in her eyes.
He squats to reach her height. “I had to show up, or else your mom will divorce me.” “But we only hired you,” Lyra Helene said, and he surprised her by showing the coins they paid him and placing them back in their pockets, except Selene’s. She was just looking at Sky, not walking near him. “It's a long story,” Sky breathed out, looking at one of my girls, not believing our small act. She twitched her lips, lowered her eyes, and fidgeted with her hands. “You're not our dad,” she whispered. “If you're our dad, you would have recognized us the first tyou saw us, but you didn‘t.” “I'm sorry,” Sky said, glancing atas if tellingto help him. “I'm sorry, Selene. It's a long -“He turned to Leyanne when she gasped. “How did you know?” Her eyes widened as she asked him. He chuckled. “You're my children. How would | not know, Leyanne.” “I'm not Leyanne. I'm Lyra Helene,” she teased him, testing Sky. He tousled her hair. “Nice try, kiddo, but you‘re my Leyanne, and she’s my Lyra Helene,” he said, holding her hand.
“How would we know mommy didn’t hire you to be our daddy today?” Selene asked him, her tiny hands clenched into fists.
“Yeah, how would we know it?” Dylan asked, startlingwhen I turned to see him and Anya standing behind me. Anya smiled as she knew the truth, but as for Dylan, we would deal with him later. Sky rose to his feet, looked at Dylan, and walked toward me, and without any warning, he placed his palm at the back of my neck and his arm on my back, pushingto him and molding his lips to my mouth.
| close my eyes, tasting Sky's lips again, the only kiss | miss and long for many years. Before he could deepen the kiss, | moved slightly away from him and cupped his face. | smiled nervously at him.
“I think that's enough proof?” | licked my lips. “Can | have more after the event?” he whispered, not taking his eyes from my lips.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmI chuckled, looking down when Selene tugged his pants, and when she got his attention, she raised her arms. He took her and carried her in his arms, kissing her cheek.
“There's my baby girl.” He whispered, kissing her hair when she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.
Leyanne and Lyra Helene ran toward him and wrapped their arms around him. He bent on one knee, putting Selene down and hugging my three girls. If only Sky knew that my heart was overflowing with happiness, and with him now with us, even for a short time, | could not ask for anything more.
1 didn‘t know this would be such an overwhelming sight for me, seeing my children with their birth father without him knowing the truth.
Anya pinchedon my waist, bringingback to reality. “You have a lot of explaining to do, girl.” | turned to them but avoided Dylan‘s glare at me.
“I know...”