“Are you guys done?” Soriya asked, her head poked in the doorway.
Sam nodded while Chan eyed Lilly watching her just behind Soriya. The little girl became shy all of a sudden, and Chan wondered why.
Adam, after he’d finished wrapping the bandage around Chan’s ankle once again, said, “Yes. All done. Has Marian finished preparing lunch?” At Soriya’s nod, he got up from his spot. “In that case, I’ll go and help set the table.”
Once he was out the door, Lilly took the opportunity and rushed in, straight to Chan. Behind her, Soriya rolled her eyes. “I knew it. I just knew it.” She turned to Sam. “See what I told you? Every kid likes her.”
Sam chuckled. He’d admit it wasn’t just the kids. It was him as well.
Lilly claimed a spot beside Chan on the couch and started telling the young woman about her school and friends, including Timothy and Jason. Then she went on about her birthday party coming up next Saturday.
“Here,” she said, handing Chan a paper cut into a card.
Chan took it and realized it was an invitation for a birthday party. There were drawn balloons and bears with glitter. It was pretty well done, and she knew Soriya had a hand in helping out.
“For me?” Chan asked.
Lilly nodded enthusiastically. “You have to come. It’s going to be so awesome!”
Soriya laughed. “You bet it is.”
Chan certainly didn’t know how to response to that. She’d vowed to herself she wouldn’t get too close and too involved with this family. Oh God! The dilemma and the ache within her heart suddenly erupted within her.
Sam saw Chan’s hesitation and wrapped his arms around his daughter. He pulled her small form against him and said, “Chan’s busy Saturday, sweetheart. She won’t be able to come.”
Though he said that, he knew for a fact Chan wasn’t busy on Saturday. He knew she and Jeremy didn’t have a date. Why? Because Jeremy would never upset Lilly by not attending her birthday party. Then, of course, he wondered why Chan was so reluctant to come. The thought upset him. Was it because of him? He knew it wasn’t Lilly. The woman was pretty much in love with his daughter.
Lilly blinked and screwed her face as though she were very upset and about to cry. “Really?”
Chan felt like someone had punch her in the stomach hard.
Soriya chimed in. “She has a date, Lilly.”
Lilly turned to Soriya, her eyes teary and large. “Date?” At Soriya’s nod, she turned back to Chan and rushed forward, clutching Chan’s hands. “Then we can all do a date together.”
Sam chuckled; he couldn’t help himself. “Lilly, sweetheart.”
Lilly didn’t listen to her dad’s gentle warning tone. “Please, Chan? Can you do a date with me on my birthday? Then Daddy can do a date with you after.”
Soriya burst out laughing. “Maybe we should have a list.”
Chan ignored her sister’s teasing. She had more important problems to deal with at the moment. How to get out of this birthday party? Then Lilly had to go and became all adorable and beg, and most of all, logical, just like her dad.
“Please, Chan, please? I promise it’ll be very fun. Lots of people are coming. You can cancel that other date. But my birthday only comes once a year. We’ll have to wait another full year to have our date on my birthday.”
“She’s right, you know,” Soriya added.
Chan sighed. She couldn’t fight the little darling. She had no super power to protect herself against cute, adorable little girls with logic and the ability to persuade. “All right. I’ll come.”
“Promise?” Lilly asked.
Chan nodded. “I promise.”
Lilly jumped up and down. “Yay! Yay! Now I have to go and tell Marian and Timothy and Jason.” Without further ado, she stood on tiptoe, gave Chan a peck on the cheek, and then ran out the door before Chan could utter a word.
Dara was at the door, smiling. “Success, huh?” Chan knew what they were talking about. “All right, let’s have some lunch, people.” Then she went on, “Oh my God, Sam, you’re right. Marian is so awesome. Her food is just so… awesome!”
Soriya jumped up from her seat, and the two sisters left, leaving Chan to sit there staring after them in annoyance. Oh, so suddenly they’d forgotten all about her, huh?
“Guys?” she called after them. “A little help here?”
Before she could get up, Sam had her in his arms and was heading out the door.
“Honestly,” she said. “You know you don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t,” he said. “But I want to.”
She blushed. “What if Marian sees us? Wouldn’t she get jealous?”
Sam cocked his head to one side and then smiled. “Marian is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. Why would she be jealous?”
Was this very handsome billionaire daft or what? Surely, a wife would get jealous of her husband carrying another woman about in the house as if they were a lovey-dovey couple.
“Why wouldn’t she be?” she asked, confused.
“Marian just isn’t the type,” he said bluntly.
They were heading outside, Chan realized. She’d always wanted to have lunch outside in the backyard. At the apartment, however, they had no backyard to speak of. Just a shared courtyard that wasn’t at all private.
There was a table set up with an array of dishes on it. Roast lamb as well as pork, along with root vegetables, salads, and home-baked bread.
Sam placed her onto a chair and took the seat beside her. Lilly rushed over and took the seat on Chan’s other side. Dara sat next to Lilly, and beside Dara was Soriya. Adam and his wife, Holly, sat opposite them.
“Hi, sorry I didn’t introduce myself before,” the woman said. “I’m Holly, Adam’s wife. And the two boys are ours.”
“I’m Chandra,” Chan said. “You can call me Chan.”
“Chandra,” Holly said. “Sanskrit, isn’t it?”
Chan nodded. “It was our grandmother who named us.”
Dara nodded. “She died about six months ago, back in New Zealand.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Holly said.
At hearing that, Sam had the sudden urge to find out more about Chan’s family background. If he remembered rightly, the Chandler sisters had only moved to Australia. The house that was part of his company’s project used to belong to their father, who was deceased. Of course, he’d found out from Soriya their mom had passed away when they were kids.
It was then the two boys, Timothy and Jason, came out carrying jugs of water and juice. Marian wasn’t far behind, bringing another tray of food, mince pie. She placed it on the table and told everyone to dig in.
Chan watched as everyone, including her sisters, started the meal happily. Beside her, Sam began cutting out some pork and placed the morsel onto his plate and then some into hers. At the same time, Lilly asked Chan to help her get some lamb, which Chan delightfully obliged.
As they were enjoying the meal, Chan wondered where Sam’s wife was. Wasn’t the woman joining them?
At that thought, a part of her was relieved, and the other part dreaded the moment she’d come face to face with the blonde woman.
“Your food is simply awesome, Marian,” Soriya commented.
Chan paused and looked up.
“I’ve been cooking since I was a teenaged girl,” Marian replied cheerfully. “My mother taught me.”
Chan gazed at Marian long and hard, and then it dawned on her. Marian wasn’t Sam’s wife, was she? Marian was… Marian. Instantly, she felt so stupid for making such an assumption. No wonder Sam said she wasn’t the type to get jealous.
But what about Sam’s wife? That was when she stared at Sam’s left hand and noted there wasn’t a wedding band on his ring finger.
Is Sam a single father? That realization hit her right in the gut. She hadn’t been kissing a married man after all. She hadn’t been liking a married man after all. Suddenly, she wanted to laugh out in relief.
“Is everythi
ng okay?” Holly asked.
Chan jolted back to reality. “Yes. I’m fine.” She glanced to her right and saw Sam watching her, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Her heart skipped a beat in delight as she continued to gaze at him. Of course, the eye contact didn’t go unnoticed by the others around the table either.
After lunch, Soriya and Dara helped clean up while Lilly, Timothy, and Jason spent time with Chan and Sam. Once the dishes were done, they were ready to depart.
“Look!” Dara said at the door. “I don’t have to cook dinner tonight.” In her hands were leftovers in containers.
Soriya said, “Thanks to Marian. She is awesome!”
The two sisters did a high-five. Lilly jumped up and down and begged to have one as well. The sisters happily obliged and gave her high-fives.
After profusely thanking Marian and her family for lunch, Chan and her sisters, along with Lilly, hopped into Sam’s car. Lilly was comfortably wedged between Dara and Soriya, while Chan was once again sitting in the front beside Sam.
Lilly started singing as Sam drove. She even made the sisters sing along, which they happily obliged. Chan knew most of the tunes because they were children’s songs she’d taught the kids during her years as an elementary teacher.
Sam couldn’t keep his smile at bay as he listened to the out-of-tune singing. Now and again, he’d glance at Chan, and his heart would glow with delight. When they finally arrived at the sisters’ apartment, he was quite disappointed the journey took so little time.
Once again, he didn’t need any invitation to get the chance to carry Chan. After parking the car, he was around on Chan’s side in an instant, scooping her into his arms.
The moment she felt his embrace around her, Chan blushed and held her breath. One would have thought she’d be used to having him so close to her by now, but she wasn’t.
His nose and lips brushed lightly against her cheek as he bent to take her into his arms. Whether the contact was on purpose or not, Chan wasn’t sure. But the action sure did set her heart racing and her body squirming in delight.
Once everyone was out and the car was locked, Sam led the way toward the apartment building.
Lilly giggled and said to Dara, “Daddy carries Chan like he carries me at home.”
Dara eyed the pair ahead of them and said, “Does he now?”
Soriya took Lilly by the hand as they strolled along. Then of course, she couldn’t help herself and asked the little girl, “Lilly, darling?”
“Hmm?” Lilly glanced up at Soriya in question.
“Does your dad ever carry other girls?”
Lilly immediately shook her head. “No. Only me… and now Chan.” She smiled brightly.
Soriya cleared her throat. “What about that blonde woman?”
Lilly blinked. “Blonde woman?”
They were at the door of the building now, and Soriya whispered, “Isn’t there a blonde woman in your dad’s life? She’s awfully beautiful.”
Lilly frowned. “Blonde woman? You mean Nina? But she’s not pretty at all. Not like you two and Chan.”
Soriya blushed at the compliment. “Why thank you, darling.”
Dara looked at her sister. “Soriya isn’t pretty, Lilly. She’s annoying.”
Lilly giggled at the comment. Once she managed to settle down, she whispered to the two sisters, “I don’t like Nina. She’s not very nice.”
“Oh?” Dara was interested now. “How is she not very nice?”
Lilly frowned again. Dara thought the little girl still looked very cute even when she frowned.
“She’s only nice to me when Daddy’s around,” Lilly said, staring at the floor.
Dara and Soriya looked at each other at that comment, concerned.
Dara tousled Lilly’s head and said gently, “Lilly, darling, why don’t you tell your dad Nina is mean to you?”
Lilly bit her lip. “But I can’t. Nina told me not to.”
Soriya looked like she wanted to slap somebody, and Dara thought that somebody must be Nina.
“Lilly,” Sam called from the distance, interrupting them.
Lilly looked up. Once she saw her dad in the elevator with Chan, she smiled and then ran to him.
Dara and Soriya looked at each other and then headed into the lift as well.
They arrived at the apartment, and Dara opened the door wide for Sam to come in, carrying Chan. Lilly stepped over the threshold with interest.
Sam watched his daughter hopping about and looking around with a big smile on her face. He hadn’t seen her this relaxed and happy around new people since Sarah’s passing. Then he wondered if she remembered living here four years ago. He had a feeling she didn’t, since she was so small then.
Dara and Soriya took Lilly away, offering the little girl a tour of the house. Sam was only too glad for their absence, for he could be alone with the woman in his arms.
He took his time making his way toward the living area. There, he slowly headed to the couch. Then he lowered her onto the seat.
Chan watched him, her cheeks bright pink as he gazed intensely at her. Surely, she thought, he is taking too long putting me down. She released her arms once she felt herself against the softness of the seat, to encourage him to release her. Still, he did not, and she hadn’t a clue as to what to do.
She cleared her throat and said, “Thanks.”
Sam smiled. “No problem.” Then finally, he let her go. Instead of moving back, however, he moved closer to her and, damn, he couldn’t help himself. He buried his fingers in the depths of her long, thick hair.
Shit! He really couldn’t control himself. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.
Chan held her breath and shut her eyes. Oh God! She could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin, driving her insane. Then she felt a light brush of his lips against hers, and she squirmed in delight. A sense of love spread along her being, and she felt like she was in paradise.
Sam pressed his lips against her hard, and he was about to go all out, plunging his tongue into her mouth and kissing her passionately, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Daddy? Are you kissing Chan?”
Sam pulled back with lightning speed. He turned his attention to his daughter and said, “Lilly, sweetheart.”
“Are you?” Lilly asked, her eyes large and her smile bright.
“No, he wasn’t,” Chan said, blushing profusely.
“Aww.” Lilly pulled a face in disappointment.
At that instant, Dara and Soriya appeared at the door.
“Aww what? Lilly?” Dara asked.
Chan arranged herself comfortably on the seat as Sam came over to his daughter. He took Lilly into his arms and said, “Time to go.”
Once again, Lilly pulled a face. “Do we have to?”
Sam chuckled. “Yes. Daddy has work.”
Soriya rolled her eyes. “Even on a Sunday, huh?”
Sam smiled. “I’m afraid so, ladies.”
Dara waved at Lilly. “Bye.”
Lilly giggled. “Bye-bye.”
Sam said, “See you ladies Saturday.”
“Sure thing,” Soriya said, leading them to the door.
Chan watched them disappear from sight, her cheeks still bright red. Slowly, she gently touched her fingers to her lips and smiled.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 27