Chapter 11 -- Douze.

This was what Della had been dreading the whole week ;sitting on a table across her ex-husband and son. Leondre seemed excited. This was all for him, only for him. Andre wanted to talk to Della about their son in fact he wanted to talk about more than just that with her. As for Della she just wanted to discuss only about her son and co-parenting.

Della looked at the mansion she once stayed in, nothing had changed much. The same way she had her flowers around the yard is the same way it was, still well maintained. She always thought maybe Andre would rip them out judging by the way he was so angry even hearing her name or even seeing her at the time. The same anger made him lay a hand on his woman when she tried to tell him about their baby.

"Woah! Is this Mister Andre's house?" Leo said in awe.

"Yes, that's your father's house now if you follow me. He is expecting you inside.." Albane Gauthier the Butler spoke in a professional tone.

"That's so cool, like super cool!" Leo was amazed by how huge the house was. As for Della she felt like she was visiting her haunted past that she never wanted to remember but she had to do it for her son. They followed Albane up to the front door. The garden was surrounded with Roman and Greek Statues. Andre and Della had many things in common and aesthetic art was one of them. The difference was Andre bought everything he thought was beautiful and Della captured it in her heart as it made her feel what hidden meaning was behind it.

"Ma'am, I will leave you with Marta." Albane said giving them a brief nod. Marta's eyes were suddenly glossy from tears, she was in forties and was very much close to Della once upon a time.

"Della is that you?" She asked clearly shocked and but more so happy.

"Uhm yes." Della returned the gesture, Leo looked at both of them weirdly as they hugged each other tightly.

"And who is this young man?" Marta asked after pulling away from their embrace.

"That's Leondre... my son." Della let out a proud smile.

"Oh my goodness. Is he?" Marta asked with her hand on her mouth.

"Yes, he is." Andre's son. Della said not proud of that fact in anyway.

"He is so handsome like his father. Oh Della, I missed you so much and I'm glad you are coming back home. Andre has been miserable and—" Marta rumbled on and on in Spanish but Della cut her off with a smile.

"No no no, I'm not here for that." She let out a sigh. Leo was looking around the mansion with the huge ceilings and large glass doors. The two women talking didn't even realize that he had went out of site.

__

Andre was making his way downstairs because he heard the most mesmerizing voice and her laugh made him flutter inside. He never thought that he would have her again in their safe haven. Not after everything he had put her through. When she agreed to bring Leo, he knew that this was his opportunity to make things right. By things right... everything right.

"Mister Andre— i mean dad." Leo sidled awkwardly. He had been touching things near the fire place and he knew his mom would scold him for doing that in someone's house.

"Hey little man." Andre smiled broadly and Leo ran to hug him. Andre lifted him up and higher with his height.

Leo giggled.

"Where is your mom ?" Andre asked putting him down.

"She is talking to that lady. You know when mama starts speaking in Spanish she never finishes." Leo said making his father look at him in awe.

"I know that very well, buddy." He said reminiscing the many times that Della would be so mad at him she couldn't speak English anymore, she would start chattering none stop in Spanish and he would simply kiss her until she was quiet, it worked like a charm.

Andre walked to the kitchen where Della was laughing about something with Marta. There had never been any laughter in this mansion ever since she left.

Della was listening to Marta ramble on about how Donald Trump was now president and how much she disliked him. She felt someone's gaze on her so she shifted her eyes to the left only to see Andre and Leo. Andre was dressed casually, his muscularly fit body made him very attractive but she knew some people were just attractive to the eye but horrible at heart. Looks could be deceiving.

"Oh?Se?or,?Breakfast is ready." Marta cleared her throat when she realized her boss was standing behind her.

"Thank you Marta." Andre said in a low tone then she immediately excused herself.

"Morning." Della said awkwardly she didn't know how to act in front of him. She didn't even know why she felt awkward around him. Maybe because for a long time they didn't just say morning to each other... they made out, showered together and did many other things more than just muttering 'morning'

"Morning Della, I'm glad you decided to come." Andre said genuinely.

"About that, I'm only here for an hour, i have an early shift." She said as they sat around the table that looked like it was a feast. Leo was sat in the middle. Andre and Della across each other making eye contact unavoidable.

"But—"

"I had plans for us." Andre said looking at her sadly.

"You mean with your son right? So you can get know him?" She asked humorlessly.

"Yes, of course." Andre said clearing his throat. He was caught up in her beauty. Even if she wore rags she would still look beautiful. He just wanted to run his hands through her silky long hair. He hated the distance between them, he wanted her to be close to him. He just hated this formality, they never had to do this before—

"Where did you meet my mom?" Leo asked anxiously eating. "Were you like in love?" Della almost chocked on her saliva, she hated when Leo started asking these sort of questions like how he once asked a disabled man at the mall if and how he went to the toilet. Leo just had his ways of making everything awkward without realizing it.

"Uhm-" Andre briefly looked at Della who looked away.

"Good question Leo. See I met your mother at Starbucks. The first time I saw her, I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I would buy coffee that I didn't even drink just to see her." Andre said looking at Della who felt like she could just erase her whole memory that had?featuring Andre?written on it.

"Really?" Leo grinned. "Then what?"

"I kept on going to Starbucks everyday. She didn't notice me in fact she didn't want anything to do with me." Andre smiled remembering every single memory. Della sat there feeling awkward and stiff in her place. She hated visiting the past and would be doing more of that with Andre back in her life.

'For Leo, do it for Leo. You can do it without anything going on with Andre. Just set your boundaries between each other. It will be fine. Many parent co-parent all the time.'?She constantly needed to remind herself.

"Was it because you are like super famous like my grandpa?" Leo asked sipping on his apple juice and engulfing waffles.

Della remembered that the time when she worked at Starbucks, she was saving for college and she didn't have time for boyfriends. She was also having problems with her mother who had became a heroin addict at the time. It really wasn't the best of memories for her.

"Well partly. I kept on trying and trying to ask her out until she finally said yes." Andre thought about how lucky he was. Della had only accepted to go out with him so that he would realise she wasn't worth it and leave her for someone better but he didn't and seven years later they got married, had a child and Divorced so that worked out well.

"That's so cool." Leo replied. "Like the cute girl in my class Natalie."

"But Leo you are too young to know—" Della said clearly shocked but Andre cut her off.

"Wait a go, buddy is she pretty like your mother here?" Andre felt like maybe this role of being a father wouldn't be so bad. Della's mouth was open ajar, how dare he want to give her son advise. Bad advise for that matter. She didn't want Leo to end up like his father and playboy, who plays with woman's hearts and refuses to grow up.

"She has my mommy's hair." Leo giggled. "She said she likes my eyes."

"Baby, I think you should be friends with this girl." Della said to her son ignoring Andre's presence. For some reason when Della said baby, he almost answered remembering how they had these pet names for each other.

"I think, she thinks, I'm weird." Leo sighed looking at both his parents who seemed concerned. Della smiled. "You are unique baby." Della gave him a wide smile.

"Just like your mother, you are one in a million." Andre added making Della roll her eyes at him. He gave her a smirk and her heart bounced up and down. She had to stop feeling like this, it was a weird feeling in fact she didn't want to feel at all.

"Leo why don't you ask Marta to take you to your room upstairs on the second wing." He paused as Leo jumped up and down with excitement. "I had it set out just for you, whenever you come around. I hope you like it buddy." Andre added. Della felt her heart lighten, she didn't think he would do something like this. What was he up to ? she thought. Before she could say anything Leo hugged his father and Andre felt like this was exactly what was missing in his life.

Love.

—

Andre couldn't stop admiring her beauty. He thought about how stupid he was. He was an imbecile having treated her the way he did. He would do anything to have her in his arms smiling the way she always did. Della was always a smiler, she smiled all the time at everything.

He had asked her to take a walk with him in what used to be their garden and she hesitantly agreed because yes ;there was a lot to discuss.

"About Leo... only about Leo."

"Della, I'm sorry." He said clearing his throat.

"It's fine, can we not talk about it." She said putting a strand of her hair behind her ear as they walked down the same garden they use to walk together a few years back. It was just like before, when he would hold her close and kiss her endlessly only now she had put a distance between them. SHE didn't want them even touching, it shocked her and gave her butterflies. Della hated feeling like a love struck teenage girl around him. She was a mother and not anything else.

"But we should." He said trying to make eye contact but she looked away every time he did. They reached a certain point and sat on the same bench they use to have sex on at night under the stars. Andre's Rendezvous, he was always crazy and outgoing.

"Andre, I forgive you okay? I already did. Things happen for a reason and maybe it was for the best. We were bound to break up anyways." Della smiled lightly feeling his gaze on her. He frowned..

"I never stopped loving you,?mon amour." Andre caressed her left cheek. Della felt her body tense.

'What was wrong with this man! I hate it I hate it! Can't we just be civil.'?Della screamed in her head.

"Andre, can we not do this. I came here because maybe you should get to know your son and I was wrong to keep him away from you." Della replied in a low tone. "What we had was a mistake and Leo is the only good thing that came out of it." She added and her words felt like a thousand knives stabbing Andre right in his chest.

"It was never a mistake. I know what I felt and I still feel for you. We had something special and I'm sorry my mom had to ruin it." Andre wasn't going to give up.

"Please—" Della was cut off by Andre putting his thumb on her soft perfectly sculptured lips. He thought about how much he missed them. He used his thumb to caress her bottom lip. She felt her clit throb immediately but pressed her thighs together. Her brown eyes looked up at his, she hated feeling this weak. Maybe she should have really prioritize her sex life over the years but in between constantly working and having a child to take care of and please.. there was never time for that and the hookup culture was never really her thing. A web must have grown in between her legs.

"Della, thank you for giving me a son. Raising him on your own up until now. He is honestly the best thing that has happened to me in a while in fact ever since you left." Andre confessed she had him wrapped around her finger and didn't even know it.

"It's fine Andre, I really don't want anything from you or anything to happen between us. I just think we should work on us co-parenting." Della said avoiding his gaze. The wind blew her hair in all directions making her look even more mesmerizing. Maybe he just missed her a lot and dreamed about her being here again but now she was.

"tu brises mon coeur."?Andre whispered under his breath but she heard him and knew exactly what he meant. "But you know what I'm wondering?" Andre smirked.

"What?" Della said suddenly interested.

"I wonder where we made Leondre, it could have been right here on this bench or maybe on the kitchen island or maybe in our bedroom. It's just crazy how to think I'm a father to someone." He said in deep thought.

Della blushed, her cheeks seemed to turn rosy red. "Mon Dieu.."?Andre chuckled. "You still get shy talking about our sex life, you haven't changed a bit?mon amour."?He said giving her a heartwarming smile.

"I just think we shouldn't discuss it at all." She blushed looking at her hands, her hair swiftly covered her face again and she felt Andre's hands put a strand of her hair behind he ear. His touch made her feel unimaginable things.

"There is no rule against it, I mean?mon coeur,?we were husband and wife although I never thought I was capable of dating someone for a year without having sex until our wedding night but you changed me, for the good." Andre said reminiscing.

"I'm pretty sure you got it somewhere else still." Della sighed looked at the beautiful purple lilac flowers. She thought about the time he brought a girl in the mansion and slept with her on their bed just to spite her. She realized maybe he wasn't faithful to her all along.

"I swear I never did—" He was immediately cut off.

"You don't have to explain anything, there is nothing between us and I have no right to question you." She explained.

"But I want you to know that." Andre kept moving closer and closer wanting to remove the space between them. She looked her watch and realized she was almost ten minutes late.

"Oh my goodness, I have to go Andre. I don't want to be late." She abruptly stood up.

"You don't have to." Andre replied.

"No, I have to get to work. I will get Leo after five." She explained in a hurry rushing back to the mansion.

"You are a McCarthy now and I can help you with Leo. I'm here now Adela." He said stopping her from panic mode.

"I don't want to be dependent on anyone but thank you and being a McCarthy doesn't change anything. You can do things for your son but I'm not going to be living off you and your maintenance fee for Leo." She spat leaving him stunned on the spot, clearly there was no woman like Adela McCarthy she drove him crazy without even trying.

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