The Royal Contract

1131 To explore other possibilities

The ride home was entertaining as he sang along with the soundtracks on his phone, which he attached to the built-in speaker of his car. As she discovered before, he was indeed a great singer.

He could have a career in the music industry if he did not make it in the business world. He was that good. Besides, he already had that look that would make the fans crazy about him.

Eventually, they had finally reached her apartment, where he parked the car on the street and killed the engine. Then, he turned to face her. “I hope you had a good time, despite...” Zach said, but she did not let him finish as she put her fingers on his lips.

She knew what he was about to say, but that was not an issue with her. “I had a great time,” Ria answered him, this time replacing her fingers with her lips.

Soon, what started as an innocent kiss, turned into something more. Hunger and longing consumed both as they sought satisfaction. But, of course, kissing would never be enough as they both returned to their senses and stopped.

“Would you like to join me for coffee?” She knew that drinking was the last thing on her mind, but she did not have the guts to say the words.

She suddenly remembered what Brenda had said to her. She could not make him wait that long, or he might look for it somewhere else. Then, the woman in the restaurant flashed in her mind.

She realized that many were already lining up to be with him. Was she ready to lose him because she could not decide whether she should take it slow or not?

“I love to.” Zach excitedly responded, kissing her again, but just a mild one before he exited his car and helped her out.

.....

She could only guess that he also had the same thing in his mind, seeing how his eyes glittered when she invited him to join her. She could only assume she was not ready to lose him with her ridiculous rules.

Then, he followed her into her apartment. But only to remember that she had a son waiting for her inside with her friend. Tabby texted that they would be hanging out in her apartment after dinner with Sasha and her family.

“Zach,” Ria stopped him by the door before she unlocked her apartment. “Do you mind making the coffee? I will just put Edison to sleep.” She said, suddenly feeling awkward that he had to make him wait.

She wondered if he would find her situation a turn-off. She had seen how having a kid could make a man change his mind about a relationship, especially if he was not ready to become a family man.

“Ok.” He said as he put his hand on her cheeks and stared into her eyes. “I know what I am getting when I enter this relationship. So, you have to stop worrying about what I will think. I am not going away.”

He must have noticed her agitation, but she could not help it. The earlier incident reminded her again of who he was and what she was up against, seeing the young single woman who vied for his attention.

Although he did not entertain her for long, it still showed her that many more girls liked that one would probably show up to see if they had a chance with him.

How long could she hold on to a man like him?

“Ok.” But she guessed she had to learn to trust him, or this relationship would be doomed to fail.

She found Tabby sitting in front of the television, sleeping. Her son lay his head on his lap, also fast asleep. It was an adorable sight, but she felt guilty that he had to take care of Edison for her.

Still, she was thankful that she had reunited with an old friend.

Then, Zach excused himself to go to the kitchen and fixed the coffee. He needed something to do anyway while she dealt with Tabby and put Edison in his room.

“Tabby,” She gently tapped him on the shoulder, feeling sorry that she had to wake him up. He looked so tired.

But she knew he would not be comfortable sleeping on her small couch. Suddenly, she remembered Zach had attempted to sleep on her couch and had a sore back. He ended up sleeping in her bed.

“Hey, you are back.” He opened his eyes and tried to straighten up a little. But Edison impeded his movement as he avoided waking up her child. “I hope you two had a great time.” Then, his eyes went over her shoulders.”

“Where is Zach?” He asked, expecting that he was with him.

She guessed that was the norm as she helped move Edison gently out of his lap so he could stretch and stand up. Then, she carried her child, allowing his head to rest on her shoulders.

She realized that he was getting heavier and heavier every day. Soon, carrying him in her arms would be much more difficult. But maybe by that time, he would be a big boy, and being in her arms was the last thing he wanted. She could not help but dread that day.

“He is in the kitchen,” Ria told him as she fixed Edison in a more comfortable position in her arms.

“Do you need help? I can carry Edison to his room.” Tabby offered as he walked closer to her.

“Don’t worry. I can manage.” She politely declined the offer. “Why don’t you help yourself with the coffee Zach is making.” She suggested instead as she moved along the hallway toward Edison’s room.

It would be nice if Zach and Tabby would get along. She knew that she wanted both of them in their lives. So, it would help if they could also become friends.

Besides, she wanted some alone time with her son. He might be sleeping, but she knew he felt her presence. She did not want him to feel neglected now that she was spending more time at work and dividing the rest of her time between him and Zach.

“I love you, sweetheart.” She whispered into his ears, hoping even in his subconsciousness, he would hear and feel it in his heart. “No one could take your place in my heart.” She said, knowing that no matter what happened, she would love him and Zach equally.

What about if she had another child? She could not discount the possibility since she was still young. And if she continued to have a relationship with Zach, maybe they could build a family.

Would that be nice? She mentally asked Edison. But, of course, his son was too young to understand such matters. She hoped Edison would be open to a new father and other siblings. But she could not see that as a problem.

“Goodnight. See you in the morning.” She muttered to him in a soft voice.

Suddenly, she wished she had a voice of an angel, like Zach. Then, she could sing to her son some beautiful lullabies, but she did not have such talent.

She slowly moved away from Edison after turning on the night light. Then, she switched the lights off before leaving the door slightly ajar, just in case Edison woke up in the middle of the night.

Soon, she joined the two in the kitchen, seemingly having a heart-to-heart talk, but when they noticed that she was coming, they seemed to change the topic. Or she only thought that.

But she did not hear their conversation, only saw the expression on their faces. Therefore, they might be discussing anything under the sun or arguing about something insignificant, but both smiled when they turned to her.

“Do you like a cup of coffee?” Zach offered as he took another cup from the shelf.

“I guess I will have one.” She said as she joined them and sat beside him, facing Tabby on the opposite side of the counter. “What are you two talking about?” She finally asked, letting her curiosity take the lead.

She did not want to be the only one out of the loop. Probably, it would be nice to talk about something else besides the office, Edison, and the two of them.

“It is just some silly baseball game.” Zach was the first to answer before Tabby agreed with him.

She guessed it was a sport she had heard about several times this week at the office since they seemed to have a championship coming up, but she had no idea how the game worked.

“Can you tell me more?” She was genuinely interested since it might be a game that Edison would be interested in the future. “At least I should learn the basic rules of the game.” She told them.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t I get us tickets to the game? Then, we can all watch, and you can see firsthand how it works.” Zach excitedly offered.

“That is a good idea, man. I always wanted to watch a live baseball championship.” Tabby seemed to be ecstatic with his suggestion.

She guessed what better way to learn than by experiencing it. Besides, Edison might enjoy it as well. She had never brought him to any sports activity since she never had time for it, and she was afraid it would not be advisable for his health condition.

But now that the doctors assured her that Edison could live a regular life just like the other boys his age. She wanted him to have an opportunity to explore other possibilities, just like what she was doing now with Zach.