Noah Reyes eagerly lifted his large hand and gently stroked Jimmy Horne's handso face.
He was ecstatic, so excited that he couldn't put his feelings into words.
One thought dominated his mind: This is my son!
"Uncle, how do you know my nickna? Also, I've figured out who you remind of; you look a lot like . No wonder you seed familiar," Jimmy Horne said, not at all shy. Perhaps it was the natural bond between father and son, blood being thicker than water, or sothing else entirely, but he just didn't feel scared of this man. Instead, he felt an indescribable sense of closeness, as if this uncle were a relative.
Uncle?
Jimmy's use of the word "uncle" tugged painfully at Noah's heart.
His son was calling him uncle!
Uncle!
His son was addressing him as "uncle," a term reserved for strangers.
In his son's eyes, he, his father, was a stranger!
That piercing pain caused Noah's normally composed facade to instantly crumble.
"Billy, I'm not your uncle. I am..."
"Uncle, if you're not my uncle, then what are you?" Jimmy asked with a tinge of curiosity.
If not an uncle, then perhaps a great-uncle? Anyway, if not an uncle, then he must be so sort of uncle. Jimmy thought.
"I..." Noah didn't know how to explain the twists and turns of the situation. At that mont, elation and excitent still enveloped him. He felt like he was soaring on a cloud, too high; he was drifting a bit, losing his senses.
He caressed Jimmy's face back and forth with a mixture of heartache, self-reproach, and tenderness.
He didn't bla his son; he blad himself, resented himself.
He wasn't there when his son was born, nor was he there during the four years of his son's growth. That's why, now that father and son had finally t, his son called him uncle!
"Uncle, are you bad guys? Why did you bring here? Where's my brother?" Jimmy allowed Noah to touch his face, though he was a bit unused to the man's very, very... weird gaze.
After mulling over several "verys," the little guy finally decided that "weird" was the right word to describe Noah's current expression.
Noah knew the "brother" Jimmy ntioned was Ivan Horne, Julia Bluen's son. Instead of answering his son's question directly, he gently said, "Billy, do you think I'm a bad person?"
His hand, greedily caressing Jimmy's cheek, moved to Jimmy's neck. Then, he unexpectedly discovered the necklace Jimmy wore, hidden beneath his clothes. It was the sa necklace he had given to Adele Horne years ago as a token of faith. This necklace was a symbol of the Reyes Family patriarch. Those who wanted his life had gone to great lengths to acquire both it and the Inferno Gate's fiery totem.
No one would have guessed he would leave such an important necklace as a keepsake for Adele Horne, with whom he had shared only a fleeting mont of passion.
Seeing the token he had left behind years ago filled Noah with even more excitent.
"My mommy said this was a gift from my daddy," Jimmy said. He noticed Noah pulling out his necklace and saw his expression grow even stranger. Jimmy quickly snatched the necklace back from Noah's large hand and stuffed it inside his clothes, looking at Noah defensively, as if he thought Noah might steal it.
He had never t his daddy, and this necklace was the only gift from him. He treasured it like a precious jewel, unwilling to let strangers see it easily.
Because this was from his daddy!
Deep in his heart, Jimmy Horne longed for his father's love.
Hearing this, Noah felt another surge of emotion. Thankfully, Adele acknowledged the child is mine.
Is she doing well?
Thinking of Adele Horne, Noah's thoughts drifted back four years—no, closer to five years ago…
Back then, wearing a black suit, he stood before the hotel room window, looking down at the hustle and bustle in the streets below.
"Leader."
Deon Myers knocked and entered, assisting a woman whose head was covered by a shirt, obscuring her face.
She was the woman Noah, after much persuasion from Deon and others, had instructed Deon to find for him. Due to his dangerous circumstances, he didn't want an innocent woman to be killed by his enemies. So, he had ordered Deon not to look at her face. As long as no one knew what she looked like, they wouldn't be able to find her, and she wouldn't die because of him.
"Put her on the bed," Noah ordered in a deep voice.
Deon imdiately helped the woman to the bed, laid her down, and then retreated from the room.
Noah stood a short distance away, watching her dispassionately. The woman seed extrely uncomfortable and was trying to pull the shirt off her head.
When she finally removed it, he felt his breath catch.
What a beautiful woman!
He was involuntarily drawn to her. He approached the bed, sat on its edge, and lifted her chin. Her hazy eyes t his. Then, as if unconsciously, she grabbed his hand and collapsed into his arms, making him chuckle despite himself.
At the ti, he'd thought that after he officially beca Leader, he would co back and find her. But things didn't go as planned. Once he beca Leader, too many matters arose, preventing him from returning to her as quickly as he'd hoped.
Snapping back from the distant mory, Noah pulled Jimmy even closer.
"Uncle, I can't breathe!" Jimmy exclaid, struggling against Noah's fierce embrace. He genuinely felt breathless. This uncle is really strange, always hugging him so tightly.
The next mont, Noah imdiately loosened his grip, flustered, and urgently asked, "Billy, are you okay? I'm sorry, Da— Uncle didn't an to."
"Uncle, why are you always so strange? Really, really strange," Jimmy said, his eyes filled with an enduring confusion.
Reviews
All reviews (0)