Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 317 - 55

Chapter 317: Chapter 55

After Ethan’s bath, Rayne put him to bed and handed over his bedtime story book to Liam then she left them both alone to go and shower.

Ten minutes later, seated on the chair beside Ethan’s bed, Liam stole another glance at his son as he turned to the forth page of the little book Rayne had given him to read aloud to his son.

Ethan was lying on his side, his arms wrapped around the same rabbit his mother had been clutching to her chest when he’d first seen her, his gaze riveted on Liam.

Despite Ethan’s intent expression, Liam sensed that his mind was on something else and not on the story, and he concluded that worrisome situation to his own inability and lack of experience as a bedtime-story teller. Perhaps he was boring the boy out?

Determined to redeem himself in Ethan’s eyes and regain his attention before he lost it completely, Liam tried harder to sound convincing while he read his son an amazingly ridiculous story about a mouse who traveled the world in a hot air balloon, meeting other animals and having grand adventures that defied all logic and reason.

Ethan’s apprehensive voice stopped him before he finished the first sentence on the page.

"A bad man took me away from nanny and cover my mouth when I cry..."

Liam made a huge effort to keep his expression from betraying the rage he felt, and laid the book down on his lap. "I know he did, but he will never come near you again."

"Why?" A pair of huge dark eyes stared at Liam in question.

Completely taken aback by the question, Liam settled for the only explanation he could think of that would be simple enough for a child to accept. "Because he’s afraid of me."

"Why?"

’Because I’m going to make certain he can’t get near you, and if he tries, I’ll kill him myself.’

"Because I know who he is, and I’m going to make sure he spends the rest of his life in he—" He broke off that vengeful sentence because he didn’t want his son to start fearing him; then he choked on a laugh when Ethan helped him finish it.

"Time-out?"

"Yes," Liam said.

"Why else?"

"Why else is he afraid of me?" Liam thought hard for a reassuring but nonthreatening answer to give and said, "Because I’m a lot bigger than he is."

"Why again?" Ethan prodded.

It dawned on Liam that he’d been lured into a conversational loop by a two-year-old who was prepared to continue the game all night. Liam smoothly switched roles with him.

"Why do you think he’s afraid of me?"

Ethan regarded him in surprise for a moment, as if the answer should have been obvious all along.

"Because you’re my Daddy."

Liam’s heart slammed into his ribs and he had to swallow before he could breathe.

Ethan mistook his silence for uncertainty. "Mommy said you are and that you love me," he added emphatically, as if that alone should be enough to remove any doubt Liam could have.

"Your mommy is right," Liam said tenderly. Reaching out, he smoothed the cover around Ethan’s shoulder. "What else did she tell you?"

Ethan’s eyes brightened at the question. "Mommy tell me, you came my house. You tell soldiers ’Find Ethan!’ You said—’Bring Ethan right straight home to me!’ And so—and so—they came to that big place and did!" The words tumbled out in an excited, halting rush; then he seemed to run out of words altogether, and his brows drew together as if that baffled him.

Liam watched him, his own brows drawing together in bafflement because Rayne had obviously told his son that Liam had raced to his rescue today and was solely responsible for his safe return.

She apparently wanted Ethan to see him in a heroic light, and yet, he would have expected just the opposite of her after she’d deprived him of being a father to the boy.

Ethan’s next words pulled him back to the present and made his throat tighten again.

"You see me again?" he asked, and wagged his head in the affirmative, urging Liam to say yes.

"Yes," Liam whispered, smiling. "I’ll see you tomorrow."

"And the next days?" He wagged his head again.

His son, Liam realized with amused pride, had obviously inherited his knack for knowing when, and how, to press an advantage—a clear indication that he could have a wonderful career in the world of business.

In answer to his question, Liam said, "Yes, the next days and forever," and then he decided to broach another, very important subject.

"I brought a special friend along with me. His name is Dante and he’s downstairs right now. He’s going to sleep up here, and whenever you go somewhere, he’s going to go with you."

"Is he also big as you?"

Absurdly pleased that his son apparently regarded him as a giant among men, Liam said, "No, but he’s very, very strong."

Ethan nodded and closed his eyes. Moments later, he was asleep, and Liam gazed down at the sweet face of his son, a little angel with sooty curls, dusky lashes, soft cheeks, and a small, sharp chin.

Liam’s chin—he realized with a jolt. He recognized that chin; he stared at a larger version of it in the mirror every day while he shaved. The small hand lying against the rabbit’s head was Liam’s hand in miniature.

Leaning forward, Liam carefully lifted the little hand from its resting place and pressed it to his lips.

In the room across the hall, the shower stopped running, and he stood up from the bedside; then he turned and looked around at his son’s things, but it was the three photograph albums atop a shelves of books that ultimately captured his attention.

Two of the albums had labels on the spine indicating the time frame of the pictures inside them.

Liam took one off the shelves, opened it, and saw pictures of his son in a high chair, surrounded by balloons, with a chocolate cake in front of him that had one candle on it.

His son’s first birthday had come and gone without him knowing it. The anger he would have felt at that was softened by everything he’d seen Rayne do and say, and by the fact that she’d not only told Ethan right away that Liam was his father but had also succeeded in making him a hero in his eyes, rather than a frightening stranger.

He flipped to the front of the album and saw Rayne, with a bulging belly, standing in a bedroom, hanging some sort of toys above a crib with her right hand while her left was against her belly, a beaming smile on her face.

A long-buried memory suddenly resurfaced with vibrant clarity in Liam’s mind, the memory of a sexual experience so powerful, and an orgasm so intense, that it had seemed profoundly unreal.

Afterward, he’d held Rayne in his arms, wishing somehow that they’d conceived a baby, the thought had seemed so pleasant in his mind he’d subconsciously held her tighter because he didn’t mind one bit if she had his child. Deep down, he’d wanted it to happen, but he’d never thought it would.

The third album was shorter and fancier, with an embossed title on the spine that said ’My Baby’s First Photo Book.’

Liam picked up all three albums, took them into the living room, and laid them on the coffee table; then he glanced at his watch and reached for his phone.

He had already gone down to the lobby, dismissed his attorneys, thanked the soldiers who had assisted him, and called Neil to inform him that Ethan was safe. He also assured Neil’s four-month pregnant wife, who was on her way to Zen, not to worry because he was there for her friend.

Liam had left Dante in the lobby with the duffle bags containing the $1 billion, as he didn’t want Ethan present when he explained Dante’s role to Rayne.

When Dante answered his call, Liam instructed him to have Neil’s driver transfer the money into the limo trunk. He then explained to Dante that he wanted him to act as Ethan’s bodyguard for the time being.

Liam’s last call was to Ashley, Milo Thompson’s mother. Her boyfriend, Cal, who was also Liam’s business partner, answered her private line.

"She’s talking to Will Parker right now," Cal explained to Liam, who was also his boss in the business world. "We saw you going into the High Tower Complex Apartment building tonight on the seven o’clock news. We didn’t know Milo was involved until Parker got here. It’s all over the news now."

Cal paused, then added awkwardly, "I wouldn’t ask this, but if Ethan Wallace is your son, then what Milo did will be even harder for Ashley to bear. I just want to be prepared—"

"He’s my son," Liam interrupted. "Tell Ashley that Ethan is unharmed, so she needn’t feel bad on my account."

"It’s incredibly kind of you to dismiss this," Cal said, sounding more astonished than grateful.

"I’m not dismissing anything," Liam retorted. "I am going to ensure Milo spends the rest of his life behind bars, and if he comes near my son or his mother again, I will hunt him down myself—and I won’t involve the police when I find him."

"If I were in your position, I would feel exactly as you do."

"Then I hope you can make Ashley understand how I feel."

"She will understand," Cal said with sad certainty.

Liam promised to call Ashley in a few days and hung up.

Dante arrived a few minutes later, and by the time Rayne walked into the living room, he was sitting at the kitchen island, already on duty.

---

A/N

A code to redeem.

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