He Who Makes Her Smile

He was EVERYWHERE.

It had been two weeks since he got back from Dublin, and by the gods, he never left her or the kids alone, except for sleeping. Not even once.

Duncan was like our personal chef or the kids' babysitter. He would show up at nine in the morning like clockwork, with a basket of food and a smile.

Damn that smile of his. I wanted to frown mind you, but I cannot. He was being a father to them.

Like now. Duncan and the kids were nowhere in sight. When he asked permission to take the kids somewhere, he promised to send pictures of where they went.

Which he did. It was that damn loch where Claude almost drown. No, they were not in the loch, but from the video he sent, they were having a blast.

The bark that I heard in the background was something I will not think about. Nope, I was not going there. If he did give them a dog, Duncan would be the one to take care of him...or her.

There was a ding and my phone lit up with a notification. And when I looked at it, I had to cover my mouth and stop my heart from bursting with overflowing emotions.

The kids' arms were around a huge Scottish deerhound that looked at the camera with eyes full of wisdom and intelligence. Its black fur looked shiny under the flash of the camera. What made me tear up was the smile on their faces.

Claude and Nicole had never looked so happy. There was that sparkle in their eyes that was captured by the camera. The same sparkle that was never present in all the pictures that they have.

They have suffered so much, endured a man that should have given them love. The ex was not a cruel father that hit them, but he did assume that they would be taken care of like his niece and nephew were.

He was wrong. It did not even help that I had to work to provide for them since The Ex was picky when it comes to working. By the time I noticed things, everything was out of control.

"Julie? Are you okay?" Jane's voice pulled me out of my past thoughts. "Oh dear, you are crying. Did someone hurt you? Do you want me to call Duncan?"

That made me laugh. Despite the tears running down my face that I did not notice, I laughed so hard when I heard his name.

"Your nephew was the one who made me cry," I said and showed her the picture. She also let out a gasp of surprise and hugged me when she saw the picture.

"Oh, Julie. Look at them! They are so happy! I have never seen them like that," I could see that the older woman had teared up. I could not help but nod.

Jane was like the grandmother the kids had never had. The minute she saw my kids she declared herself as their grandnana. Claude and Nicole were shy the first few days that we were here. But as weeks passed by, they gradually let themselves relax.

It was a big relief that everyone at The Belle helped with looking after my kids while I studied and learned how to handle the ropes of the place.

"Julie, look, Claude sent a video." Jane gave the phone back to me, to see Nicole playing with a dog twice her size. I gasped when I saw my little girl suddenly tackle the dog, yet it dropped and played dead.

"It is good that Fall is out of that stupid castle," Jane commented. "A dog his size should be outside not cooped up in that castle of his." Jane was irritated. I have never heard of her being like this. Fall must be a sore subject between the two of them.

"Castle?" I asked, "Duncan lives in a castle?" I sound stupid, but yeah, I did hear it correctly right? The man lives in a castle.

"Yes, dear. He lives in a castle."

Wow, a castle. So that was what Nicole was talking about. ["Mr. Duncan lives in a castle, mommy.] Who would have thought that the most interesting and handsome man that caught my attention also live in a castle?

I sighed. We need to have a proper conversation. Like talking and not looking at each other. I could feel my body get warm every time I remember the way he looked at me.

The raw desire shining in his eyes was enough to make me wear clothes I do not normally wear at home. I mean, I was wearing a loose dress that made me look like a tablecloth because of my size. And yet he looked at me as if were a centerpiece that he would like to take part in.

And by the gods, he was not shy telling me how he felt too.

He was like the men I have read in the books that adorned my shelves. Charismatic, aggressive, and rude to the point that I wanted to kiss him. Confident that I would fall into his bed. Dependable.

Okay, fine. I admit I do want to be close to him and climb like a monkey on him. Duncan was...yummy. I could probably use all the words in the dictionary to describe how he looks physically. I mean thinking about the man was making my panties wet. Again. At this rate, I need to buy a new set of undies. Preferably, something sexy and...

Why am I even thinking about sexy underwear? It's not like Duncan would make a move...

Of course, he was going to make a move. The only reason the man was holding back was that I was sending mixed signals.

Could you blame me? I find him attractive, he was gentle and patient with the kids. He was also one heck of a good cook. He was dependable. Yet a part of me will always have this fear that when do fall for him, he will change.

That once I have let my guard down, he will not be the same man as before.

He makes me smile, and at the same time, he makes me weary. Why? I don't want to fall. Not again. Because if I did, and he was not the man we thought he was, we would not survive...