Chapter 4 Nathan

After the call with Reece, I wasn't so scared anymore. Now, I could focus on the ruckus Nathan had created at school and think about how to navigate through it.

The kids were fine, you know; sometimes you would even find them playing together after fighting and hurting each other. But the parents - they loved screaming matches. It was so hard to stay calm and not shout back or do something to provoke them, especially when they said all these things about Nate and brought up irrelevant things about my past – I had to choose between mental peace and standing up for myself.

I rushed towards the school's entrance and saw Nate's teacher exhale a visible sigh of relief once she saw me.

When I could finally see my boy clearly, my eyes instantly ran all over him to check for any injuries. He looked fine – happy even. It was relieving – as long as Nathan was happy and fine, I could deal with any situation.

"I'm glad you're here, Ms. Hayes," She gave me a nod in greeting; "Nathan has been waiting for you." Nathan ran towards me, looking in a very good mood for someone who had been in a fight. But then, children are always like that.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, ma'am," I smiled back at her. Goodness, she looked exhausted, "I hope you have a nice day."

"Ms. Hayes?" She said before I could turn around, "Mason's father wishes to talk to you." Uh-oh. She gave me a small smile, "I'll take my leave. You can call me in case you need me."

I gave a reluctant nod and turned to face the man who was approaching me while scrutinizing me at the same time. A part of me was relieved; at least the presence of a man ensured no screaming contests, which had been the case a good amount of times with mothers.

Surprisingly, there was no judgement in his gaze. It was kinder than most people I had come across - I also didn't remember seeing his around before so perhaps Mason was a new kid. I relaxed a little.

"Hey," he smiled, "Ms. Hayes, I believe?" he confirmed, his eyes never leaving my face.

I nodded and smiled back, "Hello."

"I'm Matt, Mason's father." He said, "I wanted to apologize for whatever my son said."

I was taken aback, but I tried not to show it. Never in my six years did someone want to apologize to me. Today was full of surprises. This man had shown impeccable manners right from the beginning and it was refreshing for a start.

"It's alright; just make sure a repeat doesn't occur." I said, "And I apologize for the uh...punch." I shrugged, "Mason was bleeding, I heard. I hope he's okay now"

"I think both Nathan and Mason will be fine." He looked nervous for a moment and then said, "Look, we are new here so I have no idea where Mason picked those words from. I talked with Nathan and the teacher, and I don't want you to think that this is what we go around talking about in the house. Maybe he picked it from his classmates." He shrugged, "I'll talk to him about it, though. He's a sensible kid. I'm sure he didn't mean it"

"Thank you, that is very kind," I smiled. This man was like a breath of fresh air after today's day. Something, someone different: someone who was not looking at me with a judgmental gaze and probably even understood the things I was going through.

Nathan had run off to play with Mason the moment he saw that we were not going to fight or anything. As I said, the kids didn't care after some time.

"It was nice meeting you," I glanced at my son again, "It seems that the children are getting along well, so maybe I'll see you around. I need to leave now; I have to get back home."

"Oh yes, sure." He nodded and we called the children, greeted each other one last time, and left for our respective houses.

With a small smile on my face, I buckled Nate up in the car and then drove away.

*************

"Nate" I started, "I like that you stand up for yourself – I'm very proud of you." I smiled, and sat him down on the couch. Sitting next to him, I continued, "But it isn't good for you to have so much anger in that little body. It's not okay to hit someone."

"I was very angry, mommy." He mumbled, "But I'll try the next time. I'll try not to hit anyone." He smiled.

I kissed the top of his head, "That's my boy."

The resemblance between my son and his father was too apparent to be ignored. Sebastian's genes had definitely dominated over mine and that was why I could see a mirror image of my ex in my son.

His eyes, his face, and the way he talked, the way he behaved....

It was the hardest to not remember Sebastian every time Nathan did something that resembled Sebastian in any way. When Nathan was just a baby, his eyes reminded me of Sebastian the most. – the same forest green shade.

There were many habits, likes, dislikes, features, and behavioral patterns that the two of them shared and I didn't know if it was a punishment or a blessing. Nathan had inherited every good trait from his father and it just made me more and more proud as he kept growing up - he never made me feel that I was a bad parent and I knew he was going to be a good human being when he would grow up.

I returned to Earth when a familiar ball of fur smashed into my face and I saw that my cat needed some cuddles. Meanwhile, our dog had firmly planted herself in my son's lap, demanding some pets.

While my cat, Whisky, had been with me for about ten years now, our dog, Ruff was a one-year-old mongrel. I would never forget how a five-year-old Nathan had brought a very tiny puppy in his small hands, which looked barely alive, and was crying because he wanted to save her. Ruff was just a few days old, and was abandoned by her mother, which made her survival even more difficult. Despite that, Nathan had been adamant about saving the little girl, whom we eventually adopted.

Whisky and Ruff, both made life a hell lot easier, especially with the silent support and loving cuddles they provided. When Nathan was just a baby, I remembered how Whisky had helped me get through the most difficult of days, and made me laugh with her antics when I was sad.

"Well, time to cook!" I announced, "Will you help me, Nathan?"

A "yes", a bark, and a meow were simultaneously heard, and it immediately brought a smile to my face.

My family was complete and we were happy just the way we were.

*************************************

"Hi Reece," After a lot of thinking, I had called him.

"Hi," He murmured softly from the other side.

"Reece, I couldn't sleep the entire night," I started, "I want you to know, that whatever was there between Sebastian and I before is long over. I don't want him or anything that is remotely related to him in my life. I have worked very hard to establish a comfortable life for myself these past six years, to be safe from his influences, and I don't want you to bring all of that misery back into my life. Its... safer with him not knowing me, where I am. If he wanted to know, you know he would have already found out from somewhere. Let's just leave things where they are. Please."

I tried not to let my voice quiver. I will never be able to forget those days leading up to the incident and the days that followed after. I was alone then, and now I have a son to protect. I was not going to willingly bring those troubles back into my life again.

"Also, congratulations on your wedding. I missed it when you mentioned the last time."

"Thank you," Reece said and then remained silent for a couple seconds. He sighed, "I'm sorry, Noelle. I guess I just was excited that I thought everything will be better."

I remained silent.

"But, I don't think it is over, Noelle, no matter what you say..." he hesitated, "And also, I just want to warn you, Sebastian mentioned wanting to stay for longer. I will try to take him back as soon as possible, but you know how he is if he is determined."

Oh shit.