Enraptured

Chapter 44

"Ah, you're finally here! What took you so long? Everyone's here already. Ugh, never mind. I don't actually care now that you're here. Now, where's my grandbaby?"

"Hello to you too, mother," I replied sarcastically as I handed off the pie that Belle baked for today's family dinner and my heavy coat to one of my parent's butlers.

Turning back around, I opened the front door wider for my two treasures. I grabbed Belle's hand as I helped her step over the ledge into the house with Theo trailing right behind her, holding onto the edge of her dress for dear life.

Belle gave my mother a soft smile and greeted, "Good evening, Mrs. Nikolaos. I'm sorry for being late. The seminar for Theo's class at the lecture hall downtown ran a bit over time."

"It's alright, sweetheart. There's no need to apologize." My mother eagerly pulled her into the warmth of the house, offering her a small towel to dry her hair from the melting snowfall. "Besides, didn't I tell you to call me mom already? You don't need to be so formal when you're basically already family."

Belle nodded meekly as she dried the ends of her hair with the warm towel.

I gently nudged her coat off her shoulders, taking her damp clothes from her and leaving her in her adorable light brown dress from before. Passing off the coat to one of the attendants, I then similarly reached down to take Theo's little coat from him, revealing his adorable semiformal outfit consisting of a white button-up and khakis pants that matched the color of Belle's dress.

My mother squealed when she caught sight of Theo, making him instinctively hide behind one of my legs in fear of being squished by his soon-to-be grandmother. "Eek, you three are just too cute in your matching outfits. This calls for a picture. Let me grab my phone, and don't you dare move from your spots."

I shook my head tiredly as I watched my mother run inside the house without even waiting for our reply. I didn't even realize that we were all wearing matching outfits, but there was still no reason for her to get so excited about it.

Turning my attention back to Belle, I tenderly slid my arm around her waist, pulling her in closer. "Let's go, my love. I don't want you to catch a cold from standing so close to the front door."

She looked up at me with her bright violet eyes and asked innocently, "But what about the picture? She said that we shouldn't move."

I chuckled at her adorably conflicted expression and pressed a reassuring kiss on the side of her temple. "It's alright. She won't get mad if we just go a little bit further inside. I'm sure she'll still take the picture regardless of wherever we may be."

She bit on her lower lip nervously, nodding mutely before reluctantly giving in my light nudges as I brought her further into the house.

Weaving through a couple of hallways, I eventually reached the dining room with Theo in one hand and Belle in the other. There were more place settings around the table than usual, but I didn't give it too much thought considering the fact that Sebastian had decided to join us for dinner as well.

Belle slipped out of my hold and told me to send my mother to the kitchen if she came looking for her. Then she leaned up onto her tiptoes, motioning for me to lean down for her, and planted a quick peck on my cheek the moment I came down to a reachable height for her before darting off into the kitchen.

My father chuckled as I made my way over to the other guys hanging around the end of the dining table. "That's an adorable little one. So much so that I find myself a little put off every time I see you with such a bright ray of sunshine."

I grunted, not appreciating his jabs at me, as I brought Theo forward.

Sebastian hummed in agreement as he started to pour out a glass of neat whiskey for me. As he handed me the glass, he added to my father's comment, "Then you should see them when he comes to pick her up after work from my building. They're literally the most nauseatingly sweet couple I've ever seen before."