Chapter 204: Ask Him To Stay

Sometime later, after Tristan had carefully laid Leah down on her bed, he sat facing Leo alone in the living room.

The little boy had insisted he wasn’t feeling sleepy yet, but in truth he didn’t want to fall asleep when his father was still here. Tristan might have been unaware of this, but Leo was watching his every move. He was purely fascinated by the man, the sheer majestic air he carried with him even when he wasn’t trying. This was his father, it was very evident, and somewhere inside he was very happy, about the similarities he noticed between himself and the man.

The truth was he wanted to talk more with him, but he wouldn’t show that he was interested in getting to know the man even more.

Tristan handed the little boy a file. “Here, the DNA you asked for.”

The little boy gave him a doubtful look but still took the file from him. He opened it and read through it with a composed expression, like a little adult. Leo sighed, then closed the file and placed it on the table between them, staring pointedly at the man before him in a professional manner.

“Mr. Grayson, how am I to know that you didn’t tamper with the results?” the boy asked calmly.

Tristan almost laughed. First, it was requesting a DNA test despite the obvious proof in their looks, now he was claiming the results had been tampered with?

“First of all, it’s Daddy to you,” Tristan said, his tone calm but firm. “And secondly, there’s no need to keep denying what you already know, I am your father.”

Leo’s composed expression faltered slightly, a hint of annoyance appearing on his face.

“I’ve been the one taking care of them and protecting them for five years. Don’t think you can suddenly show up and take over. I’m a man, I can protect my mother and sister without your help,” Leo said, speaking more than he usually did at once.

So what if the man was his father?

Even though his mother had told him that his father hadn’t known about their existence until recently, he was still reluctant to hand over his beloved mother and sister to someone who had been absent all his life.

“I’m not here to take over,” Tristan replied calmly. “How about this, you and I can work together to protect them both. Is that alright?”

Leo looked at him, reluctance still evident in his hazel eyes.

“And what if you suddenly leave again?” he asked, finally voicing the fear he had kept hidden all this time.

Though he wanted to acknowledge his father, deep down, he was afraid the man would disappear from their lives again. That was why he had been acting distant, not fully opening up to the man.

“I won’t leave,” Tristan said firmly. “I’m here now. I won’t leave you, your mother, or your sister again. That’s my promise to you.”

Leo’s tough little expression softened, just a little.

“Then let’s seal this as a deal,” he said, extending his small hand for a handshake. A good businessman would never go back on a deal.

Tristan looked at his hand, then back at him. “How about a hug instead?”

Tristan was beginning to learn that accepting your emotions and showing your love, brings a strangely healing feeling. Just like he felt whenever Leah would adorably wrap her arms around his neck to hug him, he wanted to share that with his son too.

“I’m a man. I don’t hug other men,” Leo said stubbornly.

Tristan’s lips twitched slightly. “The ’other man’ you’re talking about is your father. It’s protocol between father and son to share a bonding hug.”

Leo hesitated.

“Fine… I’ll reluctantly accept the hug,” he muttered.

He stepped forward cautiously, still a little stiff, until Tristan wrapped his arms around him.

Though he had shown reluctance, inside, he felt something loosen.

Slowly, he relaxed, a quiet breath left him.

For the first time, father and son held each other in a silent embrace.

…..

Later that night, the villa had fallen into a quiet stillness. The kind that came after laughter, noise, and the warmth of a full house.

Inside one of the bedrooms, a small figure stubbornly clung to Tristan’s arm.

“I don’t wanna sleep anymore.” She whined in a sleepy voice.

Leah tightened her hold on her father’s shirt as if that alone could keep him there. Tristan looked down at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You said you were tired, and you were already asleep.”

“I woke up because I had a nightmare. Daddy was gone, you left us again,” she admitted immediately. That made a sharp tightening pain clench his heart.

Leah blinked up at him, her voice softer this time. “If I go back to sleep, you might disappear.”

Her words carried a weight far too heavy for someone her age.

Tristan’s expression shifted, he caressed her hair tenderly as he said in a reassuring voice, “I won’t. I’m not leaving you again, from now on you don’t have to worry about not having your father with you.”

He kissed her forehead lightly before adding softly, “Rest now, okay? Daddy will be here when you wake up.”

Her eyes lit up at that, “Really, you’ll be here? You won’t leave before morning will you?”

He glanced up in Celine’s direction, these past few days they’d been spending time together, but he had not spent the night with them before, mainly because he didn’t want to push into their home when Celine hadn’t openly invited him to stay, but every evening he left reluctantly, something in him tightly wanting to stay with them.

Celine, who had been standing by the side noticed his gaze and realization dawned on her. His eyes seemed to be asking permission. Was that why he would look at her lingeringly whenever he was about to leave every night?

He wanted her to ask him to stay.

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