Build And Break novel Chapter 45

When Angela had brought Daniel back to the sofa and laid him down to rest his head on her lap, the boy looked frail and his eyes were red and all watery. His cries had become like a knife struck deep and straight into Angela's heart.

Soon after Steven finished cleaning up, he went to sit beside them on the sofa. He brushed the sleepy boy's hair as tenderly as he ever could. He hated seeing Daniel that fragile. He hated not knowing what to do.

All four adults gathered around the sofa, around Daniel until the boy dozed off. The soccer game had long been forgotten, the TV was switched off, their remaining food went cold.

In silence, they had all returned to the kitchen and each helped to pickup the dirty plates and dishes. When Grace took the place at the sink to wash the endless tableware, Steven grabbed a kitchen towel and began drying the plates dripping on the rack.

"You don't have to do that. You're a guest here." Grace mumbled and went to reach for the plate in his hands.

Steven held onto the plate. "I insist."

"Well then." Grace thanked him with a smile and handed him the plate she just washed clean.

Angela returned from checking on Daniel and came just in time to see Jimmy overlooking his mother and the man beside her with a frown. Then she watched Jimmy grabbing a can of cheap beer from the fridge and exiting the room. Angela followed him.

Jimmy sat on the front door step, feeling the chill of the night on his naked arms. Angela took seat close to him in silence. For a moment, Jimmy simply enjoyed sipping his beer until Angela's piercing stare on him annoyed him enough to make him turn to her.

"What?" Jimmy muttered in irritation with his brows touching in the middle of his forehead.

Angel set a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to be that insensitive to Steven."

"I'm only treating him as he should be treated. Without any respect. Isn't that how he treats anyone?"

"He does have a habit of doing that, yes. But right now, in this present, he's trying to be with us."

"Us?" Jimmy asked with a mixed of incredulity and concern.

Angela thought about it for a second. "No, Jimmy. He trying to be trying be with us for Daniel alone not for... Not for me. Me and Steven will never be as we once were. We've changed."

"He's still a bastard." Jimmy easily exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

"Jimmy." Angela scolded him with a soft punch at his shoulder.

"He's my son, Grace."

"I see you're sure now, huh." She teased with a smile playing on her lips.

The woman's words reminded Steven of the one time he had asked Grace if Daniel was truly his son. And with that in mind, he only nodded to her last statement. There was nothing much to add.

"I thought you wouldn't come here. I thought you wouldn't even let Angela come." Grace expressed.

"I... I think the part where I be a dictator with Angela is over." Before that moment, Steven hasn't actually realized that he just couldn't control Angela anymore. He didn't have it in him to treat her like that. And somehow he had just trusted that revelation with Grace.

"I had always thought Steven Morris didn't have a heart. Guess I might have been wrong."

"What do you mean?"

Grace took his left hand in hers. Her wet thumb brushed over his wedding ring. "Tell me you only wore this ring to hide your divorce. Tell me that I'm wrong if I say you never took it off to let it remind you of Angel. I mean Angela. She's not our Angel anymore." With a saddened grimace, Grace peaked out the small window to search for Angela outside. She saw her close to Jimmy. Saw the loving gaze Jimmy was giving her. "Oh, Jimmy, you idiot." She knocked loudly on the window startling Jimmy and Angela both before beckoning them inside with her hand.