Chapter 142: Family Debut
Moana
The next morning was the day of the picnic. I woke up feeling a bit nauseous, although I was unsure as to whether it was from the nerves of the upcoming event or simple morning sickness. Either way, I felt as though I needed to drag myself out of bed, but Edrick was kind and supportive along the way.
After eating a quick breakfast, I felt much better and got ready. I put on a comfortable, light sundress and a pair of flat shoes, then pulled my hair back into a bun and put on a very small amount of makeup. I dressed Ella in a pair of overalls and sneakers so she could play with other children. The entire time, she chattered nonstop about how excited she was to meet other children, and it made me smile.
Even though I wasn’t particularly excited about this event myself, I was happy that Ella would have a chance to meet other kids, and I hoped that she would have plenty of opportunities to make even more friends in the future. After all, it was about time that she finally had a chance to socialize with other kids her age. She couldn’t stay cooped up in a big penthouse forever.
Once we were all ready, Edrick, Ella and I headed down to the car, where the driver was waiting. Soon enough, we were on our way. Ella swung her legs happily in her car seat and asked a million questions about what sort of food, games, and other children would be at the event.
And much to my surprise, Edrick answered all of her questions quite patiently. It really did feel as though the Alpha billionaire had gained a lot of patience with Ella over the past few months.
Finally, we arrived at the park where the picnic would be held. It was a much smaller event, and I was grateful to see that there were a lot of security guards who were keeping the paparazzi away. Because of this, the three of us got out of the car and made our way over to the park with no hassle. Ella walked between Edrick and I, holding each of our hands. It reminded me of the day that we went to the theme park, when she tricked the workers into thinking that Edrick and I were both her biological parents.
The park was also beautiful. I had never been to this specific park before, as it was located in the uptown area of the city. The park was surrounded by a tall brick fence covered in moss and vines, and the pathways were lined with cherry trees that I imagined were a beautiful shade of pink in the springtime. As we walked along the pathway and toward the center of the park where everyone was gathered, I thought to myself that I would have to come back here in the spring to see the cherry blossoms. At the center of the park, there was a beautiful green gazebo with a rounded roof on top. There was a microphone standing at the top of the gazebo steps, and there were folding chairs lined up in front of it. People were sitting in the chairs as well as mingling around, glasses of ice cold lemonade already in hand. In the distance, beneath a cluster of weeping willow trees, there were dozens of covered round tables and a long buffet with covered dishes. I could see workers running around in a bit of a frenzy as they finished preparations.
However, despite how happy it made me to be out with Ella and Edrick on a beautiful sunny morning, I felt my anxiety begin to bubble up to the surface when I saw everyone’s eyes start to land on us. There were a lot of employees and other business partners at the picnic, and as we entered, everyone turned to look at us. I could see some people whispering as they looked at Ella and myself, but it felt different this time compared to the last event; of course, there were plenty of people who seemed to be judging Ella and myself, but there were even more people who were smiling and waving at Ella. Ella waved back, grinning from ear to ear.
“Look, Moana!” she exclaimed, pointing toward a playground area. “Swings! Can I play on them?”
“Daddy has to give a speech first, Princess,” Edrick said. “Then you can play as much as you want.”
Ella seemed pleased with this. However, it also seemed that some people overheard the brief exchange, and they seemed puzzled. I quickly realized that it was because Ella had referred to me by my first name instead of calling me her mom.
My face instantly went red. I hadn’t thought about that beforehand, and therefore hadn’t had a chance to talk to Ella about it. Edrick never brought it up before, either, which made me wonder if he also forgot or if he simply wasn’t worried. Ella referring to me by my first name when I was supposed to be her biological mother was bound to raise some eyebrows, and I felt myself get nervous as I wondered how long it would be before the inevitable questions regarding my true relationship with Ella were asked.
However, as we walked up onto the small gazebo for Edrick to give his speech to his employees, I swallowed my nerves as best as I could and put on a smile, just as Edrick asked me to do earlier that morning. He had told me to just smile out at the crowd, but that I could just stare over their heads so I wouldn’t have to look at them.
And I did just that.
Ella and I stood behind Edrick while he stepped up to the microphone. I put my hands on Ella’s shoulders and held her in front of me, but she quickly got nervous from the crowd and hid partially behind me with wide eyes.
The crowd let out a chorus of aww’s at Ella’s cuteness. Edrick turned around and flashed both of us a comforting smile, which helped Ella relax, and I wrapped my arm around her while she leaned into my hip.
Finally, Edrick gave his speech. It was a nice speech dedicated to his employees, and it seemed incredibly heartfelt. Hearing it made me smile, and I soon forgot my anxiety about the crowd. I even became a bit more comfortable, and without realizing it my eyes began to scan the crowd while I listened to Edrick speak, the smile still plastered across my face.
However, as my eyes scanned the crowd, I noticed a strikingly familiar face. I narrowed my eyes slightly to get a better look, and once I realized who I was looking at, I knew exactly who it was.
I felt my heart sink and a pit grow inside my stomach as I looked out at the face that was staring straight back at me.
I should have known that he would be here; he was an employee at WereCorp now, after all. But in all of the fuss of everything going on lately, I had completely forgotten, and so I hadn’t prepared myself at all for the possibility that I might see him.
It was my ex-boyfriend, Sam. And he was staring up at me and Ella with wide, disbelieving eyes.
