Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

Adrian Grant stood perfectly still, his arms open, letting her have her way.

When she looked up, her gaze met his.

Caroline Whitman’s eyes darted away, not wanting to look like she was leering at him.

She ducked her head and turned to the side, checking the apron strings behind his waist.

The moment she ducked her head, Adrian Grant’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

When Caroline Whitman’s fingertips accidentally brushed the dimples of his lower back, his abs tightened almost imperceptibly.

Once she’d tied the apron, Caroline Whitman straightened up. "All done."

But before she knew it, he leaned down, turned his head, and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

The kiss came without warning. It wasn’t forceful or demanding, just his lips resting against the corner of hers.

Caroline Whitman froze, instinctively grabbing a corner of his apron.

Perhaps her reaction was a beat too slow.

Adrian Grant’s gentle kiss began to deepen, slowly, insistently, until it became a lingering embrace.

He didn’t stop until Caroline Whitman pushed him away, and even then, he did so reluctantly.

"I see you really don’t need my help," Caroline Whitman said.

After muttering the words, she quickly fled.

She hurried down the hall and into the living room, her eyes instinctively flicking to the couch.

Thank goodness. Ryan Grant was watching cartoons with his back to her, wrapped up in his little blanket. His eyes were glued to the screen, completely oblivious to what had just happened in the kitchen. His innocent eyes were safe.

Caroline Whitman breathed a sigh of relief and sat down beside him.

Hearing the movement, Ryan turned to look at her. Blinking his big, round eyes, he asked in his sweet, childish voice, "Mommy, do you have a fever? Your face is all red."

"Is... is it?" Caroline Whitman subconsciously touched her cheek.

It did feel a little flushed.

"I must be flushed from the heat," Caroline Whitman offered as an excuse.

She hurried to the bathroom to splash some water on her face. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, her ears flushed red, she sighed in exasperation.

’Ugh, so pathetic,’ she thought. ’It’s not like this is the first time we’ve kissed.’

Once the flush had faded, Caroline Whitman slowly emerged from the bathroom and joined Ryan to watch cartoons.

But then, the little guy sniffled, his voice a bit stuffy. "Mommy," he asked innocently, "why aren’t you helping Daddy in the kitchen anymore?"

’Silly boy,’ she thought. ’If I kept ’helping’ like that, we’d be getting in the way, and you’d end up starving today.’

Caroline Whitman smiled. "Your dad doesn’t need any help."

’If it weren’t for the kid, we probably would have unlocked a new achievement just now.’

At the thought, Caroline Whitman’s ears grew warm again.

’My thoughts are so dirty.’

Ryan said, "Oh," and went back to his cartoons.

Adrian Grant served the food at exactly twelve noon.

Ryan had already climbed dutifully into his chair at the dining table. Caroline Whitman sat down next to him, ladled a bowl of congee for him, and set it down.

"Blow on it so you don’t burn yourself."

"Okay." Ryan gripped his spoon, scooped up a mouthful, and blew on it a few times—FOOH FOOH FOOH—before carefully putting it in his mouth.

Adrian Grant took off his apron, pulled out a chair, and sat down across from Caroline Whitman. His shirt sleeves were still rolled up to his forearms, and his wrist flexed as he picked up his spoon.

Under the lights, the ring on his finger and the one on hers shared the same matching glint.

Adrian Grant glanced up at her.

It wasn’t a meaningful look, just an ordinary, casual glance—the kind people exchange over a meal.

Just as Caroline Whitman’s eyes met his, Adrian Grant looked away.

Halfway through the meal, Ryan suddenly looked up and announced happily, "Mommy, Daddy, I think my nose is clear!"

In his excitement, he forgot the rule about not talking while eating.

Caroline Whitman replied, "Mhm, the medicine must be working. If you rest well this afternoon, you’ll probably be much better by tomorrow."

Ryan blinked. "Does that mean I don’t have to go to Grandpa and Grandma’s to get better the day after tomorrow?"

Adrian Grant looked up. "Finish your food first."

Hearing that, Ryan quickly shut his mouth and focused on his food.

Half an hour after the meal, Caroline Whitman gave Ryan his medicine right on schedule.

The little guy scrunched up his nose as he drank it down, then gulped half a glass of warm water. His face was a mess of wrinkles as he turned to Adrian Grant to complain.

"The medicine’s so bitter."

Adrian Grant said nothing, simply picking two grapes from the fruit bowl on the coffee table to help with the bitter taste.

If a child naps too much during the day, they have trouble falling asleep at their regular naptime.

Ryan had napped for a bit in the morning, and now that his nose was clear, he was even more energetic.

With no other choice, the two of them settled in for an afternoon of parenting, sitting on the couch to watch cartoons with their son.

It was just like all the other times.

Whenever the cartoons came on, Caroline Whitman would get drowsy.

But unlike all the other times, she no longer had to shy away from physical intimacy with Adrian Grant. She settled comfortably in his arms and drifted off to sleep.

Adrian Grant rested a hand on her stomach, his palm patting her side in a slow, intermittent rhythm that was closer to a caress.

But even after an hour of watching cartoons with his son, the boy showed no signs of sleepiness.

Resigned, he carried Caroline Whitman to the bedroom so she could sleep more comfortably in bed.

When he came back out, only he and his son were left in the living room.

As if sensing a shift in the "fatherly love" atmosphere, Ryan silently turned off the TV and slid off the couch.

"Daddy, I’m going to go sleep in my room now."

He started walking obediently toward his room.

But Adrian Grant picked him up by the collar. "Time to study."

"Daddy, do I have to study even when I’m sick?" Seeing there was no escape, Ryan resorted to his ultimate weapon: acting cute and pathetic.

Adrian Grant looked down and scoffed. "Don’t bother. That trick only works when your mother uses it on me."

"..."

Ryan thought he must have been so stupid before. ’How could I ever have thought they would fight and get a divorce?’

Studying was boring.

After more than half an hour of studying, Ryan was exhausted.

He wrote the last character, put down his pen, and looked up at Adrian Grant.

"Daddy, when are we going back to The Seraphic?"

"You want to go back to The Seraphic?"

"Yeah. That house is big, and there’s so much to play with."

There was a slide, he could play in the dirt in the yard, plant flowers, water the plants, and play in the swimming pool. He thought there were many more fun things to do at The Seraphic.

"I’ll ask your mother what she thinks another day."

"Oh."

Adrian Grant’s phone suddenly rang.

It was Zoe Grant.

He ruffled his son’s hair. "Read a book for a little while."

With that, he left the study and stepped into a spare room.

"What’s up?" Adrian Grant asked.

"Bro, do you know you’re trending?"

Adrian Grant’s brow furrowed. "Trending for what?"

"About your ’illegitimate son’ thing," Zoe said, then quickly backpedaled. "Hey, those are the words they’re using on the trending topic, not me."