Chapter 3

At that moment, I heard a familiar male voice from across the street. "Winona."

Glancing up, I spotted a man in a crisp white shirt and dress pants waiting at the crosswalk.

He had an ice cream cone in his left hand and was holding the hand of an adorable little girl, who was happily waving at me.

My fingers couldn't help but tremble, and a sharp sting rose in my nose, threatening tears.

As the light turned green, he scooped the little girl up with one arm, ready to cross.

"Chad, stop right there!" I shrieked, not caring about anything else at that moment.

Chad froze, startled by my cry. The next second, a huge truck thundered through the red light, missing him by mere inches.

My heart twisted painfully, and a drowning, breathless panic took hold of me.

After checking that no cars were coming, Chad jogged over with the little girl in his arms.

"That was way too close," he said uneasily, letting the girl down and giving his chest a reassuring pat.

He quickly handed me the pink strawberry ice cream cone. "Here, Winona, your favorite." He grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Chad... Eleanor..." I murmured, still shaken as I stared at the two faces I hadn't seen in ten whole years.

Chad stuffed the ice cream cone into my hand and gently ruffled my hair. "Hey, what's with that face? I just went to get you some ice cream, and now you look like you're about to burst into tears."

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Eleanor's tiny voice piped up as she reached out her little hand. "I want a hug."

My heart raced as I took a deep breath, bent down, and scooped Eleanor into my arms, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I'm fine, sweetheart. I just missed you so much."

"Hey, your cheek looks a bit puffy. Did something happen?" Chad asked, noticing the swelling.

I shook my head. "Don't worry. I just had a run-in with two idiots."

"Who are you calling idiots?" Charles glared murderously at Chad and Eleanor, his face thunderous.

"Whoever talks back is the idiot," I retorted, rolling my eyes.

"Dad, that guy looks so much like you," Nolan murmured, tugging quietly at Charles's sleeve.

Nolan's words only made things worse. Charles's face grew even darker, and he demanded, "Winona, who exactly are they?"

I blinked, eyeing that cute mole under Charles's eye and the one on Chad's face in the same spot.

The two guys weren't exactly twins, but their eyes and brows definitely gave off a family resemblance.

"Hey, this is my husband and my daughter. I've already told you. You've got the wrong person," I drawled, taking a slow lick of my ice cream. "Sorry, but I have no idea who you are."

Noticing Charles getting all hostile, Chad instantly stepped between us, his brows knitted tight. "Who the hell are you? Back off from my wife and kid."

"Wife? Daughter? Winona, I guess I never knew you were sneaking around behind my back. I didn't think you'd pull something like this," Charles said.

He just stood there, feeling completely fooled. His pride was in tatters, and with me swearing up and down that I had no clue who he was, he felt absolutely helpless.

"Charles." Sherry tried to soothe him, seeing how furious he was. "Don't get upset. Didn't you say she doesn't have anything to do with you?"

"Yeah, of course, she doesn't," Charles snorted. "Winona, just don't come begging me later."

"You're dreaming," I said, my voice icy.

"Dad, Sherry, can we go to the amusement park now?" Nolan chimed in, not interested in sticking around for the chaos between Charles and me. He just wanted to have fun with his favorite woman, Sherry.

Charles pressed his lips together. His jaw was clenched so tight that it could've cut glass. He clenched his fists, barely holding back, and he finally spat out, "Fine. Do whatever you want."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode off with Sherry and Nolan in tow.

I glanced briefly at their backs as they walked away, not sparing them a second look before moving on.

"Winona, let's go home," Chad said, gripping my hand, his fingers warm and solid around mine.

He didn't know I'd been waiting a whole decade for him to say that to me.

"Chad," I mumbled, my grip failing as the ice cream tumbled from my hand onto the pavement. I flung my arms desperately around his neck, dragging both him and Eleanor into my embrace as tears streamed down my face.

"God, I missed you two so much," I choked out with snot and tears all over his shirt.

"Winona, what's going on?" Chad asked, looking completely panicked as he watched me sobbing so hard that I could barely catch my breath.

Not knowing what else to do, he clumsily dug around for some tissues, dabbing at my tears while rubbing my back.

"Winona, did that guy do something to you? What happened while I was gone buying your ice cream?" Chad blurted out, waving his fist like he was about to charge off and teach Charles a lesson. "Don't cry, babe. I'll make him regret it."

I hugged him tightly, burying my face in his chest. "No, Chad, just don't leave me, okay? Not even for a single minute."