"Ahh..." Ingrid hesitated, she really felt uneasy in showing him the pictures."You mean my baby pictures dad?" Clark interrupted. He laughed and ruffled his son"s hair.
"Yes, buddy, I am curious how you look and..." he took a glimpse of Ingrid "...your mom." Clark clapped his hands with happiness. "Please, Ingrid? I wanna know and see you both..." Ingrid could sense some strange emotions from the way Clifford said. She sighed and stood up.
"Let"s go the living room." Clifford and Clark followed her and they both looked at each other and grinned.
The living room sends a relaxing ambience and it"s enormous because Ingrid likes huge s.p.a.ces. Light Beige walls, white chesterfield sofa, and large built-in shelves. Ingrid is minimalist when it comes to interior design. The only accent in the living room is a vase full of fresh flowers from hr garden.
Clifford and Clark sat together and Ingrid went over to the shelves and took three large photo alb.u.ms. It was Liane"s idea to take pictures of her from the moment she knew of her pregnancy. Clifford felt the excitement to look at the pictures of her being pregnant.
"Daddy, you"ll now see me as a baby..."
"Come here, son. Sit on my lap, let"s look at your baby pictures together." The child immediately crawled to his father"s lap and sit comfortably.
Ingrid is moved looking at the father and son duo. She handed the photo alb.u.ms to them. Ingrid decided to leave them on their own so that they will have their time together. But Clifford takes hold of her hand.
Ingrid"s eyes widen when she felt his hand, his hand felt so good on her.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I"ll go to my room. I need to do something." She lied. She knew that if she stays her heart will only squeeze looking at them. But Clifford"s eyes are pleading. Sigh. "Okay, I"ll be back. I"ll just need to get my laptop."
Clifford released her hand and hurriedly she left and put a mental note that there"s no office works to be done at home when they get married. He"s the CEO after all.
He opened the alb.u.m and saw a hand written note on the first page. MAKING MEMORIES WITH MY BABY... The next page showed Ingrid"s shocked face when she learned of her pregnancy. It was Liane who took the picture. Every month she took picture of her growing tummy. In one page of the alb.u.m, Ingrid put only a large 3D ultrasound photo of a smiling fetus. She wrote a note:
When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew that I"ve loved you from the moment I knew your existence. You are a miracle to me.
"Daddy, that"s me. I"m so tiny," Clark pointed at his ultrasound picture and Clifford"s heart skipped as he looked intently at the picture. He kissed his son"s forehead.
"Yes, you are. But you"re no longer tiny now."
Ingrid bloomed and was so beautiful when she was pregnant. He loves staring at every pictures of her and her slight bulging tummy. But he noticed that her tummy was small comparing to other pregnant women he knew, it looks like that it"s just fats on her belly part.
The next alb.u.m where after giving birth, but on the side of it, there"s a secret pocket. He opened it and saw a DVD.
"What"s this? And there"s no label." He looked its front and back. He wondered what it"s all about, but his gut tells him that it contains something and he wanted to find out. So he put the DVD back to its place.
The second alb.u.m shows pictures of Clark as a baby from day one until he celebrated his first year. He smiled looking at the pictures.
"You"re so adorable as a baby, Clark. How I missed those baby moments with you. But I promise that from this day onwards, I will never leave you and... your mom."
"Really daddy? You will live with us now?" Clark"s eyes sparkled with joy.
"Not yet, but soon son, very soon."
....
Ingrid sat on her bed and reflected everything. Having Clifford around makes her feel protected and she knew that she started to lean on him for support but somehow afraid because the dread of her past still clinging on her.
"I"m still afraid, I wanna give myself a chance..." she mumbled to herself.
Closing her eyes, she remembered what Liane told her when she poured out her heart to her regarding this matter.
"Oh sis, I know you"ve been through a lot and I know that you"re still afraid but I know you"ve fallen in love with that man. My parents once told me that that if I find someone to love and yet I"m still afraid, then it"s not love because right love expels all fears..."
She stared at the window and her thoughts wandered and call to mind her first meetings with Clifford, from their bickering to their intimate moments lately. Sigh.
"Am I ready to take risks?"