"It was Gary, I instructed him to make some arrangements for our arrival, divert the attention of the press and hasten our flight for an hour...""What kind of diversion tactic will that be?"
"Ahh my father already antic.i.p.ated this and has already planned everything, he will have a press release just before we arrive so that the reporters will leave the airport but I know there will still be around. However, the security will be tight upon our arrival no one is allowed to come near us. And put some dark sungla.s.ses on Clark. We should protect him. Rest a.s.sured that everything will be alright." He then moved his gaze to the child.
"Clark, come here, son." Clifford called the child.
When the child heard him calling him son, his eyes gleam with delight, and hastens his steps towards them. "Listen; as soon as we arrive at the airport later, there will be strangely plenty of people out there carrying cameras, microphones and even some would take pictures of you, or me or your mom. That"s why I want you to wear sungla.s.ses–"
"Why?" Clifford and Ingrid looked at each other.
"Ahh, it"s like this, there"s a thing involving us that they need some answers from us. Unfortunately, we don"t have answers for that yet, so we need to study what we should answer first. For this reason, we need you to cooperate so that they won"t bother us while we are going home. Okay?"
"Oh, we are like a celebrity. Should I pose to the camera? Should I wave like what celebrities do?"
Both of them chuckled and amused.
"I thank G.o.d because you are my son. But no, we are not like celebrities. But, I will explain it to you later, but for now all you have to do is follow as uncle Cliff leads, is that okay with you?" the child nodded and did not ask anymore.
"Oh okay."
Moments later they boarded the plane and waited for it to take off. Ingrid was nervous during the flight hugging her son tightly. Since then the child fell asleep in her arms. She did not speak nor glance at Clifford who is seated beside her.
Clifford slowly dozes off peacefully as if there"s no trouble they will face the moment they arrive. Ingrid sighed at the thought of it which makes her look at her son and the man beside her.
"If only I could be as calm as these two..." she pondered.
Hours later, they"ve arrived at the airport, still Clark is asleep and her arms were already numb carrying Clark. Clifford stood up to get ready to walk out, but then he notice her wincing in soreness.
"Let me carry the child." He said in a hushed tone. Ingrid could not protest because she really needed his a.s.sistance.
Clifford bends on Ingrid who was still seated. That gesture makes their eyes met. And for the first time, she noticed how beautiful Clifford"s eyes are. They are deep set with hooded eyelids and his stare could melt every woman he meets.
"No wonder he said that they come to him." She mumbled. "Oh... I could stare at those eyes forever." She blinked at that thought.
As if Clifford heard her thoughts, he smiled and said, "...hope you like what you are seeing, my sweet."
She squinted angrily at him, "hmmp!" Clifford chuckled.
Then he gently took the child from Ingrid"s arms and placed the sleeping child on his chest. Then his phone rang, he took it from his pocket and answered the call while his other arm still carrying her child.
Ingrid"s steel heart little by little melts at the sight of him. He stood there carrying the child in his arms and as if he has done this a thousand times because he seems so natural. Clifford caught her again staring at him with an open mouth.
Without Ingrid"s awareness, Clifford memorizes every inch of her heart shaped face, her delicate eyes that are well-hidden by her tough personality, her pouty lips which tempt him to kiss over and over again. Then his gaze slid down from there to her slender neck, down to her chest, and his brows stopped there and wrinkled.