Sweet Subterfuge

Chapter 46 3
However, Larissa couldn’t shake off the lingering discomfort in her heart, so she fell a subtle unease. It wasn’t that she couldn’t see how much Aster yearned for a father figure or grasp how much a father’s presence would contribute to Aster’s growth. But she couldn’t move past what happened before and was paralyzed by the fear of taking that challenging first step.
The restaurant was packed with people, which caused delays in serving food to the table. The pizza was the first to come. It was probably hot out of the oven-the melted cheese was oozing and emitting a tempting aroma. Even Larissa, who was not particularly keen on pizza. couldn’t resist her mouth from watering. Of course. Kevan picked up on this detail, as well as her fixed gaze on the pizza. He handed her the first slice.
She was taken aback by his action, so she looked up and found him calmly placing the second slice on Aster’s plate.
“Come on, dig in,” he encouraged Aster. “You can protect your mom only when you get taller.”

“Okay!” Aster nodded vigorously. T’m gonna eat a ton! I wanna be as tall as you! That way, no one can mess with me or Mommy” As he spoke, he speared a slice of pizza and popped it into his mouth, only to burn his tongue.
At that moment, Larissa’s sense of warmth quickly turned into amusement. She swiftly handed Aster her glass of iced water and gently scolded. “Take it slow! It won’t make you grow on the spot even if you gobble up everything now!”
He ch ugged down the entire glass and sheepishly stuck out his tongue after
Kevan wasn’t keen on fast food, but he was there at Aster’s request. Aster had specifically instructed him to grab a pizza from this place before picking him up at Regal Dynasty Hotel for a movie night. He arrived a tad too late, and the place was already jam-packed. The server informed him that they didn’t do takeout orders. So, he had to wait outside for Aster’s sake patiently. Little did he expect that Aster
was already there.
Aster explained. “Mommy didn’t have to work overtime, so she brought me here to grab a bite. I was so thrilled that I forgot to give you a
call”
Kevan wasn’t the slightest bit upset. It seemed that he had no boundaries when it came to Aster and Larissa. When Aster invited him to Join them for a meal, his initial disappointment for missing the chance to watch a movie with Aster vanished instantly. He sat at the table. watching Aster savor his food, occasionally reaching out to wipe away food remnants from the corner of Aster’s mouth with a napkin.