Chapter Ten
"Aw!" Rum slowly opened his eyes to see his son's face only a foot from him, smiling like an idiot.
Instantly, Rumford sat up, bocking heads with his son who backpedaled to avoid more of a collision when Belle woke with a soft "oh," and sat up.
Both men rubbed their foreheads, scowling while Belle looked from one to the other in confusion, then her face lit up and she turned to face Neal, "You must be Neal!"
The man had brown hair like his father, but it was of a lighter shade, and had his father's deep brown eyes.
Neal nodded, and grinned again, "You must be my Papa's new Girlfriend huh? He told me a bit about you".
Rumford felt his insides twist, and his face heat up from an intense blush when Belle nodded, "Yep I'm Belle," and then added with a hint of curiosity, "What'd he tell you?"
Neal stuck his tongue out at his father, who scowled, "Neal," he said warningly.
Neal's smile widened, and his eyes gleamed with sudden mischief, "Oh, you know," he said, turning to face Belle while completely ignoring the look of fury on his father's face. "Just how you're the best thing to happen to him since me and Jefferson, and how he thinks you're the most amazing person he's ever met, and—"
Rum leapt to his feet and clapped a hand over his laughing son's mouth. Neal raised his hand and lazily slapped his father's arm with it. Retaliating, Rumford caught his nineteen year old son in a headlock and ruffled his hair, while Neal laughed helplessly.
Belle smiled watching the two men wrestle around on the living room floor, both wearing twin masks of mischief, their eyes gleaming with happiness. Her smiles became even bigger when Neal called to her, including her in their little game, "Belle get his sides! He's really ticklish there!"
Neal had backed Rumford towards Belle; the pawnbroker was too busy trying to gain the upper-hand on his son to notice Belle creeping up behind him.
Then the pawnbroker sank to the floor the moment Belle ran her fingers up and down his ribs making him laugh, while Neal slid forward and fell on top of him.
Belle was instantly kneeling down on the floor next to them, her hands fluttering in front of her, ready to help them if either were hurt, "Are you guys ok?" she asked, biting her lower lip in worry.
Rumford leaned back against her, while Neal sat up, both very content. "Yeah, we're ok Sweetheart," Rumford told her. For a while, the three of them sat there, chatting quietly among themselves before Rumford reminded them that the Storybrooke picnic was today at one and they had to get ready for it.
Both Rum and Neal had agreed to go to it since it would be the first day Neal would be back, plus it would give them plenty of socializing time, which Neal thought was very important. Rumford disagreed but wasn't going to argue when going out in public with his father seemed to make his son happy.
"I'm so excited for the picnic," Belle gushed when the three of them had just finished breakfast and were now cleaning up the kitchen.
"Wow dad, you found a social butterfly even more social then Jefferson and me," Neal teased them, drying their plates before placing them in the correct cabinet.
Rumford chuckled in agreement.
"No, not about that," Belle said, "My dad gets back today, he'll be at the picnic!" Rumford's heart instantly did a 360, and a sharp knife tore at his insides. What would Moe think about their relationship?