You Are The One For Me
Chapter Nine
Rinoa put half of the money that she got from the insurance in a trust fund for Julien. The other half she used to establish a business. She rented a stall in one of the malls in Esthar and put up a boutique which caters to children's clothes, toys and things. All types of things that a child could use from one month to ten years are there.
Zell helped Rinoa with the papers and permits needed to put up the boutique. When the boutique opened, it had quite a number of customers already. Rinoa guessed that Zell was also the one responsible for that. Maybe Zell had already endorsed her shop to his acquaintances.
Zell visited her house weekly and played with his godchild.
"You're an expert at changing diapers, huh?" she commented after Zell changed Julien's diaper.
"Don't tell me you're going to hire me as his babysitter?" the blonde asked incredulously.
"No! Mommy's still enjoying taking care of Julien. I'd just like to suggest that maybe it's the proper time for you to get settled down."
"That would be very difficult… I am very particular with women."
"Well, what kind of girl are you looking for?" she asked.
"Someone like you."
"Zell… You are the best friend I ever had. Please don't let our friendship be ruined."
Zell hung his head low and sighed.
"You still love him?"
"Yes. And I will love Squall forever."
Zell carried Julien in his arms. He forced a smile.
"I will always be your friend, Rinoa."
"Thank you, Zell," she said gratefully.
"Well, because I admitted my feelings for you, I might as well admit everything."
With her questioning eyes looking at him, she waited for him to continue.
"Do you still remember the check that I gave you? The one I said that came from the insurance company? The truth is that came from Mr. Laguna Loire. I lied to you because he did not want you to know that the money came from him."
"And why did he do that? So someday he could take Julien away from me?"
Zell shook his head.
"You are wrong about his intentions. He just wanted to help. He wanted to do the things he wasn't able to do for Squall. The man has changed, Rinoa. And that money was not the only help he had given to you and Julien. This house that you're living in, Squall was still paying for it. Mr. Loire paid for this house in full. He wanted to help you both if you'll just give him a chance."
The elderly man Rinoa had talked to when she gave birth at the hospital was not the same man that was in front of her. Laguna Loire was able to walk then, but now he sat on a wheelchair. Even his sister Edea had changed. Her haughty look was gone. Instead, what Rinoa saw was a tired spinster.
"Thank you so much for visiting us here," Laguna humbly said.
"I wanted to thank you personally for the help you've given us. Don't worry, I'll pay you."
"There's no need to do that, Rinoa. That money is for you and your son. Even this house belongs to both of you. The two of you will inherit my money and everything I own when I die."
Rinoa stood there speechless.
"May I please hold my grandchild… just for a little while?" Laguna asked.
Rinoa gently handed Julien to Squall's father. The first thing Julien did was grab Laguna's nose.
Laguna laughed.
"This is one playful child!"
"And he looks exactly like Squall," Edea commented.
Rinoa felt as if Laguna and Edea looked a bit younger. Julien brought a different kind of happiness to Squall's family. Zell was right, they had really changed.
Laguna diverted his attention from Julien to Rinoa.
"This house is too big for Edea and me. I hope you'll come live with us."
"I can't leave my parents," Rinoa said.
"No problem. Why don't you all move here? We are one family now."
"Mr. Loire…"
"Father, Rinoa. Please call me Father. And please grant me this one wish. Please allow an old man to repent for his sins."
Julien's first birthday was celebrated at the huge mansion of the Loires. The grandparents were more excited than Rinoa. Both sides came from both ends of the world, But Rinoa noticed that the four grandparents were one once it involved Julien's sake. Rinoa feared that Julien will grow spoiled because of them.
But she would never allow that. The four seniors never interfered with Rinoa's decisions concerning her son. They let Rinoa do her rights as Julien's mother.
Laguna invited his colleague's children. And that included Xu with her five-month old daughter.
But Xu and her daughter were not able to make it. Maybe because Xu was embarrassed with the way she treated Rinoa then, or maybe she just really had an important thing to attend to. Rinoa did not bother to know why.
Instead, they sent a gift for Julien. And the delivery boy was Seifer.
Rinoa needed to be cordial to Seifer.
"You have a wonderful son," he said as he looked at Julien who was held by Vincent.
"Yes, thank you," Rinoa said.
"Xu has a daughter. Maybe we could fix them up when they get older."
"I'll give Julien his right to choose for himself."
"Are you still mad at my family that's why you treat me coldly?"
Rinoa looked at Seifer. This was the one she had loved, her first love, the one she dreamed of marrying someday. She thought Seifer was really the one for her.
"You did not want to be involved in a scandal, that's why you decided to wash your hands. If you had not laid off my father, I would have understood your family."
"Rinoa, that was my father's decision. I'm just his son that's why I had to obey him."
"You do not have to obey your father's wishes at all times. And I don't think you just followed orders, you also did not want to get involved in that mess."
Seifer looked at his feet.
"You are right. And I am ashamed of what I did. If you can just find it your heart to forgive me."
"Excuse me. My son needs me." And Rinoa left Seifer.
The next time she saw Seifer was at her boutique. He had a bouquet of flowers.
"What's that? A peace offering?" she asked.
"You can say that. But I also wanted to show you what I really feel."
"Are you going to court me?"
Seifer smiled.
"You still haven't changed. You still go straight to the point."
"Forget what you're thinking, Seifer. I have changed."
"It's been more than a year already, Rinoa. I waited before coming to you."
"Do you want to make me laugh, Seifer? You're going to court me now because I'm now one of the heirs to the wealth of the Loires? You want me now because I am no longer a simple maid?"
"I had feelings for you when you were still a maid."
"But you did not notice me because we did not look good together."
"I made a mistake, Rinoa. I want to make it right."
Rinoa shook her head. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Any feelings I had for you are gone. There are lots of girls out there, go to them. You had your chance then, but you threw it away."
"Life is full of second chances. Maybe you can't accept me now, but I will prove to you that I really am telling you the truth. I really love you, Rinoa. I will not stop until you're not mine."
"There's only one man who holds my heart, Seifer, and he's dead." She turned her back on him. She approached the customers who had just opened the boutique door.
When she looked at Seifer, he was no longer there. But he left the flowers at the counter.
The next days witnessed Seifer as a very persistent suitor. He went to the Loires' house weekly. He tried to win the four senior's trust.
Rinoa could not prohibit Seifer from going to their house. When she arrives there, he's already inside the house. Either Squall's father of Edea invited him inside.
Seifer focused on Rinoa's parents who were bitter at the Almasys'. He brought gifts and if there was a chance, he would help Vincent with some housework.
And Rinoa noticed that her parents were beginning to grow fond of Seifer!
"Why won't you go out and talk to Seifer?" Julia said when Rinoa refused go out of her room.
"I don't want to leave Julien alone."
"If that's the case, I'll take care of Julien."
"Mommy." Rinoa did not bother to show her annoyance at Seifer. "You did not even want to see Seifer's shadow when he treated us miserably. Whose side are you really on?"
"I just realized that he really has good intentions for you. I can see that he really loves you."
"Let him rot waiting for nothing!"
But she could not avoid Seifer at all times.
One time, she came home from the boutique and saw Seifer in the living room. Seifer was playing with Julien. And Julien was very happy.
Seifer stopped playing with her son when he noticed her standing. He carried Julien in his arms and carefully handed the baby to Rinoa.
"Julien's growing fast. He needs a father. Someone who would take care of him and love him. I'm ready to be that someone, Rinoa, if you'd just give me a chance."
"He could have been your son, Seifer, if you had only been braver. If you had listened to your heart rather than what other people would say, I would have been yours." Rinoa left the room.
Julien was already asleep. His nanny was preparing herself to sleep beside Julien's crib.
Rinoa knew she had to go back to her bedroom. She needed to rest. Tomorrow she would go back to the university. She would finish her course. She had already hired someone else to manage her boutique. She would just visit the boutique from time to time.
She was already on her way to her room when she saw her father-in-law by her bedroom door.
"I was hoping I could talk to you, Rinoa," Laguna said.
"About what, Father?"
"If ever you would like to get married again, I would not interfere. You have the right to be happy. And I would not want you to waste your life… You're still young, Rinoa."
"Father, I don't have any plan to get married again."
"If you think I'd get in the way in your decisions, don't worry. You're free to choose any man you'd like to marry. I just want to make sure that whoever you'd choose, he should love Julien and he should be a good father to my grandson." Laguna rolled himself on his wheelchair and returned to his room at the end of the corridor.
Rinoa sensed that there was only one man Laguna was referring to who would be a good father to Julien. Seifer.
A/N: First of all... my deepest apologies. When I uploaded Chapter 8 I was already nearing completion of Chapter 9. Well, again... another one-month-delay! My boyfriend of four years and I recently broke up... I locked myself in my room for a couple of weeks, just moping around and lying in my bed, feeling stupid and depressed, crying over love stories and romantic novels. Anyways, time to move on. I'm already finished with Chapter 10! I'll post it soon if I'm in a good mood.
Again, thanks to all you guys who reviewed! I really appreciate each comment, criticism, praise and flame (if there is any). Thanks so much!!! hugs everyone
michsa: Thanks! I hope you also liked this chapter.
starquestor: The answers to your questions... some are in this chapter and the rest are in the next chapter! I'll be posting it real soon! Thanks so much!
Bighearted Fan: Here's the latest chappy! Thanks you very much!
PasifiKStaR: Still haven't finished catching up with all the reading! Anyways, I'm planning to spend the next days reading your updates as well as the other writers'. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Kayuri: Thanks for the review even though Chapter 8 was quite sad.
LionHeart823: Hehe! I do not hate Seifer... just a little. I think he really looks cute when paired with Quistis.
trekken46: Well, there's still Chapter 10 coming up...
LinkTurambar: Julien was supposed to be the name of my sister's baby... the baby was a boy according to the ultrasound. But she gave birth to a girl and named her Julienne Marie. Anyways, thanks! I'll upload the last chappy asap!
Manjo Bouvier: No, Chapter 8 is not the end. There's still one more chappy after this.
angel-brokensorrow: I'm a super Squall-Rinoa fanatic! Well, Squall's OOC, as well as everyone else.
r1za cam1le: Thank you so much! One more chapter to go and this fic's complete!
Please R&R! Comments, suggestions and criticisms are greatly encouraged. Thanks!
bembem