A/N: Wish you all a happy new year, may all your wishes come true. So Grimm is back and so am I :D sorry for the long absence, I went through a writing hiatus, but hopefully it's over.

Enjoy

Chapter 21 :

Meet me at Rosinda's café tomorrow at noon

I read Sean's text over and over again. It's been a few days since our last phone conversation; when he'd mentioned an offer right after he filed a restraining order against me, an order must I add that is not going to change anything given how he doesn't allow me to see my daughter much.

Bastard

With an uneven breath, I push Kelly's stroller inside the restaurant where my mom suggested we'd meet for lunch. She's been calling every day since our last encounter; asking after her grandson and even offering to look after him if I'm ever busy at work, but the most surprising thing of all was when she asked me about the father as she put it. She seemed genuinely concerned about my well being, which is quite surprising given her absolute lack of empathy and maternal instinct.

My mother is sitting by the window, ocean blue eyes lost in the nothingness, a haunted expression on her face. Her immaculate appearance could easily pass her for some aristocrat with her platinum blond hair held in its usual perfect chignon, a barely there touch of makeup with a touch of lipstick that contracts perfectly with her pale complexion.

She is undeniably beautiful and it hits me to the guts whenever I see her. I remember as a little girl I thought she was a princess that stepped right out of a fairytale book. My mom despised the comparison and chastised me every time I brought it up.

She spots me and waves at me, her previous frown replaced immediately by a tentative smile "Hello, darling"

Nothing about her change of demeanor bodes well with me, she's definitely hiding something from me and I have yet to figure what it is. She seemed pretty serious when she said she wasn't dying. But then, is it possible that she regrets her past behavior and that she's changed for real? I push my suspiciousness to the back of my head as a wave of her strong perfume hits me as soon as she stands up and takes me in an awkward hug; you know, the kind of hug where you put as much distance as possible while still holding each other.

She bends down a little to watch Kelly in his stroller "So, you are Kelly!" her eyes twinkle as she looks at him "May I?" she leaves the question hanging, clearly fearful of my reaction. I shrug my shoulders and that's all the permission she needs to pick my baby in her arms. Kelly rewards her with a giant smile and reaches for her face, immediately pinching her cheeks with his small hands. My mother laughs wholeheartedly at that.

"He's one handsome boy" she chuckles "Look at those eyes!" her own eyes widen in enchantment, causing something to flutter inside me…something I can only describe as pride.

I clear my throat and speak for the first time since I got here "His father's eyes"

My mother gives me an embarrassed nod and then places the baby back in his stroller, Kelly starts to protest but he quickly goes back to playing with his toys and biting on them. He's teething so he developed this new tendency to either bite his fingers or any object he can.

"I'm glad you came, today" she starts, hands intertwined on the table, eyes shining with emotion. I'm really not sure how to tread with the beta version of my mom, instead I simply nod. The waiter takes our orders and comes back a few minutes later with my hot chocolate and my mother's tea.

"Your aunt Ilda says hello…I spoke to her a few days ago, she said she's coming to visit soon" she stares at Kelly then back at me "She's eager to meet this little one" she smiles sincerely.

"I'd love to see her. It's been way too long since I last saw her" My aunt Ilda is the complete opposite of her sister. Where my mom is stiff and severe, my aunt is easy going and flamboyant in the best possible way. She always wears bright colors and jingling bracelets. An easy smile constantly plastered on her face. while my mom was delighted with my marriage to Sean whom she described as charming; my aunt Ilda absolutely hated him from the very first time they met. Luckily, she never brought up the 'I told you so' reprimand after things went south.

Gosh! I miss her

"Tell me about your new life…and…this man"

"Nick" I say drily

"Nick" she nods with a smile, her eyes squinting my face, looking for anything it'd give away "Are you happy?"

The question takes me completely by surprise, but I recover in a split second as I think about my life, about Nick; how kind and caring he is, how safe he makes me feel, how loving he is with his son. A memory makes its way in my head; of Nick lying on his back on the floor, holding Kelly in his arms and begging him to say Momma and Daddy, my heart does a somersault and I feel a smile spreading across my face.

"I couldn't be happier" I say earnestly and my mother releases a sigh of relief

"Good…good" she repeats absently, reaching for my hand across the table "I was so worried about you after the restraining order Sean filed…"

I cut her midsentence, my whole body stiffening, feeling dizziness in my head "How do you know about it?"

"Huh?" she startles "What?"

"How do you know about the restraining order?" I articulate slowly, trying my best to keep calm.

My mom's body goes rigid and her face blanches, but her expression goes back to composed and normal so fast that I doubt my vision "You probably told me in one of our conversations" she scoffs, waving a hand dismissively "How else would I know?" she stares at me pointedly, making me feel stupid for doubting her.

"Right" I admit reluctantly

The rest of the day flies by quite fast, as I work from home on a new case Harrison sent me. I only stand from my chair to either feed Kelly, change him or make sure he's still asleep. When I'm finally done with work, I hurry to the kitchen to fix something for dinner before Nick is back. I opt for lasagna; Nick's favorite dish and start preparing it, humming happily in the process.

"Someone's in a good mood" I hear Nick's velvety voice behind my back

I feel a blush staining my cheeks, he heard me sing! Especially knowing that I have no musical ear, oh gosh! "I didn't realize you were here"

He gives me an easy smile, his beautiful eyes shining with mischief "What's this delicious smell?" he places his jacket on a stool and stops barely an inch away from my body as he checks behind my back to see the boiling tomato sauce, completely oblivious to the goose bumps rising in my body and my crazy heart running a marathon.

"It's…Errr…" I stutter, feeling so ridiculous right now, behaving just like a teenager in front of her crush. That's terrible! I'm crushing on the father of my baby, who probably only sees me as a pain in the arse.

Nick raises an eyebrow, entertained by my sudden inability to speak in anything other than onomatopoeia "Lasagna" he finishes for me so slowly that you'd think he's speaking to a lunatic.

"Yes" I say out of breath as I take a step away from him, needing physical distance to think properly. I look away from his way too sexy looks and concentrate instead on my cooking.

Nick lies against the kitchen counter, regarding me with a bemused expression "How was lunch with your mom?"

I sigh "Weird!"

He raises his eyebrows questioningly, urging me to continue "Well, she's been so different lately, she even asked me if I was happy" seeing Nick's blank expression, I explain indignantly "She never cared about my happiness, Nick"

The handsome man standing in front of me shakes his head "Aren't you exaggerating a bit?" he scolds

"I'm not, trust me" suddenly, all my childhood angst and pain over my mom's absence of affection rise to the surface, causing a sting in the back of my eyes, I hug myself in an attempt to stop the shiver in my body, Nick flinches then in one single stride brings me to his chest, his hand going up and down my back soothingly "Shhhh" his voice is like a hot chocolate in a snowy day "I'm sorry"

I let my cheek rest on his chest, getting drunk in the most exquisite smell; citrus, soap and pure Nick. I wish I could breathe him every time my past takes a toll on me. When I take a step back, our eyes lock. I open my mouth to say something, to break the awkward silence, but the movement makes his eyes travel instantly to my lips. His pupils get immediately darker, the green in them shying away. His stare is suddenly heavy with…lust? Is that possible?

He bends his head a little and inches closer, I feel the beating of my heart in my neck, I can hear my own breathing and my legs go spaghetti like at the prospect of kissing him…then the oven alarm goes off jolting us both to the real world and waking baby Kelly in the process.

"Shit!" Nick cusses under his breath looking anywhere but here

I hurry past him to the oven, hiding away my flushed face "I have to check the lasagna"

He brings his thumb and index finger to his temple, as if nursing a headache "Yeah, I…I'll go check on Kelly" with that he makes his way to the bedroom.

Nothing better than a crying baby and a blasting alarm to break the spell, I think drily.

When Nick emerges back from the baby duty, the table is already set and dinner is served. We take our usual seats opposite each other. I glance his way, completely shaken by the existence of such a gorgeous specimen. How could Psycho Juliet ever cheat on him? It's completely beyond me, because the man sitting across from me is beautiful inside out.

Nick catches me staring and I'm too transfixed to look away "Why are you frowning at me, Adalind?" a deep crease of concern forms between his eyebrows.

Am I?

Well, I don't think it's a good idea to remind him of his cheating ex, so I say the first thing that comes to my mind "The food is slightly burnt, but still comestible…I think" I look at him expectantly as he brings the fork to his –delicious- lips (Yeah, I know what they taste like and trust me they're nothing short from yummy).

He nods "It's good…I love lasagna, even if it's burnt"

"I know" I grin happily "It's all the reason why it's the third time we're having it in only two weeks"

He winks at me, delighted with the revelation that I was well aware of his likes and dislikes "Do you think we can make it four?"

I laugh at that, forgetting all about the awkwardness of the almost-kissing situation from earlier.

My stomach is twisted due to my nervousness as I arrive to Rosinda's café at 11:59 am. Every too seconds, my mind drifts back to my conversation with Nick this morning. Me lying to his face, pretending I had an important meeting at work in lieu of Sean. A feeling of deep guilt scratches my skin as I recall him stroking lightly my cheek "Hey, you look stressed. Don't worry, it's going to be fine" he kissed my forehead and left the loft, leaving me shattered behind him.

Rosalee wasn't happy either when I told her where I was headed after I stopped by to leave baby Kelly with her "This is a terrible idea, Addy" she scolded "He's a dangerous man, you should have told Nick"

She was absolutely right; last time I hid something from Nick and acted on impulse, it ended in a disaster. But, Sean threatened to kill him if I ever said a word, so in my own twisted way, I'm only protecting him.

An ice cold shiver runs down my spine as I hear the voice of my nightmares right behind me "Hello, love"