"Did I scare you?" she whispered. She looked so beautiful tonight. She had the kind of understated beauty. Maybe it was because she was so disarmingly unaware of her prettiness.
"What?"
"I mean with the story and all, I can't change it you know. It's part of who I am."
I squeezed her hand softly. "It's the most wonderful thing you have ever done. Don't ever doubt that."
"Well thank you."
"Did you...uhm had amnesia after the accident?" I asked. I was dying to know the answer.
She shook her head. "No, I was just unconscious."
"Oh." was all I could say. That means she did remember the one night stand. The thing is she didn't remember me. I groaned inwardly. This is getting so damn frustrating.
"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.
"Yes I am, pudding." I replied, kissing the back of her hand.
She smiled and then opened the car door. "Well it was a nice dinner. Thank you."
"Thank you for coming and uhm, telling me about Milan."
I was happy that she told me a little about her life even though she didn't had to.
"Well, speaking about Milan. Tomorrow it's his birthday. You're invited."
"What time?" I asked, because I had a meeting in the morning.
"At noon."
I nodded. "Count me in."
"Well goodnight Vasilios." she whispered softly, before closing the door.
"Goodnight, pudding."
Jillian Malik P.O.V
The preparations for Milan's birthday started before sunrise.
At four in the morning Aunt Lydia was already in the kitchen making all kinds of sweets and I was helping her with it.
Larissa would bring the cake. She would arrive in Barcelona a little bit after ten. She had to fly from Germany where she had a photoshoot.
When Milan woke up we all sang happy birthday for him and I couldn't help but shed a tear at how long it has already been.
Six years since the accident.
Six years since I've known Milan.
Six years since my life had changed.
I became a mommy the very first time I could hold him in my arms, and god didn't it felt good. It felt so complete and I vowed to his parents, who are watching us from heaven, that I would give him everything his heart desires. Even though we weren't related by blood, my love for him was the only thing that matter. From my own past I have learned that you don't need to be related by blood to become family. And Milan was family. The love I have for him is indescribable.
I didn't know his parents, but I know what it feels like to not have a family.
I know what it's like to be abandoned by your own blood.
The world can be so cruel.
"Mommy, are you alright?" Milan asked as he smoothed the wrinkles out of my face.
"Yes, amor." I smiled. "Go brush your teeth and come downstairs okay, I will make breakfast."
He nodded and hurried to the bathroom. I sat on the edge of his bed and sighed. Last night he asked me again to tell him the story about his parents.
Since the day Milan could talk, I told him the truth about his parents. I made up a sweet story about them, because I didn't know anything about them except their first names.
Marco and Rosa. They were Italians.
I wanted Milan to know the truth. It was easier for me to tell him from now on, instead of waiting when he's a teenager.
I walked downstairs and saw Aunt Lydia making breakfast. Guess, I didn't have to do it anymore.
"Good morning Jillian." She chirped and shove me a plate with pancakes, whipped cream, and strawberries.
"Mmh, this looks good. No churros today?"
She pointed at the container in front of me. "Churros for you and Milan."
"I'm hungryyy!" Milan yelled as he ran into the kitchen, jumping on the kitchen chair. He grabbed the container with churros and was about to grab one when I snatched it from him.
"Nah-ah-ah." I said sternly. "First milk."
"Mommy!" he whined, pouting his lips. Adorable, but it will not help this time.
"First milk birthday boy." I repeated.
He huffed and then looked at Aunt Lydia who gave him a glass of milk.
"Gross." he gagged as he squeezed his nose with his fingers. "I don't want to drink cow pee."
I almost burst out laughing. God, this boy.
"It's not cow pee, it's milk." I chuckled.
He quickly drank it and shoved the glass far away from him. "It's still gross. Is milk a fancy word for pee?"
"What? No, it's milk. Not pee. I would never let you drink pee."
"Why do I need to drink Milk?" he asked curiously.
"Because it makes you strong and you will get muscles."
"Like your friend boy?"
I choked on my pancake. I coughed loudly and stared at Milan with wide eyes.
Aunt Lydia looked amused at Milan when he said friend boy.
"Do you mean Marco? Yes, like him and he's a friend okay not friend boy." I answered after the coughing stopped.
"Okay, I want to be strong like him. Can I have a churro now?"
I handed him a churro and he devoured it like he hadn't ate in days.
After breakfast I let Milan play in the playroom as me and Aunt Lydia continued the preparations for the birthday party. I helped her make punch and tarta de queso.
We were busy in the kitchen when we heard a knock on the door. I wiped my hands on a cloth and walked to the door to opened it.
A beautiful woman in a blue flowery dress stood there with in her hand a delicious looking spiderman birthday cake. It took me a while to realize it was Larissa.
"Lari." I whispered as tears formed in my eyes. God, I have missed her so much.
She pulled off her sunglasses and looked at me in complete shock.
"Jillian." she breathed out after a while. I wanted to squeeze the living daylight out of her, but she was holding Milan's birthday cake.
"Come in." I let her in and closed the door.
She hurriedly put the birthday cake on the closest table and then turned around and hugged me...More like tackled me down. I fell on my butt as she tightly hugged me.
"I've missed you so much." she cried out.
"God, I've missed you too !"
I can't believe that the last time I saw her was six years ago. Every time I came to Barcelona, she was in Milan or some other country due to her work. On top of that, she still wasn't ready to visit Barcelona because it brought back memories of her father and she still had a hard time dealing with it. The first time she came back to Barcelona was last Christmas, but that was when I couldn't make it due to so much work.