"I am sorry I have to cut this visit short." I said, my tone apologetical, but carried with a lightness I didn't have before I had officially agreed to join L'Amour. "I have to pick up Lexi from school, they're expecting me."

"Oh, that's no problem." Sébastien got up from his seat even before I had the chance to, leaving behind a nearly empty wine glass, and made a beeline towards the front door, where his bags were left off. "I'm glad we got a deal and I can't wait to start working with you."

Sébastien picked up the duty-free airport bag while talking to me. "I've brought the little one a souvenir from Paris."

"Seb, you didn't have to." I said once I had joined him by the entrance.

"I brought one for you, too."

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to me that Sébastien had actually bought me a Paris gift. Considering everything that's happened between us since we met, and how straight forward he's always been about his feelings, I shouldn't have looked like this was unexpected. But I did, and when I noticed it, I was far too late to try and conceal my agape mouth or my wide open blue eyes.

"You did?"

"Yes."

When a person goes somewhere and comes back with a gift for someone, that usually means that they care about that someone, and that they've thought of them. It's a small gesture but it's subtext speaks volumes, and I recognized it.

"Well, you could come with me." I suggested, and this time, Sébastien was the one who couldn't feign surprise. "I'm sure Lexi would be happy to see you."

"I would love to." He smiled and after quickly grabbing our coats, we walked out the door and made our way to Lexi's school.

Thankfully, the heavy rain that fell outside and hit the windows on my kitchen, and that had served as a backdrop noise for our entire conversation, had paused for a bit. We walked side by side, taking long strides, until the school came into view and I saw my daughter, standing next to the teacher on the playground, already expecting me. She smiled when she saw me, and she ran towards the exit when she noticed Sébastien was coming, as well.

"Seb!" She extended out her arms, with a wide grin on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes. Sébastien crouched, lowering himself to her level, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck in a tight hug that he reciprocated.

Lexi's teacher took a couple of steps forward in my direction and her presence was enough to catch my attention. I turned my head to face the woman who was in her mid-fifties, with some grey hair to prove it, and who carried a knowing look on her face and smirk on her lips. She used her index finger to call me and drag me away from Seb and Lexi, and I met her by the large flower vase, somewhere where we'd be out of earshot.

"Should I be expecting to see this young man more often? To, say, pick up Lexi?"

I knew all too well what her intentions were with that question, and they had nothing to do with who she would expect to see outside school, everyday at four.

"Not at all." I simply responded. "Sébastien's a friend and he's just visiting."

"That's too bad. I really think Lexi could use a father figure in her life. It would be positive for her upbringing and her development to have a male role model, so to speak."

There has been so much going on in my life right now, and the last thing I needed was a conservative, tight up bitch to question my own child's raising. I could feel my blood boil as it ran through my veins while I tried my best to keep my composure.

"I'm sorry, but as her teacher, do you think that my daughter's missing something?" I paused, knitting my eyebrows while giving myself some time to wrap my head around the fact that my daughter's primary school teacher had the nerve to insinuate that I should get a man.

And then I rephrased it. "Has Lexi been showing signs of lacking something in her upbringing? And would that be interfering with her learning? Because from where I see it, she's been doing great. Just like she has since she started school."

I hated these types of people. Close minded, traditionalists, who think the world shouldn't change and everything should be like it used to be in the past century. These are the same people who are against gay marriage (and who, after this conversation, would be against a same-sex couple raise a kid because said kid "could use" whichother sex's influence), or who think wifes are servers of their husbands, and who would probably judge me left and right if they knew the whole story about me.

These are the type of people who are slowing the world down, not allowing it to face evolution.

And her actions were reminding me a lot of my parents and how they treated me and my brother, when we were growing up, but I wasn't going to let that thought haunt me or shrink me, so I forced myself to think of something else - anything really - that would allow me to momentarily forget.

"Plus, she's got male influences in her life, such as my brother Lucas, who you have met several times."

"Lucas is her uncle." She stated, firmly, as if she was telling me something I didn't know. "That was not exactly what I was referring to. I mean... someone at home."

"Thank you so much for your very uncalled for advice, but I don't need any. Lexi's got someone at home, and that someone is me." I said sternly, hoping I would be getting my point across. "She's doing fine like she always has. I've always worked hard to give her everything she could possibly need and I never failed. I do not need a man to raise my daughter."

Without saying anything else or before letting her come back with some other age-old argument, I turned back around and made my way to where Seb and Lexi were, both of them now standing up, and holding hands as she told him about her day.

I knew what this was. Lexi had been forming a bond with him, and by now they were somewhat close, on a certain level, and she was emotionally attached to him. Which was perfectly fine. I was more than okay with that, but I couldn't help but listen to that voice on the back of my head that reminded me that people - and mostly, men - don't stay. They get up and leave when it's convenient for them. And the last thing I wanted was for my daughter to be collateral damage.

I forced out a dry cough to catch their attention. "What about me? Doesn't mummy get a hug?"

Lexi let go of Sébastien's hand and hugged my waist tightly. "Hi mum."

"Hi, love." I bent down to kiss the top of her head. "How was your day at school?"

"It was good." She jumped up and down while looking at me with a bright smile.. "We took a reading test today and the teacher said I did very well!"

Maybe you should remind your teacher of that. The thought crossed my mind almost instantly, but I ignored it.

"I'm really happy for you, love!" Was what I ended up saying, after kissing her forehead.

Hand in hand, and before the rain would fall down from the sky again, we made our way back to the house, with Lexi occasionally making some pit stops to jump in the puddles.

By the time I closed the door behind us, the rain was slowly making its comeback, with a few showers as a reminder of the storm ahead.

I helped Lexi remove her backpack, her coat and her wet, yellow rain boots that had small daisies on it, and she went upstairs to shower, barefoot. The sound of her feet hitting the wooden steps of the staircase as she ran to the first floor were breaking the silence.

"Call mummy when you're done so I can help comb your hair!" I shouted from the bottom of the stairs, hoping she'd hear me.

She didn't take long, and, a few minutes later, and with her hair dry and combed beautifully, she reunited back with me and Seb in the kitchen, wearing her long sleeved blue pyjamas, with an image of Anna and Elsa from Frozen on the front, the school uniform now gone.

"I'm glad you're back." He said. "I've got something for you two."

Lexi, who didn't know that it was a gift from Paris, climbed on top of one of the chairs and sat on her knees, and rested her elbows on the table while shooting Seb a questioning look. The expression pulled a smirk out of him, I could see it from the corner of my eye, while he fidgeted with the bag.

"I went to Paris." He then proceeded to explain. "And I thought I'd get you a souvenir."

He pulled out two berets from the bag, and handed the smaller one, which was pink, to Lexi, and the other one which was black, to me.

My daughter looked at me with a toothy grin, while putting her beret on top of her head, and I mirrored her actions, before the two of us looked straight ahead, in Sébastien's direction, who was looking at us with an amused expression.

"How do we look?" Lexi asked him with a giggle.

"Très jolie." He then explained his words. "That means very beautiful."

"Merci." To my utter surprise, my daughter said, and now it was my turn to look at her in bewilderment.

"How do you know French?"

"Seb taught me." She said, like it was no big deal and no secret. Which, to be fair, it wasn't. I just... wasn't in the know.

"You learn fast." He tickled her belly, earning some squeaky giggles from the little one.

"Well, ladies, I hope you liked your gifts. They look amazing on you." Seb put his palms against the table as he made a gesture to get up from his seat. "I appreciate your company very much but I should go."

"Why?"

"Lexi!" I scolded her at that exact moment, not missing a beat.

"I came from Paris today, and I am a bit tired."

And, right on cue, a thunder was audible from inside the house, and, as if it was a natural, human reflex, the three of us turned our heads in the direction of the window above the sink, where we could see the rain hitting hard against the window panes, blurring the view.

"It's terrible outside." Lexi reasoned, and I could tell her voice alone was enough to convince Sébastien to stay longer. When he looked at me, as if looking for a yes or no answer, I confirmed my suspicions.

"Just stay for tea. Until it stops." She suggested, her pleading eyes not accepting a no for an answer.

"Okay." He broke into a smile. "I can stay for tea."

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I. LOVE. THIS. TRIO. ❤

I hope you're enjoying Plot Twist so far, thing are really starting to evolve around here, and I would love some feedback!  If you're liking how it's going, don't forget to vote or leave a comment and add it to your reading list or share it <3

I appreciate it a lot!

Xoxo, Mars