Catherine opened her office door and she immediately heard the noise coming from their busy shop. Her office has a soundproof wall to it, due to the fact that when Tyler was a baby she and Edna always brought him with them to work.
This Mama needed her privacy for constant breastfeeding and of course for her baby to have a peaceful place to sleep in.
The two best friends hand in hand took their passion for baking and realised their dreams to be pastry chefs and made it happen.
Their store started booming since they became viral online. Not that any of them were complaining. They thrived for five years and it placed food on their tables.
Catherine was so fortunate to have Edna, who supported her all the way. A great friend at that, who herself left huge opportunities to make it big in a great city. Edna followed her, a newly, inexperienced mom and her newborn baby, all the way to this outskirt of the city that was almost provincial in its state.
Even Edna's youngest sister, Angela, decided to come along with them, however she was currently studying at a prestigious University in the city and finishing her business degree.
Having achieved this kind of success, Catherine promised that no one would go hungry in her watch even, especially her own child. She'd make sure of that even in her own little way, The Sweet Tooth Bakeshop constantly donate to the local orphanage.
She experienced how it was to sleep in so many nights with hunger pangs gnawing on a small child's belly.
Although she had a sad childhood until the age of seven, it turned around overnight into a happy one, because for seventeen years she had people who loved her unconditionally. A real family she had called her own.
The Mezas.
Her beloved Papa José, the lovely Mama Bertha and her sweet, younger brother, Miguel.
In honor of their memories, Catherine legally changed her name into Catherine Meza. That was the first thing she did once she was able to afford it.
She was able to accomplished that five years ago, a few months after that evening with him.
Him.
Catherine sighed.
No matter what time of day, month or year, his face and voice still lingers like a ghost in her mind.
Don't go there. Forget about that part of your past.
Nevertheless, how could she unable to recall when he was constantly on the celebrity gossip news as well as in business magazines or articles that she couldn't help but read or hear about him.
Moreover, just yesterday, Edna pointed him out afresh while she was reading a latest issue of a Vogue magazine.
His presence, albeit not physically, would always haunt her even in her dreams.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
The Day Before...
"What a lucky woman... Oh, how can I ever find such a man like him?"
Catherine was wrapping some cookies in small red and gold pouches with The Sweet Tooth Bakeshop label written on it, when her best friend started sighing endlessly in front of her.
"He's so dreamy... Catherine tell me, am I ugly?"
Catherine laughed.
"What's going on with you now? Who is it that got you daydreaming this evening?"
"This! This guapo, gorgeous, yummy, devilish kind of a man!", Edna squealed while pointing with her pointing finger almost aggressively and repeatedly at a photo on the magazine.
Catherine laughed at her best friend's funny antics.
"You!" Edna pointed at her. "You can snare this type of men because of that beautiful face of yours!"
"Stop it, Ed. Don't be too loud, you'll wake him up."
Pointing at the sleeping Tyler with her chin. He got tired playing the whole day at school and was now lying on the long-red coloured sofa at the corner. Clutching his favourite Iron Man plush toy.
"I want to marry him!", Edna clowning around. "But because I'm not pretty enough like you, then you can have him."
"Cut it out already. You're acting crazy, Ed."
"He's like the handsomest man that I ever laid eyes on."
"Quit being delusional." Catherine shook her head in exasperation. "Who are you referring to anyway? Who's this man that got you squealing like a piglet?"
Edna sighed.
"Huh... that Farah Sherman is one lucky bitch. Do you think he prefers blonde?"
Catherine was taken aback when she heard that name.
Of course, who wouldn't recognised that name. A name that was intimately attached to him since last year.
"Erm... I don't know. I bet he likes red heads, as well." Catherine murmured, almost to herself.
"Oh?! How did you know that? I never heard of him dating a read head before!"
"I-I don't even know who this guy you're pertaining to. I was just making a second guess." Catherine faked a forced laugh.
That was a slip of the tongue. Something no one knows about, only me.
"Aaron Dominic Morrison. Such a macho name, right?"
Catherine nodded her head awkwardly.
Edna took a deep breath and tossed aside the magazine. She walked over to her and started picking up some cookies after donning a face mask and pair of gloves, then started helping her pack.
"Sometimes I imagine Ty growing up as attractive as this guy", Edna mentioned innocently.
Catherine's eyes widened in shock.
"What?", Edna asked. "They're both blondes and blue eyed."
"Y-yes, but I don't want my baby to be a playboy."
"Sweetie, your son will grow up a handsome gentleman. You and I know that." Edna responded drily. "Look at him, even as he sleeps, he looks so angelic like a cute cherub."
Catherine smiled gently, while staring at Tyler.
"Yes, he's my angel."
You're my angel... tonight.
Catherine suddenly took a sharp indrawn breath. She swallowed repeatedly and Edna's continued chattering was left unheard of, for she got lost in her thoughts.
Catherine remembered the way he whispered those words into her ear.
Just as she remembered everything that night as vividly as if it happened just yesterday.
That first night she became a real woman in the arms of one named Mister Aaron Dominic Morrison.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
"Mama!"
Catherine faced a grinning Tyler, who beckoned her to come near him.
How could I ever forget the past if there's a constant reminder of 'him'?
Catherine smiled at her son and approached them. He was waving at her and the two women he was chatting with were looking at her expectantly.
"Hello, good day to you. I'm Cathy, the owner of this humble bakeshop. I'm hoping you're enjoying your visit with us."
"We are. You have such a lovely shop here. The people from the event we attended last night properly promoted you to us. They told us not to leave town without trying some of your specialties." The beautiful brunette lady spoke to her eloquently.
"I appreciate the compliment. Actually, my friend and I own this but she's at the back, in the kitchen right now, surveying our other members of the family."
Catherine and Edna preferred to call their employees as family.
"Are you born and raised here?", the brunette lady asked her innocently.
Catherine frowned a bit due to the personal question but disregarded it as a small talk.
"Actually no, we just transferred here a few years ago. We had a hard time opening a business in the big city so we opted to open it in this small town. Away from the maddening crowd so to speak."
"Could it be you were from our city? Your accent sounds just like us." The brunette's companion started joining the conversation.
"Yes, Ed and I grew up there but she still has a bit of her Mexican accent when she speaks. If she's free, I can summon her to meet you, too."
"Oh, I'm sorry for being rude. We forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Mina and this is my friend, Nicolaa. We attended the children's charity fair last night at the Donovan Memorial High School."
"I heard about that. I'm glad you came to our town and I'm happy to meet you."
They all shook hands.
Tyler started tugging her skirt. Obviously hating being left out of the conversation.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce him to you. He's my son, Tyler."
Tyler grinned from ear to ear.
"Mama, I told them my name already."
"Oh, did you?"
"Uh-huh." Tyler nodded his head.
Then as if right on cue, Edna came out of the kitchen. Apparently she had just finished baking a new set of muffins and was ordering Luis, one of their bakers to carry the trays in the display area.
"Ed, come and greet our new guests. They came from the big city." Catherine informed her friend, unaware that one of their newly acquainted customers were staring at her intently.
Edna greeted the other customers lining in front of the payment counter before reaching them.
Edna was so enthusiastic when she learned they all came in close proximity in the big city.
"What a coincidence it is? Wait, Señora Nicolaa, you look very familiar to me. Could it be you're a celebrity?", Edna inquired, her talkative nature sets in.
Mina laughed.
"You could say that she's quite popular herself but not as much as her children. They both are quite famous." Mina elaborated.
"You could have seen me sometimes on the news with my family." Nicolaa smiled humbly.
"Really? Pray tell, if it's alright to ask, may I know which actor or actress are you acquainted with?", Edna, who loves celebrity gossip was too joyful to learn that she have met the upper ups. "May I know which celebrities are your kids?"
"Have you heard of Skyelar Natalie?", Nicolaa inquired.
"T-the famous gorgeous model for Chanel? Is she your daughter?! Oh shoot, that girl is bonita. I like her. Oh my, that means you're the mother of Farah Sherman's fiancé?, referring to the latest Oscar nominee.
"I am."
"Oh my goodness, don't tell me your son is—"
"Yes, he is." Nicolaa laughed. She quite predicted that this was one of her son's avid fan.
"Madre de Dios, you have such a beautiful son. You and your husband have great genes." Edna complimented. "Cath, can you believe this? He's his mom!"
"W-who do you mean?", Catherine was puzzled. Her heartbeat pounded in her chest like wildfire and her hand absentmindedly grabbed Tyler's. Dreading the next words inevitably.
"Aaron Morrison is my son." Nicolaa stated pointedly.
Edna gasped gleefully and started singing praises about how she had a huge crush on the man.
The man that Catherine vowed never to cross paths again.
No one noticed that Catherine was startled when she heard that familiar name, she became pale. Except for Nicolaa who was observing her closely and noticed the play of emotions apparent on her face.
"Oh my Goodness! Your son is muy caliente for his own good. I keep on saying that he's a living God." Edna comically made the sign of the cross that made the two other women chuckle but Catherine wasn't a little bit amused. "Cath, I told you about him yesterday. You remember, right?", Edna asked.
How could I not?
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Catherine hid Tyler.
She immediately excused herself but held her son's hand so tightly that even the little boy started to protest.
She brought him inside her back office and let him watch a Disney children show in her mobile phone.
Catherine drank a glass of water to calm herself down. She knew that she acted rudely towards their guests but she didn't care anymore.
Why? Why does she had to meet his mother? Of all people in this world, why does it have to be someone so close to him?
Her fears showed vividly in her face.
Could she have guessed? Of course, she did because mother's knows best. That woman knew Tyler is her son's child.
Catherine started gasping for air.
That's why she was asking me questions. Questions that I thought were asked due to curiosity at first. That woman obviously had put two and two together. Even that friend of hers was suspicious, too.
And due to her ridiculous movements, those two women already knew the answer even though she would deny it vehemently if they question her.
They didn't have to ask because her son doesn't even look a bit tad like her.
For Tyler never looked like her.
Tyler resembles his father.
From his blonde hair, good looks and those blue eyes that turned light to dark shades when his mood changes.
Just so like his.
The infamous Mister Morrison, whom she mistakenly thought was named Mister Scott at first, was spreading his influence even in this far corner of the city.
Creeping back into her life unannounced.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Author's Notes: (Translations)
guapo (Spanish) handsome
macho (Spanish) male
Señora (Spanish) Madam/Mrs
bonita (Spanish) beautiful
Madre de Dios (Spanish) Mother of God
muy caliente (Spanish) very hot