Chapter 186: Call Me Daddy 2
"Mr. Fairchild, aren’t you busy?" Ian Monroe asked, tilting his head.
"Busy."
"If you’re busy, you don’t have to come get me. I’ve noticed that none of the other kids at this preschool are picked up by their parents. It’s always their drivers."
"Ian Monroe, I squeezed time out of my packed schedule to come get you, and you’re not the least bit touched?"
"I’m not touched. This is something the driver could have done, but you insisted on doing it yourself. Maybe you’re just not that busy."
Evan Fairchild: ...
"Mr. Fairchild, you’re being so nice to me... it makes me feel like you have an ulterior motive."
"What kind of motive?"
"You want to marry my mom, but she doesn’t want to marry you. So, you’re trying to get to her through me. Talk about having an ulterior motive."
He certainly knows his idioms!
’What a great son! "Ulterior motives," he says!’
"Pfft!" Tommy couldn’t help but burst out laughing. But when he glanced back and met President Fairchild’s death glare, he froze. He quickly started the car and headed up the mountain.
"Book a flight to Jansburg," Evan Fairchild suddenly ordered Tommy.
"For when, President Fairchild?"
"For today."
Tommy paused, stunned. ’It’s already so late, and he still wants to go to Jansburg tonight?’
The moment Ian Monroe heard "Jansburg," a flicker of excitement flashed across his small face.
’Mom is filming in Jansburg!’
"Mr. Fairchild, what are you going to Jansburg for?" Ian Monroe asked quietly, testing the waters.
"To find your mother!"
Ian Monroe: !!!
He nervously tugged at the hem of his shirt, looking like he wanted to say something but holding back. He glanced up at Evan Fairchild, then quickly turned his small face back toward the window.
A few minutes later, he glanced at Evan Fairchild again. His lips parted as if to speak, but he stopped himself once more.
"I suppose I could bring my son with me," Evan Fairchild said, breaking the silence.
Ian Monroe: !!!!
"Really, Mr. Fairchild?"
"Note: *my son*. What did you just call me?" Evan Fairchild said, leaning back to enjoy his son’s reaction.
"You promise?"
"That depends on you!"
"D... Dad," Ian Monroe mumbled, extremely reluctant.
Evan Fairchild straightened his tie and gazed out the window. "You said that so quietly. I didn’t hear a thing."
"Dad."
"Ian Monroe, is that the best you can do? If you really don’t want to call me that..."
"Dad! Dad!" Ian Monroe quickly grabbed Evan Fairchild’s arm. "Is that good enough for you?!"
Evan Fairchild knew the little guy’s patience was at its limit. He didn’t dare push his luck any further, afraid he’d ruin everything. ’There will be plenty of opportunities in the future,’ he thought. ’Am I really worried I can’t handle one little rascal?’
Having finally gotten to hear him say "Dad," he was quite satisfied.
"I can call you Dad when it’s just the two of us," Ian declared, "but I will not call you Dad in front of my mother."
Evan Fairchild’s brow furrowed.
’But that was the whole point—to have Ian call him Dad in front of Melody.’
"Why?" He truly couldn’t understand what was going on inside this kid’s head.
"My mother isn’t willing to marry you yet, so I won’t call you Dad in front of her. When the day comes that she marries you, then I will call you Dad in front of her," Ian Monroe replied with a serious expression.
Evan Fairchild yanked his tie loose and turned away from Ian Monroe.
He was clearly fuming.
...
Back at home, Evan Fairchild had Auntie Lana pack a couple of changes of clothes for Ian Monroe. He grabbed their identification, and they headed for the airport.
Ian Monroe was buzzing with excitement the entire way. Even more exciting was the thought that he was about to see his mom!
It was his first time traveling so far and his first time on an airplane. His big, bright eyes sparkled with a captivating light.