Toby was staring at the floor, so Sonia couldn’t see his eyes and find out she was right. “No. I just wanted to know what the manager had to say,” he answered calmly as if he wasn’t lying.
But Sonia was convinced, so she nodded. “I see.” So I was just reading too much into it. He hates me. There’s no way he’d let the manager think I’m his wife. “But why’d you want to join the event, Mr. Fuller?” Sonia looked at him.
Toby lied. “For Douglas. He’s Zane’s nephew, and I’m his friend. I’m helping Zane out with Douglas.” He didn’t want her to know that it was just because he wanted to join the event with her, though he didn’t know why.
“I see.” Sonia shrugged. She didn’t suspect anything, for Toby and Zane were friends, so taking care of Zane’s nephew was normal.
Eventually, they came to the registration counter. Since they were gorgeous, the restaurant’s patrons had their eyes on the “family”.
After they finished registering, Sonia held Douglas’ left hand, while Toby held the boy’s right. They stood together with the other families as they waited for the event to start.
The woman beside them huddled closer and kept staring at the three of them.
Sonia eventually felt uncomfortable from the stare, so she asked, “Yes, do you need anything, madam?”
The woman praised her. “You’re such a good match for your husband, miss. A gorgeous couple, I must say. Never seen one as beautiful as the two of you. You’re even prettier than celebrities. No wonder your son is so adorable.” She looked at Toby and Douglas, then her husband and son, and she sighed. You can’t compare.
Sonia felt awkward. If they were a great match, they wouldn’t have ended up divorced. “You flatter me, madam. We’re just an ordinary family. We’re not as great as you make us out to be.” Sonia forced a smile.
Since she had agreed to act as Douglas’ mom, she couldn’t tell the woman she wasn’t Toby’s wife, nor could she tell her Douglas wasn’t their son. All she could do was lie through her teeth.
“You call this ordinary? Are you kidding me? Humblebragging, I see.” The madam glanced at Sonia.
Sonia’s lips twitched, but she said nothing.
Toby suddenly looked at her. “What did you say to her?”
Sonia looked away. “Nothing. Just guessing about the games.” She wouldn’t tell him the woman said they were a great match, not when they were already divorced.
Toby pursed his lips, disappointed that Sonia didn’t tell him the truth. He heard the whole conversation. Even though the woman was practically whispering, it didn’t escape Toby. He only asked Sonia because he wanted to hear it from her, but she didn’t want to tell him. Thus, Toby stared down in silence, crestfallen.
The event started a short while later. There would be three rounds, consisting of three games. The first one was suck and blow; the second one was pushups, and the third one was a three-legged race.
The first round would eliminate two families that got the fewest points, while the second game would eliminate one family, leaving the best two to fight for first place. If they got first place, they would get the Gundam that Douglas wanted, as well as a free voucher. The other families would also get some prizes, though not as great as the first place’s prize.
When Sonia saw what the first game was, she frowned.
Toby was standing beside her. “What is it?” he asked.
Sonia didn’t notice the concern in his voice, as she was engrossed in her own thoughts. She pointed at the name of the game and asked, “I get the second and third game, but what’s up with suck and blow?” She was reluctant to do the first one. If the game needs the couple to kiss, that meant I have to… Sonia shook her head and perished that thought.
Toby put his thumb on his chin and thought about it, but he couldn’t figure out what the game was, so he massaged his forehead. “Let’s ask the manager.”
“I guess so.” Sonia nodded. If the game was what she thought it was, she could ask the manager to change the rules as well, so Sonia called the manager over.
When he knew what her concern was, he answered, “It’s a simple game. First, the child will suck on one side of the card, then the mother will take the card from the child, but only with the lips. After that, she’ll pass it to the father. The father will then pass it back to the mother, and the mother will pass it back to the child. That’s one round. You’ll have to clear one round if you want to clear the game.”
Toby arched his eyebrow.
Sonia nodded. “I see.” She heaved a sigh of relief when she found out there would be no kiss, but then she realized it would be indirect kissing, and she couldn’t accept it. “Can you change the game, manager?” Sonia looked at the manager.
Toby narrowed his eyes. He didn’t even realize that he was looking at her with an irritated and upset look in his eyes. She wants to change the game because she doesn’t want to have skin contact with me?
“I can’t.” The manager smiled apologetically. “We’ve decided on this game from the start, and the props are already prepared. Not to mention we’ve announced it. If we change it now, it’ll hurt our reputation, so I hope you can understand.” He left right away, since he was worried Sonia might beg him to change the game if he didn’t.
Sonia watched him leave and massaged her forehead. Looks like I can’t change the game. Dang it.
“We can just give up if you don’t want to play,” Toby suddenly said.
Sonia paused to consider his suggestion.
However, that annoyed Toby, and his face darkened. She’s actually considering it? Does she hate being with me so much?
Douglas knew Sonia was hesitating, so he held her hand and looked up at her. “Mom, I want that Gundam model. It’s a limited edition. They don’t make it that tall out there.”
Sonia looked at the fifty-centimeter model on the prize table and sighed, then she squatted and smiled at Douglas. “Okay. We’ll do our best to get it.”
“Thank you, Mom.” Douglas kissed her cheek.
Sonia’s eyes widened in shock from the kiss. She touched her cheek and didn’t get up for a while.
Toby’s face fell further, and his dislike for Douglas mounted. Hey, that’s rude. You can’t just kiss anyone how you want. I haven’t even kissed her yet. He pursed his lips and pinched Douglas’ cheek. In response, Douglas glared at him, but Toby only let him go when he saw the boy’s face getting red from the pinch.
Douglas took the chance to snitch on him. “Mom, Dad pinched me.”
Sonia snapped out of it. Douglas’ kiss made her feel funny, but after he called her mom, it tugged on her heartstrings. If I give birth to the child, will it kiss me and call me “Mommy” as Douglas does? That doesn’t sound bad at all.
