NovelEnglishIn the backyard, William's gaze met Leopold's as he turned his head.
“What was up with Uncle Leopold today? He kept sneaking peeks at me. Had he let something slip? Or did my mom say something that made Uncle Leopold suspicious?” he thought, then stuck his tongue out at Uncle Leopold and turned away, showing his back to him.
Leopold chuckled at that. Despite William's sharp tongue and knack for getting under his skin, the kid was pretty darn adorable.
If Liam were still around, he would probably be as different from Kane as night and day.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSurely one of the kids would take after Aurelia.
That evening, William and Kane bunked together in the sroom.
William locked the door behind them and gingerly removed his mask.
"Kane, did | give anything away today?" Kane shook his head, "Nope, what's up?" "It's just... Uncle Leopold was weird today and kept staring at me. He doesn't suspect I'm wearing a mask, does he?" William shrank a little, his voice tinged with worry.
Kane guessed it was because Mom told Dad that William was Liam's reincarnation.
He had overheard bits of their conversation earlier when he went upstairs to grab his robot toy.
"If Dad suspected, he'd have ripped off your mask already. The fact he didn't means he's not onto us." William stuck out his tongue, "That's so blunt and straightforward. So why the heck was he staring at me? | didn't bug him today." Kane raised an eyebrow, "Maybe because he's trying to bond with his nephew." William pouted, "Fat chance. He doesn't likeone bit. He probably seesas a burden. | don't like him much either." That was how it always played out on TV. The kid that mom brought into the family was treated like an unwanted addition.
Kane spoke earnestly, "A burden implies no blood relation. You're a member of the Stirling family, how can you be a burden?" William fell silent, but after a while, he murmured, "If you were me, would you leave Arnold you love to call your uncle 'Dad'?" "lI don't know," Kane shrugged. If he were in that position, he would hate to leave Arnold too. Another man would feel like a stranger, which was why he kept William's secret.
William patted his chest, "Anyway, | love Arnold the most. I'll never leave him. He's the best dad in the whole wide world." The next morning, a Sunday, Kane got up while William was still in dreamland.
Kane went off to the bathroom.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThere was a knock at the door. William, groggy and bleary-eyed, hopped out of bed to answer it.
Then he saw Uncle Leopold stood at the door.
"Tto rise and shine. I'm taking you both to the beach today." "Oh," William yawned, longing for more sleep.
Uncle Leopold ruffled his hair and glanced inside the room. Not seeing William, he asked, "Where's William? Still sleeping?" The question jolted William into full alertness. He was William, but without the mask, Uncle Leopold mistook him for Kane.
His heart leaped to his throat, knowing one wrong word could blow his cover.
"He's...he's in the bathroom," William stammered, "Doing his...uh...business." Please let all the saints and angels watch over him, William prayed silently, hoping Kane wouldn't cout and give the gaway.
His eyes darting around, William called out loudly, "William, you done in there? Uncle Leopold's taking us to the beach today!" "Okay!" Kane's voice floated from the bathroom.
William breathed a sigh of relief, trusting his red alert had been received loud and clear.
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