Book of Love - David Horne Page 0,27
feature of the house.
The garden was modest in design but it was filled with all different colored roses. It was a very charming house. Mr. Bailey was standing outside, no doubt waiting for them.
Matt watched as the car drove up the driveway. The car stopped to allow them to exit. Then it was driven the house where the garage was no doubt.
Climbing the three stairs to the front porch, Alfie was hugged by his father. It was a hug that screamed how much the man loved his son. A small stab of jealousy pierced Matt’s heart for a few seconds.
However, it was gone just as quick. Alfie's father looked at Matt and his mother. A small smile crossed over his face, which was welcoming and warm. "Welcome to the Xavier family estate. Well, the one in America at least." Alfie snorted as he shook his head.
Daphne walked up and held out her hand in the way of greeting. "Good evening, Mr. Bailey. I have heard a lot about you from your son. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Mr. Bailey took Daphne's hand and shook it gently.
"Pleasure is mine. Please call me Oscar." He looked at Matt. "That counts for you too. No more mister anything," Oscar said with a smile.
Matt saw Alfie give a great big smile behind his dad. It made Matt breathe easier. Once inside, the mother-son pair was treated to the beautiful airy foyer. The floors were a shiny deep cherry wood, the walls painted a cream color, the wall to their right held a large mirror with a console table underneath it, bowl and pot plant. The wall to the left was covered in photos. Matt moved to see the photos. Alfie walking with him to stand beside him.
There were the typical childhood photos of an absolutely adorable Alfie. One of him as a baby, as a toddler and then as a child. Some showed him without some teeth, having lost his baby teeth. Then came the absences of pre-teen and teenager photos as kids get more camera shy. Matt looked at the family photos and saw that each year, there seemed to be one taken.
Alfie watched Matt as he walked down the hall to look at more of the photos. He could hear his father behind him explaining the photos and what age he had been and what he had been up to in said photos.
Noticing the older gentleman in the photo, he had blond hair with streaks of white hair, a clean-shaven face and similarly dressed like Oscar. Matt saw the man in photos before Alfie was born, when he was born and then up until the man must have passed away. What was remarkable to Matt was that the man aged very well.
"He passed away in his sleep," Alfie said when he noticed where Matt was looking at.
Matt made a hum before he pulled Alfie closer to him. He gave Alfie a one-arm hug.
"I bet he's so proud of you," Matt said softly as he continued to look at the photos again from the start to see if he could see Alfie's mom. It was while he was looking through the family photos that a wedding photo caught his attention. The man was clearly Oscar, and the woman next to him had to be Alfie's mom. The woman had a soft face and the same color eyes and hair as Alfie.
"Your mom is beautiful," Matt said as he stared at the woman. Now knowing what she looked like, he went back to the family photos and found what must have been the year she married Oscar. Matt noticed that the last photo the woman was in was one year before Alfie's grandfather was no longer in the photos.
"She was. I miss her every day." Matt looked down at Alfie, who had placed his head on Matt's shoulder. Matt wanted to ask so badly, but he never needed to. "She passed away from cancer."
Matt pulled Alfie closer into a proper hug. "I know she's looking down at you, and she's so proud of you."
Alfie swallowed passed the lump in his throat. He wrapped his arms around Matt's waist. "She would have liked you."
Oscar and Daphne watched the scene. It was clear to Oscar that the two had at least talked about their feelings. He watched as Matt rubbed Alfie's back.
They made their way deeper into the home. The living room had dark blue couches, more deep cherry wood. The dining room was linked