Always Been Yours (Tessa and Nicholas) novel Chapter 177

Chapter 177
At this moment, the gangster squealed like a caught pig.
Only then did everyone come to their senses and notice a tall man in a suit and leather shoes interrupting them. Instantly enraged, they stopped paying attention to Tessa and started flocking around Nicholas.
After a round of fighting, all of them were scattered on the ground and wailing in pain.
Standing coldly in the middle of them, Nicholas turned to look at Tessa. “Are you okay?”
Shocked by the scene, she nodded numbly. “I’m fine.”
At this moment, Gregory emerged from behind Nicholas and kicked several of the gangsters hard. “Don’t you touch my Miss Tessa, you bullies!”
Coldly, Nicholas warned them, “The cops are arriving soon. You can stay if you’d like a shortcut to jail.”
Knowing they were no match for this man and feeling even less like being arrested, the group of gangsters scrambled up from the ground and fled the park so quickly that they nearly stumbled over their own feet.
Seizing the opportunity where Tessa had yet to come back to her senses after the gangsters left, Gregory rushed forward and threw his arms around her leg.
Dazedly, Tessa looked down at Gregory.
Lately, she had been acting like she didn’t care about him, but now that she was looking at him, she realized how much she missed him.
Unable to help herself, she reached out to rub his head before suddenly thinking of something and retracting her hand. “Why are you both here?” she asked.
Calmly, Nicholas answered, “We were passing by.”
At the insincere answer, she couldn’t help grumbling to herself, There’s no such coincidence in the world.
On the other hand, Gregory glared at Nicholas before saying, “Daddy is lying.” And then, he looked back at her. “We went to the concert, and then we followed you here because we saw you walking over
here.”
Not expecting such a truth, Tessa paused.
At that moment, she looked down at Gregory, and saw him refusing to let go of her leg and staring up at her with bright eyes. Clearly, he was thrilled.
However, she had spoken very decisively before, and she suddenly didn’t know how to face the father son duo standing there. After a moment of silence, Tessa finally said, “Thank you both.”
With a grin, Gregory waved a hand. “There’s no need, Miss Tessa. You don’t need to thank us.”
Flushed and chubby, the little boy looked both adorable and sensible, and Tessa couldn’t help wanting to hug him.
However, right as she was about to touch him, she stopped once more.
Since Gregory had his eyes on her, he naturally noticed her actions and immediately let go of her leg.
Hurt, he lowered his gaze to stare at the ground.
Only a while later did he lift his head and ask softly, “Do you hate me now, Miss Tessa?”
His timid behavior nearly shattered her heart, and she reflexively hurried to justify her behavior. “No, of course not! I love you so much. Why would I hate you? It’s just that my arm is still weak from the injury, and I’m afraid of dropping you if I pick you up.”
Brightening at her words, Gregory asked, “Really?”
Nodding, Tessa tried to placate him, “Really. I can’t carry you, but I can hold your hand. Do you want to hold my hand?”