Forbidden Heat novel Chapter 248

“Daddy!” the boy cried out happily as he hugged his father.

“Say hello to my good friend. This is Reiner. Reiner, this is my eldest son, Ryder,” Edward quickly introduced the two to each other.

“Hello, Sir. My name is Ryder Rosenhall. It is a pleasure to meet you,” the boy said cheerily and with impeccable manners.

“I’m Reiner. It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Reiner replied back before smiling a little at the boy and patting his head.

When the boy looked up to smile at him in return, Reiner found himself looking into a pair of very familiar eyes. The boy had his mother’s kind eyes, Natalia’s eyes. He watched as the boy went about eating his food, clearly enjoying himself.

“Did you name him?” Reiner asked Edward quietly.

“No, his mother did,” Edward replied before smiling at his friend.

“I see…” Reiner mumbled; his eyes still glued to the red-haired boy.

“I’ve got some business to take care of for a short while. Ryder, can you stay with my friend. He hasn’t eaten so can you order him some food? Is that, ok?” Edward asked Ryder before winking at Reiner.

Ryder nodded in response to this father’s suggestion.

“Edward…” Reiner said hesitantly.

“Take good care of my son. I’ll be back in half an hour…” Edward said casually as he headed for the door.

“Where are you going off to again, daddy?” Ryder asked accusingly.

“I’m just going to pick up the twins. Ok?” Edward replied smoothly.

“Ok…” Ryder mumbled in reply.

“My friend can pay for your lunch,” Edward said teasingly.

“…Sure,” Reiner said as he looked at Edward in confusion.

Without another word, Edward quickly left the restaurant leaving Reiner alone with a wide-eyed redhead boy.

“You want to order something, Sir? The steak here tastes good,” Ryder said with a big smile before stuffing more steak into his mouth.

“Can you order something for me then?” Reiner asked as he stared at the boy sitting next to him.

“Sure. Leave it to me!” Ryder replied excitedly as he pushed the button to call the waitress.

At the sound of the call bell, the waitress entered the room to receive the order from Ryder who enthusiastically ordered more steak for his father’ friend. After confirming the order, the waitress bowed politely and silently left the room.

“How old are you, Ryder?” Reiner asked in a gentle voice as he continued to observe the boy sitting close him.

“I’m eight, Sir,” Ryder said proudly.

“You can stop calling me ‘Sir’. Just call me Reiner,” Reiner said calmly.

“Alright. Mister Reiner,” Ryder said, trying to sound as formal as he could.

“You seem close to your father,” Reiner commented.

“We are close. He’s my father but we’re best friends. I want to grow up to be just like my father,” Ryder stated proudly, his eyes sparkling.

“That’s not surprising. Edward is a great guy,” Reiner said with a small laugh.

“I know, right?” Ryder readily agreed.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you have your mother’s eyes?” Reiner asked.