After finishing the strawberries together, Chanyeol showed Baekhyun the rest of the house.

The little one already knew the front room where a sofa and chair, a fireplace, and the sewing machine sat. The short hallway gave access to two bedrooms, the bathroom, and a small kitchen that was compact but efficient, with a specific place for everything needed to prepare meals and store food. To the side of the kitchen was a breezeway that had a small table with four chairs. The breezeway led to a long screened-in porch that was attached to the side of the house. Baekhyun had never noticed because it was on the opposite side from the large house. There were a few chairs sitting on the long porch, but Baekhyun felt drawn to the glider-style rocker that was over in the corner. He went over and sat down in it, then looked up to find the handsome estate boss staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“What?” Baekhyun asked carefully. “Should I not sit here?” He began to get up but Chanyeol crossed the porch quickly and crouched down in front of the orphan, preventing him from moving from the chair. 

“I love that you chose this seat. It’s fitting.” he said as he looked up at the orphan.

“..your mother’s?” Baekhyun guessed gently. Chanyeol nodded with a quiet smile then surged up to briefly kiss the little one. Baekhyun smiled with a blush but waited until the tall man sat on a bench along the wall beside the rocker before speaking again. “So I’m thinking we won’t be able to keep this a secret from everyone much longer…”

“Yeah..” Chanyeol reached over and ran his fingers through the little one's unruly locks. “Does that bother you?” he asked.

Baekhyun hummed noncommittally but gave a smile. “I think many of them already know. They’re just too nice to tease us about it.”

“Yet.” the tall man added with a grin. 

The little one burst out into laughter and Chanyeol couldn’t help his love-struck gaze at the adorable sight. Baekhyun hiccupped into giggles. “Se-Sehun’s gonna have a heyday!” he said, grinning broadly. 

Chanyeol chuckled along and shook his head. “Jun’s not gonna let me live this down either. He figured out how you made me feel before I even acknowledged it.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah. I’ve not been interested in anyone for five years, so he knew something was happening when I went out to the grove to watch you at night.”

Baekhyun cocked his head in interest. “You haven’t.. Five years?” he asked incredulously.

Chanyeol sighed. “I need to tell you anyway, so I guess this is a good time.” He reached over and took the orphan’s hand, playing with the slender fingers for a moment before he began to talk. “I met Rose about a year before my mother passed away.”

Baekhyun straightened in his seat, immediately more somber and paying close attention to his lover. This was obviously an important conversation. Chanyeol noticed his body language and squeezed his fingers lightly in a reassuring manner before continuing.

“Mother had already begun to show signs of her illness, and although I could help her, I still needed to run the estate, so she decided to hire a nursemaid. Rose started working for us and fit in well. In looking back I should have realized she had been trained in more than just nursing, since she played the part of willing advocate for anything that would spread the Park money around. I wouldn’t let her near the books, so she began trying every way possible to snag me romantically.”

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows angrily, already getting an idea of where the story was going. He kept quiet but noticed that Chanyeol was staring down at their joined hands with an expression of nervousness, obviously deep in thought. But after a few moments of silent waiting, the tall man cleared his throat and continued.

“Jun had a soft spot for Rose, and they were both always early risers. Jun would come to the small house for breakfast and talk to Rose as she would cook food for all of us. One morning, before Mother and I woke up, Rose snuck into my room and disrobed, then put her clothes haphazardly on the doorknob and on the floor. Then she climbed into bed with me just as Jun was coming into the house. He came to my room and popped his head in the door to wake me up like always and saw us in the bed together. I was still asleep, but his loud reaction woke me as well as my mother, who always slept with her door open. Rose acted coy and flustered, not giving me a chance to get a word in edgewise. Mother jumped to conclusions and was so pleased thinking that we had gotten together, I guess I was weak and didn’t want to break her heart. Next thing I knew, the workers knew all about us and started calling Rose my fiance. I never actually slept with her or gave her a ring, but she went right along with the lie.”

By now Baekhyun’s face was scrunched up in anger. “What a !” he blurted out, shaking his head. 

Chanyeol chuckled. If he was surprised at the orphan using foul language, he didn’t show it. Inst