Chapter 254: My daughter is no different.
Missing someone was tiring.
Yet looking at the little girl, beaming with such happiness and excitement, no one could tell that the wait had been tiring for her at all.
Instead ...
She seemed to have been looking forward to it.
... Waiting for it.
Seeing her like that, Adelyn slowly crouched down until they were at eye level.
Reaching out, she gently brushed the back of her finger across Eira’s nose before lightly tapping its tip.
"All day long?" she asked with a smile. "Then didn’t you get bored?"
Little Eira shook her head.
"Tired?" Adelyn asked again.
Once again, the little girl simply shook her head.
"Then ... sleepy?"
Eira gazed at her mother before lifting both her tiny hands to cup Adelyn’s face.
"Eira was too excited to see Mama again," she answered honestly. "She didn’t feel sleepy at all."
The little girl had always longed for days like this...
Days when she could wait for her mama to come home after the end of every day.
In the past, that had never been possible.
Her mama had forgotten her.
But now ...
Now that Mama remembered her again, she could finally wait for her to return home.
So the waiting never bored her.
Nor did it tire her.
All she had felt throughout the day was anticipation ...
And excitement.
"So you didn’t take your afternoon nap at all?" Adelyn asked, raising her brows as a faint crease formed between them.
With all honesty, the little girl shook her head.
And that only further deepened Adelyn’s frown.
"That won’t do, baby." She gently lowered Eira’s tiny hands from her face and held them carefully within her own.
Then, looking at her earnestly, she explained slowly, "You’re still very young. And for children of your age, sleep is really ... really important."
"It makes you grow taller and stronger. So ... you cannot skip your naps like that, sweetheart."
Eira blinked, listening attentively.
"But Mama ... Eira sleeps every day."
Adelyn pursed her lips before smiling patiently. "You do, sweetie. And I know you sleep well at night. But ..." she paused briefly, only to add soon after, "afternoon naps are just as important."
"You shouldn’t skip them, especially while you’re still growing."
Eira nodded obediently, looking like she understood it well and good.
"Then promise me." Adelyn opened her palm in front of the little girl. "Starting tomorrow, you’ll take a proper afternoon nap."
"And only after you wake up can you wait for Mama."
The little girl lowered her gaze to the outstretched hand before slowly placing her own tiny palm over it.
She nodded seriously.
"I promise."
Adelyn glanced down at their hands.
Seeing how tiny Eira’s hand looked compared to her own, her heart softened.
Unable to resist, she lowered her head and gently kissed the little girl’s hand before looking back up with a smile.
"My baby is the best."
Then she carefully scooped Eira up in her arms.
Holding a child like this should have felt unfamiliar.
Yet strangely ...
It didn’t.
Instead, it felt incredibly natural.
Almost as though ...
She had carried someone like this countless times before.
But as far as she could remember ...
She had never carried a child.
There had never been children around her. Nor had she ever been particularly close to them.
Then ...
Why did this feel so familiar?
Just as that strange sense of familiarity began overwhelming her—
A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
"You’re back?"
Adelyn turned around.
Dylan had just returned home as well.
A smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Yes." She nodded lightly. "I just got back."
Dylan nodded in return before walking toward her.
She didn’t realize what he intended until he stopped right in front of her, barely inches away.
"Mr. Warren, you—"
Before she could finish speaking, Dylan simply turned his attention toward the little girl nestled comfortably in her arms.
"Did you miss Dada?" he asked gently.
Adelyn froze for a moment.
Does he ask questions like this too when he comes home?
They were the kind of sweet, simple questions parents asked to bond with their children.
Yet ...
For some reason ...
She had never imagined Dylan asking them.
But then—
Why wouldn’t he?
He was a father.
Just like any other father.
It was only natural for him.
Realizing she had been staring at him for too long, she quickly laughed awkwardly.
"Of course, Little Eira must have missed you too." She turned toward the little girl and smiled. "Isn’t that right, sweetie?"
Eira blinked at her mother before briefly looking at her father.
Then she looked back at Adelyn ...
And slowly shook her head.
"Huh?"
For a second, Adelyn couldn’t understand that quiet little shake.
It couldn’t mean what it really seemed to mean, could it?
"Eira only missed Mama," the girl said the very next second. "Not Dada."
Adelyn immediately stiffened.
The little girl missed her ...
But not her own father?
Wouldn’t this make it seem as though she was unknowingly driving a wedge between father and daughter?
As though Eira was becoming closer and closer to her while drifting further away from Dylan?
What should she do?
How was she supposed to explain this?
She instinctively turned toward Dylan ...
Only to find him quietly looking at her with an amused, curious gaze.
"Mr. Warren ..." She smiled awkwardly. "She’s just a child. She’s only momentarily captivated by me. When she grows older, she’ll naturally become much closer to you."
She nodded firmly, almost trying to convince both him and herself.
"Trust me."
"Closer to me?" Dylan repeated.
Adelyn nodded immediately.
"Yes. So ... don’t misunderstand. I’m not ruining anything between the two of you."
Dylan looked at her for a moment before a trace of amusement surfaced in his eyes.
Every time he thought she couldn’t possibly surprise him anymore ...
She somehow proved him wrong.
"What’s there to misunderstand?" he said with a faint smile as he reached out and gently rubbed the back of Eira’s head.
Adelyn heard him and was just about to nod—
But then he continued.
"Children choosing their mothers over their fathers is only natural. My daughter is no different."
