Chapter 99: Acceptance
Chapter 18 - acceptance
Jude’s POV
I pulled up along the familiar street leading to Mia’s new academy, adjusting my baseball cap and pulling my face mask up a little higher over my nose. I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with a scene today. If the headmistress caught sight of me, she’d easily delay me for an hour talking about anything and everything [old people like talking and are noisy as fuck]. The only reason I had been able to secure Mia a spot in this highly exclusive school on such short notice was because the headmistress happened to be an old college friend of my mother’s. Through her connections, Mia’s admission had been pushed through overnight.
I parked my car two blocks away to avoid drawing attention and walked up to the iron school gates, showing my security pass to the guards. I waved onto the campus, looking at the school’
As I walked across the courtyard, I noticed crowds of kids running around outside as parents were milling about, proudly holding colorful art canvases. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Was there some sort of school art exhibition happening today? If there was, why hadn’t Rosie or I been notified? There was no way an event like this would happen without Rosie throwing me here for her niece.
I scanned the busy courtyard, my eyes going through the crowds until they landed on the playground where Mia was sitting alone on a swing. Her shoulders were slumped, and there was a longing look in her eyes as she silently watched the other children laughing and talking with their parents.
A pang of protectiveness hit my chest as I quickly walked over to a nearby campus snack cart, bought two vanilla ice cream cones, and quietly circled around the playground to approach her from behind.
“Boom!” I whispered playfully.
Mia swirled around so fast on the swing it actually amazed me how the dull, lonely expression in her eyes instantly vanished, morphing into a radiant smile.
“Daddy!” she screamed.
She leaped off the swing and launched herself straight at me as I quickly balanced the two ice creams in one hand, and I used my free arm to catch her effortlessly, lifting her high into the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed several parents nearby whip their heads around to stare at us in surprise, but I couldn’t care less.
I twirled her around once while she giggled ecstatically. “You got it, princess." I smiled, gently lowering her back to the ground before handing over her ice cream cone.
She collected it with a bright cheer and hopped back onto the swing, her small feet dangling over it while I took a seat on the empty swing right beside her, letting my long legs stretch out in the woodchips.
For a while, we sat there in a comfortable, happy silence. Mia happily licked her ice cream, humming a tune as her head bobbed. It was incredible how simply seeing a familiar face could completely elevate a kid’s mood.
After a few minutes, she paused, looking up at me sideways through her bangs. “I... I hope you don’t mind me calling you ’Dad’ just now,” she murmured softly, her voice suddenly shy.
I shook my head immediately, reaching over to gently ruffle her brown hair. “Of course I don’t mind. You can call me whatever you want, Mia.”
She let out a tiny breath, a look of relief washing over her face. “The kids here always talk about their parents, so I really wanted to, too. But I didn’t think I could...” She trailed off, looking down at her shoes.
“You can,” I assured her firmly.
“Thank you, Dad,” she whispered.
My heart skipped a beat against my ribs at the sound of the word as a sudden wave of bashful heat rushed up my neck, and I actually felt my ears redden.
As she shifted on the swing, a drawing sheet slipped out from her unzipped backpack. I leaned over and caught it before it could hit the dirt. It was a colored sketch of three distinct figures. The first was a tall figure colored entirely in bright pink, neatly labeled Mom—which I knew was how Mia truly viewed Rosie. The middle figure was a small sketch of Mia herself. But the third figure, a tall silhouette colored in deep blue, was left blank except for a question mark drawn right in the center. The title written across the top read "My Family."
My chest tightened as I cleared my throat, carefully folding the paper. “You had an art show today... Why didn’t you tell Rosie about it?”
Mia let out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t want to disturb her. She already has so much on her plate trying to study for her tests. And lately... she looks happy and free. I didn’t want to ruin that.”
I stared at her, completely stunned because hearing an insight that deep and selfless from a seven-year-old child was jarring. Just what kind of survival and hardship had this little girl witnessed in her short life to make her think so protectively over her adult aunt? She was too mature for her age.
“You know Rosie is going to be heartbroken if she ever finds out you did something this important in school and she wasn’t here to see it,” I pointed out gently.
Mia’s shoulders slumped, a mischievous little glint returning to her eyes. “I know. But what she doesn’t know can’t kill her,” she uttered with a cheeky grin, turning her head to face me fully. “That will just have to be our second big secret from Mum.”
I let out a low chuckle, shaking my head. “You are getting too cheeky for your own good, kiddo.” I pulled her cheek gently.
She playfully stuck her tongue out at me. “I’ve always been cheeky! That’s the reason you had to bribe me just to get my sister to accept your fake job in the first place.”
“Hey,” I hushed her quickly, glancing around the courtyard to make sure no one was listening.
Mia just giggled, waving her small hand dismissively before mimicking a zipper motion across her lips. “My lips are zipped, Dad. As long as Rosie is in a better place, I won’t say a word.”
I smiled, nodding in agreement. Looking back, the marriage arrangement wouldn’t have even been possible without Mia’s brilliant scheme. She was the one who had intentionally collected the fake job flyer from me and brought it to Rosie. She was also the one who had constantly urged Rosie to accept the job, acting as my perfect insider middleman.
I still remembered that lucky afternoon months ago when I had managed to catch Mia alone outside their old apartment building. The fierce little lass had stood her ground, crossing her arms and bluntly challenging me, demanding to know if I was a bad person. She had stared at me with suspicion for weeks before she finally warmed up to me—and only after I had looked her dead in the eye and confessed that I was in love with her aunt and promised to treat them both right. Even showing her all my cars and mansion as proof, I could provide a good life for her aunt.
Mia was very intelligent, maybe a genius for her age. Most of the data I had gathered on Rosie—how she liked her ice cream, how she preferred her meals cooked, drinks, and her habits—had come directly from Mia’s.
“Good,” I said, offering her my hand.
We shared a high-five, and I stood up, grabbing her school backpack and slinging it over one of my shoulders before reaching down to take her small hand in mine.
“Let’s get you home before your aunt starts getting suspicious about where we are,” I told her.
Mia grinned up at me, her fingers tightening around mine as we walked out of the gates together.
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