Chapter 679 Method
Gabriel grabbed the luggage and let Emma sit on it while he pushed it along.
Ethan and Sam held onto Sophia's hand, and Caroline held Josie's as they made their way to the parking lot.
Gabriel led the way, and the rest followed.
Caroline leaned in and whispered to Sophia.
"Hey Sophia, what's on your mind?"
Sophia looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"You and Gabriel."
Sophia went quiet.
Her biggest worry, Tiffany, was out of the picture now. She'd never get a shot with Gabriel.
And Gabriel had shown his love for her over and over. From the little things in their daily life, it was clear he cared more and more about her.
Gabriel had her back, helped her uncover Susan's true identity, and cleared Francis's name.
All these things made Sophia start to believe in Gabriel's love for her.
Her once-closed heart was slowly opening up to him.
But forgiving Gabriel so easily and getting back together still made her uneasy.
The past pain was just too much. She wanted to forget and move on happily, but every time she woke up in the middle of the night, her eyes would be wet.
She didn't know what was wrong with her.
Noticing Sophia's silence, Caroline sighed inwardly. It seemed Sophia hadn't healed those old wounds yet.
They were great at giving each other advice when things were tough, like they were looking at the situation from the outside. But when it came to their own issues, they seemed to get stuck.
Sophia and Gabriel, and Caroline and Nicholas were all trapped in past hurts.
Caroline was about to say something more when they reached the parking lot. Gabriel put the luggage in the trunk.
"Caroline," a familiar voice called out.
Caroline froze, her expression stiffening.
Josie turned around excitedly, and seeing Nicholas, she immediately let go of Caroline's hand and ran over.
"Daddy, are you here to pick up Mommy and me?"
Nicholas gently patted Josie's head. "Yes, did you have fun with Mommy outside?"
"Yes, it was so much fun. Next time, let's take Daddy with us."
"Okay."
Nicholas signaled Sharpe to come over and take Josie.
Josie obediently let Sharpe hold her hand.
Nicholas maneuvered his wheelchair to Caroline's side.
He didn't rush to speak to Caroline but nodded to Gabriel in greeting. Then he said to Sophia, "Miss Kelly, thanks for keeping Caroline company on this trip. I'll treat you and Mr. Lancaster to a meal sometime."
Sophia didn't respond to him but looked at Caroline.
Nicholas also looked at Caroline, his wounded eyes still showing a hint of tenderness.
"Caroline." His voice was cautious, and he reached out carefully.
"Let's go home." His fingers lightly touched Caroline's, almost tentatively. He pulled back immediately, then tried again. When Caroline didn't pull away, he boldly hooked one of her fingers.
Sophia noticed the interaction between Caroline and Nicholas and smiled. She said to Caroline, "Caroline, our car might not have enough space, so why don't you..."
Gabriel's car indeed couldn't fit everyone, but before Nicholas showed up, Gabriel could have easily solved this problem.
Caroline pouted. "Alright."
Sophia smiled at Nicholas. "Mr. Watson, don't forget about that meal."
Nicholas smiled back and agreed.
Sophia got the three kids into the car, then hopped into the front passenger seat, waving to Caroline and Josie.
"Bye, Josie!"
Josie waved back. "Bye, Sophia. Bye, Emma, Ethan, and Sam."
As the car backed out, Sophia kept giving Caroline encouraging looks. "Good luck, Caroline!"
Caroline stayed silent.
After watching Sophia's car disappear, Caroline finally reacted. She turned around and gently shook off Nicholas's hand.
Nicholas felt a bit disappointed, but it was nothing compared to Caroline ignoring and avoiding him.
"Where's the car?" Caroline asked coldly.
Sharpe pointed to a spot not far away.
Caroline walked straight over, and Nicholas quickly followed.
The three of them sat in the back seat, with Josie in the middle, looking at Caroline on one side and Nicholas on the other.
"Daddy, Mommy, are you two fighting?"
Josie frowned, trying to recall the methods Emma had taught her for dealing with her parents' fights.
Method one: Cry!
Josie tried hard, but no tears came out.
Nicholas patted Josie's head. "Daddy made Mommy upset. Don't worry, Josie. Daddy will make Mommy forgive me."
Caroline snorted lightly. Nicholas was momentarily stunned, then a small smile appeared on his lips.
Josie continued to think.
Method two: Make a fuss!
Josie thought, 'How to make a fuss? Emma hasn't taught me that.'
She couldn't make a fuss.
Method three: Run away from home!
Josie pondered, 'Where would I go if I ran away? Mommy said there were many bad people outside, and I'm a bit scared. Forget it.'
Josie hugged Caroline's arm on one side and Nicholas's arm on the other. She said pitifully, "Daddy, Mommy, don't fight. Fighting is bad. I don't want you to fight."
Josie's soft voice made Caroline's heart melt.
Nicholas's heart seemed to melt into water, his gaze growing even more tender.
"Okay, Daddy and Mommy won't fight."
Josie looked at Caroline.
Caroline said, "Hmm, we won't fight."
Josie was satisfied and hugged their arms even tighter.
She suddenly remembered another method Emma had mentioned.
Josie's eyes darted around.
"Mommy, I want to switch seats with you. I want to enjoy the scenery outside."
Caroline didn't think much of it and switched seats with Josie.
Josie pretended to look out the window, but after a while, she seemed to lose interest and started playing with her iPad, moving around and pushing Caroline towards Nicholas.
"Josie, sit still."
Josie pouted and agreed.
But two minutes later, Josie started wriggling again, pushing Caroline until she was pressed against Nicholas.
Nicholas's eyes were deep and unreadable. He glanced at Josie, gradually understanding that Josie was creating an opportunity for him.
He couldn't let Josie's efforts go to waste.
The car suddenly jolted, causing Caroline to lose her balance and fall onto Nicholas. Nicholas held her.
"Careful."
His hand touched hers, and her face was just millimeters away from his lips. Nicholas's warm breath brushed against her cheek, making it feel tingly.
Nicholas looked at her with such tenderness, it felt like a confession.
"Are you okay?" His low, smoky voice was seductive.
Caroline's heart pounded, her hand resting on his leg.
"I'm fine."
She tried to sit up, but her hand slipped on his leg, and she fell into his arms again.
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