Chapter 70 A Family of Three, Warm and Happy
The child's face fell.
Juniper immediately curved her lips into a smile, "There, I'm smiling now, aren't I? Quick, take the picture. I just hadn't figured out how to smile before."
The child perked up instantly.
In front of the camera, the family of three looked extremely heartwarming.
Dad was handsome, Mom was gentle, and the child was adorable.
After several attempts and reviewing the photos back and forth, Jennifer seemed quite content.
It was as if the children had a firm grip on the adults, and they would do whatever was asked, and they were very cooperative.
The afternoon was filled with such endeavors.
In the evening, Juniper fed Jennifer some egg custard and millet porridge.
Jennifer wasn't feeling particularly hungry because she was still hooked up to an IV drip, so she didn't eat much.
After finishing her meal, little Jennifer patted the spot beside her on the hospital bed.
"Daddy, come over here, I'm sleepy. Tell me a bedtime story," she urged.
Magnus took a seat beside her, and Jennifer nestled into his embrace.
"What bedtime story would you like to hear?" he asked.
The child sweetly replied, "I love everything you tell, Daddy."
Magnus chuckled, "How about I tell you a joke then?"
Jennifer's eyes went wide in disbelief, "Daddy, you know jokes?"
Magnus often appeared stern and unapproachable, like someone on a pedestal not to be trifled with. He didn't seem like someone who would tell jokes.
"One day, a princess was captured by an evil warlord who said, 'Go ahead and scream your lungs out. No one is going to save you,'" he recounted, then looked down to see the puzzled expression on his little one's face.
"Not funny?" he inquired seriously after finishing the joke.
A second later, the youngster burst into supportive laughter, "Ha ha ha ha ha! Daddy, that was so funny!"
Even Juniper, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but giggle. She had heard Magnus tell the same joke before. Her reaction, just like Jennifer's, was identical.
"Mommy, did you think it was funny too?"
Juniper tried to suppress her laughter, "Yes, it's funny but so cheesy."
Little Jennifer, ever the encourager, chimed in, "Daddy, you're awesome, even at telling cheesy jokes! You were great. At the next parent-child event, you should tell one. You'll definitely make everyone laugh!"
Jennifer's expression was so earnest that Magnus took her at her word.
"Is it really that funny?"
The little one nodded emphatically, "Because you're really cool in person!"
"Pfft," Juniper snorted with laughter.
Magnus, with his deep, dark eyes, shot Juniper a glance.
Juniper immediately tempered her amusement, "Jennifer, don't tease Daddy. It's great that he can tell you a cheesy joke. At least it's cool, right?"
A joke that's neither funny nor cool is truly boring.
Jennifer agreed, "Yep! Daddy, even though your cheesy jokes are good, let's stick to stories, okay?"
Magnus' lips twitched slightly.
After some playful banter, they finally got Jennifer to sleep.
Magnus settled onto a chair outside the hospital room.
Once Juniper had made sure Jennifer was tucked in snugly, she, too, left the room, gently closing the door behind her.
"Magnus, thank you for being there for Jennifer," she said gratefully.
That afternoon, Magnus had been very cooperative, and it was clear that Jennifer really enjoyed spending time with him.
The man sat back in his chair, his head resting against the wall, his voice void of emotion as he spoke, "Jennifer is my daughter. Accepting her and treating her well is a given."
"Thank you, too, for being willing to work with Jennifer."
"What about you? Have you thought about how you're going to explain things to her in the future?"
Juniper shook her head, "Not yet."
Magnus's voice came out cold as he reminded her, "You better think it through. Creating ties with her comes with the risk of having to deal with her intensified tears when things get tough."
It was like how it had been with him from the beginning.
Juniper had created a bond between them, but when that bond was severed, it felt like Magnus had lost a piece of himself.
The more beautiful the memory, the more it hurts when it's gone.
Sometimes, it seemed better to have never had those happy moments at all.
Magnus rose to his feet, gliding past Juniper, and reentered the hospital room.
Juniper stood outside the door, trying to calm herself down after a long time.
She dared not think about what would happen if she told Jennifer that she'd only come to see her twice a month—what Jennifer's reaction would be.
Juniper unlocked her phone's photo gallery, and as she looked at the few pictures they had taken together, her eyes mysteriously welled up with heat.
Some moments are fleeting, yet they last forever.
It was like those few pictures—before, she could never have imagined having such a harmonious moment with Magnus.
The next morning.
Ophelia came to the hospital to visit Jennifer, and so did Robert.
Ophelia had bought Jennifer a Lego tree, "It must be boring staying in the hospital, so when you're bored, you can put together the Lego tree I bought for you."
Jennifer took the Lego, her big sparkly eyes shining, "Godmother, you spoil me too much! Thank you, godmother!"
Robert cleared his throat from the sidelines, "Although godmother chose it, it was your godfather who paid for it. Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Godfather?"
Jennifer looked left and right, scanning behind Robert a few times.
"Where is my godfather?"
Robert, exasperated, "You little rascal! Why do you hold grudges just like your father?"
Ophelia couldn't help but laugh, "Be sensible. She doesn't want to acknowledge you as her godfather!"
It was rare for Robert to be teased by kids, and he naturally wanted to save face.
"Listen here, you little rascal, if you accept me as your godfather, I'll buy you ten Lego sets. How about that?"
"Is a godfather the adult version of a rascal?"
The adults were all amused by little Jennifer's words.
Even Magnus, who was usually so serious, couldn't help but crack a smile at the corner of his lips.
But, jokes aside, there was still a need for manners.
Juniper took it upon herself to instruct, "Jennifer, Uncle Robert is an elder. You mustn't be rude."
Jennifer was pretty obedient. "Okay, Uncle Luke, you can't call me a bunny anymore. If I'm a bunny, that would make my dad the big bunny."
Robert clapped Magnus on the shoulder with a grin. "Ha, your dad sure is the big bunny."
Magnus shot him a cold glare and shrugged off his hand. "Jennifer, you might as well ignore this thug of a godfather."
Robert clicked his tongue. "Look at you, so petty! What's so wrong with your daughter accepting me as her godfather? After all, I saved your life!"
Jennifer's interest was piqued. "You saved my dad?"
"Yeah, yeah, your godfather is pretty cool, huh?"
"In that case, since you saved my dad, I guess I can accept you as my godfather!"
Now Robert was starting to like this little rascal. "There you go, that's my girl."
Jennifer reminded him, "Don't forget the ten Lego sets!"
"Man, Magnus, your daughter's just like you. She's gonna grow up to be a ruthless capitalist, isn't she? Counting every penny, clear as day."
Ophelia teased, "It's just ten Lego sets. You've become a godfather, and you're still so stingy?"
Later on, Jennifer dismantled a Lego tree and sat on her hospital bed, assembling Lego sets as Magnus and Robert kept her company. Meanwhile, Ophelia took the opportunity to pull Juniper out of the hospital room.
Outside the room, Ophelia asked her, "Have you really decided on leaving Jennifer with Magnus?"
"Yeah, Jennifer will have a better life with Magnus. She's had it too tough with me."
"And Jennifer? Does she want this?"
Juniper laughed bitterly, "I haven't had the courage to tell her yet. I'm deciding to leave her with Magnus, but I'll still see her afterward, yet it still hurts like crazy. Ophelia, how much more will it hurt when the day comes to part ways? And what about Jennifer?"
Ophelia embraced her. "Maybe you could talk it over with Magnus again. Perhaps you two could reconcile?"
Did she mean getting back together?
"I don't dare hope for that."
She glanced back into the room where Magnus was patiently helping Jennifer with her Legos, the picture of a doting father.
Tears rimmed Juniper's eyes.
With a rueful smile, she said, "If only all of this were real, Jennifer would be so happy."
But the happier they were now, the more pain they would feel later.
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