Chapter 21 So That's The Real You, Danielle!
In the evening, Jessica followed little Danielle, carrying her backpack and getting ready to enter the house.
No sooner had Danielle darted through the front door than she sprinted inside.
Gabriel, taking a rare stroll, had just settled on the sofa and turned on the TV to catch the news when, not five minutes later, Danielle came bouncing in and lunged straight at him.
Caught off guard, Danielle wrapped her arms around Gabriel’s neck as she cuddled up against his face with her soft cheeks, the sweet scent of vanilla seemingly hanging on her. Gabriel was stunned, but as he came to his senses, he realized his hand was already gently patting the back of her, promptly returning her embrace.
He had never been around children before, and naturally, he wasn't fond of them, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to dislike this clingy kid, no matter how much Danielle stuck to him.
When Jessica walked in and saw Danielle throw herself into someone's arms, she warned, "Danielle, he's still hurt. He can't take you bouncing into him like that."
Danielle suddenly realized she might have made a mistake when her wide eyes shifted to surprise as she looked up from Gabriel's embrace, "Does it hurt?"
Gabriel gently patted her head, "No, it doesn't hurt."
But Danielle quickly stepped back from his arms and stood obediently in front of him, no longer daring to climb onto him or throw herself into his embrace.
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she turned around with a smile and ran to Jessica to fetch a perfectly wrapped lollipop from her adorable pink backpack. After tearing off the wrapper, she dashed back, "This lollipop is really sweet. It's for you!"
Saying so and letting him smell the sweet aroma, Danielle stretched on her tiptoes, holding the lollipop up to his mouth.
It couldn't be helped; Gabriel was too tall, even sitting on the couch, and she fell quite short of reaching his mouth.
Jessica just watched, speechless.
Given Danielle's fondness for sweets and the lollipop being one of her favorites, she wouldn't easily share with them for anyone but her mom and Caroline, and she had only bought one.
From a mother's perspective, Jessica sighed silently to herself.
With a light smile, Gabriel gently pressed Danielle's hand down. "Thank you, but I don't want to eat it."
"Why not? Gabriel, have one, please!" Danielle insisted, standing on her tiptoes again. " Open up. Have one. It's my favorite. Please try it!"
Most men didn't have a sweet tooth, and Gabriel probably wasn't an exception.
Jessica walked over, intending to intervene at the right moment. "Danielle, Heis still recovering. He shouldn't have anything too sweet right now. Don't fuss..."
Danielle stopped trying to feed him but dropped her tiptoes, looking up at him with innocent eyes. "This lollipop has some dates in it. Mommy says dates are good for your blood. When we bought the lollipops today, I made sure we got the ones with dates in them."
As she was speaking, the disappointment in her voice was about to make her lower her hand.
Seeing the little girl's disheartened face, Gabriel reached out and carefully took the hand that still gingerly held the lollipop, biting off the top piece. The sour-sweet taste of the fruit mixed with the flavor of the dates was indescribably unique.
With a calm expression, he swallowed and said, "Thank you, it tastes very good."
