Chapter 290 The Presence of Danielle
"Hey, don't just stand there daydreaming. Save your fingerprint for the lock," Gabriel said, leading Danielle inside and turning back to remind Jessica.
Wait, did that mean she could come and go as she pleased now?
Jessica didn't hesitate. She quickly raised her hand and saved her fingerprint. After entering the password again, she confirmed it was a combo of the last two digits of her and Danielle's birthdays.
Feeling a sweet, indescribable joy, she suppressed a smile and walked in. After closing the door, she asked, "Did you go to the grocery store?"
"You made it pretty clear you were bringing Danielle over for dinner tonight," Gabriel replied casually, putting down the shopping bags and picking up Danielle, who was clinging to his leg like a little monkey. "It's getting colder tonight in Xyleria, and it's too late to take Danielle out. Should I let her eat takeout?"
Danielle didn't care what Gabriel was saying. As soon as he picked her up, she quickly planted a kiss on his cheek. "Uncle Spencer, Mommy said she would do a magic trick to make you appear. I didn't believe her, but you really live here!"
Jessica stayed silent.
Danielle was growing up so fast. It was getting harder to fool her.
"Uncle Spencer, can I come over often? I saw that this is the 32nd floor, we live so close!" Danielle clung to Gabriel's neck, rubbing her little face against his chin.
"Of course, as long as I'm home, you can come over anytime," Gabriel said, pinching her cheek affectionately.
Seeing this, Jessica realized it was unrealistic to separate them now. She silently carried the groceries Gabriel had bought into the kitchen, planning to take on the task of making dinner.
As she took out the groceries one by one, she noticed Gabriel had bought all the things she and Danielle liked. Even though she knew Gabriel wasn't just the cold and ruthless guy who kicked his secretary out of the office, she didn't expect him to be so thoughtful.
The emotional touch came from uncontrollable feelings, the mutual attraction, but this kind of detailed tenderness moved her even more.
Whether it was his words, the door password, or these groceries, everything indicated that he was including her in his world and also fully including Danielle. He was telling her that Danielle wasn't just hers; Danielle was theirs.
Just as Jessica was about to wash the vegetables, Gabriel's arm suddenly reached over and turned off the water.
"I'll do it," Gabriel's voice sounded above her head. She turned to Gabriel, who had somehow entered the kitchen. The position and action reminded her of something, and she instinctively looked towards the kitchen door.
As expected, she saw Danielle peeking in with half her head.
Caught by her mommy, Danielle quickly pulled her head back and ran away.
"You have work tomorrow; let me do it," Jessica said, turning back.
"Go keep Danielle company," Gabriel gently patted her hand away from the water, signaling her to leave with his eyes.
Jessica had no choice but to withdraw her hand. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly turned and stood on tiptoe to kiss Gabriel's chin, then quickly tried to run away.
But she had only taken one step when Gabriel's long arm pulled her back into his embrace. He kissed her on the lips and said, "You seduced me? Do you want to eat properly or not?"
"I just kissed you," Jessica said, pushing his face away as he leaned in for another kiss. "I'll go keep Danielle company! Otherwise, she'll definitely come in to peek again!"
With that, she quickly slipped out of his arms and went to find Danielle.
Danielle knew Jessica often had snacks in her bag. She found a bottle of kids' yogurt and sat on the couch, drinking it while waiting for them.
Seeing Jessica sit down, she quickly snuggled into her lap and whispered, "Mommy, we live so close to Uncle Spencer now! Can we live with him from now on?"
"Do you really want to live together?"
"Yes!"
"But isn't it nice to live upstairs and downstairs? You can still see each other whenever you want."
"No, I want to live with Uncle Spencer. I want Uncle Spencer to put me to bed, and I want to say good morning to Uncle Spencer every day! I want to brush my teeth and wash my face with himin the morning!" Danielle pouted. "Please, Mommy!"
Jessica raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "But Uncle Spencer won't let you eat too many snacks. He'll control how much chocolate and snacks you eat. Do you still want to live with him?"
"Ah." Danielle's face instantly fell, and she leaned against Jessica, whispering, "Then, Mommy, can you secretly give me snacks? When Uncle Spencer isn't home, can we sneak out to eat?"
"No."
Jessica hadn't even spoken when Gabriel's voice suddenly sounded behind them.
Jessica and Danielle turned around in shock to see Gabriel standing behind the couch with two glasses of freshly made kiwi juice, looking meaningfully at wide-eyed Danielle and Jessica, who was trying hard not to laugh.
In the end, Danielle chose Gabriel over chocolate and snacks, though she wore a bitter expression during dinner, thinking about not being able to eat chocolate often. But when she heard Gabriel ask Jessica when they planned to move in, she excitedly asked, "Can we live together now?"
Jessica lightly tapped Danielle's head with her utensils. "Hush, eat your food."
Gabriel's apartment was never intended for others to live in, so there was only one bedroom. However, the other empty rooms could easily be converted into a child's room, so it wasn't a big deal.
But if they really moved in, wouldn't she have to share a bed with Gabriel every day?
Jessica, who had never shared a bed with anyone other than Danielle, found it hard to imagine waking up every day to see Gabriel lying next to her.
"Danielle, pick a room you like after dinner and tell me," Gabriel suddenly assigned the task to Danielle.
"Okay!" Danielle nodded enthusiastically.
Jessica lowered her head to eat. After all, Gabriel cooking was a rare treat, and it was so delicious that not eating more would be a disservice to her stomach.
She even wondered what Gabriel had been eating to grow up so perfectly, from looks to manners to everything, making him unattainably perfect, even his cooking skills were so good it made her want to cry.
Jessica focused on eating and didn't bother to argue with Gabriel and Danielle's quick agreement.
Danielle quickly finished eating and started running around the rooms, checking them out.
Gabriel served Jessica a bowl of her favorite tomato beef soup and placed it in front of her, saying, "With Danielle here, it's more convenient for her to go to preschool. During her winter break, we can stay somewhere else."
Jessica paused, then looked up at him in shock. "Do you mean to take me and Danielle to the Harriman family?"
Gabriel chuckled. "It's not out of the question."
Jessica was silent.
'Was I crazy? Michael probably didn't even know Danielle existed!' she pondered.
