Chapter 39 Do You Like My Mommy?
Despite being only four years old, Danielle was very smart. If Gabriel was fully healed, Mommy would surely be quick to send him away.
She hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands, then giggled.
Gabriel shifted his gaze from the sleeping Jessica and looked at the clever Danielle in his arms. "What do you want to eat?"
"I don't know." Danielle continued to cling to his chest and cooed, "But I'm really hungry."
As she spoke, Danielle suddenly lifted the toy pizza to her nose to sniff it, then looked up at him with big, innocent eyes as if she was so hungry that even the toy pizza seemed tempting to nibble on.
Gabriel looked at the toy pizza in her hand, and Danielle looked at it, too. Then, both the adult and child exchanged a glance.
Catching Gabriel's gaze, Danielle smoothly slid from his embrace and tiptoed over to Jessica's side to fetch her mommy's cell phone. She knew the passcode by heart. She whispered it to Gabriel, who successfully ordered takeout with Jessica's phone and automatically charged over fifty dollars to Jessica's credit card. Danielle couldn't help but giggle mischievously, then excitedly hugged Gabriel's leg before bouncing away to the door where she'd wait for the delivery, not minding the half-hour wait in the slightest.
Danielle planted herself by the door, her eagerness palpable. Gabriel watched the little one with a resigned chuckle, then turned to see Jessica fast asleep on the coffee table, completely lowered her guard and distant demeanor. Her hair was slightly messy around her neck, revealing smooth, pale skin that made her appear as young as a teenager.
Immersed in her sleep, Jessica shifted slightly, the uncomfortable position on the table no match for her exhaustion. The warmth of the blanket Gabriel draped over her instinctively made her feel cozy, and she nuzzled her forehead into her arm before turning her head and continuing to sleep.
Gabriel lingered his gaze on her for a moment longer, reaching out to adjust the blanket that almost slipped off due to her movement.
Still fixated on the anticipated pizza, Danielle's little face pressed against the door. Growing impatient, she mumbled, "How much longer will it be until it gets here?"
"Soon," Gabriel said.
Turning from the door, Danielle's curiosity got the better of her. "Is the pizza expensive? How much chocolate could you buy with that?"
Gabriel glanced at her, thinking about his vow to repay Jessica a hundredfold; eighty dollars would have to turn into eight thousand.
"Not expensive," he assured her.
Tired of standing, Danielle scampered back to the playroom to drag out her cute little stool, placing it by the door and settling down patiently.
Jessica's clothes today were a silky lounge dress, soft and comfortable, but the material was slippery. With each small movement in her sleep, the blanket on her back threatened to slide off.
Quick to respond, Gabriel adjusted the blanket once more. This time, Danielle caught the action, staring intently at him before asking, "Do you like my mommy?"
Then, as if making a monumental unilateral decision, Danielle sat earnestly on her little stool facing him and said, "Do you want to marry my mommy? Then you could be my daddy!"
Gabriel watched her tiny face, set in an earnest expression. Although she was only four years old, once a child sets their mind on Something, it's tough to explain it away later if you don't address their concerns.
He was about to speak when Jessica's cell phone by her side suddenly rang.
Startled awake, Jessica nearly bounced off the couch, first glancing blankly towards the door at Danielle, who sat half-dazed , asking "Danielle, what are you doing?"
"I'm waiting for some yummy food!" came the bright response.
Jessica's mind was still fuzzy as she replied, before turning to the man standing beside her, who had just picked up the thin blanket that had slid off her. She asked with a blank stare, "And what are you doing?"
