Chapter 421 Danielle, Come Here
He should be here to pick up his kid like everyone else, but he looked like a total stranger.
But, since he stood there all cool and commanding, folks didn't dare get too close.
Even though he was chatting softly with the middle-aged woman next to him, looking all chill and gentle instead of his usual serious self, people were still curious about who he was and which kid's dad he might be, 'cause they'd never seen him before.
The parents around were sneaking glances at him, trying to figure him out.
It didn't take long before the kids started pouring out of the school building, lining up in front of the kindergarten gate. When they saw their parents, they turned back to wave goodbye to their teachers.
Danielle, with her cute little backpack, walked out of the gate. She spotted Caroline, as usual, standing in the crowd looking in, and she ran over with a big smile.
Halfway there, she suddenly noticed the tall figure next to Caroline. Her happy little face froze in surprise, her big, round eyes widening like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her little feet in cute pink sneakers stopped dead, staring blankly in that direction.
Seeing Danielle frozen in place, Caroline couldn't help but laugh. She waved to Danielle, encouraging her, "Danielle, come over here."
Danielle looked at the beaming Caroline in a daze, then shifted her gaze back to the familiar face of Uncle Gabriel next to her. She blinked and stood there, not daring to move.
The surrounding parents had picked up their kids and were chatting away. Gabriel walked out from the noisy crowd and approached Danielle. When he was just a few steps away, he saw the increasingly shocked look in Danielle's eyes. His long legs in dress pants stopped, and he slowly squatted down in front of her. The vast world that had been reflected in his deep eyes for years seemed to turn into the softest breeze, wrapping around the small figure before him.
Gabriel's gaze was warm and gentle, without any reservation. He opened his arms, "Danielle, come here."
Danielle stared at him blankly for so long that many parents had already left, and the surroundings had quieted down.
The kindergarten teacher, seeing the situation, thought something might be wrong. But noticing the familiar nanny who usually picked up Danielle standing behind with a loving smile and even a bit of tearful joy, she stopped her approach. However, she still didn't feel entirely at ease and stood nearby, watching quietly.
"Danielle," Gabriel called softly, his voice deep and gentle, "come here."
Danielle's little feet moved slightly. She just looked at him in a daze. But once she started moving forward again, she walked resolutely towards Gabriel without hesitation.
"Uncle Gabriel," Danielle called out softly and timidly, almost instinctively. In the next moment, Gabriel scooped her up into his arms.
With just a few words, spoken softly and quietly, the name that had come about by chance years ago brought a sting of emotion to Gabriel's eyes, which had never shed a tear since he could remember.
Gabriel held her like she was a lost treasure, feeling like he’d missed out on seven years of her life, six years of her growing up, with only brief contact two years ago. But those brief moments were so deep they could never be erased, and now, he was determined to embrace everything.
Caroline, standing nearby, couldn't help but wipe her tears. She didn't know why Mr. Harriman had come to pick up the kid today, but she had heard about Jessica's sudden marriage, even though she wasn't much of an internet user. Although she was just a nanny, having been around Jessica and Danielle for so long, she had seen how Danielle, being very sensible, never mentioned Mr. Harriman in front of Jessica but often secretly drew pictures of him. Seeing Mr. Harriman come to pick up the kid today, how could she not be moved?
Caroline wiped her emotional tears and said, "Mr. Harriman, I told Danielle hadn't forgotten you. Even though she was only four back then, her impression of you was so deep that she often thought of you secretly. She really remembers."
Gabriel patted Danielle's cute little pigtails, looking at her still dazed expression. He stood up with her in his arms, then smiled at Danielle, who seemed to have finally shaken off her reverie and returned to her senses, her eyes filled with surprise and disbelief. He gently tapped her cute little nose, "Honey, did I scare you?"
Danielle blinked and quickly wrapped her arms around Gabriel's neck, "No, are you really Uncle Gabriel? I'm not dreaming, am I?!"
Just like Jessica, always turning reality into a dream.
Always thinking it was a dream.
Gabriel chuckled softly, holding her as he walked out. Caroline quickly came over to take Danielle's backpack, but Gabriel declined. He took the backpack off Danielle's back, holding her with one arm and carrying the backpack with the other, not letting anyone else touch it.
Caroline didn't insist, just watched with a smile, planning to call Jessica later.
"Uncle Gabriel, pinch me to see if it hurts. If it does, then it's not a dream!" Danielle, being carried to the car, kept her soft little arms around his neck, trying to get her little face closer to him.
Gabriel smiled at the eager little face, put the backpack in the car, and gently pinched her cheek.
"Too light, it doesn't hurt at all. Pinch me again," Danielle continued to push her little face forward.
Gabriel couldn't bear to pinch her, so he kissed her cheek gently and said softly, "I know a magic spell. If you can say this spell, it means it's not a dream."
"What spell?" Danielle asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
"The spell is very simple," Gabriel said with a gentle smile, putting Danielle in the car and fastening her seatbelt. He raised an elegant eyebrow and said, "It's 'Daddy.'"
"Daddy?" Danielle stared at him blankly, "Why?"
Gabriel gently pinched her little nose, "Because the daddy in your dreams is fake. The real daddy is standing right in front of you."
Danielle, sitting in the car with her little face upturned, suddenly exclaimed, "Oops!"
Gabriel looked at her because of her exclamation, "What is it?"
Danielle pulled a small toy out from her bottom, looking embarrassed, "It was poking my butt."
Then she excitedly said, "My butt actually hurts!"
The thoughts of the mother and daughter were indeed unusual.
