Chapter 123 A heartwarming scene
"Mhmm," Gabriel nodded earnestly, pecking her nose again, "I’m asking you, stay with me."
"Heh..." Teresa lowered her head, her laughter rich with bliss, "I suppose I can make an exception."
Just then, Croissant, led by the housekeeper, padded out to them, rushing over and hugging their legs. Lifting his round little head with shiny eyes, he asked, "Mommy, bath time?"
Teresa looked at the little one, shaking her head, "No, Daddy's on bath duty tonight."
The little guy frowned, "Why doesn't Mommy give the bath?"
"Because Mommy is Daddy's sweetheart, she'll only bathe Daddy and no other man," Gabriel said as he let go of Teresa and scooped up the little guy in his arms. "C'mon, Daddy will give you a bath, and then Mommy will bathe Daddy.”
Teresa was speechless.
What a mess of words!
The little one blinked his big eyes, looked from Teresa to Gabriel, furrowed his tiny brows in thought, and declared, "Then I want my sweetheart to bathe me, not Daddy."
With his son in one arm and his hand guiding Teresa with the other, Gabriel nodded gravely, "Sure, but you'll have to wait until your 'little soldier’ turns into a 'big soldier’ and you find your own sweetheart."
Teresa was again at a loss for words.
...
True to his word, Gabriel gave his son, Croissant, a proper bath. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms, and sat by the tub frolicking with his child. Teresa leaned against the bathroom doorway, watching the scene that felt so surreal in its tenderness.
Before learning the truth, Teresa had never imagined that Croissant's biological father would be a part of their lives, much less that he would legally become her husband. And yet, here he was, not only present but also someone she had fallen deeply in love with in such a short time.
"Gabriel, be careful not to get the wounded area wet," she said. The two were splashing more than bathing, and the doctor had warned that Gabriel's acid-burned skin couldn't come into contact with water.
"My queen has an order, I won't let it get wet," Gabriel looked back at her, his deep-set eyes sparkling with joy.
"Don't worry, my queen! Daddy will be good!" chimed in the little one from the tub, mimicking his father.
Teresa rolled her eyes at the pair, turned, and went to her room to bathe.
But she was barely under the shower for two minutes when the bathroom door clicked softly and opened from the outside.
Startled, Teresa instinctively grabbed the towel from the rack to cover herself and whipped around...
"Gabriel, get out!"
As soon as she saw the man frozen at the doorway, the panic in Teresa's heart vanished, but her voice couldn’t hide a sharp edge.
Even though they had a child together, this was the first time he had seen Teresa so openly, so vulnerably.
Teresa’s skin was flawless, porcelain-smooth, and taut, unmarred by any imperfection. Her legs were long and straight. Despite having had a child, her figure showed no sign of excess weight, sculpted as if she were a teenager.
Standing in the doorway, one hand still on the knob, Gabriel’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he stared at Teresa. His gaze was fixed, and his legs refused to move.
After locking eyes with him for a few seconds, Teresa realized Gabriel wasn't going to budge. She didn't bother raising her voice again or even getting angry; she simply put the towel back on its rack and stood under the shower, letting the hot water cascade over her head and resuming her bath unabashedly in front of Gabriel.
After all, he was bound to see her naked sooner or later. He was injured and couldn't get wet, so she had nothing to fear.
Gabriel watched Teresa for what felt like an eternity before snapping back to reality.
The sight of this slender woman, who after scolding him once and shooting him a warning look continued her shower with such composure and grace, was as arousing as the night three years ago, when he had been under the influence of a potent drug.
With a soft "thump," Gabriel closed the door behind him, and began to unbutton his shirt as he walked towards Teresa, his deep, dark eyes ablaze with a wild fire.
"Gabriel, what are you doing?" Teresa, realizing the man hadn't left but was instead undressing while eyeing her like a cheetah stalking its prey, stopped but didn't reach for something to cover up this time.
"Darling, let's shower together!" said Gabriel, shrugging off his shirt.
"You wouldn't dare!" Teresa's face hardened as she sternly warned him, "If you get your wound wet, I'm leaving right this second."
Gabriel chuckled, a sound teetering on the brink of exasperation. He continued undressing. "Then let’s get out, and I won’t soak the wounded area."
"No!" Teresa firmly refused, resuming her leisurely shower, "Leave now, or I'll just keep washing."
Little temptress! Grinding his molars, Gabriel walked toward Teresa, barefoot, his strides long...
