Chapter 612 I Just Want to Hold Her
"Of course I'm sure," Gillian said with absolute certainty.
"And what about Mr. Emberlyn? Did you call him again?" Thomas had stormed out of Arizona City last time.
"I called, but he didn't pick up, so I didn't try again."
"You aren't afraid of giving your dad a heart attack, are you?" Alaric scolded her like an older brother. "You should go back and apologize to Mr. Emberlyn properly."
"I want to, but I'm afraid if I go back, I won't be able to leave again," Gillian admitted. "I'll wait for my dad to cool down a bit and call him in a few days."
"You're not going back?"
"Nope. Once I'm out of the hospital, I'm going to study hard and get my PhD!" Gillian declared, then mumbled, "But I don't know where I'll live."
"Come stay with me."
Gillian perked up immediately. "Alaric, you mean I can stay at your place?"
"Where else?" Alaric replied. "Mr. Emberlyn isn't around, and Tommy's not here either. You can't take care of yourself, and if something happens while you're living alone, I won't be able to explain it to Mr. Emberlyn. My house has plenty of room."
"Your big mansion could fit ten of me! Thanks, Alaric. I promise I'll study hard and help Stellan take care of Evelyn in my free time."
"Don't!" Alaric was horrified at the thought. "Evelyn was born prematurely and just got through the critical period. If you take care of her, will my daughter even survive?"
"I'm not that bad!"
"You once spilled hot water and burned Stellan's hand. You think I trust you with my child? I don't have a death wish for my kid. You can look at Evelyn and entertain her, but you can't touch or hold her."
Alaric didn't trust Gillian at all.
"Got it. Look but don't touch," Gillian said, then walked over to Evelyn and started making funny faces. "Evelyn, your daddy won't let me hold you, so I'll just entertain you like this. Look at me."
Gillian made all sorts of silly faces, and Evelyn giggled happily.
Finally, they were home from the hospital. Alaric carried Evelyn into her nursery and carefully placed her in her crib.
"Evelyn, we're finally home. This is your room. Do you like it?"
Ever since Evelyn was born, Alaric seemed to have rediscovered his inner child. He would act cute just to make her smile.
Stellan watched Alaric and Evelyn, feeling the love between the father and daughter.
"Alaric, you've worked so hard during my postpartum recovery."
Alaric hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. Even though the hospital had doctors and nurses, he didn't trust anyone else to take care of his wife and child. He did everything himself.
"The one who worked hard is you," Alaric said, leaning over to kiss her.
"Wow!" Harry and Elisa walked in just as they kissed and immediately covered their eyes.
"Seeing things we shouldn't again," Elisa teased. "Even though Evelyn doesn't understand anything yet, it's inappropriate for you two to do that in front of her. Mom, Dad, can you tone it down a bit?"
Being scolded by their child, Alaric and Stellan could only nod obediently.
"Evelyn!" Harry ran over excitedly. "I'm here, my Evelyn. Look at me. My name is Rook Storm. Remember, I named you Evelyn. Do you like the name? Isn't it beautiful?"
Elisa rolled her eyes at Harry. "I still can't believe my favorite brother joined the military."
Mentioning Caspian made Alaric and Stellan's faces show their longing and concern.
They hadn't told Caspian about Evelyn's birth yet because she was born prematurely and had been in critical condition. They didn't want him to worry.
"Alaric, have you asked the military when we can visit Caspian? He's been gone so long. I wonder how he's doing."
"I asked. They said Caspian is doing exceptionally well, but there's a military exercise coming up, so no family visits are allowed."
Stellan sighed, worried. She didn't know when she would see Caspian again.
Just then, Evelyn started crying. Alaric rushed over, carefully picking her up and trying everything to soothe her. "Evelyn, why are you crying? Don't cry, don't cry..."
"Evelyn was scared by Harry," Elisa said. "Harry thinks he's everyone's favorite, but his sister doesn't like him."
"As if you don't dislike me too?" Harry retorted. "Elisa, now that we have a baby sister, you're not the youngest princess anymore. You can't do anything right and eat like a horse. You need to step up, or else..."
Elisa shot him a cold look. "I read something today. Real men fall into two categories: those who can carry a gun and defend the country, and those who can strategize and lead. Harry, you're the third type: a whiner who complains about everything, talks too much, and is narrow-minded. A sissy!"
"What?" Harry jumped up. "Elisa, did you just call me a sissy? Elisa, I'm going to kill you!"
Elisa's words drove Harry crazy. She ran for her life while Harry chased after her, shouting in frustration.
Alaric and Stellan exchanged a smile, then turned to Evelyn. "Evelyn, your brother and sister are fighting again. They argue all the time. You'll get used to it, won't you?"
Alaric was now a dedicated stay-at-home dad. He managed his company remotely, attending meetings via video calls, and spent most of his time with Stellan and Evelyn.
He couldn't stand to hear Evelyn cry. The moment she started, he would pick her up. Sometimes she wouldn't sleep all night, and he would hold her the entire time.
"You're spoiling her. She knows you'll pick her up if she cries, so she keeps crying," Stellan said.
"Of course, you have to hold a baby this small," Alaric replied. "Kids grow up so fast. How many years can you hold them? Like Elisa, I want to hold her now, but she won't let me. While Evelyn is still small, I want to hold her as much as I can. It's such a joy."
Alaric's face was full of happiness as he held Evelyn. Seeing him so content made Stellan happy, too.
Just then, Alaric's phone rang. It was Neil. Stellan quickly took Evelyn from him so he could answer.
"Hello, Neil."
"Tommy's case went to court today."
"Was there a verdict?"
"Yes."
Alaric quickly asked, "How many years did he get?"
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