Chapter 175 The Same Feeling
After a few days, Finley had Riley at home to keep her company, but at kindergarten, she was all alone again.
Watching Landon and Winston play happily with other kids but ignore her, Finley finally mustered up the courage to run up to them.
The two little guys exchanged a glance and asked with stern faces, "What do you want now?"
Finley clutched her little dress, wrinkling it in her grip, her delicate eyebrows furrowed as she looked at them seriously, trying to form words for a long time.
Landon and Winston felt both heartache and anxiety for her. If they didn't know Finley could speak, they wouldn't have pushed her so hard!
After waiting for a while, just as they were about to give up, they suddenly heard a tiny, mosquito-like voice.
"I..."
Finley's face turned red, and she only managed to get out one word before lowering her head in frustration.
Landon and Winston, however, were overjoyed and gave Finley a bear hug. "Good job, sis!"
Finley was stunned for a moment by the hug from Landon and Winston. Hearing their praise in her ear, she came back to her senses and smiled, revealing her dimples.
Having done it once, it became much easier for Finley to call out to them in the future.
Seeing that Finley seemed to have overcome her inner hurdle, Landon said seriously, "My mommy is so good to you, and you like her a lot, right? But you've never called her anything, she must be even sadder than Winston and me."
Hearing this, Finley became a bit anxious, grabbing Landon's clothes, but could only say simple words, "Landon, Landon!"
She urged Landon to teach her how to comfort Riley.
A sly look flashed in Landon's eyes as he slowly said, "You've already called us 'brother,' so we forgive you. If you can call my mommy 'Auntie,' she'll definitely be very happy too!"
Hearing this, Finley quickly nodded.
All day, Finley practiced calling "Auntie" to herself at kindergarten.
On the other side, Riley had been extremely busy these past few days.
The project Chandler assigned her was urgent and tough. Even though Chandler had given her a lot of details, there were still some gaps.
Riley had to lead her team to figure those out.
Most of the researchers at the institute were working with her for the first time, and they weren't familiar with each other, causing delays.
Luckily, Deacon was there to help speed things up.
By the time they finally finished the first phase, Riley was exhausted. Looking at the time, Olivia should have already picked up the kids. So Riley drove straight home and made a meal for the kids.
Before long, the villa door opened, followed by a series of light footsteps and the voices of Landon and Winston.
"Ms. Monroe?" Olivia was about to start cooking when she saw Riley busy in the kitchen and was taken aback. "Why are you home so early today?"
Riley smiled at her and said, "I got off work early today. Dinner is almost ready. Take them to wash their hands and get ready to eat."
As she spoke, the kids had already run into the kitchen, circling around her.
Winston kept talking, sharing the fun things that happened at kindergarten today.
Seeing their smiling faces, Riley felt all her fatigue melt away.
"...Auntie!" Just as Winston finished speaking, a clear, childish voice rang out.
Riley was suddenly taken aback, looking down in disbelief at Finley by her leg.
Finley was hugging her leg, looking up at her with wide eyes, her mouth still in the shape of the word she had just said.
Meeting Riley's gaze, Finley slowly called out again, "Auntie!"
Riley was dazed for a long time before she came to her senses, squatting down to hug Finley, responding with a smile, "Auntie is here! Finley, you said it so well!"
As Riley spoke, her eyes inexplicably turned teary. Maybe because she had been taking care of Finley for so long, she was starting to see Finley as her own daughter.
Hearing Finley call her "Auntie," she felt like she was back when Landon and Winston first learned to talk, when she had heard her two little boys call her "Mommy" for the first time.
