Chapter 202 The Father and the Daughter
To keep Mabel from worrying, Leo came up with a harmless lie. He told her he was just trying to lose a little weight.
Mabel gave him a disapproving glare. “Lose weight? What for? You were already handsome enough the way you were. How much better do you want to look? Honestly, I thought you were cutest when you were all chubby as a kid. Why would you want to turn yourself into a skeleton? I’ll never understand you young people and your idea of beauty!”
When Leo only responded with a faint smile, Mabel turned to seek reinforcement. “Eloise, don’t you think I’m right?”
Eloise nodded like a pecking chick, both hands raised in agreement. “Yes! You’re totally right!”
Over the course of one dinner, Eloise had clearly warmed up to
Leo.
Encouraged, Leo turned his attention fully to her, hiding the raw emotion behind his gaze.
Caroline and Alistair exchanged a glance across the table, quietly reading the unspoken understanding in each other’s
eyes.
They were only human. Watching Leo act like this tugged at
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“Uncle Leo, you really shouldn’t lose more weight,” Eloise said carnestly. “You’re already so skinny! If you lose any more, a big gust of wind might blow you away!”
Leo grinned, trying to coax more words out of her. “Really? But I think I look okay being a little thin.”
Eloise furrowed her brow, completely serious. “But if you want people to think you look nice, and they all say you’re too skinny, then maybe you should just eat more and listen to Great–Grandma.”
Leo stared at her like she was a priceless treasure. Every word out of her mouth sounded like gospel, and he didn’t want to miss a single syllable. He nodded solemnly. “You’re making a lot of sense. Maybe I’ll think it over again…”
He reached out almost instinctively to ruffle her hair.
But right as his hand brushed her soft curls, he paused.
Something held him back. He glanced at Alistair and Caroline, unsure of himself.
Caroline turned her head away, feigning distraction.
Alistair took a slow sip of water, giving nothing away.
Leo looked back down at Eloise and met a pair of wide, clear
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eves filled with concern for him.
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She’s worried about me. My daughter… is worried about me.
The warmth in his chest bloomed, and this time, he let his hand rest gently on her head.
Eloise stood still, waiting patiently. Then she tilted her face up and asked, in her sweet, childlike voice, “So? Have you made up your mind now?”
Leo nodded with great seriousness. “Yup! You were right, sweetheart. A person shouldn’t be too skinny. What if a wind comes and sweeps me away? Then you won’t have Uncle Leo anymore. So I’ve decided. No more dieting!”
He gave her head a final, reluctant pat before pulling his hand
away.
It didn’t feel right to keep his big, grown–up hand on her small head for too long. He didn’t want to come across as rude.
What he didn’t know was that Eloise’s first impression of him had actually been weird.
Mabel watched the two of them quietly, a soft smile playing on her lips. She leaned toward Alistair and Caroline and whispered, “I seem to remember Leo wasn’t too fond of kids. Said they were too loud and rowdy. Maybe I’m just getting old and misremembering.”
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Before either of them could respond, Mabel added, almost to herself. “But then again, Eloise is everybody’s favorite little angel.”
Alistair and Caroline shared a smile.
Alistair gave Caroline’s hand a gentle squeeze, and she mischievously ran her fingertip along his palm in response.
Eloise let out a grown–up–sounding sigh of relief. “Then Great–Grandma and I can relax now!”
Leo didn’t want the conversation to end just yet.
Fishing for another topic, he asked, “So how much weight do you think I should gain? I don’t want to get too big.”
Eloise bounced over to Alistair and beamed at Leo.
“If you have as much meat as my daddy, that’s perfect! My daddy’s not too skinny, not too fat. He’s just right!”
Leo froze for a second, caught off guard.
Alistair gave a modest smile, as if politely acknowledging the compliment without taking it too seriously.
Caroline leaned back in her chair, clearly enjoying the exchange far more than she let on.
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Mabel chimed in cheerfully, “Eloise is absolutely right. Just like Alistair. That’s the ideal.”
Eloise puffed up with pride. “And my daddy has muscles too! I can’t even squeeze his arms. They’re so strong!”
Leo glanced at Alistair, barely masking his jealousy.
How long has Alistair even been her dad? And she already adores him this much?
Then again, that only proved Alistair had treated her well.
Kids were simple. They knew who cared for them.
Leo nodded sincerely. “Alright then, I’ll work hard to get strong like your dad.”
Eloise cheered, “You can do it!”
Leo took the opening and ran with it. Grinning, he teased, “I’ve been really good, haven’t I? Think you could give me a little reward for listening so well?”
Eloise replied matter–of–factly, “Uncle Leo, what kind of reward do you want?”
Leo pretended to think for a second and then turned to Mabel with a smile. “Well… mind if I steal your great–grandma away
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for a while?”
Alistair recognized the cue. This was Leo’s way of trying to “lure” Eloise.
Eloise looked surprised. “She is my great–grandma, but she’s also your grandma! If you want her to go somewhere, you have to ask her.”
Leo laughed, “Really? That works out then. I was thinking… on those really hot days, I’d take her to another city for a bit. Somewhere cooler. She already said yes.”
Mabel, sharp–eyed as ever, could tell something was off.
Strictly speaking, Leo had parents of his own. She shouldn’t have had to worry about him.
But his father was always busy, and his mother… well, best not to talk about her.
Mabel loved them both. Caroline was clearly thriving, and she’d finally stopped worrying about her.
But now it was Leo she couldn’t bring herself to let go of.
So when he suggested taking her on a trip, she agreed without hesitation.
Still, what troubled her most about being away for so long was
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the idea of leaving Eloise behind.
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Eloise suddenly looked wary. “How long are you taking Great–Grandma for?”
Leo feigned difficulty. “A while…”
“Like, a week?”
To Eloise, a week already felt like an eternity.
“About a month.”
“A month?” Her eyes went wide, her mouth falling open. She took a long pause before blurting out, “That’s thirty days! That’s not a little while. That’s forever!”
She quickly turned to look at Alistair and Caroline,
overwhelmed.
Alistair gently patted her on the head.
Almost six now, Eloise was about to face a grown–up decision for the first time in her life.
If she missed Mabel too much, she could go with her. But that meant going thirty whole days without seeing Alistair or Caroline.
