Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria) novel Chapter 291

Chapter 291
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Like what his mother told him, Nathan kept a close eye on his sister so she wouldn’t say
anything s***d, but Nicole was more… unorthodox than he expected, and he couldn’t
react to her actions in time.
The moment she saw Silent Night the next day, the first thing she said was, “Mr. Night,
you’re handsome.”
Oh no. Nathan knew something was wrong, and before Nicole could say it, he knew
what would come out of her mouth. He tried his best to stop her, but…
Nicole said, “I want you to be my daddy.”
Nathan felt deflated. Mission failed, Mommy.
Alaric was holding something in his hands, but when he heard what Nicole told him, he
froze. The shock got to him, and the bag he held fell out of his hand. The plopping
sound attracted everyone’s attention, but since they were just kids, they only looked on
in curiosity and confusion.
Alaric stared at the wide-eyed Nicole in disbelief. He then went down and held her
petite shoulders. “What did you say?” He whispered, “Can you say that again?”
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Nicole felt a great strength holding down her shoulders, but it didn’t hurt. Silent Night
loomed over her, but for some reason, she thought he felt friendly, so she wasn’t scared
at all. “I like you, Mr. Night. Can you be my daddy?”
Listening to that again melted Alaric’s heart. His daughter liked him enough that she
wanted him to be her father, and he thought it would be a long time before his kid
would like him enough for that.
“Mr. Night.” Nathan came over and nervously said, “She was kidding, Mr. Night.”
Alaric asked him. “Do you want me to?”
Nathan froze, wondering what Alaric was saying, then Nicole said loudly, “He would
love it!”
Oh, so that’s what they were talking about.
Like a koala, Nicole held on to Alaric like he was a eucalyptus tree. “If you want to be my
daddy, then you have to woo Mommy.”
–
Alaric’s heart had melted, and he said softly, “I will.”
“What if she says no?” Nicole was still worried about what her mother told her. The fact
Mon,
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she wanted her to keep a secret meant she didn’t want to marry Silent Night. But I really
like him.
Alaric patted her head and gently said, “She won’t say no.” That might not be reassuring
enough. Alaric organized his words and said, “Even if she says no, I’ll do my very best to
change her mind.”
Nathan had no idea what to say in this situation. He poked his fingers together,
wondering how he should explain this to his mother later.
Alaric asked, “Shall we have lunch?”
Nicole nodded, and Alaric took the kids to their spot for lunch. Zack was his nephew in
public, but Alaric didn’t look at him. Still, he didn’t mind. When he went home the night.
before, his parents told him to stay quiet and nice whenever this man was around, and
he was to do what he was told. Zack listened to them, and he understood that his
family was living a better life thanks to this man. Even when he was ignored, he didn’t
mind.
Alaric didn’t bring any junk food that day. His chef prepared the food and filled the
lunchboxes for the kids. Alaric laid the lunchboxes out and opened them up. Never did
he think the day would come when he would bring his kids’ lunch to them at school. If
someone had told him a few years ago that this would be his life, he would call them
11:00 Mon, 3 Ju
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mad, but now he was more than happy to do this.
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Especially when he noticed the change in his kids’ eyes when they saw the food. They
were obviously astonished that he would bring them a feast. A smile curled Alaric’s lips,
and he asked, “Did you wash your hands?”
“Yep.” Nicole swung her hands around.
While they had lunch, Alaric looked at the silent Nathan, then at Nicole. Quietly, he
asked, “Does your mother know of your proposal, Nicole?”
“What do you mean?”
“That you want me to be your daddy.”
“Oh, that. Yeah, she knows. I told her yesterday.”
And Alaric looked surprised. She told her yesterday? And she brought it up with me
today? Did Victoria say yes? The thought of that possibility made Alaric frown. “So,
what did she say? Did she agree to this?” He hoped she would agree, but at the same
time, he didn’t want that.
If she did agree to that proposal, Alaric wouldn’t be happy. Silent Night might not be a
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total stranger to Victoria, but he wasn’t exactly a close friend either. There’s no way she
would agree. Thanks to his secret identity, Alaric had fallen into a dilemma.
Nicole took a bite of the meat and puffed her cheeks. “Eh, you shouldn’t ask. The
answer’s gonna break your heart.”
Alaric snapped out of it. “Is that so?” I see. He knew that would happen, but he still felt
a little down. “So, it was a no.”
Nicole nodded. “Yeah, but don’t worry. I’ll help you out.” Nicole patted his hand like she
wanted to comfort him.
It was just a little gesture, but it felt so warm to Alaric. He pursed his lips and made a
pinky promise to her. “Pinky promise? If she says no, you’ll help me out?”
Nicole was still munching on her food, and her cheeks were puffed, then she quickly
made the pinky promise. “Sure, Mr. Night.”
Done. Alaric patted Nicole’s head, and a cryptic smile curled his lips. She seems to like
me a lot. Before I tell everyone the truth, I’ll try to make them my allies. Nicole’s on my
side now, so Nathan is the only one left.