I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 251

During the first year of his grandson's life, Harold Harper stayed in Seattle right through the end of the holiday season.

Of course, it was only because of his grandson's birth that he was allowed to spend the holidays with his daughter's family at all.

Over those couple of weeks, he watched Ethan lift his head higher and higher; now, the baby could support himself on his arms and hold the position for quite a while.

"He held it even longer this time. Ethan's little arms are so strong."

Every tiny milestone Ethan reached filled Harold with immense excitement.

He had been too busy when Eileen was young. His mind had been entirely focused on his career, and before he knew it, Eileen had grown up. Now, watching his grandson's daily progress, he finally experienced the true joy of family.

"Could Sophie hold her head up like this when she was this little? Could she roll over?"

Sarah nodded.

"That's adorable. Let me see some of Sophie's baby photos."

Harold looked at her, his eyes shining with pure expectation.

Sophie had specially printed an extra album of Ethan's one-month photoshoot just to give to him as a keepsake. Now, he was desperate to see what Sophie looked like at that age.

"There aren't any. Sophie never had a one-month or a hundred-day photoshoot." Sarah's expression instantly dimmed.

"What about her first birthday?"

"No. Her first time taking a picture was when she started kindergarten. It was just a tiny passport photo."

Sarah looked down at the wildly energetic Ethan kicking in his crib. She remembered that when Sophie was this age, she had never been this active. When she woke up, she would just quietly chew on her fists.

Sadly, times were incredibly tough back then. She couldn't afford a camera, so there was no way to capture those moments. She certainly didn't have the money to take Sophie to a professional studio.

Harold's lips parted, instantly guessing the reason behind the lack of photos. The guilt in his chest deepened exponentially, but right now, words felt entirely inadequate. Aside from 'I'm sorry', he had absolutely no idea what to say.

"It's getting late. Ethan needs to go to sleep."

Sarah flatly reminded him.

"My flight is early tomorrow morning," Harold said quietly.

"Have a safe trip," Sarah said without even looking up.

"I'll be back next month for my daughter's birthday."

Sarah gave no response.

Harold let out a sigh and walked into the living room to say his goodbyes to his daughter and son-in-law.

He slipped out the back gate of the neighborhood, cutting through the local park on his walk back to his hotel.

Gwen stared at her father. This was a massive leap in conversation.

"I want to, but the cost of raising another kid is astronomical right now. We'd have to hire a live-in nanny, and where would we even put her?"

This was an issue Gwen and Jason had debated endlessly. She actually did really want a baby of her own.

After seeing Sophie's adorable newborn, that natural, instinctual craving for a baby had been completely ignited.

Even a fiercely independent woman like her found her maternal instincts kicking into overdrive. Mia was growing up and didn't cling to them the way she used to. Plus, Gwen wasn't even thirty-five yet; this might be the perfect window to expand their family.

But the second she factored in the harsh logistical realities, she was always forced to abandon the idea.

"Just hire a daytime nanny to clean the house and cook, and I'll take care of the baby for you. If I don't know what to do, I'll just go ask Sarah for advice."

George laid out his master plan.

Using his own grandchild as an excuse to get closer to Sarah? Her dad was ridiculously calculating.

The real issue was, could she actually trust him? Was she genuinely willing to let him raise her newborn?

That night, Gwen relayed her father's brilliant proposal to Jason.

"Your dad actually raised a valid point, but there's no way we're letting him be the primary caregiver. We can hire a daytime nanny to look after the baby, and your dad can handle the cooking and keeping the house tidy."