Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 442

"Hey—" Daniel replied with a warmth that could melt ice, his voice radiating paternal pride. "Daddy will take you to see the specimens. Pick whichever you like first, and the others—we’ll send them back to Silkwood. Once we’re home, you can open them one by one and really enjoy them."

Amelia lingered for a moment, uncertain whether to be angry at Daniel’s cunning or at Ruby’s lack of resistance.

Ruby carefully tucked a blue butterfly specimen and a model ladybug into her little backpack.

“Ruby, that’s a lot of things. Your room at home might not have space, right? Daddy’s house has plenty of rooms. How about I clear one just for your specimens? Anytime you want to see them, you can come over.” The old fox was already laying his second trap.

This time, Amelia was ready. “Mom will get a bigger house. We don’t have to keep things at someone else’s place.”

Someone else’s.

Daniel let out a cool, amused chuckle. “And who counts as ‘someone else’? Robert?”

Sensing the tension rising, Ruby hurried to change the subject. “Mom, I’m hungry.”

Amelia opened two packs of sugar-free crackers for her, and once they left the museum, they headed to the wetland park as planned.

Amelia tried to take Ruby’s hand, but Daniel blocked her. “What, we’ve just reunited as father and daughter and you’re already trying to split us up? That’s cold, even for you.”

Amelia gritted her teeth, voice low. “As if. You think you can buy a daughter with a stack of specimens? Dream on.”

“Oh, I dream bigger than that,” Daniel shot back, grinning. “I’d buy my wife back too, if I could.”

Before Amelia could protest, Daniel scooped Ruby up with one arm, pulled open the backseat car door, and slid inside. Just before the door shut, he looked at Amelia with a maddening smirk. “Could you hurry it up? Don’t waste my precious daddy-daughter time.”

Left standing outside, Amelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Don’t get mad, she told herself. Getting upset only hurts you.

She was here for Ruby, after all. As long as Ruby was happy, nothing else mattered.

Maybe it was Daniel’s first “official” day as a dad, but he was nailing the role—attentive, patient, and completely devoted to Ruby, not a single hint of impatience or distraction.

The wetland park was sprawling, and Daniel instinctively chose quieter paths, steering Ruby away from the crowds.

“I’m sorry, we’re fully booked tonight.”

Amelia glanced at the clock in surprise. Four in the afternoon, and already no rooms?

The receptionist explained, “We don’t have many rooms, and each one has a special theme. Most guests book in advance.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Daniel’s tall silhouette heading toward the elevators with Ruby in his arms.

“No rooms left. Where are you taking Ruby?” She hurried over with her suitcase in tow.

Just as she caught up, the elevator doors opened. Daniel stepped inside. “Just because you don’t have a room doesn’t mean I don’t.”

Ruby’s soft, chubby hand waved a key card in the air. “We’ve got a room, Mommy! And it’s a big family suite!”