When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 163

“The amusement park?”

Nelly glanced at the time. It was almost time for daycare pickup. If they went now, they’d be back pretty late.

Carrie, though, was all fired up. When she heard April had never even set foot in an amusement park, she puffed up with excitement and promised right then and there to take her.

There just happened to be a brand-new kids’ park nearby, a huge place for families that everyone was talking about.

“But I don’t think we have enough time.”

Nelly looked uncertain. She had promised April’s teacher to bring her back early.

“Mom, April almost never gets to go anywhere, and she’s never been to an amusement park. Please?”

Carrie clung to Nelly’s hand, eyes wide and pleading. April just stared at Nelly, her own eyes full of hope.

Nelly checked the time again. She actually had some work to finish, and she was meeting Jonah later.

“We’ll just go for a little while, okay? We won’t be late…”

Carrie winked at April, trying to get Nelly to cave.

April stood up, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, her cheeks turning pink. “Ms. Stewart…”

The way Carrie described everything made it sound magical.

April really wanted to ride the carousel, the pirate ship, the little roller coasters… Who knew if she’d ever get the chance again?

But when she saw Nelly hesitating, she couldn’t bring herself to say what she wanted.

Carrie kept pushing. “April’s mom isn’t even coming to pick her up anyway. It doesn’t matter if we’re a little late, right?”

Nelly could see how much April wanted to go. In the end, she just couldn’t say no to them. She nodded.

Carrie practically squealed, grabbed April’s hand, and rushed outside.

It was already afternoon, and the amusement park was packed. The lines were crazy.

Nelly bought VIP passes, the fanciest ones, and took the girls through a special entrance.

They hadn’t been hungry at all, but as soon as they walked in, Carrie got distracted by all the cute merch. She begged Nelly to buy her ice cream and cotton candy.

Normally, Nelly would have said no, but with April there, how could she refuse? She bought one for each of them.

She did make Carrie share her treats, though.

April looked a little awkward. She pulled out all the money she had and handed it to Nelly.

“Ms. Stewart… I don’t think this is enough… I’ll pay you back next time…”

April got so anxious she didn’t even want to play anymore. Nelly had already paid for lunch without saying a word. And April had seen the price of the tickets. Each one cost thousands.

“It’s fine. How long would it take you to save up for something like this?”

Before Nelly could say anything, Carrie cut in for her.

When they finally left the park, Nelly took out her phone and snapped a picture of April and Carrie together.

April was shy, so Carrie showed her how to pose.

Seeing their faces on the screen, Nelly was a little stunned. Their eyes, their smiles looked so much alike. It was almost uncanny.

Since they’d gotten VIP tickets and the park was running a special promotion, they got a chance to draw for a prize before leaving.

Nelly and Carrie both gave April their chances.

With them cheering her on, April picked a ticket and scratched it off. She’d won another free pass to the park.

“Wow! That’s awesome! You’re seriously lucky!”

Carrie grabbed April’s hands, cheering even louder than if she’d won herself.

April blushed and handed the ticket to Carrie. “Here, you can have it.”

“It’s your birthday, and you won it, so I can’t take it.”

Carrie looked surprised but shook her head.

Still, she was clearly touched that April wanted to give it away like that.

“Carrie can come here anytime,” Nelly said softly. “Next time you two come together, April, you can use that ticket.”