When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 188

Carrie wasn’t about to share any of this with Brody. In her own quiet way, she promised herself that she’d never be the reason her parents argued or got upset again.

She nodded, her big eyes shining with innocence. “Mom is always out working. What if someone tries to date her?”

Even his daughter was worried about it now. Brody’s face grew darker, but after a long pause, he managed to force out two words. “She won’t.”

“Are you really sure?” Carrie’s face was full of worry. To her, it seemed like her dad didn’t notice the danger at all.

“I’m sure.” Brody nodded, his voice stiff. He lost all interest in breakfast and stood up to go change.

On the way to Carrie’s preschool, Brody called Nelly again. She didn’t pick up. She didn’t call back either. Luckily, Carrie was sitting right beside him. Brody nodded at her to give it a try, and as soon as Nelly saw her daughter’s name pop up, she answered right away.

Brody listened as Carrie sweet-talked her mom, calling her “Mommy” again and again, her voice so eager to please. It hit Brody with a wave of loneliness. He thought about how things had changed. Back when he was busy with work, he’d never once ignored Nelly’s calls like this. Now Nelly barely seemed to care if he existed.

Brody pressed his palm against his thigh, trying to keep his temper in check, but his mind flashed back to that man who’d been standing next to Nelly. Every time he thought about how she had defended the guy, his chest tightened.

“Mom, will you come home today? I really miss you!” Carrie’s voice was so sweet that Nelly couldn’t help but smile, even from the other end of the line.

“Okay, sweetie. Mommy will definitely come see you tonight.”

“Then I want you to pick me up, okay?”

Brody shifted in his seat, barely able to hide his relief at the thought of Nelly coming home.

Nelly’s voice softened through the phone. “Well… I Mommy might have something to do tonight. I’ll try to hurry, but if I can’t make it, maybe Daddy can pick you up…”

“Daddy has to work tonight!” Carrie blurted, sneaking a look at Brody as she said it.

After the call ended, Brody easily saw through her little plan. “You really want to see Mom that much? What, you don’t want me anymore?”

“Daddy, why don’t you pick me up too? The three of us can go out for dinner together. We could celebrate Children’s Day early!”

Carrie’s eyes sparkled with excitement and mischief. She’d been thinking about this all night and made up her mind to play matchmaker for her parents. Before, her dad and Ms. Olson only spent time together because of her. If she could help them get closer, why couldn’t she do the same for her own mom and dad?

Alan nodded, making a note. Then Brody added, “But what about something for Nelly? What do I get her?”

“A gift for Mrs. Garland…” Alan was completely at a loss. He was single and nowhere near as rich as Brody. This wasn’t exactly his area of expertise.

Still, he couldn’t ignore his boss. After a moment of thinking, Alan said, “I don’t think Mrs. Garland needs anything material, but girls like thoughtful gifts. They like romance.”

“Romance?” Brody’s eyes lit up a little. He looked at Alan, waiting for him to go on.

Alan felt awkward. He had just seen something like this in a TV drama the other day, and was basically repeating what he’d heard. All the ideas he could think of felt old and overdone. Candlelit dinners, roses, fireworks…

Knowing how picky Brody was, Alan kept his head down, bracing himself for criticism. But instead, Brody’s voice was surprisingly approving. “I didn’t expect you to have such good ideas. That’s actually not bad.”

Brody had never spent much energy trying to please a woman, and the idea of romance was practically foreign to him. To him, Alan’s suggestion actually sounded great.

“Yes, sir!” Alan managed to keep a straight face, but he couldn’t quite hide his smile as he hurried off to make it all happen.