Arabel's POV
The evening ended with Richard missing. His mother asked if I had seen him, and I told her no.
She tried calling him, but he wasn't picking while I busied myself with thanking our guests.
Virtually everyone ate to their fill. Daisy's over excitedness won't stop me from smiling with pride.
By the time I say goodbye to the last guest, Mother is already looking worried as she keeps dialing his number.
"Can't you reach him yet?" I approach and ask. She nods.
Guilt stabs my insides, and I fold my arms before telling her honestly. I saw him outside a while ago. Perhaps he left already.”
“Left? To where?” I shrug indifferently. “What did you two talk about?” She stares at me suspiciously.
“Nothing really. We didn't get to talk,” I reply and begin to dial his number, which rings until it goes to voicemail.
He isn't answering my calls either. I hope he is fine, though.
“Try him again,” she insists, and I do that.
He picks at the second ring with a raspy voice. “Hello.”
“Hi, where are you? Mother is worried…”
“I'm fine. Back at home,” he mentions, and I raise a brow before she grabs the phone from me and begins to scold him. I shake my head, leaving her alone to go check on Daisy.
When I enter her room, she is already on the bed, holding onto a wrapped gift. Although it's already late, I plan to instruct her to wait until tomorrow to open the gifts.
When I move closer, I realize she is already dozing off. I am about to take the gift from her when I hear the sound of a soft knock on the door.
“Yes?”
Mother steps in and informs me immediately. “He is at his condo in Bristol.”
“Oh!” I only mutter. “Do you mind spending the night here? There is a guest room downstairs if you don't mind.”
She smiles. “I don't. I'm going back to New York tomorrow. Obviously, Richard is capable of taking care of himself.” She stretches the phone to me, and I take it.
I let out a short chuckle.
“When will you be back too?” She inquires from me.
I shake my head derisively. “I'm not sure. I'll spend most of my time here in London and be in New York when I need to. The constant traveling is really affecting her studies, so I want us to be stable for a while.”
I keep the fact that I no longer want to live next door to her son a secret.
She turns to stare at Daisy. “She is so beautiful. Just like her mom.”
“Thank you.”
“It's odd knowing she is my grandchild. Perhaps it's because I never knew she was…”
“It's my fault for not at least letting you know.” I cut her short, staring at Daisy and wondering if things would be different if I had told her I was pregnant.
Silently, we watch her until she turns back to the door, wiping a lone tear from her face. “Goodnight. I will ask Natalie to take me there. You don't have to worry about me.”
“Are you sure?” I follow behind.
“Yes, stay with her. Goodnight,” she pulls the doorknob from my hold and slams it shut.
I turn back to Daisy. Natalie had her changed before going to bed. I stroll to the bed and sit at the edge, tugging away a pleat of hair.
When my gaze falls back on the wrapped gift she is holding onto as she sleeps, I try to take it from her, but she holds it more firmly, making it difficult for me to take it carefully without having to wake her up.
After my second unsuccessful attempt, I drag it away from her, and she flutters her eyes open to see me sitting in front of her.
“Mommy?” She calls with a sleepy voice as she yawns.
“Why are you sleeping with this? Let's keep them till tomorrow and have them unwrapped.”
“I know, but it's…” She trails off, making me curious to know what it is.
Suddenly, I realize the reason for her actions. I take it from her and check the package to see that I am correct after all.
This is the gift Richard gave her.
When I stare up at her, she pouts, leaving me speechless.
“Can we unwrap this, please?” she demands, holding onto my hands.
Tears spring to my eyes as I nod vehemently. I have no choice. I can't deny the bond between them. No matter how hard I try to hide it, Daisy will always like Richard.
Even if I tell her she isn't his dad, it doesn't make any difference.
Quietly, we unwrap it, curiosity at its peak as each layer of the wrapping uncovers the box. We stare at each other, and she grins with the same level of excitement as earlier.
I untie the box and open it widely to see a frame and a baby toy. Daisy gasps and grabs the toy from me, leaving me with the frame.
When I look at it closely, I realize what it is.
A portrait of Daisy.
My heart ricochets. My hands tremble as I pick it up, staring at it as though I were staring at a little version of myself.
Another gasp leaves Daisy's mouth, pulling me back to life.
“Mommy!” She shrieks in excitement as she carefully takes the frame from me. “This is me?”
It sounds more like a question than a statement, so I nod with a light smile on my face.
“It's beautiful. I love it.”
I'm sure she does. Anyone would definitely love a gift like this.
“I love him.” The next word, which slips out of her mouth unconsciously as she stares lovingly at her gifts, leaves me with my mouth wide open.
A whimper nearly leaves my mouth, but I suppress it by clasping my right hand over my mouth.
She is too engrossed in staring at the frame to realize I am on the verge of tears.
Carefully, I ask to be sure this is what she means. “You love who?”
“I love my friend. He is a good friend. I also love his gifts, and I love you."
The tears I have been holding in decide to flow freely, and she pulls me into a tight hug.
When she disengages from the hug, she wipes my tears with her tiny hands. “Mommy, you are crying because you are happy, right?”
I nod gingerly.
“Me too. I am happy.”
Silence falls, and I am refraining from shedding more tears. I want to stand up and leave, but I can't. I want to say more, but my mouth won't budge.
“Mommy,” she says, looking up again. “Is he my dad?”
My heart pounds wildly against my ribcage at the question. Since she hasn't brought it up, I thought she must have forgotten all about the drama that happened with Richard.
“Is he my dad or not?”
Unable to find my voice, I shake my head, and she nods as if she understands me.
Regret forms a jagged rock in my stomach as I continue to weep silently.
She drops the frame and hugs the toy to herself as she lays down on the bed, her sleepiness returning.
Quietly, I slip into bed and snuggle next to her, allowing me to cry it all out and think about the next line of action as I remember what Mother said about letting Daisy know her father.
It makes me realize that, no matter how much I claim to hate him for not being in our lives all along, Daisy has no business with that. She is innocent.
She doesn't have to suffer because of the conflicts between us.
It was high time she knew Richard was her father. That would be it.
“Mom, do you know what I wished for when I blew the candles?” She murmurs sleepily without letting go of the toy.
I shake my head, as if she can see me.
“I wish to see Daddy. I wish I could see what he looked like. I wish he could come, wish me a happy birthday, and go back to heaven. I wish he could get me a birthday present, too. And then I wish he would leave heaven and come stay with us forever.”
A pindrop can be heard afterwards.
My heart is heavy. My mouth is bitter, and my head is pounding alongside my heart.
My body trembles at the impact of her words. But as soon as I realize she is already asleep, I step down from the bed and sit on the bare floor with my back to her before breaking down into uncontrollable tears.