Chapter 11: You Must Love Mommy Forever

“This place is close to both my office and Eloise’s future preschool,” Caroline explained. “Since it’s just the two of us, this smaller house feels more intimate. We’ll stay here for the next few years, though if you think it’s too small, we could always move somewhere larger.”

Alistair thought Caroline was humble-bragging, but then realized he was being overly sensitive. She was just stating facts. For a CEO making hundreds of millions annually, owning multiple large properties was perfectly normal, wasn’t it? Still, Alistair was taken aback that Caroline was actually asking for his opinion.

“No need,” he replied. “This place is perfect.”

By his estimate, it was over 2,000 square feet, more than enough space. And it wasn’t that he was being picky. He simply didn’t like living in houses that were too big, especially with so few people. The emptiness made his heart feel hollow, leaving him with a sense of insecurity.

Alistair glanced around, suddenly confronted with a question he couldn’t avoid: Where would he sleep tonight?

He and Caroline were legally married, even without having gone through with the wedding ceremony. They might not have discussed any rules about what happens behind closed doors, but at the end of the day, their marriage was still nothing but a facade.

Caroline pointed to a door. “That’s Eloise’s room.”

Alistair had guessed as much, since Eloise had immediately disappeared through that door when they arrived and had firmly closed it behind her. Who knew what she was up to in there?

Caroline then pointed to the door to the left of Eloise’s. “That room is yours.”

Just then, Eloise’s door swung open. “Mom, I want to get something yummy. Can I ask Alistair… I mean, can Dad take me?”

It was a quick correction.

As Caroline watched Eloise lead Alistair away by the hand, her feelings were all over the place. Now that she had a father, her daughter was forgetting about her mother.

Caroline couldn’t deny feeling a twinge of jealousy. But mostly, she felt happy. She could already see Eloise growing more attached to Alistair, forming a bond that would eventually make it impossible for him to leave them behind.

Let him go when he found his soulmate? That was just an excuse to lower his guard. Caroline couldn’t quite pinpoint the real source of her obsession with him. All she knew was that she wanted to hold onto him tightly and never let go.

Eloise’s small hand fit snugly in Alistair’s larger one as they walked together. He deliberately slowed his pace to accommodate her shorter legs. When he glanced down at her, she happened to look up at the same moment, their eyes meeting. Eloise stared at him with a curiously blank expression.

Alistair decided to crouch down to her level. “Eloise, do you not want me to be your dad?”

Eloise blinked in surprise, then shook her head vigorously, her pigtails swinging from side to side. “That’s not it at all! I’m super happy you’re going to be my dad!”

“But you don’t seem very happy,” Alistair pointed out.

Eloise looked down at her feet for a long moment before raising her head again. In her sweet, childish voice, she asked, “Ali—I mean, Dad, do you like my mom?”

Alistair was momentarily speechless. “Yes, I do,” he finally answered.

Eloise kept her head down, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Dad, I promise I’ll be really, really good from now on. I won’t cause any trouble.”

The timid little girl in front of him seemed completely different from the cheerful child who had so happily called him Alistair before.

“What’s wrong, Eloise?” he asked gently. “Don’t be afraid. We’re going to be a family now. You can tell me anything.”

His reassurance seemed to give her courage. She looked at him and asked, “You don’t mind that my mom comes with me as a burden?”

Now it was Alistair’s turn to be stunned. He stared at her, completely taken aback. It was hard to believe these words came from a little girl who should be carefree and who usually was exactly that kind of innocent child.

Seeing her trying so hard to be serious made Alistair’s chest tighten with an unexpected ache. He couldn’t quite name the painful mix of sympathy and concern he felt.

“Who told you that stuff about being a burden?” he asked.

“At Great-Grandma’s house. A lady told me I was a burden and that Mom would never find a husband because of me. She said even if Mom did find someone, he’d only love her money, not her. I—”

“Eloise!” Alistair gripped her shoulders, his expression suddenly serious.

Eloise looked up at him, confused. That was when Alistair noticed a single tear hanging from her long, curled eyelashes.

Alistair knew nothing about Eloise’s biological father or Caroline’s past relationships. He didn’t plan to ask. It didn’t feel like his place to pry. He looked straight into her eyes and spoke slowly, emphasizing each word, “Eloise, you are not a burden. You’re our little angel, everyone’s little angel! I became your dad because…”

He steeled himself for a white lie. “Because I love your mom. And Eloise, do you really think I’m just after money?”

Though, honestly, the allowance Caroline gave him was incredibly tempting. But if it had been Rebecca and her son instead? Alistair wasn’t trying to sound noble, but even if Rebecca offered him 100 million dollars a month, he wouldn’t go back to that dark, undignified life again. He feared he wouldn’t survive to spend it all anyway. One wrong move and he might drop dead from depression. It was definitely not worth it.

Eloise’s eyes widened with excitement. “Then Alistair… no, wait, I mean Dad… will you love my mom forever? Will you stay with her always so she’s never alone? Promise?”

Alistair told himself this wasn’t really a lie. It was just a kind one. He nodded. “Of course.”

“Then let’s pinky swear on it!” Eloise held out her tiny pinky finger, beaming with joy.

Alistair wrapped his much larger pinky around her soft little one, making the pledge with all the seriousness it deserved. He felt something light and pure float through his heart, creating gentle ripples of warmth.

“Pinky promise, cross my heart, no breaking it ever!”

Do angels exist in this world? They absolutely do. Like this super adorable little girl named Eloise whose hand I’m holding right now.

Caroline had been willing to marry a stranger her daughter felt close to, all for her daughter’s sake. And now Eloise, behind her mother’s back, was solemnly promising her new dad that she’d always be good, afraid that if she misbehaved, her new dad might dislike her and her mom wouldn’t be happy.

Alistair’s heart felt like it was soaking in warm lemon water, bittersweet yet comforting. For a moment, he wished he could stay by this adorable child’s side forever.

It was only the first day, but he realized that when the time came for him to leave—and it would come—it was going to be really, really hard to say goodbye.

That evening, Eloise got into bed and fell asleep before ten o’clock. Caroline mentioned that she normally goes to bed very early, no later than nine. Today, she was staying up late only because she was so excited about Alistair being here as her dad.

Alistair thought about Daniel, the little tyrant who demanded story after story until his voice went hoarse, never falling asleep before eleven. It made him even more certain that Eloise was an absolute angel by comparison.

With Eloise now asleep and the housekeepers who handled the cleaning and cooking gone for the day, only Alistair and Caroline remained in the living room.

Caroline had changed into loose, comfortable light blue loungewear and settled on the couch. From her expression, she clearly had something to say to him.

“It’s Eloise’s first day of preschool tomorrow,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind handling the drop-off and pick-up duties.”

This was news to Alistair. He learned that Eloise had been quite sickly and had never attended school before. After her recovery and with careful attention, she’d become stronger, and at her own insistence, Caroline had enrolled her in preschool starting tomorrow.

By coincidence, it was the same preschool that Daniel attended. Yesterday, Eloise had been curious about her new preschool, so Caroline had asked one of the housekeepers to take her for a visit. Unfortunately, their responsible housekeeper had lost track of Eloise, who then accidentally bumped into Alistair.