Chapter 18

"I'd love to," Lauren nodded.

Leo happily took her hand and ran to an upstairs room. It was a beautiful room, filled with small toys and childlike paintings. Leo pulled Lauren over and introduced his toys one by one. "This is Peggy."

Lauren recognized the pig and examined it closely. "How is it blue?" she asked, curious. She remembered it being pink.

Leo pointed to the lower right corner. "This is what the child sees through the glass."

"Is the glass blue?"

"Yes," Leo nodded emphatically.

"You're so smart," Lauren praised him.

Leo blushed slightly at her praise.

The more time Lauren spent with Leo, the more she loved him. She even wished she could have a baby like him. After looking at the paintings, Lauren and Leo went to play with space sand.

Leo had a room filled with pink space sand, perfect for building castles and airplanes. Lauren removed her shoes and joined him. Together, they built a majestic castle with a beautiful gate.

Lauren looked at the gate, feeling something was missing. She wanted to write on it and looked for a tool. Before she could find one, she felt a large foot approaching.

Startled, she felt a large foot step on hers. It didn't hurt; there was no pressure. The skin-to-skin contact, however, sent a shiver down her spine. She wasn't wearing socks, and the foot remained firmly on hers.

Lauren felt annoyed and angrily looked up. Before she could speak, Charlie said, "There's no room for my feet. Give me some space."

Lauren suppressed her anger. The room was small, designed for children. With the castle and gate in the center, there was hardly any space left. Only two corners remained, one occupied by Leo, the other by Lauren. Charlie had squeezed in despite this.

Lauren glared at Charlie silently, hoping he would leave. He understood her unspoken message. He thought, She still has her little temper. Ignoring her, he turned to Leo. "You made this castle?"

Leo beamed at his father, proudly showing off their creation. "Lauren and I built it. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Of course. It's beautiful," Charlie said softly. "Dad wants to play too."

Leo waved his hands. "Dad, come here. Let's build a big plane!"

"Okay," Charlie said, sitting down next to Lauren—very close!

Lauren glared at him, but Claire explained, "There's no room for me."