She hugged me and peppered me with kisses, all the while telling me how much she missed me.
Hugging her small frame, all of the day’s fatigue seemed to have melted away. Cameron and Zachary walked over right then, along with another man who looked to be over fifty. After not seeing each other for a few months, they seemed to have aged significantly beyond their years.
I looked at them but didn’t know what to say, so I settled for a smile.
Cameron smiled with motherly affection and piped up, “It’s so good to finally see you. Come, let’s go home!”
Having said that, she tugged me toward the villa. Emery had probably notified them in advance, so they ordered the housemaids to prepare a new table of food.
Summer was brimming with excitement. It was well past her bedtime, but she remained in my arms without any trace of sleepiness. Cameron had to gently remind her several times before she finally dragged her feet back to her room.
After a short while, however, she padded out of her room again to climb on my lap, asking softly, “Mommy, can I sleep with you tonight? I wanna hug you to sleep. It’s been so long since we slept together, Mommy. I miss you!”
Any mother who had been away from her child for too long wouldn’t be able to refuse her child’s requests, and I was no exception.
Hence, I nodded with a helpless smile.
After having something to eat, Hunter came home with my suitcase and brought it upstairs before carrying his baby boy over. Because he was in a hurry earlier, he didn’t get to see his son before leaving.
Before I knew it, I was reaching out to take the four-month-old baby from Emery’s arms. He was so tiny and chubby that merely looking at him seemed to fill my heart with joy. All women probably had a soft spot for children and would inevitably develop a sense of adoration for them.
Summer leaned against me to peer at the baby and said innocently, “Mommy, you should give me a little brother like Xavier too. Granny said that when I get older, I can help you take care of him. That way, you won’t be too tired.”
Surprised by her words, I glanced at her with a smile. “Summer, I’m happy with just you.”
Emery eyed me and queried, “Are you and Ashton really not going to have a child?”
I nodded wordlessly, signifying the end of this topic.
We sat together as the night deepened. Summer had fallen asleep against me. Emery and Hunter carried their child upstairs to sleep, while Zachary went to his study, saying he had some matters to handle.
Cameron noticed the exhaustion lining my features and advised, “It’s getting late. Staying up late isn’t good for women, especially at your age. Go back to your room and have a good rest. Summer misses you a lot after not seeing you for so long. You should take her with you and sleep with her tonight.”
I nodded and carried Summer upstairs. The Moore Residence was an enormous three-story villa with an extravagant interior design. Not just any wealthy family had the luxury of living in this five-hundred-square-meter residence located in the city center.
“This room was prepared by your father ever since he found out about your existence. Rebecca stayed here before. He was worried you would mind, so he got people to change everything, but he was afraid his tastes wouldn’t suit yours, so he insisted on asking Ashton about your preferences. Some time ago, he brought Summer to R Province and looked for John. Then, he visited the place you lived in when you were young to see what kind of design you liked.”
Cameron led me into a large bedroom that had at least a hundred square meters and was comparable to an ordinary family’s entire house. The interior design was mainly elegant and simple. Indeed, it was my favorite style.
After I placed Summer on the bed, Cameron explained, “Some of the clothes in the wardrobe were chosen by your father, and some by me. I noticed that you usually dress plainly, so I picked the clothes based on your style. I’m not sure whether you’ll like them, but that’s okay. If you don’t, we can switch them out for something you prefer. The bags and jewelry were brought back by your father in recent years. They’re all boutique items from famous fashion shows. I know Ashton treats you very well and you’ve seen your fair share of luxury items, so you may not be impressed by these things, but as your parents, it’s the least we can do. We just want to give you the best. We’ve made many unforgivable mistakes these past few years and we wish to make it up to you. I know you resent us for what happened to your child, so we won’t force you to accept us. We’d be happy as long as you’re willing to come home and visit us.”
As Cameron spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks. Hearing her voice that was thick with emotion, I placed my hands on her shoulders and reassured her. “Everything will be better in the future.”
I didn’t know what the future held, but the hardest thing to understand in the world was kinship. Concurrently, kinship was what helped us find our way home when we were lost. Although I didn’t share a familial bond with them, we were still related by blood. In the decades to come, perhaps I would learn to understand the concept of family.
She gazed at me and smiled in relief. Certain things didn’t need to be said out loud to be understood. Sometimes, a look or a gesture could convey what a thousand words couldn’t.
In fact, I had already thought things through when I was in the morgue. Nothing came for free in this world. We had to work hard for whatever we wanted, otherwise, regret would be the only thing remaining at our moment of death.
