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“Sir.. Are you alright?” He questioned, and I noticed he may have asked because I was sitting here criticizing a tuxedo for a stuffed bear. Picking up the suit, I ignored him and went back to Delilah.
“Darling, I’m not saying this is something I’d wear myself personally, but it’s not a bad option to consider for one of your bears… Delilah?” I trailed off as she wasn’t in the exact spot I had left her. Looking around, I noticed her by the glass window looking out of the store. Walking over to her, I opened my mouth to speak, but I stopped in my tracks as I saw why she was there.
A mother and father were eating ice cream on a bench by the fountain in the middle of the mall with their young son. They were tickling their son, and he was trying to push them away playfully. The mother brought him into her lap, and the father placed a kiss on his head.
Looking back at Delilah, I could see the reflection of her face in the window, and she stood there watching them, emotionless, almost numb. And to put the icing on the cake,the little red heart she was holding fell out of her hands and hit the ground as if it were her own.
Chapter forty-two
Killian
I looked at her for a bit longer as she remained emotionless. Realizing I couldn’t take it anymore, I walked over and crouched beside her.
“Delilah?..” I spoke with a bit of hesitation, and she flinched in surprise. I noticed she was going back to her happy state, which looked a bit inauthentic as of right now.
“O-oh sorry da- I-I mean Killy.” She picked up the little heart she dropped, and I frowned as she covered up what she was feeling.
“Sweetheart, what’s wr-” I began, and she shook her head, cutting me off.
“Nothing’s wrong. Let’s go finish the bears.” She said, and I stood up cautiously, watching as she walked back over to the stuffing station as if that little scene had never happened.
We walked out of the third store of the day, and I could tell Delilah was drained. Picking her up, she laid her head on my shoulder and whined. “Why did we have to go to another store?”
“Well, sweetie, you’re the one that saw something shiny and kept your eyes on it, so we had to go see what that was all about. Twenty bags of sparkly objects later, and here we are.” She didn’t say anything as she snuggled closer to me. Walking towards the entrance, I took a seat on the bench as I waited for my car to arrive. My men took the bags outside, and I stroked the side of Delilah’s face.
“I’m sure you’re all tuckered out, hmm, sweetheart?” She nodded tiredly, and I chuckled as I continued.
“Don’t worry, nap time won’t be too far away.” She didn’t say anything in response, as expected. I could feel my phone buzzing in my pocket, but I didn’t want to pick it up to disrupt her rest. After a few moments, she placed her hand on my chest and squeezed my shirt as if I was going to leave her. I pulled her closer to me to ease her slightly, and she spoke sleepily.
“…I love you daddy.”
As she whispered the words, my mind went blank, and my heart sank to the ground. Looking back down at her, she was already fast asleep. I didn’t know how to respond. She seemed so content while my mind was racing with questions.
Pulling her closer, I could only place a small kiss on her forehead as I became lost in my thoughts, contemplating her confession. I didn’t know if what I felt for this little girl was, in fact, love, but I knew I wouldn’t have a problem killing someone if they dared to make her upset or suffer.
The car pulled up, and I walked to the door and stepped out, still holding her in my arms. One of my other men opened the car door for me, and I placed Delilah carefully in her booster seat. My phone buzzed in my pocket again, and I groaned, standing back up. Taking it out, I looked to see my father was calling. Answering, I stepped away from the door and spoke.
“Hello, Father..”
“Hello, Killian. While in town, I planned to stop by your building to speak to you about London. Imagine my surprise in not seeing you here and Ms. Newman taking care of the office.” I sighed and spoke.
“You should have at least informed me prior to your arrival. I’m out with-”
“Killian, if I may, I would think that you, inheriting my company and becoming the wealthiest man in the world, would have at least some courtesy to actually be working in your office.”
“If I would have known you were coming, Fredrick, I would have prepared, and we wouldn’t be in this situation!” I seethed into the phone, and he went silent for a moment.
“.. I suppose you’re right. You have twenty minutes to arrive, or I’m leaving. Don’t waste my time.”I scoffed.
“Father, I’m not occupied with anything at the moment, and you’re still wasting my time. I’ll see you when I get there.” Ending the call, I got into the car and drove off with my men behind me. Thinking back to what Delilah said, I looked up at her in the rearview mirror, then back to the road.
Even though she was only five, I could tell she understood the basic concepts of a family—a mother figure and a father figure. Hearing her call me her dad while almost asleep made my heart beat somewhat faster than normal.
If she thought of me as her dad, I could only imagine what she thought of Brielle. She always called her ‘Bribri’, but I’m sure she thought of her much more than an aunt. It was evident Delilah looked at her as if she were a mother figure, and I wondered why she never shared her feelings on the matter.
I parked outside the penthouse, and my guards took the bags upstairs. Getting out of the car, I opened her door and shook her shoulder slightly so she could help me get her upstairs easier.
“Come on, love.” She opened her eyes slowly and looked around with just her eyes.
