Summer kept an eye on Rosie while she squeezed some toothpaste for herself.
After a minute or so, Rosie sipped some water and kept it in her mouth and continued brushing before spitting it out. Summer’s heart melted when she saw Rosie standing on a low stool and looking in the mirror as she brushed.
She was too adorable.
Looking at it from another angle, credit should go to Leonardo.
Summer’s mind had drifted off. She could not help but think Leonardo had done a lot more than she did for Rosie. If Leonardo was more overbearing and arrogant, he would not have allowed her to stay with them just because Rosie liked her. He could have ignored her and not given her the opportunity.
“Mommy, you need to spit it out. Like this…”
Rosie’s voice brought her back to the actual world. She looked down as Rosie sipped a mouthful of water, rinsed and spat back out, then looked at her with her big round eyes.
“Just like this, you know?”
“I know.” Summer nodded obligatorily.
“Then spit it out.” Rosie still stared at her, as though she was not convinced.
Summer again obliged and rinsed her mouth accordingly.
“Well done.” Rosie patted her on the arm.
Summer was transfixed for a second before she broke into a smile. “Really? Rosie has done better than me!”
Rosie was flattered, and she smiled bashfully. She jumped down from the low stool and went out to fiddle with the hairpins. Summer quickly got herself cleaned up and went out to help braid Rosie’s hair.
“How would you like to braid your hair?” Summer asked, knowing that Rosie had her own preference when it came to braids.
“Braids… like a princess… This long. This way…” While Rosie spoke, she showed how it should be done, but Summer still could not work it out. “Do you have an idea of what I want?” Rosie asked. Her tone made her sound like she was eighty years old.
“I know.” Summer looked solemn.
Rosie’s hair was shoulder-length, black, and smooth with bangs. Summer made her two braids that hung from the top and left the rest of the hair cascading down her back. After this was done, she let Rosie choose two hairpins and then snapped on the root of the braids.
“Done!” Summer stroked Rosie’s hair.
“Does it look nice?” Rosie had stayed quiet and unmoved for the entire time while she braided her hair. Now Rosie could not wait to touch her hair.
“See for yourself.” She carried Rosie up to a mirror.
Rosie looked at her hair in the mirror, touching the braids and hairpins. “That’s nice!”
Summer gave it some touch-ups. “You’re the prettiest girl, Rosie.”
“Mommy is pretty too.” Rosie looked at her with her head tilted, feeling embarrassed.
Rosie had called her “Pretty Lady” previously, but she felt the most touched this time when she heard what Rosie said.
Then, a sense of melancholy hit her. She could not possibly keep staying at Leonardo’s house like that. If she had to fight for custody of Rosie someday, she would be at a disadvantage. Leonardo would definitely not give Rosie up.
She collected herself and brought Rosie out of the room. “Let’s go have breakfast.”
…
Leonardo was sitting at the dining table in the dining room. The maids were standing quietly beside him. The air felt still.
Rosie was fearful of this atmosphere. She clung to Summer as they walked in, seeing Leonardo’s face that looked as if someone had run away with his money.
“Go ahead and greet your daddy. Climb onto his lap, then give him a kiss and tell him that you love him,” Summer said.
Rosie shook her head from side to side upon hearing that.
Summer recalled what Jessica said over the phone last night: Leonardo looked menacing. It seemed like Rosie was afraid of him too.
“Don’t be afraid of him, Rosie. I’ve got your back if he scolds you.”
Rosie vaguely figured out what “got your back” meant. Still fearful, she inched toward Leonardo a couple of steps, then looked back at Summer, who promptly gave her an encouraging smile. Rosie finally smiled. Plucking up her courage, she walked up to Leonardo and looked at him with her head tilted.
“Daddy!”
Leonardo shot a glance at her and the braids on her head, then responded with an “Mmm” as he dug in.
Only then did Summer realize that he had not eaten his breakfast until now. Was he waiting for her and Rosie? She sat down at the table with that question in mind.
Rosie was a smart kid; she was keeping Summer’s advice in mind. Seeing that Leonardo was not talking to her, she climbed up his body. When she finally settled down on his lap, she reached up to give him a kiss on his cheek with her hand gripping on his shirt to balance herself.
“Daddy, I love you.”
After that, she stared at Leonardo curiously, as if expecting him to give her some sort of response.
Summer looked at them with amazement. She had no idea how she and Leonardo got along last time. But judging by what she saw and knew, Rosie was the only person who could act unbridled in front of him.
When Rosie started climbing up his body, he had put down the cutlery and curled his arms around her in case she fell. But there was no response from him when Rosie told him she loved him. He lifted Rosie and sat her next to him, then pointed at the little pinkish-blue plate on the table. “Eat it all.”
Rosie had no idea if what she did worked on her dad, but she seemed to realize that her dad looked less angry now and nodded her head happily.
Summer had taken it all in. Although Leonardo did not show any reaction to Rosie’s “confession”, it was easy to see that he was very fond of Rosie.
Just then, Leonardo looked at Summer all of a sudden, glancing at her plate, then at her. “You, too, eat it all.” There was not a hint of emotion in his voice.
“Me?” Summer pointed at herself in disbelief. He was saying this to her, like how he instructed Rosie? She was twenty-six, for God’s sake, while Rosie was only three.
Leonardo replied with an “Mhm”, then helped Rosie roll up her sleeves. “You can eat with your hand if you find the fork difficult.”
Upon hearing that, Rosie reached to grab a little chunk of fruit and shoved it in her mouth. As if she thought of something, she nodded at Summer. “Mommy’s got to finish it, just like Rosie.”
Summer was struck dumb.