Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 254: Making Up the Lost Time

Chapter 254: Making Up the Lost Time

Parting her lips slightly, Leslie was still thinking about how to bring up this issue with Calix. She had never questioned his ability to be patient and remain rational but, reluctance still tugged at her heart.

’He’s just excited. Still, it’s better to talk about it sooner.’

Being a parent was never easy. Leslie had experienced it firsthand. Thankfully, Calix wouldn’t go through it without the backing from his close ones.

’Two parents. When both parents are involved, surely we’d have differences in our thinking. Tho we both want what’s the best for Calliope.’

So unlike when she was a single mother with little to no support.

Because Leslie had to take on the parental role alone, she encountered some difficulties when involving Calliope’s wellbeing. She often worried she made a wrong decision because she couldn’t really discuss her daughter with everyone else.

More often than not, Leslie wished she had her lover back just so she could have a shoulder to rely on – also who she could discuss and argue with about their daughter’s upbringing.

’It’s strange... I’m happy I have Calix this time around but... what’s this weird feeling?’

As if another type of worry overwhelmed her.

Calix quietly took in the look of hesitancy on Leslie’s countenance. A trace of doubt cast a murky layer in her usually clear eyes. She hadn’t said a single word for a few minutes now.

’What’s she thinking?’

Helplessness laced his smile as a soft sigh escaped his lips.

Instead of pushing Leslie to talk, Calix changed the topic completely, "Wanna watch me prepare some ingredients for our picnic tomorrow? You can be the kitchen supervisor."

Director Li had already told Calliope about the picnic plan with Calix and Leslie. She did it right after they left the orphanage. The spouses were supposed to pick up the little one around nine tomorrow morning.

The destination was a park half an hour away from the orphanage. The place was renowned for its gorgeous lotuses and begonia flowers in summer. Even though the season had just begun, their beautiful petals had colored the park with their stunning colors.

To say Calliope was happy was an understatement. Director Li amusedly relayed to Calix and Leslie how the little girl jumped up and down in excitement.

Calix’s words pulled Leslie out of her trance. His smile was the first thing she saw.

"Oh..." Leslie blinked, recalling Calix’s intention to make a basketful of picnic foods for Calliope, "Which ingredients will you... prepare tonight? Are they... lots?"

Calix showed Leslie his written list of food loved by children earlier. He scoured through the internet looking for suggestions.

Because Calix couldn’t make his mind up, he asked for Leslie’s opinions. She told him to make it simple. He didn’t need to do anything extravagant. They spent quite some time to finalize the list.

"Not that much," Calix slowly rose to his feet, his eyes remaining on Leslie, "Just chop some veggies and dice the chicken breast, simple things like that. I wanna marinate the chicken before frying it tomorrow."

With Leslie’s help, Calix finally decided on crispy chicken bites, bacon and cheese roll-ups, fruit sandwiches and stir-fried rice noodles. He also planned to bring some fresh fruits like strawberries and green grapes.

Calliope’s ardent love for strawberries reminded Calix of his own. He laughed like a fool as he assumed the little one inherited his taste. He planned to introduce more strawberry delicacies to her soon.

"Want..." Leslie nodded once, shifting her body toward the edge of the bed. She placed her legs on the carpeted floor, "I’ll try helping... anything I can..."

"Alright~ But, don’t push yourself ah," teased Calix while pushing the wheelchair closer to the bed, "Don’t touch the knife or anything sharp, get it?"

"Hehe, don’t be such a... nagger..."

Leslie stood up slowly. Calix held her back and one of her upper arms, making sure she safely walked to the wheelchair before sitting on it.

"At least I’m not like Grandma. She’ll nag until our ears bleed ah."

"Want me to tattle on you... to Grandma?"

"...please don’t."

Chuckling, Leslie pretended to glare at Calix. The man smiled sheepishly at her before rounding the wheelchair to stand behind it. He immediately pushed her toward the door.

Leslie purposely put aside what she wanted to tell Calix, thinking to bring it up again before they went to bed. Whether was ready or not, she decided to disclose the issue to him by tonight.

’I can see him as a fool for his daughter. Better to set up some rules before it’s too late.’

Calix had always been a fun uncle to little Amelia. Calliope’s surprise appearance surely didn’t prepare him for the role of a father which weighed with more responsibilities.

’Still... I won’t need to worry much.’

Calix didn’t get in the way when Vernon and Lucille were disciplining Amelia. He knew where to draw the line.

Leslie was still consumed by her thoughts as Calix brought her downstairs. Because the villa didn’t have an elevator, he had to carry her down before running upstairs to get the wheelchair.

The helpers who followed Calix and Leslie here had retreated to their rooms, including Mrs. Su and Mrs. An. The bodyguards patrolled outside, staying vigilant despite being in a safe neighborhood.

Soon, Calix put on an apron over his light sweater. Rolling up the sleeves, he was ready to grab the knife and chop chop chop the ingredients. Leslie only watched him in action.

"She won’t choke if it’s this size, right? Or, should I cut the chicken smaller?"

"Hurm... I need to divide the chicken into two batches ah. She surely can’t handle spice."

"Leslie, have you seen strawberries turn into roses? I’ll show them to you tomorrow!"

Calix’s overflowing excitement tickled Leslie’s heart. His mouth chattered nonstop as if he lost all the gears to shut up. She responded to the man from time to time, mostly playing along with him.

The ambiance in the kitchen was blanketed by comfort and hearty laughter coming from the man and the lady.

Calix didn’t take long to prepare the ingredients. He put the bowl of chicken in the fridge alongside the others. The rest would be prepared tomorrow morning to ensure its freshness, including making the strawberry roses.

"Wanna see the yard, Leslie?" asked Calix while wiping his hands with a towel. He glanced at the clock, "It’s still early ah. Not even nine-thirty. We can take a stroll before bed."

"Sounds good..." Leslie swiftly agreed with Calix, "I haven’t seen the... outside properly..."

Leslie didn’t know where Edward found such a nice villa like this one on short notice. Each of its rooms was huge, especially the master bedroom which Calix arranged for her to occupy.

The surrounding grassland was meticulously cared for. Leslie heard the landlord himself dedicate his time to transforming the plain yard into a beautiful garden.

Beds of flowers adorned the yard, followed by various types of plants. Stone pathways also lined the grass, leading ones further down the yard.

Leaving the kitchen, Calix wheeled Leslie toward the patio connecting the villa with the garden. Strings of tiny bulbs decorated the area, showering the place under their lights.

"The garden is pretty..." uttered Leslie after Calix put her in the outdoor wheelchair. She threw her eyes to the surroundings, "But, I already miss the... lake..."

The lake in the backyard had been a significant part of Leslie’s daily life now. More often than not, she visited the wooden deck at least once a day either alone, with Calix or the others.

The gentle ripples of the bluish water calmed Leslie’s mind. She could spend hours staying there, especially in the company of audiobooks.

Leslie’s words lured laughter out of Calix’s lips. Lowering his gaze, he stared at the back of her head, imagining she smiled with her eyes sparkling.

"We’ll have Calliope the next time we spend time there," replied Calix with a dose of hope in his voice, "We can even hold her welcome party at the deck. Oh! We don’t have to include my family yet. She might be overwhelmed ah."

Calix couldn’t hold back from envisioning the days when Calliope started bringing more joy to his and Leslie’s lives. At the same time, he wanted to return the same favor as much as possible including making up the lost time.

Five years. Regretfully, Calix and Leslie were robbed of the chance to witness Calliope’s growth due to unforeseen circumstances. He didn’t want any of them to repeat it.

Leslie blinked, inwardly thinking back to what she hesitated to tell Calix earlier. After spending some time with him just now, she felt calm enough to converse about it.

"Calix... I want to talk about Calliope..."

Calix raised his brows, his gaze remaining on the back of Leslie’s head. As she slowly turned around, their eyes collided. He watched her lips parting before words flowed out.

"About our expectations of her..."