Chapter 553
Chapter 553
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Richie’s face was wet with tears.
Winter reached for a tissue to wipe them away, but he shook his head so hard that tears flew from his cheeks.
“Find Daddy p>
At the sound of the door opening, Richie looked toward Chris with huge, tear-filled eyes.
His lower lip trembled, and fresh tears rolled down his face.
“What’s wrong? Daddy’s here p>
Chris crossed the room quickly.
The moment Richie saw him, he practically launched himself out of Winter’s arms.
She almost lost her hold on him before Chris caught him against his chest.
“Careful. Don’t hurt Mommy p>
As he took Richie from her, Chris reached out with his other hand to steady Winter by the shoulder.
Her shoulder trembled faintly beneath his palm.
Chris frowned and instinctively tightened his grip.
She was blaming herself.
Richie was still sniffling.
Chris shifted him higher in his arms and let the little boy rest his head against his shoulder while he calmed
down.
His voice softened.
“Kids wake up crying sometimes. It’s normal p>
Winter kept her head lowered as if she had done something wrong.
She still hadn’t recovered from how hard Richie had cried for his father.
Chris glanced at her.
His free hand curled into a fist at his side as he fought the urge to pull her into his arms too.
“He probably had a bad dream. Give him a minute and he’ll be okay p>
Then he noticed the crumpled tissue in her hand.
“Wipe his tears for him. His face is probably sticky p>
Winter looked up.
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Her eyes were still red, and Chris’s brows drew together again.
“Okay,” she said softly.
She took a deep breath, rubbed both hands over her face, and slowly let it out.
Other than the redness around her eyes, she looked much calmer.
She stepped closer to Chris and gently wiped Richie’s tears.
The moment Richie was in Chris’s arms, he had started settling down.
Little by little, he seemed to come out of whatever had frightened him.
When he felt the warm touch against his face, he opened his eyes.
He blinked at Winter.
“Mommy p>
Warmth rushed through her chest.
“Yes. Mommy’s here p>
Only after she answered did Winter realize her voice was trembling.
But the panic from moments earlier was slowly fading, and the tightness in her chest finally began to ease.
“Mommy p>
There were still tears clinging to the corners of Richie’s eyes, but once he recognized her, he broke into a smile.
“Hehe p>
Winter smiled too, though her eyes were still red with guilt and heartache.
Chris had been right.
Richie had probably just woken from a bad dream.
He had gotten used to sleeping with Chris nearby.
So when he woke up in the dark and reached out, only to find someone else beside him, of course he had panicked and cried for his father.
Winter had been too impatient.
She had wanted Richie to trust and depend on her again right away.
But she had been gone for more than half a year.
Chris had been the one caring for him all that time.
Of course Richie depended on him more.
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Chris glanced at Winter as he gently rubbed Richie’s back.
When he saw her smile again, a faint smile touched his own lips.
Winter stroked Richie’s cheek, then went into the bathroom and dampened a soft cloth with warm water to wipe his face.
But by the time she came back, Richie had already fallen asleep against Chris’s shoulder.
“Give it to me p>
Chris took the cloth from her.
Without putting Richie down, he spread it across his palm and gently wiped Richie’s face while he slept against his shoulder.
His movements were practiced but careful.
It was obvious he had done this countless times before.
Winter stood beside them, suddenly unsure what she was supposed to do.
She looked down and lightly touched the leg of Richie’s sleep sack.
After hesitating for a moment, she said, “You should take him tonight p>
Chris had been thinking the same thing.
Before bed, Gavin had sent him Winter’s flight information.
She had only landed that evening and probably hadn’t slept much on the plane.
After everything that had just happened, she needed rest even more.
“Okay. Get some sleep p>
Chris was about to carry Richie back to the main bedroom when Winter felt a tug on her clothes.
At the same time, Richie stirred in Chris’s arms.
Chris stopped.
Winter looked down and saw Richie’s little hand clutching the fabric near her shoulder.
“Mommy sleep. Daddy sleep p>
P
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Sara Lili
Sara is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.