Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 237

Amelia was at a loss for words.

She knew it—why should they switch schools at all?

She kept telling herself not to let adult problems affect Ruby, but wasn’t that exactly what was happening now?

Ruby had settled into preschool, loved everything about it, and now, because of their issues, she was supposed to uproot and start over somewhere new. It just didn’t seem fair.

A pang of guilt washed over Amelia for her impulsiveness. She reached out and gently ruffled Ruby’s hair. “Mommy was just asking, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it.”

Ruby didn’t worry. The next morning, she strapped on her backpack and skipped out the door, happy as ever.

But Amelia couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. Even after a night’s sleep, the knot in her chest hadn’t loosened much. She got up early and dropped Ruby off at preschool earlier than usual.

If they weren’t going to change schools, then the next best thing was to avoid awkward encounters as much as possible.

It wasn’t as if sharing the same preschool was the end of the world. Plenty of parents went years without ever running into each other. Maybe they’d be just as lucky.

Meanwhile, Daniel showed up at the Finley household bright and early—so early, in fact, that Finley could hardly believe it.

“Seriously, Daniel, what’s gotten into you? All this sudden fatherly devotion is making me nervous.”

Daniel gave Finley’s bedhead a playful pat. “Relax, I’m not asking you to be my son.”

Finley pointed to James, who was blinking groggily, clearly dragged out of bed before his usual time. “At least let the kid sleep a little longer. Look at those dark circles under his eyes.”

Daniel shot him a stern look, checking his watch theatrically. “There are only 5,800 days left until college entrance exams. If James studies an hour more every day, that’s an hour more knowledge than the rest. Now hurry up, get him dressed. Time for preschool.”

Finley could only gape, at a total loss for words.

Despite all the rushing, Daniel still managed to arrive a step late.

Ruby had just finished her morning health check when she heard James’s voice and doubled back.

James stood at the door, waving goodbye. “Bye, Dad!” he called.

Ruby craned her neck, catching a glimpse of a man’s silhouette outside. Her big eyes blinked in confusion. Wait, wasn’t that the man who was married to her mom?

That couldn’t be right—how could her mom’s husband be James’s dad?

…

Ruby couldn’t keep her questions bottled up. The curiosity was eating at her.

As soon as Amelia got home from work, Ruby dashed over, grabbed her mom’s slippers, and helped her change out of her shoes.

“Mommy, I saw James’s dad today!”

Ruby liked to share everything about her day at preschool, and Amelia listened as she slipped her feet into the slippers. “Does James look like his dad?”

“Nope.” That man was handsome and looked really smart; James didn’t look like him at all.

Ruby announced, “Mom, you actually know James’s dad too.”

“I do?” Amelia set her briefcase aside and reached for a bottle of hand sanitizer. “Who is it?”

“It’s the man who took us to the hospital for those tests.”

Amelia’s hands froze mid-pump. She looked up, startled. “Wait, what? James’s dad is…”