Josephine shrugged it off and said, "No biggie, it's just breakfast."
Stuart shook his head, "Nope, not happening. I'm your boyfriend now. If I'm going to your place, I can't show up empty-handed."
Josephine thought, 'Honestly, no one at home cares if you're my boyfriend or not.'
But she kept that to herself.
In the end, they skipped breakfast at the Clarence Family's place. Josephine texted Nicole, saying she suddenly wanted to eat out, and then left with Stuart.
Stuart laughed as he drove, "Why do I feel like we're rebellious teens sneaking around behind our parents' backs?"
Josephine grinned, "That's awesome. I missed out on that back then, so now I get to experience it, no regrets."
Stuart squeezed her hand. "If you have any other regrets, let me know, and I'll make it right."
Josephine had a lot of dreams when she was younger. One of them might have been to have a simple breakfast with Stuart.
They hit up a restaurant, and since it was early, it wasn't crowded.
The rush hour was around seven or eight, and it wasn't even seven yet.
They ordered a bunch of food and chatted while eating breakfast.
This calm and cozy vibe was something Josephine had always wanted but never had. Now, she finally got her wish.
Stuart looked at her, "You look so happy. Do you like this place?"
Josephine smiled, "I love it. The breakfast is good, but it's more about who you're eating with."
Stuart held her hand. "We're having breakfast, don't tease me."
Josephine looked innocent, "I'm being honest."
"I know." Stuart leaned in closer, "But I can't handle it when you say stuff like that."
Josephine's cheeks turned pink, and she looked down, avoiding his eyes.
Stuart gently touched her hair and handed her the milk. "Drink some more."
After breakfast, Stuart didn't want her to go back. He held her hand and they walked together.
He had seen couples walking before and wondered what was so great about it. But now, holding Josephine's hand, Stuart felt nothing but joy and peace.
Even if they did nothing, just walking with her made him happy.
After walking for more than half an hour, Josephine suggested Stuart go back to catch up on sleep. Reluctantly, Stuart took Josephine back to the Clarence Family.
Sure enough, later, when he woke up and wanted to ask Josephine out again, she didn't have time.
Until the next afternoon, when he had to pick up Jeffery from school.
Since he had agreed with Stuart earlier, Josephine went straight to the kindergarten to wait for him.
Jeffery had been in school for a week, and Josephine had been picking him up almost every day, so she was somewhat familiar with the other parents.
Jeffery was a transfer student, and most of the parents here were government employees. They didn't know Josephine, only that Jeffery was a child of the Kalmien Family. They wondered if there was a prominent Kalmien Family in Celestia Springs, but there wasn't.
They figured Jeffery was probably a relative of some big family, which wasn't uncommon in the kindergarten.
Josephine could sense that these parents were somewhat cold towards her. She didn't think much of it, assuming it was because they weren't familiar with each other.
Today, as she arrived at the kindergarten gate, she saw Derek's mom."Hey there," she greeted with a smile, "You're here."
Derek's mom glanced at her and smiled back, "Yep."
Josephine just nodded and didn't say much more.
Soon enough, Stuart showed up.
Stuart's arrival caused quite a buzz. Most of the people picking up kids were moms, grandmas, and nannies, with about ninety percent being women.
Any woman who saw Stuart was generally impressed. Everyone wondered whose dad Stuart was since they hadn't seen him before.
A guy like Stuart, once seen, would be remembered forever. He was more handsome than a celebrity, with a great demeanor. Who could forget that?
Stuart immediately spotted Josephine.
Derek's mom got excited seeing Stuart walk towards her. But she watched as Stuart walked right past her without a glance and stood next to Josephine.
"Am I late?" Stuart asked.
Josephine smiled, "No, people usually come early to pick up kids. There's still some time before they come out."
"That's good." Stuart looked at her, "You look beautiful today."
Josephine tilted her head, "You're looking pretty good yourself."
Derek's mom couldn't help but ask, "Jeffery's mom, who is this..."
Stuart looked over, "Hi, I'm Jeffery's dad."
Jeffery's dad! So handsome!
Too bad the Kalmien Family wasn't well-known or a big family, otherwise, she would have made Derek befriend Jeffery.
Many people's eyes still lingered on Stuart. The few dads who came to pick up their kids were checking out Josephine.
Beautiful people were always pleasing to the eye, making it hard to look away.
Fortunately, the kids soon started coming out.
Derek had asked Jeffery earlier, "Is your dad coming today?"
Jeffery said, "Of course."
Derek added, "You promised this week! So he has to come for five days!"
"He will."
Seeing Jeffery so calm, Derek felt a bit frustrated and huffed.
As Derek left the kindergarten, he first saw Josephine. Josephine was so beautiful that Derek was stunned the first time he saw her.
He didn't want to admit it, but he was very jealous of Jeffery for having such a beautiful mom.
His mom wasn't as pretty as Josephine, but his dad had come to pick him up that day. His dad must be better than Jeffery's dad!
"Mom!" Derek ran into his mom's arms, glancing at Josephine.
Josephine smiled at him and then looked at Jeffery.
Jeffery walked over and obediently greeted, "Mommy."
"Jeffery." Josephine squatted down and patted his head, "Did you eat well?"
"Yes."
Derek immediately said, "You're lying! Your dad didn't come at all!"
Jeffery glanced at him and then held Stuart's hand, "This is my dad. He did come!"
Seeing Jeffery's dad, who was tall and handsome, Derek felt even more upset.
Thinking about his own dad's chubby figure, Derek felt even more aggrieved. He said, "Can he pick you up for a week?"
Stuart immediately understood and said, "I plan to pick up Jeffery every day from now on. Kiddo, what do you think?"
Derek didn't believe it. Jeffery was lying, and now his dad was lying too! It was impossible for Stuart to pick up Jeffery every day!
Derek angrily held his mom's hand and left.
Stuart looked down at Jeffery. Just now, he had called him dad.
Josephine hadn't expected Jeffery to say it so easily either. They both looked at him.
Jeffery held both their hands. "Daddy, Mommy, let's go!"