Chapter 26 You're Questioning My Parenting Skills?
Grace looked down at Liam, gently pinching his little cheek. "Liam, why do you like me so much?"
Liam blinked innocently, then suddenly blurted out, "Pretty!"
Grace burst into laughter at his candid response.
Mary nearly bulged her eyes out in disbelief. "Just because she's pretty?"
Liam nodded seriously.
In his eyes, Grace was the most beautiful person in the world!
"Liam, saying things like that makes me blush," Grace said with a smile.
Mary frowned slightly, looking at Grace with mixed emotions.
Deep down, she looked down on Grace, but regardless of her feelings, Liam had started speaking because of her. Mary worried that being harsh with Grace might make Liam dislike her.
"Have you eaten?" Mary asked. "If not, should I have the staff prepare something for you?"
"No need, Max and I ate out," Grace replied.
Liam suddenly yawned in her arms.
Yawns seemed contagious—Max, who was clinging to Grace's side, also couldn't help but yawn.
"Are you sleepy?" Grace asked.
"Mm-hmm."
Both children answered almost in unison.
Mary instructed the nanny, "Take Liam for his bath and put him to bed."
"Mrs. Hayes, let me do it," Grace offered.
In the bathroom, there was an enormous bathtub.
Grace filled the tub with water and dropped in a bath bomb that trailed rainbow colors behind it. Soon, the entire tub was filled with fragrant bubbles.
Max quickly stripped off his clothes and stepped into the tub naked without any hesitation, but Liam stood shyly at the doorway, fidgeting with his face turning red—clearly embarrassed.
He was seven years old.
Alexander had taught him from an early age about appropriate boundaries between boys and girls. Although the nanny usually bathed him, standing in front of Grace made him feel nervous and shy.
"Liam, aren't you going to undress?" Grace asked.
Liam wiggled his little bottom, covering his face with his small hands while peeking through his fingers at Max, who was sitting in the bubbly bathwater. He seemed torn between moving and staying still.
"Can't Liam undress himself?" Grace walked toward him, but as she crouched down, Liam became even more bashful and actually stepped back.
Suddenly, a servant's respectful voice came from outside the door.
"Mr. Hayes, Ms. Foster is in the bathroom."
"Is she taking a bath?"
"She's giving Mr. Liam Hayes a bath."
The bathroom door was suddenly knocked.
Grace asked alertly, "Who is it?"
Since she was bathing Max and Liam, she had taken off her outer clothes to avoid getting them wet and was wearing only a camisole.
Alexander pushed the door open and walked right in.
Grace stood up in surprise. "What... what are you doing in here?"
Alexander glanced at her casually. "You seem so nervous, I thought you weren't wearing anything."
Seeing Liam standing to the side, nervously tugging at the hem of his shirt, Alexander immediately understood he was feeling shy.
"Liam can't undress himself," Grace said.
"He's not incapable—he's shy," Alexander replied.
Grace was taken aback. "Shy? Shy about what?"
"I've taught him from a young age about appropriate boundaries. He's a boy, you're a woman. He's embarrassed."
Max, lounging in the bathtub, heard this and declared confidently, "Mommy has always given me baths."
"Liam is different from you," Alexander said.
Max fell silent.
Alexander turned to Grace. "You should leave. I'll bathe them."
Grace looked him up and down skeptically. "Do you even know how?"
"Are you questioning my parenting skills?" Alexander asked.
Grace glanced at Max. "What about Max?"
"I'll wash them both together," Alexander said.
Max was speechless.
"Max, I'm going to step out now, okay?" Grace said to Max. Alexander was right—Max was seven years old too, at an age where he should understand these boundaries. She couldn't be so casual about it anymore.
Grace closed the door and left. Liam finally relaxed with a sigh of relief, but now it was Max's turn to feel nervous.
Sitting in the bathtub, he suddenly didn't know whether to sit or stand. His little hands instinctively covered himself as he watched Alexander remove his suit jacket and hang it on a hook, then slowly roll up his shirt sleeves into neat folds before beginning to undress Liam piece by piece.
How strange!
Alexander was a man, he was a boy—so why did he feel nervous?
Max sank most of his body into the bathtub, leaving only his little head bobbing above the waterline. He awkwardly blew at the bubbles floating on the surface, and one landed on his nose. He gently tried to brush it away but accidentally got some in his eye.
"Ow!"
Alexander tensed up, looking toward Max, who was frantically rubbing his eyes until they turned red.
Alexander walked over. "What's wrong?"
"Bubbles... in my eye..." Max felt his eye stinging.
Alexander frowned and bent down, reaching to examine his eye.
Behind him, Liam curiously stood on his tiptoes to see what was happening and walked toward the bathtub. His bare feet slipped on the marble floor, and he fell backward onto his bottom.
"Ow!" Liam hit the ground hard.
Hearing the commotion, Alexander turned around to see Liam had fallen.
"Liam?"
Fortunately, he hadn't hit his head.
Liam rolled over and got up from the floor, rubbing his bottom pitifully. He opened his mouth and let out a small sob, clearly hurt from the fall.
Alexander immediately went toward him. "Don't cry, daddy's got you."
As soon as he let go of Max, Max also made a small "wah" sound, blinking as he couldn't see clearly, instinctively grabbing onto Alexander's shirt.
Outside the door, Grace hadn't gone far when she heard commotion from the bathroom. Before she could ask what was happening, she heard the loud splash.
She immediately pushed the door open and was instantly dumbfounded.
Alexander had fallen backward into the bathtub, his long legs hanging over the edge, hands braced in the water. His perfectly pressed vest and shirt were completely soaked.
Liam was half-undressed, bare-bottomed with his shirt only removed from one arm, facing the doorway.
The moment Liam saw Grace standing in the doorway, he covered himself with both hands, turned around bashfully, then quickly covered his bottom instead.
Max was sprawled awkwardly against the edge of the tub, head topped with fluffy bubbles, barely managing to open one eye as he looked toward the door in confusion.
Grace took in this scene and couldn't help herself—she burst into laughter.
Alexander's face turned iron-dark. "What are you laughing at?"
"Who was it that was so confident about their parenting skills?" Grace asked.