Chapter 210 Endless Gentleness
When Olivia suddenly heard this, she almost lost control of her expression.
'Sleep together? Bianca, don't say things like that!' Olivia thought, feeling extremely embarrassed.
She definitely couldn't go along with what Bianca said. She could only coax her, saying, "Bianca, tonight you'll sleep with me, okay? You're a good, sensible baby. You can't disturb Daddy while he's working..."
Bianca was usually quite obedient and sensible.
But tonight, she was being particularly stubborn and insistent.
Hearing that Olivia wouldn't let Andrew sleep with her, Bianca's little hands clutched at Andrew's pant leg, refusing to let go. Her bright, big eyes filled with tears in seconds, her eye sockets turning red as she looked at them, making it hard to bear.
"I just want Daddy. Daddy, please don't go..."
Andrew already doted on Bianca, and seeing her aggrieved little expression now, his heart softened almost instantly.
He helped Bianca wipe away her tears and gently coaxed her, "Alright, I won't leave just yet. Bianca, go take a bath first, okay?"
Olivia was a bit surprised to hear he was staying.
She couldn't help but glance at Andrew.
Andrew didn't explain, but gave her a look, signaling her to comfort the child first. He could leave after she fell asleep.
Olivia understood, and felt somewhat apologetic and guilty toward him.
But more than that, she was touched.
With his status, he really didn't need to do all this.
But his patience, indulgence, care, and affection for Bianca, plus all the times he'd helped her, made her really not know how to thank him properly.
Olivia didn't just stand there. She immediately coaxed Bianca, "Bianca, you're a clean baby. Come take a bath with me first, okay?"
Bianca wanted to be good, but her expression still showed some worry as she looked at Andrew and asked, "When Bianca finishes her bath, will Daddy still be here?"
Andrew smiled and promised, "Yes, I'll sit right here. I won't go anywhere. I'll wait for you to finish your bath and then put you to bed."
Only after hearing his promise did Bianca, looking back every few steps, let herself be led away to bathe.
Yara took Bianca's pajamas and went to help.
After a while, Bianca came running out, fresh from her bath and smelling sweet.
She was wearing a cute bunny pajama set with long ears on the hood. Having just finished her bath, her little face was flushed and soft, like a piece of candy that made you want to poke and pinch it.
As soon as she came out, she hurried over to check if Andrew was still there.
Seeing that he indeed hadn't left, her little face beamed with a happy smile.
"I'm done! Daddy, hold me." She stretched out her little arms toward Andrew, and Andrew calmly picked her up.
Olivia wanted the child to sleep early, so she went to make her some milk.
Bianca held her bottle, leaning against Andrew as she drank.
It was already past nine o'clock, Bianca's usual bedtime, and she was starting to get sleepy.
Seeing her rubbing her eyes, Olivia wanted to take her to bed alone.
But Bianca nestled against Andrew's chest, her little hand clutching his clothes, insisting, "Daddy too..."
Olivia felt a splitting headache.
After raising this child for so many years, this was the first time she'd found Bianca so difficult to coax.
Seeing this, Yara suggested, "If Mr. Hamilton doesn't mind, why don't you take Bianca to the guest room?
Bianca is very well-behaved when she sleeps. She basically never wakes up in the middle of the night. The guest room is also very clean, no one's lived in it, and the sheets are all new."
Andrew looked at the clingy little bunny in his arms, thought for a few seconds, and then said, "Then I'll trouble you."
Seeing that he'd agreed again, Olivia felt terribly guilty.
However, right now the priority was to get Bianca to sleep first.
Olivia said to Andrew, "No trouble at all. I should be the one troubling you. Come with me."
Olivia led the way, and soon brought Andrew to the guest room.
When passing by the master bedroom, Bianca looked at the room and curiously asked, "Aren't we going in there?"
Olivia hadn't expected that even though she was already yawning, she'd still notice this detail.
She quickly said, "The blankets in that room were washed and aren't dry yet. Tonight we'll sleep in the room next door. Bianca, be good, no more fussing."
Hearing this, Bianca could only nod.
After entering the room, Bianca patted the bed expectantly and called to them, "Daddy, Mommy, come quick!"
Olivia felt a bit at a loss.
Did she really have to sleep in the same bed with Andrew?
Andrew didn't seem uncomfortable at all. He even turned back to ask Olivia, "Do you have any storybooks? I'll tell Bianca a bedtime story."
Before Olivia could answer, Bianca happily replied, "Yes, we do!"
Olivia could only go get the child's storybook.
After Andrew took it, he leaned against the headboard and used his eyes to signal Olivia to lean on the other side and cooperate.
Olivia had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit over.
"Mommy, lie down quick! Daddy's going to tell us a story!"
This time, Andrew helped Olivia out, saying, "We haven't taken our baths yet. I'll tell you a story first, and after you fall asleep, we'll go take baths and then lie down."
Bianca had wanted to insist, but Andrew had already started telling her a story, and her attention was quickly drawn to it.
Olivia had initially felt that lying in the same bed was awkward, but gradually, her attention was also drawn in.
Honestly, Andrew probably had never told anyone stories before. His narrative tone was very flat, completely just reading from the book, but his voice was too pleasant to resist.
Especially with that deep yet gentle quality, it seemed to have a kind of magic that drew people in to listen. It was quite hypnotic.
While waiting for Bianca to fall asleep, Olivia, forced to lean against the bed, also dozed off in a daze.
Andrew didn't notice at first. It wasn't until half an hour later, when Bianca's breathing became steady, that he closed the storybook and discovered that the person on the other side had also fallen asleep leaning against the headboard.
Under the lamplight, her sleeping face was peaceful and well-behaved, identical to little Bianca beside her.
Andrew raised an eyebrow and smiled wryly.
It seemed his storytelling was really quite hypnotic.
After putting down the storybook, Andrew got up. He felt a tug on his clothes. Looking down, he found Bianca gripping the corner of his shirt very tightly.
He gently pried open her little hand. Bianca let out a soft whimper, very reluctant.
Olivia seemed to sense something. Like she'd developed a conditioned reflex, without even opening her eyes, she immediately raised her hand to pat her, wanting to comfort Bianca, and her body unconsciously moved closer.
She had been sitting in a leaning position, and with this movement, her whole body almost pressed toward Bianca.
Andrew reacted quickly, hurrying to catch her, half his body leaning over.
Olivia didn't react. Her head rested against Andrew's chest, her gentle breathing settling at his neck.
Andrew's body tensed. He looked down at the person in his arms.
Perhaps because leaning was uncomfortable, she unconsciously nuzzled twice, finding a more comfortable position, not knowing what kind of feeling her action brought to the man.
Andrew's breathing hitched, and his eyes seemed to deepen.
He held this position without moving. After a few seconds, he let out a soft breath and slowly moved her to lie properly on the bed.
Olivia curled up slightly, but still didn't forget to circle Bianca beside her with her hand.
Andrew stood up and stood by the bed, looking at the big one and the small one on the bed. Gradually, his gaze became endlessly gentle.
He didn't wake Olivia, but turned off the lights in the room, leaving only a small night light by the bed, then left the room.
Yara hadn't gone to rest yet. When she saw only Andrew come out, she was a bit puzzled. "Mr. Hamilton, where's Ms. Smith?"
Andrew replied gently, "She fell asleep too. She looks like she was tired today. Don't wake her. I'll leave now.
Tomorrow morning when Bianca wakes up, if she asks about me, tell her I went to work, and when I finish work and come back, I'll bring her a gift."
Yara hadn't expected him to be so thoughtful, even arranging tomorrow's matters. She quickly said, "Okay, I understand. Thank you so much for today."
Andrew shook his head, indicating it was nothing. "It's what I should do."
Then he left Olivia's home.
When leaving, David followed behind him, thinking to himself that he'd almost thought Andrew was really going to stay the night.
However, with Bianca's illness, Andrew suddenly became a dad?
Wasn't this a bit too fast?
Meanwhile, Michael was also thinking, wasn't this too fast?
He and Olivia had only been divorced for a short time, and his daughter was already getting a new dad.
After coming back from the art exhibition today, all he could think about was what the child had said.
Watching the several of them leave the exhibition, he couldn't even care about buying paintings and chased after them.
Seeing him leave, Sophia panicked and quickly brought Aiden to chase after him, calling from behind, "Michael, are we just leaving like this?"
What she was more worried about was that Michael wanted to chase after Olivia and her daughter.
Michael stopped, but didn't answer Sophia's question. Instead, he questioned her furiously, "What Bianca said just now, is it true? Did you really call her an idiot?"
His expression was too frightening. Sophia's heart trembled.
Of course she couldn't admit to something like this!
She denied it innocently, "Michael, how is that possible? It must be Olivia teaching her to say that!
My attitude toward Bianca, you know it well. How could I possibly say something like that to her?
Aiden has already started treating her as a sister. I love her because I love you. I'd cherish her before it's too late. You know all this.
Michael, you can't doubt us just because of Bianca's one-sided words.
You saw the situation just now too. Olivia and that man have such a close relationship, and he's a psychologist. How could they teach Bianca good things?
Besides, Olivia has always resented us being together. What they did just now was definitely to drive a wedge between us!"