Chapter 98 98
“Gabrielle, I swear if you touch my sword again with your tiny baby hands, I’m going to smash your doll!” seven-year-old Dominique snarled, doing his best impression of a ferocious warrior as he glared down at five-year-old Gabrielle.
Gabrielle blinked up at him with wide brown eyes that were far too innocent for the trouble she caused. “You won’t,” she replied in her soft baby voice, her lips pushing into a stubborn pout.
She shifted her gaze to Alexandre, who stood nearby with effortless indifference, offering nothing more than a lazy shrug. Dominique and Alexandre were always a team best friends through everything, united even in silent agreements.
With a dramatic huff, Gabrielle tossed the wooden sword back toward Dominique. It landed at his feet. She turned sharply and marched to a nearby bench, climbing onto it and folding her arms tightly across her chest.
A light smack tapped the back of her head.
She gasped and spun around, rubbing the spot indignantly only for her irritation to melt into delight.
“Damien!” she squealed, her voice bubbling with excitement.
Damien frowned at her enthusiasm. “What are you screaming for, you Coco?” he muttered, circling the bench before plopping down beside her, casually chewing his bubble gum.
Gabrielle let out an exaggerated gasp and pushed her Coco-colored curls back from her face. “Don’t call me Coco,” she warned slowly, her glare fierce for someone so small.
He grinned wickedly. “Of course not, Coco.” He tapped the tip of her nose before springing to his feet.
Now truly fuming, Gabrielle scrambled off the bench and chased after him. But Damien was faster. Always faster.
She tripped on the grass and tumbled forward, letting out a dramatic cry.
Dominique and Alexandre, who had been just behind her, rushed over immediately. Damien started to step forward too then froze when he saw her face.
The crying vanished. In its place was a sly little smirk.
Gabrielle turned to Dominique and Alexandre, eyes gleaming.
“If you two catch Damien for me, I’ll ask Aunt Sofía to make your favorite cookies,” she promised sweetly. “And you know she never says no to me.”
Her puppy-dog eyes did the rest.
The boys exchanged a look an unspoken pact sealed in a heartbeat. Then their heads snapped toward Damien.
And just like that, they charged.
“Gabrielle! I’m going to kill you, you little fox!” Damien shouted as he bolted across the yard, sprinting for his life from the two maniacs who would do absolutely anything for their mother’s homemade cookies.
Only Gabrielle possessed the magic. Those enormous brown eyes, that perfect pleading expression whenever she asked for cookies, Aunt Sofía caved. Every single time.
“You shouldn’t have called me Coco, you Bubbles!” Gabrielle yelled triumphantly, clapping her hands as the boys tore wildly across the backyard.
She had named him Bubbles because it was the most brilliant insult her five-year-old brain could invent.
Though there were plenty of girls her age in the pack, Gabrielle preferred the company of these three. The four of them were inseparable.
She called Dominique her big brother ever since the day he dramatically “rescued” her from a dog that hadn’t even been about to bite her. In her mind, he had saved her life. From then on, he was her hero her big bro.
Alexandre was the one who fulfilled her demands. When other kids teased her for being a tomboy, she had gone to him. Without hesitation, he had marched over and scared them senseless. Alexandre enjoyed frightening almost everyone everyone except little Charlotte.
Gabrielle was the heart of their group, but her attachment to Damien ran deepest. Both she and Charlotte clung to him the most.
A tiny giggle floated through the air.
Gabrielle’s head snapped up. “Charlotte is here!”
She ran toward Sofía, who stood holding a giggling three-year-old Charlotte in her arms. Charlotte laughed and clapped, her tiny hands pattering together as she watched her brothers racing like wild animals.
The boys skidded to a stop. Damien dashed straight to his mother.
“Mommy, can you please make your special cookies? Because if you don’t, Dominique and Alexandre are going to run me to death. And I don’t want to beat their uh” He caught Sofía’s warning look and corrected himself quickly. “Butt cheeks.”
Gabrielle, Dominique, and Alexandre burst into laughter.
“Fine,” Sofía sighed, though her lips twitched with amusement. She set Charlotte gently on her feet. “Corinne, keep an eye on them. I’m going to the kitchen.”
Corinne had just stepped outside and nodded in agreement.
Gabrielle’s laughter faded abruptly as she let out a strange squeak. “Oweeee!”
Damien had trapped her neck between his arm and bicep, hauling her to the side in a playful headlock. She punched at his arm, trying to break free, but he only tightened his hold.
“Big bro! Alexandre!” she called dramatically for help.
They didn’t even look back.
“Shut up,” Dominique muttered, strolling toward the garden to retrieve his wooden sword and resume his warrior practice.
They had their cookies secured. Traitors.
Once Damien was sure she wouldn’t call for reinforcements again, he released her and glared down at her.
“So,” he growled theatrically, “what should I do with you, Coco?”
Gabrielle gasped.
Then her eyes shimmered. Glossy. Glassy.
Damien’s bravado shattered instantly.
“Hey. Don’t you dare cry, Gabrielle,” he warned, panic seeping into his voice.
A split second later, she let out a piercing wail.
He jumped. “Stop crying! I won’t call you Coco!”
The moment the promise left his mouth, she stopped. Just like that.
She wiped her cheeks, perfectly composed, and extended her hand toward him.
“Promise?” she asked, one eyebrow arching suspiciously.
Damien stared at her and then burst out laughing.
She really was a fox. A clever one.
He shook her hand, deliberately squeezing harder than necessary. She winced and punched his arm in retaliation.
They both dissolved into laughter, and he ruffled her brown curls until she squirmed and whined.
Nearby, little Charlotte toddled over to where Alexandre sat quietly, staring ahead.
“Alexandre,” she said with a bright smile.
Corinne watched her son silently, studying him with thoughtful eyes.
“Yes, princess?” Alexandre replied warmly, his eyes sparkling as he turned toward her.
“Cookies,” Charlotte announced, bouncing with excitement.
Her ocean-blue eyes shone when Sofía returned to the backyard carrying plates piled high with freshly baked cookies. All the children gathered around her instantly, their earlier battles forgotten as they ate with pure, unfiltered joy.