Chapter 42

42 Touched

“You’re so honest. I really like that about you,” Adrian complimented me.

“Thank you, I guess...” I replied humbly.

Adrian smiled at me, and I could feel that he was suddenly quite serious. I guess this is where the real talk starts. I smiled a little at him to encourage him to start.

“Well, you’ve probably heard from your manager about my request. That day that you were at the hospital, you met my daughter briefly,” Adrian said with his gentle eyes on me.

I nodded as I remembered the little girl that ran up to Adrian.

“My daughter’s name is Millie. Her mother, my ex-wife, passed away shortly after giving birth to her so Millie doesn’t remember her mother at all. I’ve tried my best to raise her up properly for the past five years but, I guess...it’s hard being a single father. To be honest, it’s been harder than I thought,” Adrian told a summary version of his story.

“I won’t lie and say that I’ve got experience with kids, but it does seem like a tough job to be a single father,” I chimed in.

“It is but I really love Millie and I want the best life for her. I try my best to spend time with her, but my job does get in the way. The fact that she’s a girl also makes it more difficult for me. Each day that she grows up, the more I feel like it would be better for her to have a mother,” Adrian said and I could see the determination in his eyes.

His goodwill and his effort to put in place the best for his daughter was very admirable. It was such a pity that his ex-wife left this world too soon.

.....

“I understand. Honestly, I’ve never had children before and I’m not sure if I can properly play the role of her mother...” I confessed honestly.

“I still think that you’ll do better than me though...” he said with a shy laugh.

“Maybe...” I mused.

“The truth is Millie has been asking about her mother and why our family isn’t like her friend’s. I guess they’re just at that age when kids start talking,” Adrian explained.

“I see...” I murmured while deep in thought.

“You know what our society is like. Everyone is expected to be perfect and not having a mother is probably bothering Millie. Her friends and the people around her are probably making her question the fact that she doesn’t have a mother a lot more than before,” Adrian said solemnly.

“I think I can understand that. It’s hard when you’re different from what society expects of you. However, I don’t think Millie should feel bad about not having a mother. She’s got you and I’m sure you’re an awesome father,” I said while trying to sound encouraging.

“I wished I’m that great of a father. I try my best, but I probably have a lot to work on and it’ll be great if you can work together with me to figure it all out,” Adrian said hopefully.

My eyes widened at his unexpected words. I had always thought that I would be tested when I met him, but it seemed like he just wanted to convince me to help him out.

“I would like to help you but...I’m not sure if I’m cut out for the job,” I replied honestly.

If Adrian is worried about how people around Millie is viewing her then I’m probably not the best candidate for the job. Apart from the fact that I had no experience with children, my personal history isn’t exactly perfect. It would be complicated for Millie to have a mother who was recently married to a con man who recently just committed suicide too.

“It’s unfortunate, what happened with your ex-husband,” Adrian said as his hand reached for mine from across the table.

“Oh...” I mumbled.

So, he knows...

Of course, he knows. Everyone knows...

“Sorry, I don’t think I should take this job after all. You may not think so, but I believe that my past will present more problems for Millie if I pose as her new mother,” I apologized before smiling regretfully at him.

“What if you just start by being my girlfriend? I mean, we don’t have to be engaged or married or anything. You can be her mother informally. You’ll just be dating me,” Adrian suggested as his hand tightened over mine.

“Then people can say that you have bad taste in women?” I teased as I shook my head at him.

“Why would you say something like that? Is it because of what your ex-husband did? His crimes are his and you are you, you should not confuse the two things together. I think that you’re a kind and honest person. Your beauty is also a good bonus to have by the way,” Adrian said so seriously that I was tempted to believe him.

I blinked at his words before I laughed quite loudly at him. Quickly, I tried to collect myself as I placed a hand over my mouth.

“I’m not as great of a woman that you’re trying to make me out to be,” I replied while still laughing lightly at the ridiculousness of his words.

“I disagree. What kind of woman would run out in front of a car to save a stranger in need?” he asked, and the earnest look in his eyes scared me.

“A stupid one...” I replied softly as I stared into his beautiful green eyes.

It’s weird. I came here with the objective to get hired but now that I’m here in front of him, I didn’t want to take on the job anymore. It wasn’t because I didn’t like Adrian, but it was probably because I had started to take a liking to him that I feared that I may cause trouble to him and his precious daughter.

“Won’t you consider my offer?” Adrian asked.

I couldn’t reply to him straight away. Instead, I looked down as I thought hard about what I should do. The truth was that I wanted to help him, but I wasn’t sure if I could do it well enough. I felt Adrian’s eyes on me, and I hesitated to look up to meet his kind green eyes.

–To be continued...