Too Late To Love Me I Already Left With His Twins (Lydia and Dave) novel Chapter 239

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Known

Theard him laughing.

My stomach tightened.

I didn’t know why that bothered me.

I had no reason for it to bother me.

Still…

Something inside me shifted unpleasantly.

I knocked.

The room went quiet.

“Come in.”

I opened the door.

Lydia looked toward me.

Her phone was still in her hand.

I smiled politely.

“I just wanted to say goodnight.”

Her expression softened.

“Goodnight, Theo.”

I hesitated.

“I also wanted to apologize again.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.”

“Your kids are incredible.”

She smiled.

“They are.”

I looked back at her.

For one strange second, I wanted to say something else.

Something about Miranda.

Something about Dave.

Something about the way hearing his name had suddenly made me feel like a man who had no business feeling anything at all.

Instead, I swallowed it.

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“Goodnight.”

Goodnight.”

Пeft.

The moment the door closed behind me, I stood in the hallway.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Why did the thought of Dave bother me?

Why had hearing his name made my chest tighten?

And why, for the first time in a very long time…

Did I feel jealous of a man I had never even met?

I had no answer.

And I hated that I wanted one.

The next morning,

My phone was already in my hand before I even realized I was about to call her.

I glanced at the time, then at Miriam sitting quietly in the back seat, still touching her cheeks every few seconds as though she was afraid the faint traces of blush Lydia had put on her would disappear. She had been talking about Lydia almost the entire drive, jumping from one subject to another, and somehow every story ended with, ” Lydia said…” or “Lydia did…”

Í shook my head, smiling to myself.

This child had known the woman for barely a day.

Yet somehow, she had already adopted her.

I pressed Lydia’s name and put the call through the car speakers.

She answered after a few rings.

“Hello?”

“Lydia.”

Her voice immediately softened with recognition. “Hi, Theo.”

I glanced at Miriam through the mirror before asking the most ridiculous question I had ever asked another adult.

“How do I remove blush from a child’s face?”

There was a beat of silence.

“What?”

I laughed under my breath. “Miriam.”

I tilted my head toward the back seat.

“She says she doesn’t want to wash her face because she likes your lipstick.”

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“It’s blush, Theo.”

Whatever it is, apparently it’s precious.”

“It is.”

“I figured that out.”

I could hear the smile in her voice, and for some inexplicable reason, hearing her laugh made me smile too.

“She refuses to let me clean it off,” I continued. “Apparently, removing it would be some kind of personal betrayal.”

Lydia laughed again.

“Use a wet wipe.

“A wet wipe?”

“Yes, Theo. A normal baby wipe. Just gently clean her face.”

I glanced around the car, as if there was any possibility that a pack of baby wipes would suddenly materialize.

“Where do I find one?”

She laughed louder this time.

“Are you serious?”

“I’ve been informed that I’m apparently useless in this department.’

“You can find baby wipes in literally every supermarket.”

“Excellent. That’s reassuring.”

I was about to respond when a tiny voice suddenly came from the back seat.

“Daddy?”

I glanced at the mirror.

“What?”

Miriam leaned forward slightly, her chin resting against the back of the seat.

“Can I live with Lydia?”

My smile disappeared.

For a second, I genuinely wondered if I had heard her correctly.

“Miriam…”

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