Chapter 1219:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

He’d spoiled her, too, but he’d never slacked on being strict when the moment called for it. With Candy, though, his tolerance seemed to have no limits. He was an absolute pushover.

Case in point. The moment Candy tugged at his pant leg, he scooped her right up, letting the little girl do whatever she pleased, tugging at his face, squishing his cheeks.

Kailey instinctively started to reach out, ready to intervene, but the gentle, impossibly tender look on his face stopped her cold.

He really, truly loved Candy. So moments like this must make him happy.

“Things were different back then.” Ryan was so focused on Candy that he didn’t meet Kailey’s gaze. Or maybe he did, and simply chose to pretend otherwise. A day like this was no time for sorrow.

“Kailey, when I was raising you, I hadn’t really grown up myself.” His voice was soft, reflective. “I probably got a lot of things wrong. You have to forgive me for that, and don’t follow my example.”

He looked down at the little girl in his arms. She was looking right back at him. Her eyes were so bright. No jewel in the world could compare.

Candy laughed and scrambled up his chest as if she were climbing a tree.

Ryan couldn’t hold it back. Two muffled, heavy coughs broke free from his chest.

Kailey quickly lifted Candy out of his arms and handed him his thermos. “See? This is what happens when you spoil her rotten.”

He took a couple of slow sips, forcing the feeling down. “Our Candy deserves to be spoiled.”

𝗜𝗻𝘁enѕe 𝗋𝗈𝗆𝗮𝗇сe 𝘰ո ga𝗹n𝗼𝘃𝖾l𝘴.𝘤o𝗺

His lips had gone a little pale, and his face had grown so thin that even his smile seemed hollow. “Isn’t that right? Hmm?”

Candy clapped her chubby little hands. “Ah!” Grandpa Ryan is the best!

She tried to wriggle free from her mother’s lap again, but this time Kailey held her firmly and didn’t let go. She handed Candy a teething biscuit and gently pinched her cheek. “Grandpa Ryan needs to rest now. How about you take a break too, hmm?”

Candy protested, even as her tiny hands automatically shoved the biscuit into her mouth.

Mother and daughter locked eyes, staring each other down in a silent battle of wills.

Ryan said nothing, his expression softening into something impossibly tender. He barely had any strength left. But now, every single moment he could still spend with them was a gift. He didn’t want to miss a single one.

Before long, the coals were ready. The sizzle of grilling meat drifted through the air, the smell alone enough to make everyone’s mouth water. Aleena was a master at this; her secret recipe was legendary.

Kailey wheeled Ryan’s chair closer to the grill and adjusted Candy’s mat.

“Felicity, what do you want? I’ll cook it for you.” Caspian rolled up his sleeves, looking as if he were about to put on a serious performance.

This surprised everyone. He looked like the kind of pampered young master who’d never lifted a finger in the kitchen. Could he even barbecue?

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