Chapter 3 They Look So Much Alike

Belle's POV: Both Leroy and I froze in shock, and then I felt his sharp gaze fix on my face. He must think I'm trying to use my child to get close to him. "Mr. Tucker, please don't misunderstand," I rushed to explain. "She's probably just been watching too many cartoons." Leroy let out a soft scoff, clearly about to say something, but Moona interrupted him. My daughter gazed up at him, her eyes sparkling, and reached out her chubby little hands. "I want Daddy to hold me. Daddy smells so nice." Leroy froze, and I stammered, "She's just babbling ... please don't take it seriously!" A nearby nurse looked at us in bewilderment. "You two are strange. The child wants her daddy to hold her, and you're both refusing?" "No, it's not ... " I started to explain, but Leroy had already leaned down. "I'll hold her." I stood there, dumbfounded, as I watched Leroy carefully lift Moona into his arms and sit down on the edge of the hospital bed with her. Moona's little hands clutched tightly to Leroy's black shirt, her face filled with contentment. Normally, Moona was clingy only with me. This was the first time I'd ever seen her so attached to a stranger. Could it be that my little girl has a thing for handsome men? I lowered my head and murmured, "Mr. Tucker, I'm really sorry for all the trouble. She's not usually this affectionate ... " Leroy sat on the edge of the bed, holding Moona, his head down as he gazed intently at the little one in his arms. "My name is Moona Harmon," she said, snuggling against him, her long lashes still wet with tears. "Daddy, you're as handsome as my brother!" Leroy looked taken aback. I quickly explained, "Oh! I often tell her at home that her brother is handsome and she's pretty, so she remembers it. Whenever she sees a boy she likes, she says he looks like her brother." "You have a son, too?" Leroy looked up at me for the first time. "How old is he?" "He's the same age as her—eighteen months," I said with a happy smile. "They're twins, a boy and a girl." "That's wonderful," Leroy said, smiling slightly. Then he added, "You and your husband must be very happy." I lowered my gaze, biting my lip slightly. "The children don't have a father." Leroy raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What, did you reproduce asexually?" Not wanting him to ask further questions, I said, "I was already separated when I got pregnant, so the children aren't related to him." "Well." Leroy nodded, seeming to drop the topic. "Um ... " I changed the subject. "Mr. Tucker, it's almost one o'clock now. You haven't eaten lunch yet. How about I order some takeout?" "Just get something for yourself," Leroy said in his low, pleasant voice. "I won't be staying to eat." "Fine, forget it," I said. "I'll take the child now. You can head home. I really appreciate your help today." Leroy didn't hesitate. He gently passed Moona back to me. Moona had finally fallen asleep, no longer clinging to Leroy. As I watched him walk away, I felt an inexplicable sense of relief; being around him made me a bit tense. We'd exchanged contact information, but I hadn't expected that just a short while later, I would receive a message from him. "I ordered lunch for you. Wait for it to arrive." I held my phone, frowning slightly. His thoughtfulness was almost too much, bringing up some unpleasant memories. After some thought, I typed a quick reply. "Thank you." Before long, someone arrived with a lunchbox. But the person who brought it wasn't a typical delivery worker—it was a man in his thirties, dressed in a navy suit and neatly tied tie. He didn't look like he was here to deliver food. He had an ID badge around his neck, though he'd tucked it into his jacket pocket. "Ms. Harmon?" The man smiled professionally. "I'm here to deliver your lunch." "Thank you," I said, my curiosity piqued. "Where is your restaurant located? You seem very professional." The man didn't answer directly. Instead, he opened the lunchbox efficiently and laid out four dishes and a soup. One of the dishes was shrimp egg custard, clearly prepared specifically for a child. "Sir," I said, startled, "this must have been expensive, right?" "Not at all. Just some simple home-style dishes," the man replied with a smile. "They're here for you and your child. Enjoy them while they're hot." As he spoke, he glanced at Moona lying on the hospital bed, her big eyes blinking at him. He muttered under his breath, "They look so much alike ... " Then he packed up the empty lunchbox, nodded politely, and left. I turned back to look at my daughter. They look so much alike ... Of course my daughter looked like me! My son and daughter must have inherited the best features from both parents. They were adorable no matter how I looked at them. I should be grateful to the man I'd never met who'd given me such wonderful babies. But if I'd known what lay ahead, I would never have felt gratitude toward that man ...