Michael felt remorseful.
Michael regretted that he didn’t find an opportunity to spend ti with Leah alone earlier.
If he were to find an opportunity to spend ti with Leah alone earlier, he would have found out that Leah was his daughter long ago.
The earlier conversation that Michael had with Leah foreshadowed the later probing questions.
However, Leah exposed the truth herself before Michael even started probing into the situation.
"Uncle Michael, you didn’t know about it?" Leah asked Michael, blinking her big innocent eyes.
Michael initially thought of Leah as Todd’s daughter. He even treated Leah differently because of their relationship.
Then, Michael frowned at Leah’s question.
It was obviously Wendy’s decision to have Todd bring Leah to Lake City as Leah’s father.
The purpose why Wendy did so was obvious too. She didn’t want him to know of Leah’s existence. She didn’t want him to know that he had another daughter.
It ant that Wendy really hated him. She hated him so much that she didn’t want him to know his own daughter.
Michael’s excitent instantly vanished. His mood hit rock bottom, thinking of the possible reason behind Wendy’s action.
"Uncle Michael?" Leah called when she saw that Michael didn’t reply to her.
Michael ca back to reality and stroked Leah’s head gently. He forced a smile and said, "It is probably because it is more convenient if I didn’t know that both of you are twins."
Needless to say, Leah didn’t understand what Michael ant when he said that.
Michael’s expression grew gentle, looking into Leah’s confused eyes. He had a daughter.
He had a daughter with Wendy.
He recalled the ti when he saw Todd with Leah. He was envious of Todd having a daughter. He was even wondering to himself that it’d be great if he ever had a daughter himself too.
Who would have guessed that he already had a daughter long ago?
Michael took a deep breath to suppress his turbulent emotions. He tried hard to make himself look calm.
He started the car engine and asked Leah, "Leah, what is your surna?"
When Todd introduced Leah, he said that her surna was Lewis.
Michael really thought Leah was Todd’s daughter. Hence, he wasn’t doubtful of her na. But then he found out that she was his daughter. He assud that Leah should use Wendy’s surna.
As expected, Leah replied, "I shared the sa surna as mommy, Stewart."
Leah forgot what Todd said before.
She was five years old after all and she wasn’t as intelligent as Jake.
Michael’s hand on the steering wheel gripped tighter.
He couldn’t help but nodded with a smile, saying, "Okay..."
Leah realized that she didn’t understand what Michael said.
She propped her head sideways and smiled, looking at him. She asked again, "Uncle Michael, you haven’t replied yet. Why should I call you ’daddy’?"
"Because I..." Michael wanted to say that it was because he was her dad.
Michael stopped before he blurted it out.
Wendy hid it from him on intention because she didn’t want him to know that Leah was his daughter.
If he were to get Leah to call him ’daddy’ then, Wendy lost her mory and couldn’t rember anything but Jake rembered.
It wasn’t easy to fool his son around.
Michael owed Wendy too much. He didn’t want to upset or disappoint Wendy anymore.
He hoped that there would be a day when Wendy could tell him personally that they had a pair of son and daughter.
Michael hesitated before he said, "Because Uncle Michael is pulling a prank on you."
Leah heard and she responded in disappointnt.
"What happened Leah?" Michael noticed how unhappy Leah was.
"Jake and I don’t have a dad since young. I have always wanted a daddy," Leah let out a sigh.
Michael heard disappointnt in his daughter’s tone and he felt bad.
They should have been a blessed family living together in peace. But in the end, he didn’t even have the courage to recognize his own daughter.
"If Uncle Michael is your daddy, will you be happy?" Michael asked Leah.
Leah bead with joy when she heard Michael’s question. She answered, "Yeah... I like Uncle Michael a lot but..."
"But what?" Michael asked when he heard Leah’s happy tone suddenly beca down.
"Mommy doesn’t like daddy," Leah said, hanging her head low. She continued, "I used to ask for daddy all the ti in the past. Then, Jake told that we have no daddy and we can’t bring up anything about daddy. Otherwise, mommy will be upset. So, I have never brought up about daddy anymore."
Michael was down in the dumps when he heard Leah’s tender voice fueled with sorrow.
"Uncle Michael is going to play a ga with you," Michael said.
"What ga?"
"Let tell you a secret. I am your daddy. But only we can know about this. You can’t tell mommy. You can’t tell Jake too. Alright?"
Michael couldn’t bear seeing Leah in despondent.
"Why?" Leah asked, looking confused.
"Well, let ask you. Do you wish that I am your daddy?"
"Yes," Leah answered, nodding her head intensely.
"But mommy doesn’t want it. So, this will be a ga between the two of us. You can’t let mommy and Jake find out. Otherwise, they would be upset. By then, we can’t play this ga anymore."
Michael felt like he was fooling a child. But Leah was really his daughter.
"If so, alright then." Although Leah felt that no one could share the good news with her if she didn’t tell her mom and brother. But she thought through it and felt that it would be nice to have a daddy.
"Can you call ’daddy’ then?" Michael asked with anticipation.
"Daddy..."
She called and Michael imdiately felt extrely gratified.
It was his daughter calling him ’daddy’ for the first ti.
"Yes!" Michael responded, wearing a contented smile.
The pair of father and daughter chatted casually as they arrived at a toy store.
Michael allowed Leah to pick any toy.
Although Leah liked Barbie dolls, she was considerate when it ca to picking toys.
She only picked two. When she found one that she preferred more, she would put the previous one back.
Michael saw what she did and he asked, "Why did you put the toy back?"
"It would be a waste if I buy too many. I will just pick the one I like the most," Leah replied innocently.
"It’s okay. You can buy more. Go ahead and take whatever you like." Michael did not lack money. On top of that, the money would be spent on her daughter.
Forget about the toys, he would imdiately organize a space team if Leah wanted a star in the sky.
"Then, can I pick three?" Leah asked. She then picked another extra one happily.
Not only did Leah pick up toys for herself, she also picked so for her brother too.
When they were done buying toys, Michael brought her to buy a lot of clothes as well.
Michael finally had a chance to buy a princess tutu dress in the shopping mall for his daughter.
Michael brought Leah to many stores and bought many things.
Michael couldn’t carry them alone. So, he called Mr. York to send help to carry their haul.
In the end, the trip to buy toys beca a shopping spree.
However, the shopping spree didn’t wash away Michael’s happiness of having a daughter.
The mont he thought of himself having a cute daughter, he couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lip into a smile.
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