Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 593

When I finally made it back to the country, it had already been five days.

Exhausted, I headed straight home. Other than a few nannies, plus Serena and Brandon, Alicia's presence was notably absent. She had returned to Rosemont two days prior to handle the situation with her matchmaking date. She couldn't avoid it forever.

Then there was the incident with Sean getting injured—punished severely by his father's strict hand. That man was ruthless; even with serious injuries, he still managed to come after Alicia.

"Ma... Ma... Ma..." I was playing with Serena, tickling her little toes, when she suddenly let out a few garbled sounds.

"Ma, ma, ma..." she repeated.

I paused, stunned, then the nanny holding Brandon exclaimed with delight, "Oh my, is Serena calling out for mommy now?!"

Calling for mommy?

I snapped back to reality, a wave of joy washing over me. Curiously, I watched Serena's mouth, "Serena, can you say 'mommy' again?"

Serena gazed back, her tiny fingers in her mouth, dribbling clear drool everywhere. After I wiped her chin clean with a napkin, I coaxed her, "Come on, say 'mom-my'."

I enunciated each syllable, but Serena, oblivious, just stared with her large, enchanting eyes, her lashes as thick and dramatic as sunflowers, utterly adorable and beautiful.

"Ms. Finch, don't worry, Serena is just starting to babble. It's unconscious; she doesn't know what she's saying. Give her some time, she'll understand soon enough." The nanny quickly reassured me.

Having children later in life, most people my age had kids already in school, capable of small chores, while here I was, overjoyed by an unconscious babble.

I tried to compose myself, nodding, "I see, it's my first time being a mom, so I'm a bit clueless. Is it normal for Brandon to start talking later?"

I glanced over at the nanny holding Brandon.

Brandon, absorbed in studying his hands, looked up curiously when he heard his name.

"Boys tend to start speaking later than girls, but it varies. As long as they're healthy and happy, that's what matters." The nanny responded.

I wasn't sure about the details, but as long as Serena and Brandon were growing up well, that was enough.

I spent the night trying to capture a moment of Serena calling "mommy" on my phone, but all I got was her saying "da, da, da."

The nanny suggested she might be trying to say "daddy."

My heart sank. It wasn't that I didn't want Serena to learn "daddy" first, but I couldn't give her a father. One day, she and Brandon would envy other kids for having dads and ask me where theirs was...

The thought gave me a headache.

I looked at the video on my phone, ultimately deciding not to share my joy with anyone else.

"Irene!"

Turning around, I saw him approaching with a steaming cup of coffee. Surprised, I wondered why he was still around since Hiram had been incarcerated. Did he plan to wait for Hiram's release?

Was Neil aware that Hiram wasn't his biological son?

"Huh?" I greeted Cooper, my curiosity piqued by his unexpected presence.

"I thought I was mistaken, but you're back from overseas?" Cooper offered the coffee, "You look tired. You've been taking care of your dad, right? Here, have some coffee to perk up."

I hesitated to accept the coffee, feeling the distance between us.

Noticing my reluctance, Cooper dropped the pretense. With his status, becoming close friends wasn't likely, but he was straightforward. "Mitch went to Eldoria; he couldn't stay. So he asked me to wait here for you, to inquire about his ex-wife."

It was a tale of deep-seated emotions, indeed.

Watching Cooper with a mix of sympathy and amusement, I couldn't help but comment, "So, you're sticking around playing cupid for Mitch, huh? What got into you, deciding to dive into the chaos of relationships without actually being in one?"

Caught off guard, Cooper let out a heavy sigh, the frustration evident in his voice. "I didn't sign up for this, honestly. What can I do, though? Both Mitch and Neil are tangled up in their love woes. As their buddy, apart from offering my two cents, there's not much else I can do..."

"Mind your own business," Neil's icy voice suddenly cut through the air from behind me, sending a chill down my spine.