When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 350

The moment Nelly saw Brody, her smile completely disappeared. She set Carrie down right away and fixed him with a cold, piercing stare. “Brody, are you some kind of clingy sticker?” she asked, voice sharp. She honestly couldn’t figure out what his deal was, following her all the way from France and still not letting go.

Brody didn’t seem bothered. He’d clearly expected her to be distant. “Carrie missed you,” he said calmly. “And I bought a bunch of your favorite foods.”

“My favorites?” Nelly almost laughed. He didn’t even know what she liked.

Before she could say anything else, Carrie dove into the shopping bags, making them rattle. “It’s true, Mommy! Daddy got so many things you love!”

Nelly glanced over despite herself. The bags really were stuffed with the ingredients she usually bought, and even some hard-to-find snacks she used to be obsessed with. Yeah, used to. She hadn’t eaten that kind of thing in ages.

“Let’s talk inside,” Brody suggested when he noticed her hesitation. “Carrie and I have been waiting out here for a while.”

For Carrie’s sake, Nelly gave in and opened the door. Brody was already here. They might as well get this conversation over with.

Once inside, Nelly took a bag from Brody and turned to Carrie. “So, what do you want to eat?”

Carrie tilted her head, thinking about it. “Anything! I love whatever you make, Mommy!”

Nelly felt exhaustion wash over her. “I’m a little tired today. I don’t really feel like cooking. Maybe we could just keep it simple?” The words slipped out before she could stop them. She even caught herself off guard. Before, if Carrie wanted her to cook, it didn’t matter how tired or sick she was. She would always make something.

Carrie had never tasted anything her father made. In her memory, if Brody so much as stepped into the kitchen to heat up leftovers, Marian would rush in saying, “Sir, you shouldn’t be doing that sort of thing.” It was like her dad was banned from the kitchen.

Brody paused, water bottle in hand, and almost choked. He shot Nelly a look. She was definitely doing this on purpose.

“How do we know if we don’t try?” Nelly smiled at Carrie. “Your dad is so talented. Something like this should be easy for him, right?”

“Yeah! Daddy’s amazing, so his cooking has to be amazing too!” Carrie was back on board, her faith renewed thanks to Nelly’s encouragement.

Brody clearly had no plans to cook, but before he could get a word in, Nelly and Carrie were already teaming up, leaving him no way out. Nelly just rolled up her sleeves and started pulling ingredients out of the bags.