When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 351

“Let me think... For dinner, how about beef stew, fried chicken wings, and some salad? We’ll have lots of tomatoes, since that’s your favorite, Carrie, and I really want some pudding as dessert.”

Nelly rattled off the menu without hesitation. As soon as Carrie heard her favorite foods, she clapped her hands in excitement.

“Wow, that sounds amazing!”

“These are all pretty simple dishes, is that okay?”

Nelly glanced up, and realized Brody had somehow ended up right in front of her. They were standing so close she could feel his presence, the subtle scent of his cologne drifting over her.

“Alright,” Brody said, nodding. “If you want me to cook, I’ll do it.”

His words were so close and quiet, Nelly’s eyelashes fluttered. For a second, she was speechless. She’d only meant to tease him. She thought for sure he’d refuse, just like she expected.

Brody kept his eyes on her, and suddenly the air between them felt warmer, heavier. After a few seconds, Nelly snapped back to herself and sidestepped away from him.

“Okay, then. The kitchen is yours.”

Nelly left the kitchen at a brisk pace, trying to calm her racing heart.

This was the second time he’d made her lose her cool, made her mind go totally blank. The first time was on the runway, when he had picked her up out of nowhere.

But she knew she shouldn’t react to Brody at all. It just felt like she was just asking for trouble.

She gave herself a mental warning, then brought Carrie back to their room.

While they waited for dinner, Nelly played some video games with Carrie.

Even though the apartment was set up mostly for Nelly, she’d bought a game console for Carrie and picked up the latest game cartridges too. When she first moved out, she never thought she’d end up playing games with her daughter in this place.

Thinking about it made Carrie sit up a little straighter, proud of her mom and kind of proud of herself too.

“Mom, can we draw together?”

Hearing Carrie’s voice, Nelly hurried to finish her reply and set down her phone.

“Why do you suddenly want to draw?”

She pinched Carrie’s nose, curious.

Every day after preschool, Nelly usually made Carrie do her homework first, then let her draw, and only after that could she play games.

To Nelly, Carrie was really talented at drawing. She’d never had the chance to chase her own dreams, so she wanted to help her daughter follow hers.