As the plane leveled out, Mia stood up and apologized to the other first-class passengers, “I’m really sorry, everyone. My kid is super young and this is his first flight, so he was scared. Sorry for any trouble he caused.”
After she spoke, she handed out little apology gifts she had prepared beforehand, having the flight attendant distribute them to everyone.
“Mrs. Cedillo, most kids are like this on their first flight. We totally understand,” someone from the back said.
Mia was taken aback, “You know me?”
“Not personally, but I do know Andre. Who else would be with him but Mrs. Cedillo?”
Andre chuckled, dropping his CEO facade for a moment, and greeted the stranger next to him.
“Wow, it really is Andre! We didn’t dare to acknowledge him at first, in case we were wrong. Hello, Andre,” another passenger said.
Usually reserved, Andre responded to each greeting.
As the plane steadied and with the comfort of his father’s arms, Henry gradually stopped crying.
“Andre, can we see Henry? Everyone online says he’s super cute, and we’ve never seen him in person.”
Andre looked down at his son, whose eyelashes were still wet with tears, and smiled, “Yeah, he’s our little crybaby.”
Mia stood up with her son, giving everyone a quick look at their little bundle, “Our kid is adorable, but boy, does he cry.”
She then interacted with her son, “Isn’t mommy right, sweetie?”
Henry’s little mouth quivered, and tears were about to fall again, so Mia quickly handed him back to Andre. “He’s clingy with his dad right now.”
Shortly after, the flight attendant approached, addressing Andre directly since he was by the aisle, “Mr. Cedillo, Mrs. Cedillo, can I get you anything?”
Henry clung tightly to his dad’s hand as Andre bent down to pick up the pacifier Henry had dropped and asked for a cup of hot water.
Soon, the hot water arrived. To keep Henry from reaching for the hot cup, Andre handed him to Mia while he sterilized the pacifier.
Mia pinched her son’s chubby cheeks, “Here’s your pacifier back.”
“Mmm-oh!”
Feeling the cabin getting cooler, Mia opened a package and wrapped Henry in a light blanket, “Sleepy?”
Andre handed her another blanket, “You should cover up and take a nap too.”
The brown blanket wrapped around Henry made him look like a tiny, adorable cocoon, reminding Mia of when he was just two months old.
“Honey, I’m not tired.”
Henry had napped in his uncle’s arms all afternoon, so he wasn’t sleepy either.
Mia turned him around and opened the window shade, letting him look at the clouds outside, “Little explorer, take a good look at the world.”
Henry was mesmerized by the clouds.
After a while, Andre got up to make a bottle of formula using the hot water, skillfully preparing it for Henry.
The passengers behind them were amazed, not expecting Andre to handle it himself and so proficiently.
“Henry, time for your formula,” Andre said, sitting down and handing the bottle to his son.
Half-reclining in Mia’s arms, Henry drank the formula, gazing out the small window at the sky.
When he was calm, the world seemed as soft as the clouds.
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