Second Chances

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There was only one good thing about tonight, and that was Emma was excited to see Marinette for the evening. Apparently, the new and exciting bedtime routine was building a fort with all the couch cushions then hiding inside it while Marinette read via flashlight.

Just the thought made Adrien smile.

Which was good because he was talking with the Rossis and all he wanted to do was cringe. Partly because the joke Mr. Rossi finished was terrible, but mostly because his good breeding dictated that he not shove Lila off his arm. However, if she stroked his bicep one more time, he was going to lose it.

Maybe he would just break his rule and ask for a second drink because drink number one was long gone and he had two more hours left of this event.

The buzz in his back pocket called his attention. While he normally would chastise anyone who pulled their phone out to scroll through it, he decided that as a man who had a daughter back home, he could check it.

It was from Marinette, and it was clearly a photo of some sort. Warmth burst through his chest when he saw the picture of the finished fort with Emma siting in the entrance way, holding Plagg and smiling widely. Look at my fort! the caption said.

Adrien chuckled.

"Who is that?"

His amusement faded upon hearing Lila's voice, remining him he wasn't alone. "My daughter built a pillow fort with her babysitter tonight."

Lila quickly took the phone from his hand and examined it. "Oh," she cooed. "So cute."

"I wasn't aware you had a child."

Adrien looked up to Mr. Rossi, noting the strain on the corners of the man's lips as he tried to hold a somewhat polite expression. "Yes. A four-year-old daughter."

He hummed. "No mother?"

"No."

His disapproval practically radiated off him. "Then who raises that child?"

"I have a nanny," Adrien answered, quickly disliking the direction this conversation was going.

"Ah," Mr. Rossi relaxed. "Good. Live-in, I assume?"

"No. Just daytime."

The disapproval returned. "Then who cares for her at night?"

"I do."

Mr. Rossi raised a brow. "You cannot be serious."

"Is there something wrong with that, sir?"

His mouth opened to say something, but Gabriel cleared his throat. The way Mr. Rossi paled under Gabriel's gaze gave Adrien some twisted amusement.

"No," Mr. Rossi answered tightly. "Nothing at all. Lila, I believe you had someone else you wished to introduce me to."

Considering the shock on Lila's face, her father was lying through his teeth in desperation for an out.

However, Adrien jumped at the chance of it being his out, too. "Good night, Lila," Adrien said, removing her hand from his arm and bowing before her to act the gentleman. "Pleasure conversing with you."