Before It's Too Late

Chapter 34

UPON HEARING THE VOICE that called her name, Ella stopped what she was doing. She stood and ran towards the man walking.

"Daddy!" Ella shouted and burst into giggles.

From a distance, Avery felt the father-daughter bond between the two. It brought back the memory of the warmth and love she felt around her dad when she was the same age as Ella. It pierced her heart a little. How could she be enough for her little bean, knowing there would be no constant father in the picture?

Guilt for her baby slowly disturbed her. Quickly, she gathered Ella's stuff and placed it back inside the backpack. When she turned around to hand it to the nanny, it surprised her to stand face to face with the man holding a smiling Ella on his arm.

One. Hotness. Of. A. Man. In his mid-thirties, he had bristly eyebrows, defined cheekbones, a well-chiseled jaw, masculine tanned skin, and endowed with the most enchanting smile of a male species Avery had ever seen. Taking from what Ella's very hot dad was wearing, from head to toe, he was one hotshot. No wonder Ella's stuff, her clothes and shoes, and a nanny in tow spoke of such wealth.

Avery felt intimidated. The hot dad in front of her made carrying a seven-year-old girl in his left arm look like a GQ magazine cover sold out within seconds of its release. She felt uneasy standing with only Ella's tiny legs and arms in between them. Uneasiness turned into embarrassment when, without warning, Ella took her hand and clamped it with her dad's right hand.

The little girl's action stunned Avery. For a moment, it deterred her brain cells. She felt a tingling sensation on her skin that turned into small butterflies inside her stomach, which ended in an erratic pounding in her chest. Her eyes gawked at her hand, sandwiched between the hot dad's and Ella's tiny one. She tensed. Astonished. Muted. Her eyes sauntered between their three hands, Ella's blinking eyes, and the mesmerizing gaze of the captivating man in front of her.

Though Ella's innocent act amazed her dad, Avery's obvious discomfort concerned him more. He didn't want to ruffle the nerves of the fascinating presence standing before him.

"Ethan... Ella's dad." Slowly, he shook the same hand clasped into his. "Princess! I'm your princess, Dad!" Ella corrected with a pout, which made both adults laugh. Avery's laugh turned into a chuckle, watching the still-pouting little girl. "Avery Jackson."

"She is Miss Pretty Dad!" Ella butted in as she nuzzled Avery's cheek gently.

Ethan's eyes grew with awe, gazing into Avery's eyes. He wanted to savor the chance of knowing every detail of Avery's face. Ever since his daughter mentioned finding her Miss Pretty, he had been curious. What did the only woman who had smitten his choosy daughter look like? How did she charm a seven-year-old and make her never forget about her? Now that he was gazing at her, he only had two words for Avery. Bewitchingly Beautiful.

He chuckled, seeing hairpins in multiple spots on top of Avery's brown hair. Her almond-shaped eyes sparked in confusion. Though her smile was beyond gorgeous, sadness and uncertainty mirrored in the depths of her light hazel eyes, one crucial thing that didn't escape Ethan's sight.

He gradually removed the first hairpin he could reach to disregard the sudden jolt of emotions he could not define. But his action worsened when Avery panicked and grabbed his hand. Their abrupt skin-to-skin contact caused both of them to stare into each other's eyes. Unspoken words confused them both. There was a deafening stillness.

"Ella!" a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Mama Ste! You're here!" Ella gestured for her to be released from her dad's arms. Then, happily, she walked toward the woman she called Mama Ste, the same doctor Stella Avery had met a few hours ago.