Chapter 5 - The Gift
By late afternoon, the rain had cleared, leaving the estate gardens washed in a crisp, autumn gold.
Lucian stepped through the heavy oak front doors, shedding his coat. The usual eerie silence of the house was gone. From the top of the grand staircase, he heard a sound that made him freeze in his tracks.
Giggling.
A high-pitched, joyous laugh echoed off the marble walls, followed by the soft pat-pat-pat of tiny feet.
Lucian walked up the stairs two at a time.
In the second-floor hallway, Maya was chasing a small, battery-operated toy puppy that bounced and barked across the runner rug. She was wearing a new yellow dress that Maria had bought her, her hair tied up in two messy buns with red ribbons.
When she saw Lucian, she stopped instantly. Her small eyes lit up, and without a single shred of fear, she ran straight toward him.
"Mr. Lucian! Look!" she shouted, pointing at the toy puppy. "He barks! He goes ruff-ruff!"
Lucian instinctively knelt down as she approached. Before he could react, Maya threw her small arms around his neck, hugging him tight. She smelled of strawberries and baby lotion.
Lucian went rigid. For eleven months, no one had touched him except to shake his hand in business or bandage a wound. He had forgotten the pure, unreserved warmth of a child’s embrace.
Slowly, hesitatingly, Lucian wrapped his broad arms around her small back, pulling her close against his chest. He rested his chin on her small shoulder, closing his eyes as a wave of warmth flooded through his frozen chest.
"Do you like the puppy, Maya?" he asked softly.
"I love him!" she beamed, pulling back to look at his face. "Sophia liked him too! She made a big smile!"
"Did she?" Lucian smiled—a real, genuine smile that reached his dark eyes for the first time in a year.
"Yes! Come see!"
Maya grabbed Lucian’s thumb with her small hand, pulling him down the hallway toward the nursery with all the strength her tiny body could muster. Lucian let himself be dragged like a willing giant.
Inside the nursery, baby Sophia was sitting up in her playpen, kicking her small feet. When she saw Lucian step into the room holding Maya’s hand, the baby let out a happy squeal, reaching her tiny arms out toward them.
Maria was sitting on the velvet sofa, holding a warm bottle. She stood up quickly, bowing her head. "Mr. Vance, I tried to keep her quiet—"
"Maria, please," Lucian said softly, stepping over to the playpen. He reached down and lifted baby Sophia into his arms, cradling her against his chest.
Sophia didn't cry. She rested her soft, round cheek against his collarbone, her tiny hand reaching up to grab the fabric of his dark shirt.
Maya stood beside his knee, leaning her cheek against his leg, looking up at the baby.
For the first time since the crash, the nursery didn't feel like a memorial to a dead woman. It felt like a home.
Lucian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, velvet-wrapped box. He knelt down, holding it out to Maya.
"What's this?" Maya asked, her eyes round with wonder.
"Open it," Lucian murmured.
Maya carefully pulled the ribbon and opened the lid. Inside lay a brand-new, hand-crafted plush rabbit. It was made of the softest cream cashmere, with silver stitching along the paws, and two long, pristine ears.
Maya gasped, her tiny hand hovering over the velvet box. "A new Barnaby?"
"He’s Barnaby’s brother," Lucian said gently. "So Barnaby doesn't get lonely when he stays with Sophia."
Maya looked up at Lucian, her eyes filled with a pure, overwhelming joy that money could never buy. She didn't just take the bunny; she threw her arms around Lucian’s neck again, kissing his cheek.
"Thank you, Daddy Lucian!" she squealed.
The room went dead silent.
Maria gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror. "Maya! No! You cannot call him that!"
Maya pulled back, looking confused and frightened by her mother’s sudden panic. "I... I'm sorry..."
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Lucian sat on the floor, holding his infant daughter in one arm, staring at the little girl who had just spoken the word he thought he would never hear again.
"It’s okay, Maria," Lucian said, his voice thick with unshed tears. He looked at Maya, reaching out to cup her tiny face in his warm palm. "It’s okay, Maya. You can call me whatever you want."
