Chapter 11 You Must Love Mommy Forever " This place is close to both my office and Eloise's future preschool , " Caroline explained . " Since it's just the two of us , this smaller house feels more intimate . We'll stay here for the next few years , though if you think it's too small, we could always move somewhere larger . " Alistair thought Caroline was humble - bragging , but then realized he was being overly sensitive . She was just stating facts . For a CEO making hundreds of millions annually , owning multiple large properties was perfectly normal , wasn't it ? Still , Alistair was taken aback that Caroline was actually asking for his opinion . " No need , " he replied . " This place is perfect . " By his estimate , it was over 2,000 square feet , more than enough space . And it wasn't that he was being picky . He simply didn't like living in houses that were too big , especially with so few people . The emptiness made his heart feel hollow too , leaving him with a sense of insecurity . a a to ajours Chapter 11 You Must Love Mommy Forever 2/8 Alistair glanced around , suddenly confronted with a question he couldn't avoid . Where would I sleep tonight ? He and Caroline were legally married , even without having gone through with the wedding ceremony . They might not have discussed any rules about what happens behind closed doors , but at the end of the day , their marriage was still nothing but a facade . Caroline pointed to a door . " That's Eloise's room . " Alistair had guessed as much , since Eloise had immediately disappeared through that door when they arrived and had firmly closed it behind her . Who knew what she was up to in there . Caroline then pointed to the door to the left of Eloise's . " That room is yours . " Just then , Eloise's door swung open . " Mom , I want to get something yummy . Can I ask Alistair … I mean , can Dad take me ? " It was a quick correction . As Caroline watched Eloise leading Alistair away by the hand , her feelings were all over the place . Now that she had a father , her daughter was forgetting about Chapter 11 You Must Love Mommy Forever her mother . 3/8 Caroline couldn't deny feeling a twinge of jealousy . But mostly , she felt happy . She could already see Eloise growing more attached to Alistair , forming a bond that would eventually make it impossible for him to leave them behind . Let him go when he found his soulmate ? That was just an excuse to lower his guard . Caroline couldn't quite pinpoint the real source of her obsession with him . All she knew was that she wanted to hold onto him tightly and never let go . Eloise's small hand fit snugly in Alistair's larger one as they walked together . He deliberately slowed his pace to accommodate her shorter legs . When he glanced down at her , she happened to look up at the same moment , their eyes meeting . Eloise stared at him with a curiously blank expression . Alistair decided to crouch down to her level . " Eloise , do you not want me to be your dad ? " Eloise blinked in surprise , then shook her head vigorously , her Chapter 11 You Must Love Mommy Forever 4/8 little pigtails swinging from side to side . " That's not it at all ! I'm super happy you're going to be my dad ! " " But you don't seem very happy , " Alistair pointed out . Eloise looked down at her feet for a long moment before raising her head again . In her sweet , childish voice , she asked , " Ali - I mean , Dad , do you like my mom ? " Alistair was momentarily speechless . " Yes , I do , " he finally answered . Eloise kept her head down , nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt . " Dad , I promise I'll be really , really good from now on . I won't cause any trouble . " The timid little girl in front of him seemed completely different from the cheerful child who had so happily called him Alistair before . " What's wrong , Eloise ? " he asked gently . " Don't be afraid . We're going to be a family now . You can tell me anything . " His reassurance seemed to give her courage . She looked up at him and asked , " You don't mind that my mom comes with me as a burden ? " Now it was Alistair's turn to be stunned . He stared at her , completely taken aback . It was hard to believe these words came from a little girl who should be carefree and who usually was exactly that kind of Chapter 11 You Must Love Mommy Forever innocent child . Seeing her trying so hard to be serious made Alistair's chest tighten with an unexpected ache . He couldn't quite name the painful mix of sympathy and concern he felt . " Who told you that stuff about being a burden ? " he asked . 5/8 " At Great - Grandma's house . A lady told me I was a burden and that Mom would never find a husband because of me . She said even if Mom did find someone , he'd only love her money , not her . I- " " Eloise ! " Alistair gripped her shoulders , his expression suddenly . serious . Eloise looked up at him , confused . That was when Alistair noticed a single tear hanging from her long , curled eyelashes . Alistair knew nothing about Eloise's biological father or Caroline's past relationships . He didn't plan to ask . It didn't feel like his place to pry . He looked straight into her eyes and spoke slowly , emphasizing each word , " Eloise , you are not a burden . You're our little angel , everyone's little angel ! I became your dad because … " He steeled himself for a white lie . " Because I love your mom . And Eloise , do you really think I'm just after money ? " Though , honestly , the allowance Caroline gave him was incredibly tempting . But if it had been Rebecca and her son Chapter 11 You Must Love Mommy Forever 6/8 instead ? Alistair wasn't trying to sound noble , but even if Rebecca offered him 100 million dollars a month , he wouldn't go back to that dark , undignified life again . He feared he wouldn't survive to spend it all anyway . One wrong move and he might drop dead from depression . It was definitely not worth it . Eloise's eyes widened with excitement . " Then Alistair … no , wait , I mean Dad … will you love my mom forever ? Will you stay with her always so she's never alone ? Promise ? " Alistair told himself this wasn't really a lie . It was just a kind one . He nodded . " Of course . ' " Then let's pinky swear on it ! " Eloise held out her tiny pinky finger , beaming with joy . Alistair wrapped his much larger pinky around her soft little one , making the pledge with all the seriousness it deserved . He felt something light and pure float through his heart , creating gentle ripples of warmth . " Pinky promise , cross my heart , no breaking it ever ! " Do angels exist in this world ? They absolutely do . Like this super adorable little girl named Eloise whose hand I'm holding right now . Caroline had been willing to marry a stranger her daughter felt close to , all for her daughter's sake . 7/8 Chapter 11 You Must Love Mommy Forever And now Eloise , behind her mother's back , was solemnly promising her new dad that she'd always be good , afraid that if she misbehaved , her new dad might dislike her and her mom wouldn't be happy . Alistair's heart felt like it was soaking in warm lemon water , bittersweet yet comforting . For a moment , he wished he could stay by this adorable child's side forever . It was only the first day , but he realized that when the time came . for him to leave - and it would come - it was going to be really , really hard to say goodbye . That evening , Eloise got into bed and fell asleep before ten o'clock . Caroline mentioned that she normally goes to bed very early , no later than nine . Today , she was staying up late only because she was so excited about Alistair being here as her dad . Alistair thought about Daniel , the little tyrant who demanded story after story until his voice went hoarse , never falling asleep before 11. It made him even more certain that Eloise was an absolute angel by comparison . With Eloise now asleep and the housekeepers who handled the cleaning and cooking gone for the day , only Alistair and Caroline remained in the living room . Chapter 11 You Must Love Mommy Forever Caroline had changed into loose , comfortable light blue loungewear and settled on the couch . 8/8 From her expression , she clearly had something to say to him . " It's Eloise's first day of preschool tomorrow , " she said . " I hope you don't mind handling the drop - off and pick - up duties . " This was news to Alistair . He learned that Eloise had been quite sickly and had never attended school before . After her recovery and with careful attention , she'd become stronger , and at her own insistence , Caroline had enrolled her in preschool starting tomorrow . By coincidence , it was the same preschool that Daniel attended . Yesterday , Eloise had been curious about her new preschool , so Caroline had asked one of the housekeepers to take her for a visit . Unfortunately , the irresponsible housekeeper had lost track of Eloise , who then accidentally bumped into Alistair . B