Call Me Daddy
Benjamin took a glance at her.
Arissa met his gaze and answered, “Yes. Not only is the scenery beautiful, but the air is fresh too,
giving me a feeling that I can live longer.”
He was bereft of speech.
Meanwhile, Ethen snickered and admired Arissa’s courage to talk back at Benjamin.
Infuriated, Benjamin shot him a glare.
Ethen immediately turned around and giggled secretly.
After casting a brief look at their father, the five children sat closer to Arissa.
“If you like it here, we can always come back again for a vacation.”
Hearing that, Arissa turned her head in Benjamin’s direction.
I deliberately talked back to him earlier. Isn’t he angry?
His eyes glistened, and he stared at her intently.
When she met his eyes, she hurriedly averted her gaze as her heart skipped a beat.
“Mommy, it’ll take a while to get home. You should nap for a while,” said Gavin considerately.
Arissa was delighted at his suggestion, and she caressed his head.
“Let’s nap!”
Seeing how gentle she was to the children, Benjamin frowned in jealousy.
The moment he noticed it was a challenge for her to hug five children, he stretched out his long arms
and took three of them into his arms.
Zachary, Oliver, and Jasper stared at their father with bulging eyes.
Jasper had spent some time with Benjamin before, so he was used to it.
On the other hand, Zachary’s body tensed. He said sternly, “Let go of me. I can sit by myself.”
Staring at the protesting child, Benjamin piped up, “Zachary?”
The boy was surprised to hear his name because they had never introduced themselves to their father.
When Benjamin realized he had guessed correctly, the corners of his lips curved into an indiscernible
arc.
Actually, Ethen had already told him the names of each child.
Judging from Zachary’s demeanor, Benjamin guessed he was the eldest among the four.
He shifted his gaze to Oliver, who was wearing glasses. The latter blushed the moment their eyes met.
It was his first time getting hugged by his father. He was excited and happy, but also uncomfortable at
the same time.
“You’re Oliver?”
“Yes!” Oliver nodded.
Then Benjamin turned to Jasper. This brat pretended to be Gavin before this. What a naughty boy.
Jasper met his gaze and flinched out of guilt.
In the meantime, Arissa was shocked that Benjamin could recognize all the children.
When the children were younger, she would sometimes get them mixed up. Benjamin had never lived
with them, but he could tell them apart.
It was an impressive feat.
In her arms were Gavin and Jesse.
Benjamin glanced at the little girl hiding in her arms and inquired, “Jesse?”
In response, Jesse snuggled closer to Arissa.
Did I scare him? Benjamin tried to smile, but it backfired.
Seeing that, Jesse simply buried her head deeper in her mother’s chest.
Arissa caressed her daughter’s head while Gavin glared at Benjamin. “Stop it! You’re scaring Jesse.”
The awkward smile froze on the man’s face and faltered in the next instant.
Zachary, Oliver, and Jasper chortled. However, they quickly suppressed their laughter.
“Mr. Graham, can you let us go now?” asked Zachary with a hint of command in his voice.
Benjamin hugged them tighter instead. It was the first time he embraced three children in his arms.
Back then, he only had a son. Now that he had four more children, he was delighted.
“Call me ‘Daddy’!” Benjamin corrected his eldest son.
The latter stared at him without fear and kept mum.
Meanwhile, Arissa peeked at the man cautiously, fearing he would scare the child.
“Mr. Graham, the children aren’t used to your presence yet. Don’t scare them.”
He turned to look at her with an indescribable expression.
Feeling self-conscience, she avoided eye contact with him.
“They’ll get used to it after a few more times. Are you unwilling to let them acknowledge me as their
father?”
Arissa could sense the oppressive aura from him, so she tried to smooth things out with an awkward
smile. “How is that possible? I’ve never stopped them from acknowledging you. I just didn’t realize
earlier that you’re their father.”
Previously, the children had also asked her about their biological father. Since she did not know the
answer, she always prevaricated the question.
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