"We are going ho?" Bella asked Jay softly as Leo and Jace entered the room. Her voice was small, babyish, and sweet, like she was asking for permission.
Jay imdiately matched her tone. "Yes," he said brightly. "Ho. We have a biiig ho."
Bella’s eyes widened. "Really?? How big??" Then her face suddenly fell, her lower lip trembling. "But... where is my dad?"
Jay gasped dramatically. "Silly girl!" he said, tapping her nose lightly. "He’s still in the past. Didn’t you say he ti-travelled you so you can experience big Bella?"
Bella froze.
Then—
"Ow..!" Her eyes lit up as realization hit. "You’re right!" She looked at Jay with pure admiration. "You’re so smart, big brother!"
Jay puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course I am!"
Bella clapped her hands happily, bouncing a little on the bed. Then her gaze shifted, landing on Leo and Jace.
"Hubby!!!" she suddenly called, spreading her arms wide. "Co here!"
Leo almost stumbled in his step.
Jay burst into a grin.
Bella turned back to Jay and whispered excitedly, "Jay said we live in a big, pretty house. Is that true???"
"Yes," Leo said softly as he walked closer. "It’s true."
Bella imdiately stood up on the bed and stretched her arms toward him, making grabby little hands without thinking.
Leo caught her easily, lifting her up like she weighed nothing. He held her against his chest as if she were a child, her arms wrapping around his neck automatically. She stared at his face with shining eyes.
Her smile was bright.
Leo smiled too.
Jay watched the scene with warmth blooming in his chest, and even Jace’s usually calm expression softened.
Soon, all three of them headed toward the car together, Bella still clinging to Leo.
Then suddenly, she wrinkled her nose dramatically.
"Stinky!!" she announced loudly, covering her nose with both hands. "Jay-jay and Jace are stinky!"
Jay gasped, deeply offended. "You wound , Bella!" he protested. "We just didn’t shower! We’ll do it at ho!"
Bella giggled, hiding her face in Leo’s shoulder.
The mont the engine started, her curiosity switched on completely. She began to talk, soft at first, then faster.
"Hubby..." she murmured, peeking up at him. "Why car go vroom vroom? Is it scared?"
She patted the seat gently, as if comforting it, then pressed her nose to the window. "Outside is moving! Trees are running! Why trees run away from us?"
Her eyes widened at the passing lights, and she gasped every few seconds like she was watching magic.
She suddenly leaned toward Jay, whispering loudly, "Big brother Jay... when we go ho, can I sleep in big bed? With soft blanket? And teddy?"
She paused, thinking hard, then added seriously, "I need three teddies. One for , one for hubby, one for papa when he cos from past."
Jay’s chest tightened, but he smiled anyway. "Yeah. You’ll get all of that."
Bella nodded proudly, satisfied.
Then she turned back to Leo, touching his collar curiously. "Hubby wore black," she said thoughtfully. "Black is serious color. But you are not scary. You’re warm."
She hugged him suddenly, squeezing tight. "I like warm."
She yawned mid-sentence, words slurring slightly, but she kept talking anyway. "When I wake up... will I still be big Bella?" she asked sleepily. "If I beco small again, don’t lose , okay?"
Her fingers tightened instinctively, fear flickering for just a mont.
Leo lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair. "I won’t lose you."
Bella humd happily at that answer, already half-asleep. "Good... then I’ll tell you secret tomorrow... big secret..." Her voice faded into soft, uneven breathing as her head drooped against his chest.
The car continued forward through the quiet road, filled with Bella’s sleepy warmth, her rambling words lingering softly in everyone’s hearts.
As soon as the car slowed inside the house area, Bella stirred. She lifted her head from Leo’s chest and blinked a few tis, still sleepy, then turned to the window.
Her eyes went wide.
"Wow!!" she breathed, pressing her hands against the glass. "Big place!!"
She stared at the wide gates, the long path, the huge garden, everything looking grand and magical to her small mind.
Leo watched her reaction quietly, a faint smile touching his lips. "Big Bella loves spending ti here," he said gently.
Bella turned toward him imdiately, excitent bubbling up. "Really?"
"Of course," he replied. "She plays her guitar here. Sits in the garden. Talks with her small friends."
Bella tilted her head. "Little friends?"
"Yes," Leo said softly. "Chipmunks. Squirrels. Birds."
Her mouth opened in wonder. "They talk back??"
Leo chuckled under his breath. "In their own way."
Bella clapped her hands once, thrilled. "I want to et them!" Then she leaned closer to the window again, searching the garden carefully. "Do they sleep now? Maybe they are tired like ."
Leo didn’t answer right away. His gaze drifted past the window, toward the garden, mories lining up quietly in his mind.
Because of a hidden spy in the house, one he didn’t yet know the identity of, he had checked the CCTV far more tis than he would ever admit. And more often than not, his eyes lingered on the garden feed.
Bella sitting on the grass with her guitar resting on her lap.
Bella talking softly to a squirrel like it could understand her...Bella laughing when birds landed nearby...Bella barefoot, dress swaying, sunlight brushing her hair.
He had saved those clips. One by one. Hidden deep in a private folder on his phone, never shown to anyone.
To him, she looked unreal there. Like sothing out of a fairytale.
A princess who didn’t know she was one.
Bella suddenly tugged his sleeve. "Hubby?" she asked seriously.
"Yes?"
"When I grow big again," she said thoughtfully, "can I still play here?"
Leo looked at her, really looked at her, then nodded without hesitation. "Always."
Bella smiled, satisfied, and leaned back against him.
The mont they stepped inside, her reaction was imdiate.
Her eyes wandered everywhere, slow and curious, taking in the tall ceilings, the soft lights, the quiet elegance of the house. She gasped softly at the paintings on the walls, at the large windows, at the way the space felt open and warm at the sa ti.
"Wow..." she whispered in awe. "So big... so pretty..."
Leo watched her, the corner of his lips lifting despite himself. Seeing her like this excited, amazed made sothing warm bloom in his chest. This was her ho, even if her mind couldn’t fully rember it yet.
As they reached the living room, Bella suddenly stiffened.
Her small hands clutched the front of Leo’s shirt tightly, fingers curling into the fabric as if she needed an anchor. Her body pressed closer to him, and she peeked out from behind his shoulder, half-hiding.
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