“Hello there, we’re your new neighbors from next door. I’m Parrish Whitley, and this is my wife and our son. Cole, why don’t you say hello <i>to </i>the gentleman?”


    “Hello, Grandpa!”


    “You tter me, sir and madam, but I’m only the Whitley family’s butler<i>,” </i>Dawson replied, bowing politely in return.


    “Are you taking Lessie to school now?”


    “Yes, I am.”


    “Well, we just moved in, and it’s Cole’s first day at a new school. He’s a bit nervous, so we wanted to ask how Lessie feels about walking to school with him from now on. Of course, either my wife or I would drop them off and pick them up.”


    Parrish’s tone was warm and gentle,pletely different from his usualmanding presence at work. Right now, he was just a father.


    “Well…” Dawson hesitated, clearly unsure.


    “Yes,” Alessia answered for him, her voice calm and clear.


    “But, Miss-<i>” </i>Dawson began, concerned.


    “I’ll talk to Max about it,” Alessia said quietly.


    “Why not ask your mom and dad?” Cole blurted out, only for his mother, Jade, to gently cover his mouth.


    “Because they don’t care,” Alessia replied, her tone almost indifferent.


    Jade and Parrish exchanged a nce, their hearts aching for the little girl who


    seemed so detached.


    “Who says no one cares?” Jade said, crouching down to Alessia’s level. “We care a lot! That’s why we came over this morning to ask how you felt, and to say hello to Dawson.” She took Alessia’s backpack and handed it to Parrish, then helped straighten the girl’s cor. A soft floral scent wafted over Alessia, soothing and light.


    <i>“</i>Aunt Jade, you smell nice,” Alessia said shyly.


    Jade blushed and gently pinched Alessia’s cheek. “Thank you, Lessie. You smell nice too.”


    12.24


    Alessia sniffed her own hand, a little puzzled when she couldn’t smell anything. Her confused little expression melted Jade’s heart, and on impulse, Jade kissed her cheek with a loud, yful smack.


    Alessia froze, stunned–no one had ever done that to her before.


    Seeing her startled, Jade quickly dabbed at Alessia’s cheek with her handkerchief. “Oh, I’m sorry! Did I scare you? I’ll try to control myself next time. Don’t <i>be </i>afraid, sweetheart.”


    Jade pressed her palms together, apologizing so earnestly that Alessia couldn’t help but giggle.


    “Don’t worry. When I was little, my mom used to kiss me all the time,” Cole piped up. “But once I started kindergarten, she stopped because Dad said boys and girls should have some boundaries. But before I go to ss, Mom and Dad always give me a hug.”


    With that, Cole stepped forward and hugged Alessia. “You’ll do great today,” he said, giving her a reassuring pat on the back.


    “Just like this!” Cole exined seriously, making it clear he wasn’t trying to take advantage, just showing Alessia what he meant.


    Alessia pressed her lips together, saying nothing, but her eyes were bright with curiosity.


    Soon it was time to head to school. With Alessia’s quiet agreement, Parrish and Jade said their goodbyes to Dawson/and led the children off toward the preschool. Just as Cole had promised, before they went inside, both Parrish and Jade knelt down <i>and </i>gave them each a warm hug.


    The affection wasforting, yet unfamiliar to Alessia; she hesitated, then copied Cole and waved goodbye.


    “Do all moms and dads <i>do </i>that?” she asked quietly.


    “I don’t know<i>,</i><i>” </i>Cole said, “but mine do. And they’ll do it for you, too.”


    Cole reached for her hand/ and for the first time, Alessia didn’t pull away. She just stood beside him, watching their parents leave.


    From that day on, taking the children to and from school became Parrish and Jade’s daily ritual. No matter the weather, one of them was always there, on time. And every morning, just before stepping into school, they would say, “You’ll do great


    12:34


    today.”