By the time October rolled around, Betty still preferred being held in arms over standing or walking on her own.
Every attempt by her nanny to help her stand was met with resistance, as Betty would pout and make a beeline for the couch instead. Lift her up, and she'd dangle her feet in mid-air, performing what could only be described as an aerial sit.
In short, her little ladyship's feet were apparently too noble to touch mere mortal ground.
The only thing that could possibly coax her to take a few steps forward was if Leanne and Curtis sat across from her, enticing her with their presence. Otherwise, you could place a bar of gold in front of her, and she wouldn't bat an eyelid.
Leanne fretted, "Why are you so lazy, huh? Wonder who you got that from?"
Betty, the little lazybones, was sitting on Curtis' lap, playing with some rubber blocks, while Curtis sat on the plush carpet, supporting her with one hand to prevent any falls.
With a slight flick of his right finger, he sent the block she had just stacked flying, rolling it towards Leanne's feet.
He looked up and teased, "I'm kicking soccer balls ten months a year, maybe you need some self-reflection?"
Leanne retorted, "With your skills, it's a wonder the national team didn't snatch you up. Don't like winning championships, huh?"
Jokes aside, Curtis did have a natural talent for athletics, excelling at skiing, sailing... mastering whatever he put his mind to. Back in high school, he was the star of the basketball team, dazzling on the court. Leanne, on the other hand, had always been indifferent to sports, finding the mere thought of running 800 meters in school as daunting as facing a firing squad.
Could the issue really lie with her?
Picking up the block, Leanne noticed Betty, stable in her mood, crawling off Curtis' lap towards her. Reaching for the block, Betty glanced back at the distance she had covered and, not keen on retracing her path, opted to crawl onto Leanne instead, gesturing for Curtis to bring the blocks to her.
Curtis raised an eyebrow in admiration, "Not bad, she knows how to dodge trouble and use people. Getting these life lessons so young, she's decades ahead."
"Certainly ahead," Leanne said, "since she's too lazy to even walk."
"A bit of laziness is fine. If she wants cuddles, we'll give her cuddles. It's not like I'm too old or too weak to carry her," Curtis said with a laugh. "Mommy's of considerable age, and I carry her around all the time. Leanne threw a block at him in response.
Curtis caught it effortlessly, calmly stating, "She'll learn to walk when she's ready. Right now, she just hasn't found the right motivation. Once she wants to walk, she'll do it on her own."
In raising Betty, Curtis always maintained a relaxed attitude, as if the sky falling wouldn't faze him; he'd simply patch it up for her.
Leanne sighed, half-joking, "Little idlers are spoiled by their daddies, aren't they?"
Betty seemed to understand, holding the block and happily calling out, "Daddy!"
Curtis stood up, scooped her from Leanne's lap, lifted her high, and asked, "What was that?"
Betty obliged, "Daddy!"
"Worth every bit of spoiling," Curtis' eyes crinkled with joy as he placed her on his shoulder. "Tell me, do you want the stars or the moon?"
With Curtis' indulgence, Betty's walking progress was slow.
For the Christmas, Curtis and Leanne took her back to Stonebridge, to the Richardson family home for the celebrations.
Jennifer was in high spirits, announcing that Phillip and Tina had set their wedding date.
Leanne immediately congratulated, "Happy news, Phillip."
Betty found Phillip's face, bearing a resemblance to Curtis, utterly fascinating and couldn't stop staring in curiosity.
Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on G𝘰𝘰gle to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report
