5. Chapter 5

The week ended with a very sunny Saturday. Having been cooped up in either his house or his office far too long, Adrien was itching to get out. "Emma, do you want to go to the park?"

"Yes!"

Ten minutes later, the duo was walking hand in hand to the park a small distance from the house. "Emma," Adrien began. "Did you like having Mrs. Marinette watch you this week?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. But I don't like doing chores."

Adrien grinned at that. There was nothing wrong with Marinette requiring Emma to pick up her toys or help with dishes. In fact, Adrien couldn't have approved more. It was little things like that that might curb the sense of entitlement that Adrien desperately wanted Emma to avoid getting. "Besides making you do chores, do you like playing with Marinette?"

"I like baking cookies with her," Emma quickly answered.

He liked when they made cookies, too. Marinette's cookies were the best he'd ever had. She had made them twice with Emma this week and promised Emma they would make something new next week.

Which reminded him, he really needed to go grocery shopping. Marinette hadn't just given him a list of things for whatever treat she was making. Oh, no. He had caught her raiding his entire kitchen—and when he said entire, that included all his utensils and equipment—cleaning it out, and writing an essay length grocery and utensil list. She also took complete advantage of the dry-erase board on the fridge to plan out meals for the week. Adrien had had to veto a few because he knew Emma wouldn't eat a couple nights of planned dinners, but they had quickly been replaced and approved.

When they got to the park, Adrien let go of Emma's hand so she could go play on the playground. There were a couple other kids already running around the play structure. Within a few minutes, Emma managed to weasel her way into playing their little game of tag.

Adrien smiled as he watched from his spot on a park bench. She really was her mother's daughter. Besides seeing it in Emma's appearance, there were a handful of other traits that were purely Chloe's. Emma was a natural social butterfly, able to jump in and play with the kids of the playground with ease.

"Adrien Agreste?"

He looked up upon hearing his name, eyes locking on a woman who was walking a dog through the park. It took him a moment, but he soon recognized her as the Italian model they recently hired.

"Hi," she chirped, pulling her little dog along and taking the seat next to him. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Forgive me," Adrien said. "I know we have met, but I can't remember your name."

"Lila Rossi," she said, extending a hand in expectation of a kiss.

He would do no such thing. "Ah, yes. Nice seeing you."

She looked a little put out upon being denied, but she pulled herself together quickly, placing her hand in her lap and sitting up tall as though nothing had never happened. "Well, Trixie needed her walk," she said, looking down at the fluffy, red and white dog—Adrien was terrible at breeds, but he would forever recognize a papillon after another model 'educated' him when he was a teen—that stood at her heels.

Speaking of heels, who in their right mind took a dog on a walk while wearing stilettos?

"I didn't know I'd have the pleasure of seeing you out today," she said, scooting closer to him. "What a pleasant surprise."

He hummed dismissively, turning his gaze away from her to search the playground for Emma. He quickly spotted her waving good-bye to the children she had only just begun to play with.

"How is everything going for the fashion show?" she inquired. "Smoothly, I hope."

"For the most part," Adrien said, watching Emma climb up to the tallest slide.

"That's always good to hear. I'm excited to see what is going to come out for the fall fashion line. The bits and pieces I've seen is enough to excite me."

"My father is very pleased with this line. I'm glad for him."

"Then it for certain will be a good line," Lila gushed. "If Gabriel is proud of it, then it will be the height of fashion."

Before Adrien could reply, the papillon barked to call Lila's attention.

"Oh, Trixie," she cooed. "Are you ready to go?"

The dog yipped again.

Lila stood with a sigh. "Would you like to join us, Adrien? I would love to have some company."

Adrien frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm watching daughter."

Her face fell, and Adrien bit back his urge to shoot her a bitter smile. Typical. Adrien knew full well that he was an attractive man. He also knew that his name combined with said looks attracted many a woman. Yet, every last one reacted the same when he mentioned he came with a little girl. Apparently, the fact he came with a daughter was enough of a deal-breaker that said women usually forgot his worth.

A cry rent the air, and Adrien immediately scanned the playground only to spot Emma sprawled out on the ground under the monkey bars.

"I have to go." With that, Adrien rushed over to Emma and picked her up off the ground. He brushed off the bark that clung to her clothes before taking her in his arms.

"You're okay," he coaxed. "You're okay."

"My hands hurt," she whined, her voice warbling with tears.

Adrien resituated his hold on Emma. "Let me see."

She unwound her arms from his neck so as to show him her hands. Besides being a little red and imprinted from the playground bark, they were fine. "I think you're gonna be okay."

"Home?" she whimpered.

"Yeah," Adrien said. "We can go home."

With that, he picked Emma up, holding her against his chest. Her arms wrapped around his neck while her head buried against his shoulder. After shooting one last glance at the stunned model staring at him and Emma, Adrien walked out of the park.

A third of the way home, Adrien put Emma down. She grasped his hand with her little one and stood very close to his leg. Their pace was much slower than it was coming to the park, but that was fine. Emma was still in shock from falling off the monkey bars, so he didn't expect her to be loud and carefree.

When they got home, Adrien stopped Emma from scampering off, telling her to wash her hands first. Afterwards, he pressed a kiss to each of her palms and asked if they felt better.

Emma nodded then wrapped her little arms around his neck again. He picked her up and held her tightly.

"You're the best daddy in the whole, wide world," Emma whispered.

"You're the best daughter in the whole, wide world," Adrien returned just as softly.

They stayed like that for a while until Emma released her grip on him. Adrien set her down. "Do you want some lunch?" he asked, noting the time.

She nodded.

"Okay. I'll make lunch. Go grab Plagg."

With a grin, she ran up to her room to grab the black, plush cat.

Adrien busied himself with making lunch, opening the fridge door and appreciating the cold air. He grabbed out the ingredients for some sandwiches and lined them up on the counter. Anything that would take his mind away from the discomfort of a coworker hitting on him.

As per usual.

Emma came back down into the kitchen, Plagg crushed against her chest, and Adrien forced the angry rant he felt coming on out of his mind. There was a little girl who wanted lunch, so he would make sure she would get some.

After lunch was finished, Adrien managed to put Emma down for her nap. He shut the door to her room, quietly walked down the stairs, and collapsed onto the sofa. Try as he might, he couldn't get Lila out of his head. It was easy to ignore for a while, to laugh it off and pretend he didn't care, but that lingering sting of getting hit on would always come back to bite him. Normally, he would roll out the excuses to dismiss that sting, but today, that just wasn't cutting it.

With Emma asleep, he could allow himself a few moments of bitter selfishness, and that began with him reluctantly admitting that his father was right. Adrien was twenty-six, still very handsome, stable, and able to provide for a family. He was perfectly eligible. What made him ineligible?

Emma.

With a groan, he sprawled out on the couch, rubbing his hands down his face in the process. It still knocked the wind out of him every time. Adrien understood that single fathers were attractive. He even understood why. What he didn't understand is how a woman could find said single father more attractive than a man that doesn't have a kid…yet only want the man and not the kid.

What sort of hypocritical bull—

A knock at the door interrupted his bitter pity party. Adrien forced himself up off the couch to see who had dropped by. His eyes opened with surprise. "Father."

Gabriel allowed himself in. "Adrien."

"I just put Emma down," Adrien said, shutting the door behind him.

Gabriel hummed in disappointment. "Shame, but I guess that will give me more time to talk to you."

Adrien offered his father a seat before reclaiming his spot on the couch.

Gabriel sat in the armchair angled across from Adrien. "I overheard you were in your office on Wednesday."

Adrien nodded.

"That's unusual for the first week of a nanny."

"Well, this one is really good."

"Does Emma like her?"

"She does."

"Well, that is a first, isn't it?" Gabriel commented. "However, I suppose that means nothing if she isn't sufficient? Is she a good fit?"

Adrien held up a hand and began counting on his fingers. "This woman made Emma laugh on the first day, is getting Emma interested in making meals, is completely unfazed by Emma's temper tantrums—handling them with the utmost patience, by the way—gets Emma to do chores, and, most importantly, is interesting Emma in reading. Daily."

Gabriel blinked a few times.

"Trust me, I was just as shocked."

"None of the others managed that, did they?"

Adrien shook his head.

"Then I congratulate you on finding someone so immensely competent. Certainly took long enough."

"I'm lucky, I'll say that," Adrien ran his hands through his hair. "Now, I just hope that she stays."

Gabriel's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Adrien explained, "that when we were discussing her being hired, she clarified she had a two-week condition of her own where she might not stay after the two weeks are over."

"That is odd for a professional nanny."

"Well…" Adrien cringed. "That's because she's not."

This garnered an odd look from Gabriel.

"Don't get me wrong," Adrien started. "I am extremely thankful to you and Nathalie for all the work you put in to searching for a nanny for Emma. But Alya saw that it wasn't working out so she suggested someone that she knew to fill the position."

Gabriel rose a single brow. "And she suggested a woman who is not a nanny to be your nanny?"

Adrien nodded before holding up a hand in a 'wait here' motion. He walked to his office to snatch a manila envelope off his desk. He returned to the living room and dropped it in his father's lap before returning to sit on the couch. "Mrs. Marinette Kurtzburg. Maiden name: Dupain-Cheng, as in the famous bakery. Attended Francis Dupont, just like Chloe. In fact, same class. Married a Nathaniel Kurtzburg a year out of high school. Together, they started an interior design business that I happened to commission. While minorly successful, it all fell apart when Nathaniel was killed in a houseboat explosion nine months ago."

The only sound was the rustling of papers as Gabriel scanned through them. Once finished, he stacked them up and returned them into the manila envelope. "Interesting. I'm rather surprised she hasn't applied for a design house if her work is any indication. She did very well in making this wreck look presentable."

Adrien made a mental note to tell her that later.

"However, there is one thing I'm curious about."

"And that is?"

"She's hasn't been a widow a year yet," Gabriel started. "Furthermore, her husband died suddenly and unexpectedly, meaning that she likely took it very hard. Lastly, she is young, meaning that it might have had a stronger impact on her than someone older. My question is has she given you any indication that she hasn't recovered enough to do this job properly? I do not want someone emotionally unstable to be caring for my granddaughter."

He hated to admit it, but his father had a very good point. "Alya knows Marinette because Marinette is the best friend of Alya's fiancé."

"I wasn't aware Alya was engaged," Gabriel commented.

"It surprised me, too. They've been engaged two weeks."

"That explains it. Continue."

"I don't think Alya would have suggested Marinette if she didn't trust her to do the job. Also, while I was interviewing Marinette, I got her to talk about her late husband. Her reactions prove she's healed enough to be perfectly capable of caring for Emma."

It took some time before Gabriel responded, "Very well. If that is the case, then I see nothing else to be concerned about. I trust your decision."

"You mean you know better than to question it?"

Gabriel smirked. "That, too."

Adrien chuckled. "Is that the only reason you stopped by? Besides seeing Emma, of course."

"Partially," his father answered. "You are aware fashion week is coming up."

Adrien nodded.

"And since you have clearly found a capable nanny, I was hoping that you would join a few of the events."

Dread settled like a rock in his gut. If Adrien was being honest, he had been using Emma as an excuse to avoid those 'events' like the plague. However, that wasn't going to pass with his father this time. "If she agrees to watch Emma, that is. I'll already be working a long week."

"It will only be a few of the important events," Gabriel assured. "The ones with the investors and high-profile clients."

Adrien hesitated. "Fine. Let me see what I can arrange. But if Marinette says no, then I'll not be joining."

"I'll even be willing to give Mrs. Kurtzburg a bonus for her time," Gabriel added.

Which caused Adrien to inwardly cringe. "Do you need me that badly?"

"I would like for you to be there to meet with our Italian investors."

Suddenly, the dread was minor compared to the sick feeling that churned in Adrien's stomach.

His father's eyes narrowed. "Is that unacceptable?"

"No," Adrien said, rubbing his eyes. "It's just…"

His father sat back, awaiting an answer.

"Lila Rossi," Adrien said. "The Italian model. Daughter of our big new investor."

"What about her?"

"We crossed paths in the park today," Adrien said on a sigh. "She paused her walk in order to flirt with me."

Gabriel frowned.

"Then, as usual, the second I said she had a daughter—"

"She started having 'second thoughts'." Gabriel scoffed. "Pathetic. Besides, you know you can do far better than some overpaid, overprivileged model. I think you learned enough about that from your first wife."

"Still hurts."

A silence stretched through the room before Gabriel stood to take a seat by Adrien, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Adrien said, utilizing his over-practiced talent of shoving his emotions down. "I'm being ridiculous."

"And I think your assessment is flawed," Gabriel countered.

Adrien glanced at his father in surprise.

"Adrien, you are easily readable. As often as you shoot down the prospect, I can tell you actually do want to be married again, and the fact women are brushing you off so easily is discouraging you."

His eyes widened as a swell of shock rolled through him.

"Despite my many weaknesses when it comes to parenting," Gabriel said, "I am skilled at reading people."

Adrien sighed, forcefully resigning his denial and as a result, leaving no barrier against his disappointment. "I do, father. But I don't get to be that selfish."

Gabriel's brow furrowed. "What is so selfish about it?"

"There is a little four-year-old who whom is literally half of me that exists in this world," Adrien answered. "And she has no other parent besides me. She didn't choose to not have a mom around. She doesn't even understand. She is my responsibility, and she needs me. I don't get to be selfish and take time away from our relationship to go find some other woman who is going to bail on me the second I admit I have a daughter!" Closing his eyes, Adrien forced himself to calm down. At this rate, he'd wake Emma.

"I refuse to believe that there isn't at least one woman in this world who would be willing to take your daughter along with you."

"That's not the point, father," Adrien countered. "The point is that I don't have the time to take away to go searching for a woman. Emma is my world. It doesn't matter if I'm married or not. What matters is my daughter."

"It is possible to balance these two worlds," Gabriel calmly pointed out. "If you had a wife—for example, if Chloe were still in your life—do you think you'd be able to neglect her to focus solely on Emma?"

Adrien froze. "I hadn't even thought about that."

"Because you didn't have a wife when you became a single father. You tend to focus very much on people you care about, Adrien. Not in a bad way, but sometimes you neglect yourself in the process of looking out for other people. No one in the world, I doubt even Emma, would fault you for taking a little time to try to find a wife."

It took a little time for Adrien to process his father's words. "I just don't want to abandon her."

"You won't," Gabriel sternly said. "You are trying to take care of yourself. If you took one, maybe two, nights a week, you would still have most nights—not to mention mornings and your days off—to spend with Emma until you found a woman that was worth a bit more of your time."

Honestly, what his father was saying was totally logical, yet it was a lot for Adrien to absorb. "Say," Adrien began. "Say I agree with you. What then? Where do I even find potential dates? I'm not doing dating sites—"

"I'd hope not," Gabriel interjected.

"And no one from the company," Adrien continued.

"While I wouldn't say 'never' to that suggestion, I certainly wouldn't rely on that method, either."

"And I don't exactly get out much."

Gabriel rubbed his chin. "What about asking Alya?"

Adrien's brow furrowed. "What about it?"

"She seems to know a plethora of people. Has her hands in many sectors. Surely, she would know someone who she could potentially set you up with."

Adrien hesitated. "I don't know, dad."

"Considering she found a nanny whereas Nathalie and I failed, do you want her or us to find you prospective dates?"

Adrien cringed.

Gabriel smirked. "I'll suggest that you wait until fashion week is over and your work load has died down. However, if you don't ask her soon after that, then I'll take matters into my own hands."

"But… I still have Emma."

"I'll watch Emma."

Adrien's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

His father narrowed his eyes. "I do love my granddaughter, you know. Besides, I think I have to… redeem myself from my failure to engage more when you were a teenager. Furthermore, since I am the one talking you into this, I will ensure you have no excuses to weasel out of."

Slowly, a crooked grin appeared on Adrien's lips. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." With that, Gabriel stood. "Will Emma still be sleeping for a while yet?"

Adrien nodded. "I put her down right before you came."

Gabriel hummed in disappointment. "Then I suppose I will be off. I have other things to do at home."

Adrien frowned. "Were you out?"

"Unfortunately, no," Gabriel answered, stopping right in front of the front door. "Nathalie kicked me out of the house. As has become her new habit if I don't go to the office."

Adrien failed to withhold a snort. "Tell Nathalie I approve."

"I will do no such thing. She does not need encouragement to boss me around. Last time I checked, I was signing her paychecks."

"You pay her to take care of you."

"I pay her to take care of my business."

"Which you run meaning that by taking care of you, she's taking care of the business."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Your efforts of pushing us together are rather blatant."

"Who said I was trying to be subtle."

Gabriel stared long and hard at Adrien for a moment. "Why?"

Adrien actually had to pause to think of an answer. "Because I care about you, too. I want you to be happy."

"And you think that would be with Nathalie?"

"She has been there since before Mom passed on. She's seen it all. She dealt with a moody teenager and a reclusive widow, both of whom were very angry and bitter for a long while. She's still there for you. For us. She's the self-proclaimed grandmother of my child. She's a second mother to me. And it's clear that your relationship with her goes beyond professional."

"Are you insinuating something?" Gabriel challenged.

"Not anything unseemly," Adrien assured. "Only that most people would not argue or sass you. Because most employees do not get away with such behavior."

Gabriel turned away from his son, staring off at the wall in thought. "I'll keep that in mind." With that, he opened the door, and walked out to his awaiting car.