One Missed Call

24: In safe hands.

Bella glances up at her hand wrapped entirely with Hailee's slender but warm hands, making her hum happily at the feeling of finally getting to show off a mother figure to her friends who always thought she never had one and was constantly lying about it.

Having Hailee come over to pick her up only made her want to return the next day to boast about it to her other classmates and have Hailee pick her up again.

Only this time, with candy.

"Did you get me a chocolate?" Bella asks as she skips beside Hailee who glances down at her with raising brows.

"Do you want one?" Hailee asks kindly, getting Bella to nod her head in agreement as Hailee opens the door of the car for her.

Since she is seriously short with tiny feet that can barely get her into Hailee's large car, Hailee lifts her off the ground and into the front passenger seat where she straps her in and closes the door before heading to her seat.

"I can't see the road." Bella chuckles out as she glances up at Hailee who smiles down at her and starts the car.

Hailee drives away from the school and into the road, planning to take the little girl over to a dessert store and get her something sweet like she wants.

Bella smiles the entire way as she swings her feet from the joy filling up her tiny stomach from being in Hailee's car and being driven by Hailee and not Mr Leavens who never takes her out for sweets.

"You want to come?" Hailee asks as she parks in front of the dessert store and glances down at Bella who nods in agreement. Hailee simply reaches over to her seat and unbuckles he before taking her into her arms.

They both step out and Bella helps her close it shut before she can click the lock button.

"You have long hair." Bella gasps out as she reaches into Bella's hair, almost making her own hands disappear from the thickness. "It's soft."

"You have pretty hair too, Bella." Hailee chuckles as she glances into Bella's blue orbs. "And pretty eyes."

"You're pretty too." She giggles and Hailee simply smiles out as they get to the counter. "I want ice cream with sprinkles and unicorn candy."

"Coming right up little princess." The man behind counter chimes as he reaches over and pinches her cheek, getting her to giggle. "You're just as beautiful as your mummy."

Bella doesn't really protest about Hailee not being her mother, instead, she giggles out as the man makes her order.

Hailee simply smiles and nods slightly at particularly nothing.

"Here you go." The man chimes once more as he dramatically hands Bella her ice cream.

"Thanks." Hailee smiles at him as she hands him the bill before leaving the store with Bella humming excitedly as she eats her ice cream. "Looks yummy."

"It is. Wanna try?" Bella asks as she tilts her ice cream over to Hailee's mouth, hardly giving her time to deny.

The cold cream meets Hailee's lips that are entirely covered in red lipstick, getting her to chuckle out and eventually take a small bite.

"Wow. That's very good." Hailee smiles at Bella who nods as they both get into the car.

She straps her back onto the seat before starting the car and sighing out as she pulls out of the parking spot.

"Now off to home, to see Mr Leavens." Hailee yells out playfully, wanting to get Bella hyped to return home but instead of the excited face she wants Bella to have, Bella frowns at her instead as the ice cream covers her entire mouth and fingers.

"Can I go home with you?" She begs with her large eyes and pouting lips. "I want to go to your home."

"I'm going to work, Bella." She chuckles nervously as she stops at a red light. "I need to take you home."

"Please? I'll be quiet and I won't disturb you. I pwomise." She bats her eyes and furrows her brows at her, clearly begging her to take her.

Hailee clenches the wheels as she tries to resist the urge to listen to Bella.

"Mummy will just shout and shout and shout and daddy isn't home to stop her." Bella whines out as she glares at her ice cream. "I'll cry if you won't take me."

"Fine." Hailee sighs out with a small chuckle. "You win Bella. You'll come to my office. But if you misbehave, I'll call Mr Leavens."

"I won't." She grins out and Hailee shakes her head in denial, unsure of what she has just gotten herself into.

In the meantime, Aaron fails to keep much of his attention on the man standing in front of him and explaining something he doesn't already know.

He glances around the table and at the men and women who are visibly pretending to pay full attention.

Most of them were in their minds.

He sighs out and fish's out his phone, glancing down at the monitor and tapping away, which makes the representer stiffen a bit, since he knows he isn't able to keep his Boss's attention.

Aaron quickly fishes out Bella's teacher's number and sends her sneaky photo he took of Hailee before he left her office that morning.

Did this woman come collect Bella?

He asks and waits for a moment as he notices the teacher has already seen the text and is responding to it.

Yes. Just as you requested that I allow her to.

Good.

He sighs out and leans back into his seat, feeling at ease that his daughter is in good hands and that he won't need to cut the meeting short to go get her, since Bella strictly requested to either be taken by him or not at all.

She didn't want a butler picking her up as usual. She wanted a loving parent to do it and since Aaron is always busy, there rarely is anyone.

A small smiles spreads on his lips when his eyes drop down to Hailee's photo. The look she made when he took the photo was the moment she was arguing about how she doesn't want to be involved.

Yet she blindly gets herself involved.