Moments in time

Chapter Four

"I will always love you, Stef. No matter what happens between us. No matter if you're with someone else, I will always root for your happiness," he said with a choked voice.

At that moment, both of them had teary eyes due to the emotions. "I will too," she replied.

***

Stefani was lost in thought during the meeting with her Haus of Labs team. They were talking, suggesting ideas, but Stefani could barely hear them. The woman was nervous and anxious to leave.

After the meeting, Stefani spent some time in the conference room talking with some team members, deciding details of the upcoming campaign to promote the new products.

Visibly bored, she gave the green light to the ideas and called it a day. It was already late, and the singer had spent the day in meetings with her marketing and creative teams.

When she was finally alone in the room, Stefani slipped off her heels and swapped them for a pair of sneakers. She left the room after picking up her heels from the floor and grabbing her bag from a chair. She walked through the building's corridors, glancing at her phone's notifications until she reached the elevator and descended to the parking garage.

Before unlocking the car and getting in, Stefani waved to some coworkers who were still around. She started the vehicle and drove calmly through the city streets.

She couldn't comprehend why she felt such unease. After all, it was merely a gathering with a familiar face. Her iPhone was securely nestled in its holder by the steering wheel as she drove. She glanced at the GPS, contemplating how she would navigate the forthcoming situation.

Stefani carried remorse for having distanced herself from Lea's life following her breakup with Bradley. The girl was like her own daughter, and while she longed to reconnect, she also understood that it would be emotionally challenging due to the flood of memories it would bring back.

Fortunately, Bradley wouldn't be with them this time. It would be just the two of them, as the woman didn't feel ready to see her ex again. Stefani parked the car in the bakery's parking lot where Lea and Stefani used to eat when they spent the day together. As she walked, Stefani took a deep breath. She entered the place and barely had time to look around, as she felt herself being grabbed after hearing her name shouted by the child.

"Stef!" The girl hugged Stefani, wrapping her arms around the woman she hadn't seen in a while. Stefani felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't want to cry in front of her, so she held back and smiled. "Hey, Doll... you've grown so much. Almost my size," she said, placing her hands on the girl's face as they both gazed at each other.

"Are you okay? It looks like you're crying."

"It's just that I missed you," Stefani smiled, sniffing her nose.

"I missed you too."

The two were interrupted by Sarah, the girl's nanny, who approached as Lea disengaged from her stepmother and held her hand.

"Hello, Sarah! Nice to see you," Stefani smiled at the young woman, who smiled back.

"Good to see you too. Mr. Cooper asked me to bring Lea. He said you agreed you would take her home."

"Yes, I'll take her home later."

"Behave yourself," Sarah kissed the girl's forehead and waved to both of them before leaving them alone.

Stefani waited for the nanny to leave before looking back at Lea, making a playful expression as if to say, "Let's not behave".

"sxdfrtfrtfrtfrtfSo... shall we order something?" The girl smiled shyly and nodded. They both sat, looking at the menu, and Stefani decided to order her usual. But Lea seemed shy enough not to know what to order.