I hugged Ariah, and I almost teared up. "Very good, baby! I'm so proud of you. Whatever the result of your exam, mommy will always be proud of you, always remember that, okay?"
"I love you, mommy. I'm happy that you're back," she whispered to me, causing me to pause.
"Because of that, we're going to have a little outing! Right, mommy?" Rusty cheered again, so I looked at him.
"Am I already your child, and is that how you address me?" I teased him.
He just smirked and approached Ariah. "Don't mind your grumpy mommy. Where do you want to go?"
I returned to my desk to organize my things while still hearing their conversation.
"Alright. Mall it is. What my little unicorn wants, my little unicorn gets," Rusty said playfully to my daughter, and I glanced at him.
He stood up from kneeling and looked at me. I smiled at him and mouthed thank you. He just approached me and hugged me tightly, including Ariah.
