My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 88: The Visit

Leonard all but skipped out of his office.

With a lightness in his step that might’ve made his business partners worry he was having a midlife crisis, he strolled toward Becca’s desk while whistling faintly, his blazer unbuttoned and his phone already in his hand—not for work, but because he wanted to check the time. Not that it really mattered. He’d cleared his calendar for the rest of the day.

Becca looked up from her monitor, her glasses sliding slightly down her nose.

"I’m going out for lunch," Leonard announced cheerfully, patting his pocket to make sure his car keys were still there. "Might come back late. Might not come back at all."

Becca blinked slowly. "Uh... Right, Mr. Ford. Have a good lunch, then."

"I plan to," he replied with a small smile, already pivoting on his heel and heading for the elevator.

But the truth was—lunch wasn’t on his mind at all.

As he walked out of the office building and into the bright spring afternoon, Leonard’s smile softened.

"To be exact," he murmured under his breath, hands in his pockets, "I’m not going out for lunch. I’m going to see my kids."

He pulled into the familiar neighborhood ten minutes later. The kindergarten building looked just as he remembered from last week—colorful murals painted on the outer walls, plastic tricycles stacked near the fence, and the sound of children’s laughter echoing faintly from the back playground.

As luck would have it—or fate, or the universe being on his side—he spotted Julio’s little head of curls just as Paula crouched down to greet him near the gates.

Leonard ducked behind a tree instinctively, peeking around the trunk like some kind of giant overgrown child playing hide-and-seek.

"Perfect," he muttered to himself. "If Julio saw me, he’d follow me around like a tiny detective demanding to know why I wasn’t here for him."

He waited a beat longer, watching until Paula gently ushered Julio into the car and drove off. Only then did Leonard step out, brushing imaginary dust off his pants, and head toward the front entrance.

He leaned against the brick wall, eyes scanning the playground. Parents trickled in and out, kids ran past in bursts of laughter and shrieks. But no twins. No sign of them at all.

He checked the time. Then checked again. Still nothing.

A frown settled in.

Maybe they’d already been picked up?

He pushed off the wall and headed toward the front entrance of the school.

Inside, he was greeted by a staff member who recognized him from his previous visits. "Mr. Ford. Here for Julio? But I saw her-"

"No, no, no," he smiled. "I’m here for Nathan and Maya Anderson."

The staff member blinked. "Oh. The twins?"

Leonard nodded. "Yeah. Just want to make sure—have they already been picked up?"

She glanced over at the clipboard on the desk, then moved to the computer behind it. "Huh. I... think so, but let me check."

Her fingers tapped the keyboard with ease.

"Yep," she said after a moment. "Their babysitter’s sick, and their mom had to work, so they were dropped off at the daycare center down the street."

Leonard’s brows shot up. "The daycare center?"

"Yes. Just two blocks down. You can’t miss it."

He thanked her and made his way down the street, heart thudding a little faster now. The idea of Maya and Nathan sitting in some unfamiliar room with strangers all day tugged at him more than it should have.

The daycare center was a quieter, smaller place tucked between a dentist’s office and a flower shop. He walked in and immediately caught the scent of baby powder, crayon wax, and something vaguely sugary.

A young staff member at the front desk looked up. "Can I help you?"

"I’m here for the Anderson twins," Leonard said, then hesitated. "I mean, uh, Nathan and Maya."

"Room 4B," she smiled. "Through the hall and to the left."

Leonard thanked her and followed the directions. The hallway was painted in soft pastels, the kind meant to soothe nerves and keep toddlers from crying. Child-sized art lined the walls—hand turkeys, finger-paint rainbows, scribbles labeled lovingly with names like Liam and Ava.

When he stepped into Room 4B, he saw them immediately.

Nathan sat cross-legged on a foam mat, solemnly building a tower of blocks while Maya carefully balanced plastic animal figures atop them. She placed a giraffe on the top and sat back, proud.

He almost didn’t want to disturb them.

But he did, clearing his throat gently.

Nathan turned first. His eyes widened. Maya whipped around.

"Uncle Leonard?" Nathan stood quickly, the blocks clattering as he bumped them.

"Surprise," Leonard said, stepping closer and crouching down to their level.

Maya narrowed her eyes like she didn’t quite believe it. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I went to your school and you weren’t there," Leonard said. "So I asked around. Heard about Jazz being sick."

"She threw up," Maya said bluntly.

"Maya," Nathan hissed.

Leonard chuckled. "Poor thing. I hope she feels better soon."

"She said she’s better now but still not allowed to work," Nathan explained.

"That sucks," Leonard said with a sympathetic nod. "So... I thought I’d visit you here. I didn’t want to go the whole day without seeing your faces."

Maya crossed her arms, studying him. "You really just came here ’cause you missed us?"

"Yup." Leonard booped her nose. "Is that allowed?"

She grinned. "I guess so."

Nathan, quieter, looked up at him. "Are you here to pick us up?"

The question made Leonard pause. He looked at his son—the way his big eyes held cautious hope—and his heart squeezed.

"I’d love to," he said softly, brushing Nathan’s hair with his fingers. "But... I think your mom would freak out if I just took you without telling her. And I don’t have her number, so..."

Maya huffed. "You should ask for her number. Then you can pick us up."

"Brilliant idea," Leonard said, ruffling her hair. "But until then, how about I hang out with you here for a bit?"

The twins nodded eagerly, and Leonard sat with them on the mat. They pulled him into a block-building game, though Maya insisted they now build a "castle with a trapdoor and a secret dungeon" while Nathan insisted the animals needed to live in peaceful harmony.

Leonard found himself laughing more than he had in weeks.

They played for over an hour. At one point, Nathan made him wear a paper crown. At another, Maya fed him a plastic cupcake and said, "Now you’re a magical prince."

The staff watched from the corner with fond amusement.

Eventually, Leonard leaned back against the wall, watching the twins argue over which dinosaur toy had stronger legs. His smile faded slightly—replaced with something softer, deeper.

He wasn’t just happy to see them. He needed this.

Just love.

He could stay here forever, honestly.

He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a quiet breath. "Yeah," he murmured under his breath.

He’d definitely find a way to always be like this with them.