Adeline found it while going through Winter's backpack after school, tucked between half-eaten sandwiches and crumpled art projects. A carefully folded heart with "To Winter, From Lucas" written in wobbly kindergarten handwriting. Three more notes from different boys lay scattered at the bottom of the bag, each decorated with the enthusiastic artistry of five-year-olds.
She couldn't help but laugh. Of course Winter would have admirers. With brown curls and doe brown eyes, the little girl was destined to break hearts. Though perhaps no one expected it to start in kindergarten.
"What's funny?" Davian's voice carried from the doorway. When Adeline held up the collection of love notes, his reaction was priceless. The powerful man who could crumble business empires with a single phone call actually paled at the sight of construction paper hearts.
"She's five," he said weakly, his mind struggling to process this new development.
"And apparently very popular," Adeline teased, waving Lucas's note. "This one even drew hearts over his i's."
Davian's jaw ticked - a tell-tale sign of his rising stress. "I'm calling the school."
"Don't you dare!" Adeline grabbed his arm, fighting back laughter at his expression. She knew her husband well enough to know he was entirely serious.
Before Davian could mount a proper defense of his position, Winter's voice pierced the tension. "Daddy!" The little girl skipped into the kitchen, her entire face lighting up at the sight of her parents. "Lucas shared his cookies with me today! And Tommy let me use his special crayons!"
Davian's face cycled through approximately fifteen different emotions in two seconds flat. Anyone who knew him in the business world would hardly recognize the usually composed man in this moment.
"Did they now?" His voice strained with careful control, even as his mind grappled with this new reality where his baby girl was getting attention from boys.
Winter nodded, her enthusiasm completely unbridled. "And Michael said my dress was pretty! He's my boyfriend now."
The sound of Davian's breath catching in his throat was audible.
"Your... boyfriend?" The word seemed to physically pain him.
"Uh-huh!" Winter beamed, blissfully unaware of her father's mounting distress. "We're getting married at recess tomorrow. He's gonna give me his fruit snacks."
Adeline felt her eyes tart o water from trying to conceal her laughter. Watching her husband slowly sank into a kitchen chair, looking as if someone had just informed him the world was ending.
"Tesoro," he started carefully, using the endearment as a stalling tactic. "You're too young for boyfriends."
Winter's lower lip trembled - a move that never failed to weaken her father's resolve. "But he has the good fruit snacks, Daddy. The ones with the strawberries!"
"I'll buy you all the fruit snacks you want," Davian promised quickly, desperate to negotiate. "Just... no boyfriends until you're thirty. Okay?"
Over Winter's head, he mouthed "Forty" to his wife.
Adeline shook her head, well accustomed to his overprotective nature. "Why don't you go play with your dolls, bambino? Dinner will be ready soon."
The moment Winter bounced out of the kitchen, Davian reached for his phone with the determination of a man on a mission.
"Who are you calling?" Adeline asked, though they both knew she already knew the answer.
"Security," he muttered. "I want background checks on all these little boys' families."
Adeline smoothly plucked the phone from his hands. "No background checks on five-year-olds!"
"But-"
"No."
He slumped in defeat, running a hand through his dark hair. "How are you so calm about this?"
Adeline moved behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She understood his fears, even if she found them slightly amusing. "Because she's five, amore. The only thing these boys are interested in is sharing snacks and crayons."
"For now," he grumbled, voicing the fear that had taken root in his heart. "But one day..."
"One day she'll be older, and you'll have to deal with actual boyfriends," Adeline agreed, pressing a kiss to his temple. "But for now, can we just enjoy how adorable this is?"
He turned to look at her, his dark eyes serious. "I'm not ready for this."
"Ready for what? Fruit snack proposals?"
"For her to grow up," he admitted softly. "For boys to notice how special she is."
Adeline's expression softened at his vulnerability - a side of himself he showed only to her. "Well, you can't blame them for having good taste. She is our daughter, after all."
A small smile finally cracked his serious expression. "She's got your heart, though. That's what worries me."
"My heart?"
"Mhm. Too kind for her own good. Too willing to see the best in people." He pulled her onto his lap. "It's what made me fall in love with you, remember?"
Adeline laughed softly. "I remember you being the one pursuing me."
"And now I have to watch little boys do the same to our daughter," he groaned, the irony not lost on him.
"At least they're paying in fruit snacks," she teased. "You had to buy me dinner."
His laugh rumbled through his chest. "I suppose we should be grateful she has high standards."
"The highest," she agreed. "Now, are you done having your crisis over kindergarten romance?"
"For now," he conceded. "But I'm still keeping an eye on this Lucas kid. Nobody draws hearts over their i's without suspicious intentions."
Adeline couldn't help but laugh. This man, this powerful, dangerous man who could strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, was completely undone by pink paper hearts and fruit snack proposals.
