Not That

"Ow… ah… sshh…"

Callan suddenly grimaced dramatically and cupped his right cheek. It was obviously an act to escape Rayna's request. How could he possibly kiss Sienna? Just imagining it made his heartbeat lose its rhythm, and in any case, he had no intention of doing it.

"What's wrong, Dad? Did you swallow the spoon?" Rayden asked innocently, tilting his head to the right in confusion.

"No way it's the spoon. The spoon is still sitting nicely on the plate. He's definitely lying!" Rayna blurted, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"My tooth suddenly started throbbing. It hurts!" Callan hissed, committing even harder to the act.

Sienna watched the drama in silence. From Callan's stiff gestures, she knew the man was looking for an escape route so his mouth would not land on her cheek.

"So you can't kiss Mommy?" Rayna asked, her face instantly clouding with disappointment.

"Y-yes," Callan answered, glancing briefly at Sienna.

"But it's your tooth that hurts, not your lips. You should still be able to kiss Mommy."

Rayna's checkmate made Callan fall silent at once.

Damn it. Why is this child so smart?

Seeing himself backed further into a corner, Callan immediately moved his hand to his left cheek and groaned louder.

"What's wrong now, Dad?"

"D-Daddy has a canker sore! If Daddy forces it, it might spread to your mother," Callan said in a flash, throwing out whatever nonsense might save him.

The moment Rayden heard the word spread, he reflexively stood and took one step back from the table.

"Then don't—"

Rayden's words cut off because Rayna suddenly stood too, hands planted on her hips.

"So many excuses! First a toothache, then a canker sore. Which one is it? Why did you suddenly get so sick? You're lying, aren't you?" Rayna rattled off, breathless with irritation.