The moment Little Jo heard that, he picked up his fork, but he still kept his eyes on his cherry half of the cake. He tugged at Damian's sleeve. "Damian, try my cherry half first! It's super sweet. I picked all the biggest, reddest ones!"
"You should obviously try my blueberry half first!" Not to be outdone, Miaomiao gently took Damian's wrist. "Damian, I'm your big sister. We're the closest!"
With the two of them pestering him, Damian had no choice. He looked at the cake divided into two halves before him, then at their expectant faces-Miaomiao's eyes were like inky glass deep beneath the sea, while Little Jo's gaze was pure and ardent.
When he lifted his head, he saw the gentle smile in Martha's eyes. The last trace of sadness lingering in his heart was finally swept away by the sweet fragrance and noise filling the room.
He awkwardly accepted the fork Martha handed him and first took a small piece from the blueberry half. The smooth, lightly sweet cream mingled with the blueberries' faint tartness, melting on his tongue, refreshing and delicious. Immediately afterward, Little Jo insisted he take a piece from the cherry half, too. Sweet cherry flesh burst with juice in his mouth, and warmth slid down his throat, all the way into his heart.
"It's all right." He gave a stubborn scoff, but his tone had lost its usual sharpness. He even found himself taking a piece of apple pie-the crust crisp, the filling soft, the cinnamon fragrance just right. It tasted like home.
"What do you mean, all right? You're clearly taking every bite seriously!" Miaomiao immediately called him out, reaching over to put another blueberry from her side onto his plate.
"Exactly! I knew my cherry half tasted better!" Little Jo lifted