Chapter 617 Dad, I Brought Your Son-in-law Back
Since Tommy and Gillian had an early flight to catch the next morning, the dinner wrapped up early, and everyone went their separate ways.
After dinner, Tommy and Gillian were the first to leave. Evelyn insisted on going with Ethan, so Cormac carried Evelyn, and Rowena held Ethan's hand, making them look like a perfectly harmonious family of four as they got into the car.
Watching Cormac's car drive away, Harry let out a long, frustrated sigh. "They say daughters grow up and become outsiders, like water spilled out of the house. Evelyn's only three, and she already wants to leave home. What's up with that? Has she forgotten she has my last name?"
Harry often joked that Evelyn might not be his biological daughter but rather his uncle and aunt's child. Her lack of loyalty was even worse than Zoe's.
"Now you see how good I am, right?" Elisa patted Harry's shoulder in a mock adult manner. "With your sharp tongue and all your complaints, having a sister like me is already pretty good. And you still complain? Where do you get the nerve?"
Elisa then excitedly added, "Harry, you can stay here and sulk. My dear big brother is coming back, and I need to make him a special gift. I'm going to make it myself, something heartfelt!"
"You? Make a gift? You can't make anything!" Harry scoffed as Elisa ran off to the study.
Harry and Elisa's bickering was a daily occurrence. If they didn't argue for a day, Alaric and Stellan would find it strange. Seeing Harry head back to his room, the two of them went into Caspian's room.
Caspian's bedroom had been kept just as he left it. Opening the closet, it was full of his old clothes. Stellan couldn't help but say, "It's been almost four years. Caspian must have grown a lot. These clothes won't fit him anymore."
Caspian was now in the military and rarely had the chance to wear his clothes. But every season, they would send him lots of clothes, even though he rarely got to wear them. Parents' hearts are always worried that it's not enough.
"Even if they don't fit, keep them well for him."
"Okay."
It was a way to hold onto memories. If Caspian stayed in the military like Thomas until retirement, how many times would they get to see him? Just like now, they had waited four years for this visit. How many four years are there in a lifetime?
Thinking about this, Stellan's nose tingled with emotion. Seeing she was about to cry, Alaric quickly said, "Look at you, Caspian coming back is a good thing, and you're about to cry again."
"Don't you want to cry? These are tears of joy," Stellan said. "Let's prepare well these days and make lots of Caspian's favorite foods."
"Okay, leave it to me," Alaric said. "Alright, it's getting late. Let's get some sleep."
Back at their new home, Tommy was struggling to adjust. After three years in prison, everything felt unfamiliar.
As soon as they got home, Gillian jumped onto Tommy, extremely happy. "Three years felt so long. Finally, you're out, and I don't have to stay at Alaric's place anymore."
"Gillian, these three years have been hard on you."
Before he went to prison, Gillian had promised to wait for him. But three years is a long time, and not many people can truly wait.
"It was tough. You owe me a lifetime of making it up to me."
"Yes," Tommy nodded firmly.
Tommy carried her to bed. With Tommy around, Gillian felt lazy and didn't want to do anything, leaving everything to him. After Tommy helped her undress, Gillian immediately pounced on him.
"It's been three years. I need to see if you're still in shape," Gillian teased.
"Who said I wasn't in shape? I had to run and work out every day in there," Tommy replied with a grin.
Gillian smiled mischievously, unable to wait any longer. She had been waiting three years for this moment and was indescribably happy.
"Tommy, let's get our marriage license tomorrow. Once we have it, even if my dad objects, it won't matter," Gillian said, lying in Tommy's arms after they finished.
"No way," Tommy immediately refused. "I'm going to apologize. Showing up with a marriage license would be forcing your father to accept me. That's not right. If we do that, Mr. Emberlyn might not agree even if he originally would have."
"Alright, we'll do it your way," Gillian conceded.
"When I go tomorrow, Mr. Emberlyn has every right to be angry. Don't talk back and make him even angrier," Tommy advised.
"Okay, I know," Gillian agreed.
"Get some sleep. We have to leave early tomorrow."
Gillian nodded and snuggled into his arms, closing her eyes. Finally, she could sleep in his arms again, and every day from now on would be like this.
The next morning, Tommy and Gillian boarded a plane. It took three to four hours to fly to Gillian's home. Alaric had already called Thomas to inform him about Tommy's release and their visit.
When Gillian said she would wait for Tommy, Thomas hadn't expected her to do it. Over the past three years, Gillian had kept him updated on her life, like getting into the PhD program at Arizona University, completely stopping her medication, and Tommy's reduced sentence.
Gillian always shared the good news, but never came back to see him. Thomas, feeling lonely, would secretly fly to Arizona City to see her. Despite his feelings about Tommy, he hadn't given his approval, holding back because of his pride.
Thomas lived in a duplex with a yard, typical of retired officials. He was fiddling with his fishing gear in the yard when he saw Tommy and Gillian get out of a taxi. He quickly told the housekeeper, "Tell them I'm not home!"
Thomas then went inside and locked the door.
Three years, and she only comes back because Tommy's out!
"Jenny, where's my dad?" Gillian asked the housekeeper.
"Ms. Emberlyn, Mr. Emberlyn isn't home."
Not home?
Gillian looked at the fishing gear and then tried to open the door, finding it locked from the inside.
"Dad, I know you're home. Open the door. I brought your son-in-law!"
Son-in-law? That made Thomas even angrier!
"Mr. Emberlyn," Tommy said, kneeling at the door in the yard. "Everything that happened was my fault. I betrayed your trust and didn't take care of Gillian, causing her so much pain. It's all my fault."
"You listened to Cormac," Gillian said, trying to pull Tommy up, but he refused to stand.
"Gillian, let me be. I deserve this."
An hour passed, and Gillian couldn't take it anymore. She knocked on the door. "Dad, Tommy's been kneeling for half an hour. His knees are bruised. I waited three years, and now that he's out, I'm marrying him. Are you going to cut ties with me? Please, just accept us. We'll be good to you!"
Thomas had already realized he couldn't win against Gillian. She was determined to marry Tommy, leaving him with two choices: accept his son-in-law or cut ties with his daughter.
But he only had one daughter. How could he bear to lose her?
Thomas struggled for a while, just about to open the door, when Gillian said, "Dad, if you don't open the door, it means you don't want me anymore. Take care, Tommy and I are leaving!"
Thomas sighed deeply, his heart aching. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his daughter. Reluctantly, he unlocked the door and opened it.
"Come in," he said gruffly, trying to hide his emotions. "Let's talk."
Gillian's face lit up with relief and joy. She helped Tommy to his feet, and they both entered the house, ready to face whatever came next.
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