Chapter 88 It's a Man's Job to Look After the Ladies
When Adeline stepped out of the cab, seething with frustration, she caught sight of Bennett perched on the flowerbed by the entrance of their complex, apparently deep in conversation on his phone.
She approached him with a furrowed brow. "Why aren't you upstairs?"
The little guy just shrugged. "Auntie and her boyfriend are lovey-dovey. Didn't want to intrude."
After a pause, he cast Adeline a sidelong glance. "Mommy, do you plan on being the third wheel?"
Adeline was momentarily speechless. She cleared her throat. "How long have they been at it?"
"About half an hour," he replied.
Bennett let out a sigh. "Mommy, do you think there's any chance we'll be able to sleep over at Auntie's tonight?"
"I just saw her upstairs, crying in her boyfriend's arms. They were alternating between tears and laughter."
He shifted to a more comfortable position, swinging his legs back and forth. "Is love always such an emotional rollercoaster for you adults?"
Adeline shot him a look. "You wouldn't understand."
Violet and Ethan Sterling had just overcome a near break-up. Now that their misunderstanding was cleared up, it was normal for emotions to be running high; she could empathize with that.
But then her mind drifted to herself.
She remembered her time with Jasper. They had never experienced such intense ups and downs.
They never argued.
Or rather, he never stooped to arguing with her.
When he was in good spirits, he'd indulge her. When he wasn't, he'd simply avoid coming home, leaving her to stew alone in an empty house, left to her own reflections.
Part of her envied Violet's tumultuous brand of romance.
"I truly don't get adult romance," Bennett mused, exhaling a forlorn sigh. "But I'm tired, Mommy. I'm really tired."
"I have to be at preschool tomorrow with all the other kids."
"It's nearly nine, and I need my eight hours of sleep!"
Adeline rubbed her temples in resignation. Her son, in all the ways he shouldn't, resembled Jasper in an uncanny fashion. Like adopting such aristocratic habits.
She took a deep breath. "Well... how about we head back to our old place, the one that caught fire?"
Bennett frowned. "It's pretty beat up."
"But it's still better than a hotel, don't you think?"
He contemplated her words for a moment. "Suppose you're right."
He didn't like hotels; they always seemed to carry the lingering presence of previous guests, which he found unsettling.
Though the house was burned and tattered, it was at least their own.
Resolute, the little man hopped down from the flowerbed. "Alright then, let's go!"
In the charred skeleton of a house stripped bare of even the most basic necessities, Adeline had decided to take Bennett out for a quick shopping trip before tackling the wreckage.
As they roamed the aisles, a news flash splashed across a large screen caught Adeline's attention: "Following the cancellation of her engagement, Molly has not succumbed to despair. Instead, she's forging a new path for herself and is currently pursuing Film Studies at a university in Australia..."
Adeline's grip on the shopping cart tightened until her knuckles turned white. Had Jasper sent Molly to study abroad in Australia? It was just like him to be generous with those he cared about. Despite her mistakes, even after she nearly killed their own flesh and blood multiple times, he had the heart to forgive and even finance her education.
What Adeline didn't realize was that at that very moment, Molly was in a psychiatric hospital, banging on the metal doors in hysteria. "Let me out!" she screamed. "I'm not sick!"
...
It was nearly ten o'clock when Adeline and Bennett finished tidying up the ruins of their home. As the clock struck ten, Bennett climbed into bed and declared, " Mom, can we go to bed now?"
Amused, Adeline chuckled as she stretched languidly before joining him. "We finally get to sleep together again."
In bed, Bennett clung to Adeline's arm and affectionately nuzzled against her. "Since we came back to the States, I haven't had much mommy time. Every day, you're taking care of Lauren, and it feels like just touching you is a challenge."
His words stoked a flicker of guilt in Adeline's heart. She treasured Lauren, just as she did Bennett and Blake. In her constant fretting over Blake's illness and Lauren's well-being, she had inadvertently sidelined her sensible little Bennett.
With a soft sigh, she stroked Bennett's hair, reassuring him, "Once your brother gets better, mommy will be there for the three of you every day."
Bennett pouted slightly, correcting her with a hint of mischief, "Mommy, it’ll actually be four."
Adeline paused, her smile tinged with resignation, "Yes, four." She knew that to heal Bennett, she'd need to have another child with Jasper.
"But Mommy," Bennett's voice was playful yet pointed, "even if you want to be with us in the future, we might not always want to be with you. Blake, once he recovers, he'll surely dive back into his hacking, immersing himself in programming. And Lauren will probably be a busy jewelry designer."
With a light laugh, Adeline asked, "And what about you?"
Bennett snuggled closer, his thoughts seemingly far away. "I haven't quite figured out what I want to do yet."
"Maybe I'll consider babysitting if you treat me nicely, Mommy?"
The earnest expression on the little guy's face made Adeline break out in a light chuckle.
She reached out and affectionately ruffled his hair. "Bennett."
"With you around, I've always felt safe."
Despite Bennett's past missteps—like the time he unwittingly influenced Lauren to return to Jasper's side—Adeline had to admit that compared to her stoic Blake and the somewhat irresponsible Lauren, Bennett was always considerate of her and thoughtful towards his siblings.
At such a young age, he'd shouldered the responsibility of caring for the entire family.
It was a strong sense of duty, and she often wondered whose trait he'd inherited.
Certainly not from Jasper.
Jasper...
He was the most irresponsible person she'd ever met in her entire life.
With that thought, a soft sigh escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms around Bennett's small frame. "Let's get some sleep."
Sweet dreams.
The next morning, Adeline was roused by the alluring aroma of food.
As she opened her eyes, the clatter of kitchen utensils filled her ears.
Bennett was making breakfast.
The smell was intoxicating.
Adeline hurried out of bed, freshened up quickly, and, like a child, took her seat obediently at the dining table.
The real child, Bennett, approached with the prepared breakfast, setting it before her cautiously. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Like a log," Adeline exhaled deeply, "It's been ages since I've had your cooking for breakfast."
Bennett grinned, "Now that you won't be going to Blue Bay anymore, we'll be living together. I can make breakfast for you every day."
Adeline couldn't help but smile at the mature seriousness on the little guy's face, "I'm starting to wonder who the adult is here—me or you?"
"I'm the man of the house," Bennett said with a little pride, "And I want to make sure you're taken care of, Mom."
"No matter their age, a man should take care of a woman."
Adeline's hand, holding her fork, paused for a brief moment.
She thought of Jasper.
He never took care of her... did he?
Maybe he wasn't incapable of caring—it's just that he never cared for her.
With a deep breath, she shook off the clutter in her mind and started to eat.
They'd barely taken a few bites when an urgent series of doorbell rings echoed from outside.
Adeline frowned slightly.
They had moved into the house just half a month after it had been damaged by fire, and it had been vacant ever since. Why would someone be ringing the doorbell the very morning after she and Bennett had settled in?
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
