Chapter 261 A Small Gathering of Friends
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed, and summer had arrived.
Lillian's daily life was very regular. Starting this month, Alexander had not allowed her to attend the prenatal interest classes. She spent her days at home, living leisurely. Even a bit of activity in the yard with Kelly tired her out. Over the past month, her belly had grown significantly, making it hard to walk far, and her body felt much heavier.
"Kelly, let's have pasta for dinner tonight," Lillian said, lying on a recliner in the yard, sipping juice.
Kelly agreed, "Sure, I'll make it for you."
Lillian yawned and said, "Since summer started, I feel sleepier every day."
"If you're tired, take a nap," Kelly said, covering her with a light blanket.
Oscar came out of the house, looking energetic, and said to Lillian, "I've made plans to hang out with some classmates. I'll be back tonight."
"Which classmates? Are they boys or girls?" Lillian asked lazily.
Oscar replied, "We're roommates from the same dorm. We haven't seen each other in a while, and we all had time today, so we decided to hang out."
"Come back early and don't drink," Lillian said, concerned.
After Oscar left, Lillian asked Kelly, puzzled, "Kelly, do you think Oscar has a girlfriend? Could it be Emily?"
"You always overthink. Oscar doesn't like Emily. You know that," Kelly said with a smile.
"It's not that Emily is bad, but I can't bring myself to like her. Oscar doesn't like her, but I'm afraid she'll cling to him. Emily has been coming to our house so frequently this past month; everyone can see what she's up to," Lillian said again, looking worried.
Kelly laughed and said, "You overthink. Oscar is an adult. Although he ends up with Emily from the Roberts family, what can you do about it? Besides, in a few months, when the twins are born, your attention will be on them, and you won't have time to worry about Oscar."
"Kelly, you're right." Lillian pouted. "As his sister, I can only give him some advice."
Kelly comforted, "Don't be disheartened. Oscar is sensible; he'll consider your words."
As they were chatting, Lillian received a voice call from Angela.
"Lillian, how have you been lately?" Angela asked with a laugh.
Lillian replied, "As usual, I've put on a few pounds."
"Weight gain is normal," Angela said. "Wendy and I are off work today, so we'd come over to see you. Is that okay?"
Hearing that her friends were coming, Lillian excitedly said, "Of course, I've been looking forward to seeing you both. It's been so long."
Angela said, "We'll have dinner at your place. Can you ask Kelly to make something Wendy and I like?"
"No problem," Lillian said, delighted.
She spent her days at home, rarely interacting with anyone except chatting with Kelly, which was quite boring. Sometimes, she would talk with classmates from the prenatal interest class in a group chat, but the conversations would quickly fizzle out. Emily often came over, but she was there to get close to Oscar, and their conversations were polite exchanges before Emily went off to find Oscar.
After ending the call, Kelly asked with a smile, "Angela and Wendy are coming, aren't they?"
Lillian replied, "Yes, they said they miss me and, more importantly, they miss your cooking."
"Alright, I'll start preparing dinner," Kelly said with a smile. "Melvin and I don't have children, so I treat you and your friends as my kids. I'm happy to cook for anyone who comes."
"Kelly, you're so kind. In my heart, I see you as my mother," Lillian said sweetly.
Angela and Wendy arrived around six in the evening. They had gone to the supermarket beforehand and bought some supplements for Kelly and Melvin, which made them very happy. They told them not to bring anything next time.
Lillian and her friends sat in the living room, chatting non-stop. The last time they met was over a month ago at the estate, and they had a lot to catch up on.
"Your belly has grown," Wendy said excitedly, reaching out to touch Lillian's round belly and playfully listening to it.
"It's been six months," Lillian said proudly, touching her belly.
She looked at Wendy and gasped, asking, "Wendy, how have you lost so much weight? Have you started doing business?"
Wendy replied, "Recently, two senior colleagues at the studio are on leave, one on a honeymoon while the other on maternity leave. We're short-staffed, so I'm doing both design and client work."
"That's good; it's a good experience for you," Angela said. "Haven't you told your parents about your job? Aren't they suspicious of your constant overtime?"
Wendy laughed and replied, "They're away at some conference for three months. It's perfect timing since I'm so busy with work. Sometimes, when it's too late, I sleep at the office."
"You're really lucky," Lillian said, clapping her hands in admiration.
As they were happily chatting, Alexander came home from work, carrying three cups of coffee, followed by Lucas and Caspian.
"Mr. Wade, you're here!" Lillian greeted warmly.
Wendy's face changed slightly, and she turned to pretend not to see him. How coincidental that he was here, too?
"Lillian, call me Caspian," Caspian teased, glancing at Wendy before sitting down.
Alexander handed the coffee to the three women and said to Lillian, "I bought it exactly as you requested."
"Thank you, honey," she said sweetly.
Gina came out of the kitchen and announced, "Dinner is ready."
Alexander went to the bedroom to change clothes, and Lillian followed him, puzzled. "Why is Mr. Wade here?"
"He was at the office all day, so he came home with me," Alexander replied. "I didn't know Wendy would be here. When you sent the Facebook message asking me to buy coffee, we were already on our way."
Lillian said, "I know. I didn't want Wendy to feel awkward. Mr. Wade probably doesn't care."
"They're all adults. They haven't done anything inappropriate, so there's no need to feel awkward. It's fine," Alexander said, changing his clothes and leaving the room with her.
In the dining room, as Lillian had said, Caspian didn't care at all and started chatting with Wendy, "Why have you gotten so skinny? You look like a little monkey."