Chapter 128 A Small Gathering
At the mention of that name, Matthew felt a chill, "You sure?"
"Yeah, I got the arrival info. There's an auction next week at the Imperial Hotel. He'll probably show up. He seems to have a thing for jewels—if there's an auction, he's there."
"Then let's go meet him."
"Will do. I'll be back tomorrow."
"Sure, stay safe."
"Okay."
When Madison came out, seeing Matthew on the phone, she went to her room to video chat with Quentin Garcia and Hannah Garcia.
"Mom, the teacher said tomorrow we meet at the school gate at five. Don't forget to pick us up, okay?" Quentin informed Madison of the schedule for the next day.
Their teacher had already sent a Facebook notice to the parents' group.
"Got it, Mom knows," Madison replied cheerfully.
"Mom, can we have your meatloaf tomorrow when we get home?" Hannah shouted from beside her. She loved Madison's homemade meatloaf, which had a thin crust and was generously stuffed with filling.
"All right, Mom will make it ahead of time for when you both get back." It had been a week without the kids, and Madison was willing to grant their every wish.
"Yay, awesome!"
"Mom, will Dad be joining you to pick us up tomorrow?" Madison was about to explain that Dad might not have the time. Suddenly, a voice from behind chimed in.
"Of course, Dad will come to get you guys."
Madison turned around and saw that someone had just finished showering, clad only in a bathrobe with damp hair still dripping.
"Why didn't you grab pajamas? And you haven't dried your hair. You'll catch a cold." She handed over the cell phone to Matthew and then came over with a dry towel. Matthew sat on the bed while she stood behind him, drying his hair.
"I forgot. I heard you on the video chat and didn't get around to it."
Matthew sat calmly, enjoying Madison's care as she dried his hair. It reminded him of his childhood when his mom would do the same. Despite the memories, he focused on getting stronger to find the person responsible.
With Madison and their two kids, it felt like having a family again. The children on the video call were still happily chatting with their parents. Madison and Matthew listened and responded softly, creating a harmonious family of four.
After saying goodnight to the kids and ending the video chat, Madison still urged Matthew to change into his pajamas and to dry his hair properly.
Matthew stretched out his long arms, pulling Madison into a hug. "There's no need to change. I'll be taking them off soon anyway."
As he leaned in to steal a kiss, his hands wandered and felt something bulky.
"What’s this!?"
Madison, momentarily swept away by his advances and almost completely overwhelmed, had forgotten about her period. Blushing slightly, she said, somewhat embarrassed, "I forgot it started."
Matthew's face stiffened, and he buried his head in her chest, a mix of frustration and mischief in his voice, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"I really forgot," Madison said with a laugh.
"In a couple of days, I'll have to make it up to you. When does it end?"
Madison felt extremely embarrassed by his directness. He could be so relentless at times.
"About half a month, I guess."
Matthew looked up at her, startled, then asked with some urgency, "Maybe you should get that checked out at the hospital. Half a month doesn't sound normal, does it?"
Madison couldn't help but laugh out loud. She'd said it on a whim, not expecting him actually to believe it.
"What are you laughing at? Are you pulling my leg?" Matthew, catching on, reached out to tickle Madison. They tumbled onto the bed, with Madison ending up beneath him.
He leaned down to steal a quick kiss before sighing and rising. "All right, I'm off to shower. You get some sleep."
Madison found it odd when he mentioned taking another shower, having just taken one. Her face flushed crimson before she could even ask why he'd shower twice.
The following afternoon, the couple picked up Quentin and Hannah Garcia, bringing along the meatloaf Madison had made before heading straight to The Old Residence. It was Friday, and Grandpa had been missing the kids dearly after they had been away for so long. He occasionally called Matthew and Madison to express his longing to see them.
There was plenty of meatloaf, and Valerie had cooked up some soup. Madison suggested they skip making rice and enjoy the meatloaf with soup – a perfect match.
Dinner was just finished when the two little ones settled in the living room with their grandfather to watch cartoons. Since it was the weekend, Quentin and Hannah were allowed an hour of TV tonight, and naturally, Grandpa was more than happy to join them.
Matthew and Madison took a stroll in the garden to aid their digestion.
Madison's phone rang. It was Willow Nelson. "Come out and play tomorrow. It's the weekend. We'll be at the Nightshade Bar."
Madison glanced at the person beside her before replying, "We're at Grandpa's place."
"Who's that?" Matthew asked nonchalantly while toying with her fingers.
"Willow." Matthew raised an eyebrow. Willow? What did he want with his wife?
"I got the scoop while chatting with Quentin on Facebook, so I called you. Come with your man. My big bro is finally back from his business trip, and we're throwing him a little welcome-back party. It's perfect since the little ones are all taken care of here at The Old Residence. Hurry over, I gotta go." The line went dead before Madison could respond.
Quentin and Hannah sometimes chatted with Willow using their smartwatches, mainly because Willow often reached out to them. When work kept her from seeing the kids, she'd stay in touch by sending them videos and Facebook messages.
"What's up?" Matthew inquired, noticing Madison's hesitant expression.
"Willow mentioned they're at a bar and invited us to hang out."
"Oh, looks like Second Bro is back, huh?" Madison noted.
"You knew?" Matthew asked.
"Yeah, I decided to skip going out when I heard he was returning to be with his wife and kids. You know me, a classic family man, I'm not one to leave them." Matthew was the definition of a homebody, rarely straying far from his loved ones.
"Did you want to go? It's okay if you don't. I can call Willow and let her know," Matthew said, pulling out his phone to make the call.
Madison hurriedly intercepted, "Wait a second."
She was conflicted about not going. It didn't seem fair. Victor hadn't been back for a while, and Matthew had sent him away for work. It would be rude not to show up!
Matthew picked up on her hesitation.
"Let's just go for a bit, make an appearance, and then head back. I'll let Grandpa know, and you can grab a coat from upstairs," he suggested.
"Okay."
Hand in hand, the couple arrived at Nightshade Bar to find the gang all there.
Patrick teased, "Only Sister can get Matthew out of the house, eh?"
Victor wasn't concerned. He had already caught up with Matthew at the office, who mentioned he was picking up Quentin and Hannah to go back to The Old Residence today. He was planning to stay in Horizon City for a while anyway, so there would be plenty of opportunities for drinks.
Liam said, "You're late. That's a drink penalty."
Fearless, Patrick grabbed two glasses, filled them up, and brought them over.
Matthew downed both drinks with a smile, aware that his friends were joking, "My wife can't drink, so I'll take hers. Just get her a glass of water."
Patrick, still not catching on, asked blankly, "Why can't she drink?"
The others got it right away, and Daniel gestured to the server to pour Madison some hot water.
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