Chapter 123 Don’t Make Me Wait Too Long
“We are here.” Alexander’s low, husky voice resounded in the car, causing Courtney to regain her senses. She turned and glanced outside the window at the familiar environment of the neighborhood before she fell into a slight daze. It felt like it was moments ago that they dined together.
“Thank you.” She thanked him before turning to shake Tina’s shoulder. “Tina…”
The little girl mumbled something and continued to sleep like a pig who was unable to be woken up, no matter how hard Courtney tried.
“Let me handle this.” The sound of him unbuckling the safety belt came from the driver seat. Before she could even reject his offer, he had already exited the car and yanked open the car door at the other side before he gently carried Tina in his arms. “Let’s go. I will follow you upstairs.”
Courtney was stunned, but she returned to her senses and nodded while leading him from the front.
Cameron’s apartment was on the twentieth floor. In the slowly-rising elevator, the space was so cramped that they were almost able to clearly hear each other’s breaths.
Tina meekly leaned on Alexander’s shoulder and slept soundly, as if the person carrying her was someone whom she truly trusted. Glancing at them, Courtney thought to herself, Perhaps this is the special bond shared between people related by blood, which also explains why this girl is especially close to Alexander and so is Jordan to me.
“Didn’t you tell me that you have taken your house back? Why are you still staying here?” His voice brought her out of her reverie.
She turned away before she replied, “The house is located at Golden Water Park. It is an old villa with a rather large area. I once brought Tina along with me to spend a night there, but the place was so cold and quiet that it was frightening, so I ended up staying with Cameron instead.”
Her initial idea was to take Oliver, who had yet to regain his memory about his identity, to stay with them since the more the merrier, but Alexander unexpectedly offered for him to stay in the hotel. As she was not used to hiring a nanny, her plan to move into the villa together with Tina was momentarily placed on the backburner.
“Did the reporters come here again after that?” Alexander recalled the incident where Shay’s stay there had attracted the reporters to come.
“They came a few times.” Upon that incident being brought up, Courtney suddenly chuckled. “After Cameron returned from her business trip, she gave them a good scolding and they did not dare to come again after that.”
As they were speaking, the elevator door slid open with a ding. It was late at night, so it was quiet in the corridor. Courtney fished out her keys and opened the door before throwing a quick glance in the direction of the master bedroom with the corner of her eye. Her movements then became even lighter.
Carrying Tina in his arms, the cooperative Alexander placed her in her room with gentle movements.
After shutting Tina’s room door, Courtney thanked, “Thank you for sending me home so late at night and for even carrying her up here.”
“This is the second time.”
“Huh?”
He looked at her while his expression was cold as usual. “This is the second time that I heard the word ‘thank you’ from you after we alighted from the car. Are you someone who loves to say ‘thank you’?”
She looked down in an attempt to avoid his gaze. “It’s polite to say ‘thank you’. If I don’t, it will make me look like I am uncivilized.”
“Perhaps I can take it that you are being… courteous?”
A stunned Courtney raised her head and answered in a slightly hesitant tone. “Is it wrong to be… courteous?”
Alexander’s gaze abruptly darkened as he asked, “Regarding the incident that happened in the afternoon, are you planning to mask it with the excuse that we are both adults?”
Her throat tightened as she was overwhelmed by panic, as if she was caught after hiding for the whole day, despite knowing that he would not allow the incident that happened in the afternoon to slide easily.
However, she indeed was not able to provide any explanation this time as she was unsure of her feelings for him. She had no idea whether it happened because she could not help it at that point in time or because her feelings for him had reached its peak. Nevertheless, it was not something that could be easily explained.
“I—” She found it hard to form words, as if she suffered from a speech disorder. In the end, she mustered the courage and raised her head before asking in a serious manner. “I want to know what you think about it.” She threw the question back to him.
The lights in the living room were not switched on. Everything looked vague under the dim light in the foyer and even their expressions and emotions seemed hazy and fuzzy, as if their reasonings started to fade away.
Alexander had already left for some time. Courtney sat on the couch and looked in the direction of the main door in a daze before she glanced at the wall clock and did the math. Right now, Alexander should have exited the elevator and he is walking out of the building.
His unique masculine scent still lingered in the room as well as his words, which he uttered in his husky voice and it continued to echo in her ears, Among all of the women I have met, you are the only one who makes me feel like marriage isn’t a bad idea.
It was something that she did not reply to.
Lastly, he added, “Whether it is a relationship or work, I’m used to being efficient. I know that women think differently than men, so I’m willing to give you some time to think about it, but don’t take too long.”
Just when she was in a daze, the door to the master room suddenly opened as dim light poured into the living room through the tiny gap.
A startled Courtney raised her head and looked in that direction.
She found Cameron, who was in striped pajamas, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest. There was a suggestive smug look on her face as she teased, “I heard everything, loud and clear. So, what are your plans?”
Courtney’s face instantly flushed red as she avoided Cameron’s gaze. “What plan? I don’t have any plans.”
“Still not going to admit it? Roar!” She pounced at Courtney in a dramatic movement before pressing the latter on the couch. “Spill it. What was that about ‘afternoon’ and ‘adults’? Let an adult like me know what the two of you have done in the afternoon!”
Cameron tickled Courtney until the latter laughed so hard that she could not stop. Courtney finally begged for forgiveness while curling up on the couch. “I will tell you… I will definitely tell you… Let me go… Hahaha… Let me go…”
There were no secrets between the best friends. After chatting for some time, there was a pile of sunflower seed shells on the coffee table.
While eating sunflower seeds, Cameron asked as she slurred her words, “You have done everything that needs to be done, so why don’t you agree to his offer? Since he has made himself clear, what are you waiting for? You shouldn’t play hard to enter into relationships…”
“I know.” Courtney frowned. “I am just worried…”
“Worried about what?”
“Worried about Tina and Jordan…”
“Aren’t you worrying for nothing? You gave birth to both Tina and Jordan, so isn’t being together with Alexander the right choice? Just tell me if you like him.”
“I—”
“Do you like him? Yes or no? There is no third answer.”
Courtney pursed her lips and after a while, she replied, “I like him.”
“That’s good, then. Liking him is good enough. Besides, from what I saw earlier, judging from his attitude toward you, you totally don’t have to worry that he will snatch your child away from you after telling him the truth—since both of you will be married, what belongs to him will be yours too, so the issue of child custody will be automatically solved.
Cameron had always been straightforward and never done things half-heartedly. What she said was right, but it would be easier said than done.
As it was now rather late, Courtney gave half-hearted replies before urging Cameron to return to bed. Courtney then brushed her teeth and went to bed as well, but she kept tossing and turning while being unable to sleep. It was as if her brain was stuffed with a messy woolen ball and there was a knot that could not seem to be untangled.
She admitted that she fancied Alexander, but her fondness for him was mixed with something else.
