That night, I learned never to make him starve ever again. The next morning, I woke up feeling achy all over my body. I forced myself out of bed, not wanting to sleep in right after being accepted as their daughter-in-law.
I looked toward the bathroom when I heard a cheery hum coming from there. Seems like someone’s in a good mood. Seeing Christopher shaving his stubble, I walked over, grabbed him by his waist, and spun him toward me. He released a soft groan, holding my wrist with his free hand. “Darling, are you trying to murder me?”
“You read my mind!” I said indignantly.
“Who dares to anger my wife?” A satisfied Christopher seemed to find my temper ironic on such a beautiful, sunny day. “It’s still early. Why don’t you sleep a little longer?”
“You dare suggest that?” I raised my fist, hitting his chest lightly a few times. “Everyone will look at me weirdly if I only appear at lunchtime.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just listen to me and sleep. The Lane residence doesn’t have that many rules except toward strangers. But you’re family, so you don’t have to stick to them. My mom and dad would never blame you even if you do mess up. If anything, they’d do everything to protect you.” After wiping his face, he scooped me up and tucked me back into bed. “There’s no need to be so cautious.”
“As if you’ll understand!” I rolled my eyes.
Truth be told, the atmosphere here was great. I was sure I would be able to live a comfortable life in this house. Even so, it did not feel right to let myself be overly spoiled by Christopher, who was still insisting I sleep a bit longer.
After he was done changing his clothes, I got up and prepped myself as well. I came down to find Christopher and Gordon intently discussing today’s news. It was something related to the country’s defense. Completely clueless about that, I greeted them and headed straight for the kitchen.
I rolled up my sleeves, beginning to prepare a few of my specialty dishes. After the table was set up, everyone gathered around and enjoyed the meal together.
Breakfast was filled with laughter. Dylan cracked a joke, making Julia laugh. I, too, had a great time conversing with them.
After breakfast, everyone headed off to where they needed to be. After Gordon’s retirement, he found interest in chess and had retreated to his room to mull over his moves, leaving only us ladies left.
Feeling a bit nervous, I took out a pack of poker cards and suggested we play a few rounds. The winner would get to paste paper strips on the loser’s face. The game ended up with Shelley and I having our faces covered with paper because I did not have the courage to do it to Julia.
Fortunately, Julia was also having a fun time. She laughed hysterically while we were executing the punishment. “Seems like I have a talent with poker as well. I really should flaunt my skills out there. Ahh… which reminds me, I used to be a favorite at card games because I kept losing money to my opponents. Both of you must have given in to me quite a bit, didn’t you?”
I smiled at her comment, pretending not to understand. Then, just as I bent over to pick up a fallen card, I carelessly revealed the hickeys on the back of my neck.
Julia’s eyes lingered on them for a few seconds before she returned her attention to the game. “Chris is usually a considerate child. But, once he acts up, he can go a bit overboard. Don’t give in to him all the time. Someone should reign him in a bit,” she said languidly.
Realizing what she was talking about, my hands instinctively rushed to cover the hickeys. A scarlet flush reddened my skin. I was suddenly conscious about the amount of noise I was making last night. Did they hear us?
Then, Julie continued, “Some of my friends have invited me over to play poker. You should come too. It will do you good to know more people in our social circle. Oh, and I’ve called the family doctor over. You should get yourself checked to make sure your body’s fully recovered. Fragile bodies we have, don’t we? That’s why you shouldn’t let Chris have his way with you all the time.”
Despite feeling embarrassed, her words sent a warm tingling sensation over me. So this is how a mother’s love feels like…
