Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 975

How lucky I am to be cherished like this!

The trio of little ones moved their lips, and Elliot said, "My mommy always says, 'All love in the world is mutual. You love us, and naturally, we love you too.'"

Evan added, "Anyone my mommy likes, I like too! And anyone she protects, I will protect as well! Plus, you're my daddy, Evan’s daddy. If anyone dares to bully you, I've got to stand up for you!"

Elijah chimed in, "Mommy told us, a real family shares joy and sorrows together. If one person in the family is unhappy, it's like a cloud over our whole household. Everything we do for daddy, it's for him, but it's also for the sake of our family."

Tarquin's throat tightened with emotion. He wrapped his arms around the three kids, a wounded heart warming under their care. It took a while before he could let go, saying, "Your grandma's ashes being disrespected like that surely made daddy both angry and upset. But now, daddy is okay. As an adult, I won't dwell on the sadness forever. We've retrieved grandma's ashes, and Gideon has been punished. That's a cause for celebration. So, you don't have to worry about daddy anymore. It's over, and you all should get some good sleep."

Evan's deep eyes rolled skeptically, "Are you really not sad anymore?"

Tarquin ruffled Evan's hair, "Do I look like I'm still sad?"

Evan muttered, "It's best if you're not sad. But if you are, it's okay to cry. We won't make fun of you. My mommy says crying in front of your loved ones is nothing to be ashamed of."

Tarquin smiled, "Next time I’m sad, I’ll come to you."

"Pfft, don’t jinx it! Can’t you just hope for happiness every day?"

Tarquin's smile grew wider, "I can see it now, Evan really adores daddy. Have I scored a perfect hundred?"

Evan's lips twitched, "Don't get too proud. Scores can go up and down. And remember, I like you because my mommy likes you. If she ever stops liking you, then I will too!"

Tarquin affectionately pinched Evan’s cheek, "You little pessimist. How could your mommy ever stop liking me? If she dares, I’ll just..."

Elysia wasn’t in their bedroom; after freshening up, she had checked on Baby and was now in Emmett's room.

Tarquin pushed the door open, finding Elysia just as she finished tucking Emmett in, sitting by his bed, staring at him.

Approaching, Tarquin bent down to pinch Emmett’s cheek.

Elysia swatted his hand away, whispering, “Don’t wake him up.”

Tarquin’s face broke into a handsome smile, “Emmett’s getting more and more handsome.”

Elysia sighed, "Today, Blossom called me. She said she ran into someone who looks incredibly like Emmett, almost made her doubt if that woman could be Emmett’s biological mother. But that woman looked so... well, Blossom said it's complicated."