Kimberly had been eavesdropping from the kitchen, not daring to step out but also not wanting to miss a word of the conversation happening outside. The visitors were none other than Alaric's grandparents! To her surprise, they had already met Hertha's kids and were now joyfully playing games with them! This was enough to send Kimberly into a panic.
Hertha was equally flustered, barely managing to tell Kimberly, "I have no clue how things got to this point. Just serve them dinner and hopefully, they'll leave soon." The very presence of the guests was making Hertha jittery.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtKimberly wanted to express her frustration but seeing Hertha so distressed, she couldn't bring herself to add to her worries. Reluctantly, she went back to her cooking duties.
"Great-Grandma, you got this piece wrong. It should go over here to make the house," little Helena, with a wisdom beyond her years, corrected Beatrice's mistake and rearranged a piece of the puzzle. Despite being corrected, Beatrice's face lit up with a smile, her wrinkles bunching together as she graciously accepted the guidance. "Oh, bless your heart, you're absolutely right, Great-Grandma made a boo- boo. You're such a smart cookie," she chuckled, her eyes brimming with love and admiration for Helena as if she was the most precious thing on earth.
Remington, usually so stern, was now all smiles, looking at the children with a gentle and loving gaze. The grandparents and the kids were sitting together on a foam mat, completely absorbed in their game, without any hint of awkwardness.
Hertha, standing to the side, took a deep breath to muster her courage and put on a smile to join them.
"Julian, Helena, can mommy play too?" she asked, hoping to be part of their little circle.
"Mommy, chere, sit next to daddy," Helena said, pulling Hertha by the hand towards Alaric.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHertha thought to herself how Helena always had Alaric's back, always thinking of him first. If only she knew what was really going through her mom's mind.
She wanted to decline, but seeing Helena so happy, she couldn't bear to disappoint her. Besides, with Alaric's grandparents right there, would seem odd to refuse too vehemently. So, she found bet sitting next to Alaric, who was giving her one of his sly, charming looks. It made Hertha uneasy, prompting her to elbow him as a warning to tone it down.
Alaric, feigning innocence after the nudge, didn't say a word. Hertha then noticed Beatrice and Remington giving them a knowing look. She quickly tried to explain, "Remington, Beatrice, actually, these kids aren't..." Alaric's.
But before she could finish, Beatrice cut in, "We know, darling. Alaric has already filled us in." "Don't you worry about a thing. We're
not here to interfere or to take the kids away on behalf of the Ealconer e family. It's up to you two to sort things out. Of course, if you two
could ctogether and give these kids a loving home, well, that'd be the cherry on top, Beatrice shared their stance without leaving room for Hertha to respond.
It was clear that despite knowing about the children, they had no m intention of separating them from Hertha.