Semua Bab DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG : Bab 41 - Bab 50

By the time I pulled into the driveway, the sky had begun to soften into evening.Kai had gotten quiet during the drive, no doubt the sugar wearing off, and exhaustion from the day starting to seep in. I'd purposely let him have more ice cream than he should've had on a weekday for that reason. I felt a little guilty about it, but I needed him tired so he'd be asleep when I was leaving with Victor, and wouldn't notice either of our absence. It was good to see it was already happening. I parked the car and stepped out, rounding to Kai’s side just as the front door opened.When I looked up, Victor was stepping out, already dressed to leave. My brows pulled in a frown as I watched him. Had he forgotten that he was supposed to wait for me?He began walking to his car that his driver had parked in front of the house, and that was when he deemed it worthy to look up. I thought he hadn't noticed me at first, but he immediately found us, and I could've sworn surprise flickered in his eye

~~Brandon~~The table fell silent after Joan's words. A slow frown made its way to my face as I looked between her and my grandfather, who just looked like it was every other day's news. I thought he'd have shown more reaction to the information.I wasn't actively involved in Joan's life, but I already felt anger for her sake. I understood, from the way she said it, that she hadn't granted him the test. Victor simply dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin, then set it down neatly, taking his time to speak. "Has he gotten the results yet?" he finally asked. "He has," Joan responded. "Madeline gave me a copy of them." Finally, a visible reaction passed through Victor's features. His eyebrows twitched. "Madeline? Isn't she..." "Dean's wife, yes." "What a surprise," he mumbled. "Did you put her up to it?" Joan shook her head. "No. I hadn't even known he'd done that until she called me. This afternoon." He hummed under his breath, seemingly thinking of something. No one

He stood, glaring at me. For a brief moment, I thought he was going to go in, but then he clicked his tongue once and returned to the car. "I wonder how anyone puts up with you," he muttered as he walked past me. I fought a smirk. He wasn't winning me now, he wasn't winning me ever. "Funny. Because I wonder the same thing about you." I entered the car and made a show of slamming the door, remembering how it used to get to him. Apparently, it still did because a muscle in his jaw ticked as he started the engine. But he didn't say anything. This time, he went in the direction we were supposed to, even without me giving them. I almost enjoyed being in the same car as him—solely because he'd been quiet. I didn’t know what he thought he’d prove by getting me to eat at that restaurant, but I was glad I disappointed him. “I thought he would’ve gotten used to losing by now, but I guessed not. He still remained a sore loser. By the time we got to the hospital, I had already spotted

I mentally facepalmed. My son's ice cream problem was worse than I thought. And though I hated to admit it, it was mostly my fault."Kai, you can't do that," I scolded softly. He frowned. "But that's what I want, Mama." I started to say something, but Brandon beat me to it."It's fine, Joan," he said. "If ice cream is what will earn his forgiveness, then I'll get it for him."I wanted to protest, but the way Kai's eyes lit up made me rethink. I didn't want to be the reason for his sadness, so I just went along with it, instead keeping it in mind to ask Brandon not to encourage Kai's bad habits. I exhaled. "If it isn't an inconvenience, then fine." He nodded, and the table fell silent as everyone went back to their food. After a moment, Brandon cleared his throat."My cousin’s wedding is next month," he said. Then, looking at Victor, he added, "Julia’s." Victor didn’t respond. Which, in itself, was an answer."Are you coming?" Brandon asked.Victor reached for his glass instead,

When we returned to the living room, Caleb was half asleep, an almost-empty bowl of popcorn on his hips and the television was playing a movie I didn't recognize. Brandon cleared his throat, and he startled back into consciousness, his eyes immediately landing on Brandon. Then they moved from him to me... and slowly widened."Oh," he said, sitting up. A beat passed."Oh." The first one was surprised, but the second was like he'd realized something.I frowned.I didn’t like the way it sounded.Brandon sighed like this was a headache he’d already anticipated. "Don’t." Caleb ignored him, of course."So," he drawled, sitting up fully, "you went to drop her off and came back with her instead. Should I be concerned or—" "I’m locked out," I cut in before he could finish. I didn't want to find out what he thought. "Locked out?" he repeated."Victor took my son home and decided I didn’t need my keys tonight." I folded my arms, exhaling slowly. "I tried calling him, but didn’t pick." C