Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



Tarquin was utterly clueless about what Elysia was thinking, making it hard not to suspect that her suggestion was driven by a budding interest in him. After pondering for a moment, he called out to her, "Elysia."

"Hmm?"

"Are you...?"

Suddenly, the atmosphere dipped into silence.

Evan was curious, "What does he want to ask?"

Elijah, ever the excited one, declared, "I know Dad. Dad wants to ask Mom if she likes him!"

"What?!" Evan was taken aback, so was Emmett, while Elliot seemed a tad nervous, clenching his tiny fists secretly, eager to hear Mom's response. But as seconds ticked by, Tarquin remained silent.

Evan, growing impatient, exclaimed, "What's taking him so long? Is he going to ask or not?"

Elijah frowned, "He might not ask after all."

"Why not?" Emmett was curious.

"Dad's got a lot of pride," Elijah explained. "He's probably worried that if he's overthinking it and gets a 'no' for an answer, he'd look vain and that would be embarrassing."

"But doesn't he want to know if Mom likes him?" Emmett asked.

"Of course, he's curious. But knowing Dad, with his steady nature, he won't ask until he's absolutely sure," Elijah reasoned.

It seemed the sons knew their father well. Did Tarquin really want to ask Elysia if she liked him? The fact that she could bare her wounded heart to care for him, urge him not to look for Elijah's biological mother, and wish for his happiness, pushing him towards a new romance - weren't these signs of her affection? But he also feared misunderstanding her feelings, potentially embarrassing himself.

Elysia, having waited without hearing the rest of his question, grew anxious and asked with wide eyes, "What do you want to ask?"

After a moment's thought, Tarquin changed his approach, "Do you... care about me a lot?"

Elysia was taken aback, clearly not expecting this question. But after staring at him for a while, she nodded earnestly, "Yes!"

He was the father of her children; it was impossible for her not to care about him. And he wasn't a bad person... If he were just a heartless jerk, she could have easily taken Elijah and left without a second thought. But he wasn't, and taking Elijah away directly would leave her feeling guilty and remorseful.

So she hoped he could find some happiness, making it a bit easier for her to leave with Elijah someday.

Tarquin watched her with an inscrutable expression, his deep gaze tinged with an indiscernible emotion. But he was too good at masking his feelings, making it impossible to tell whether he was pleased or something else.

As they silently stared at each other, lost in their thoughts, Elysia's resolve crumbled first. She averted her gaze, as if caught in a guilty act. Just as she was about to fabricate an excuse for her concern, Gideon, along with the Bradford family members, emerged from the chapel, observing them from a distance.

Coincidentally, Elysia's stomach chose that moment to growl.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Tarquin snapped out of his thoughts and took the lead, "Let's go, dinner's waiting."

With that, he strode towards the chapel, leaving Elysia to touch her stomach and sigh as she watched his retreating figure. She wondered if he had taken her words to heart. If he could move on and start a new romance, perhaps shifting some of his affection away from Elijah, it might soften the blow when she eventually took Elijah and left.

"Not hungry anymore?"

Realizing she hadn't followed, Tarquin turned back and called out to her. His voice was deep and soothing, carrying a hint of indulgence that was hard to miss.