"I need more time to think about it," Meredith replied, "who knows if I wait a little longer, there will be more girls like Yena or Maeve who would show up out of the blue? Then there's no need to get married again, is there?""Don't worry, I will get rid of them personally if any of them shows up."Meredith chuckled."Let's get something to eat." She then pointed to the restaurant on the opposite street.Josiah complained that he did not have enough alone time with Meredith so they decided to have both lunch and dinner outside, instead of eating at home.And they decided to attend the event after that.As for their two kids, Nia and Cooper did not seem to mind that they were not around."What do you feel like having?" Josiah looked toward where she was pointing and asked, "You want to have sushi?""Yeah, the sushi place was recently opened," Meredith went on, "I heard from my colleagues that they have some really good sushi and I have been wanting to try it."She then sighed,
"Rather than contemplating this, why not think about what you want to do at the beach."Josiah was right. Besides, Nia and Cooper might already be over the moon knowing that they were going on a trip. Hence, it would not be nice to cancel the trip.Hence, Meredith surrendered and decided to accept Josiah's plan.By the time they reached home, Nia was already dressed in a sundress and had on a sunhat, and she was dancing around happily in the living room.Cooper, on the other hand, was calm and even though he was not as excited as Nia, his face was overflowing with happiness."Daddy and Mommy, are we really going to the beach?" Nia hopped cheerfully towards them.Meredith nodded. "We are, are you excited?""Of course! I'm super thrilled!" Nia went on, "I was telling Cooper last night that I wanted to collect sea shells.""Is that it? That's a nice coincidence, isn't it?""Yeap," Nia nodded and went on, "Dad, Mom, can we go back to the beach that we visited the last time?""Of
"Are we really going back to the beach?""Yeah. I wanted to go to another one but Nia said she wanted to go back to the previous one.""I think Nia wanted to go to that private beach.""Let's go there then. I think Cooper would like it there as well.""I thought it's not completely developed yet? And that we can only visit there once.""It's developing.""That quick? When was this?""Right after we visited there. I bought the entire beach," Josiah chuckled, "I was planning to take all of you there once it's developed and I wanted to make it a surprise. But I didn't expect that Nia would want to go there now."Meredith gasped softly, "You're out of your mind, Josiah Shelby.""What's wrong?""How much did you have to spend to buy the entire beach?""Do I look like I wouldn't be able to afford it?" Josiah teased, "It's alright. Even if I run out of money, I can always depend on my wife, right? You will take care of me right?""In your dreams. I will not take care of you.""Se
Nia and Cooper were running around the beach.Meredith called out to them and Nia immediately ran toward her. With a big sea conch in her hand, she said, "Mommy Mommy, look at this big conch.""My my, it is big, isn't it?" Meredith exclaimed as she took the conch from Nia's hand and asked, "Where did you find this?""Right over there." Nia then wanted her mother to put the conch by her ear and said, "Mommy, Cooper said that you can hear the sounds of waves in the conch. Hurry up and try listening to it.""Is that so? Let's see, shall we?"Meredith put the conch next to her ear and after a while, she nodded. "Mm, I can really hear the sound of the ocean.""Here, try it, Cooper." Meredith placed the conch next to Cooper's ears.Compared to the bubbly Nia, Cooper did not like to talk too much. And there were times when Nia felt heartbroken to see Cooper who was always quiet.That was why she would make the first move to reach out to Cooper.Even though Cooper did not talk a lot,
"Cooper, Nia, come here and drink some water," Meredith called out to the kids."Mommy, can we have some other drinks instead?""Sure, they have fruit juice here. You can choose whatever you like."Nia looked at the options and decided on an avocado milkshake. "I want this one.""Okay, let me get you some." After handing the glass to Nia, she then asked Cooper, "What about you, darling? What would you like?"Cooper pointed at the bottle of water on the table.Meredith was not surprised.Cooper was just like his father, both of them did not like sweet stuff. Aside from occasionally trying some sweet food with Nia, they would not crave anything sweet."Okay, here you go." Meredith handed him a bottle of water.Nia wanted to walk around after finishing her drink but Josiah stopped her."Sit down right now, darling. The food will be served soon." Josiah smiled. "There will be crabs that you like too, you wanted them right?""Yes!" Nia immediately sat down tightly.The crab dish
"It's not suited for kids."Hearing Cooper's response, Meredith quickly pushed Josiah away and whined, "the kids are looking, behave yourself.""It's fine. They need to get used to it anyway," Josiah replied nonchalantly.Meredith hence gave a light kick at his legs, and Josiah behaved himself."Cooper, Nia, let's try some of these shrimps." Meredith helped to peel off the shell of the shrimp for the kids.Josiah, on the other hand, peeled the shells off of the shrimps for her and put them on her plate.The family of four was enjoying their dinner while enjoying the breathtaking scenery.After dinner, they drank fruit juice while watching the sunset.When the skies started to darken, the four of them finally returned to the hotel.Nia then sighed, "Mommy, I think that the place that we stayed together the last time was better.""Well, that's for sure, darling. That was a resort and there were places for us to eat and play around. There were more people too," Meredith smiled.
"Where are we going?" Cooper simply followed Nia but he did not know what kind of place the resort was."To somewhere better than here. You'll know what I mean once we're there."Nia dragged Cooper back indoors.Josiah too helped Meredith get up from her chair. "Let's go and pack our stuff. We should make our way there now."Right when she was about to stand up, Josiah suddenly sat her down again. "You can rest more. I can do the packing.""We have so many things, how are you going to pack them all alone?" Meredith got up from the chair and went indoors with him.Because they had a private ship, it was convenient for them to go to the resort.Soon, they arrived at the villa where they stayed the last time.Nia spread her arms wide open, inhaled the air around her deeply, and exclaimed, "Ah, this is the place, my favorite place."Meredith ruffled Nia's hair and said, "There now. You wanted hot chocolate, didn't you? Hurry up and ask Daddy to bring you there.""Mommy, it's alri
"But I don't have a husband. How is that considered cheating?" Meredith argued."I don't care. In any case, you're the mother of my children and if you get close with other men, that's considered cheating." Josiah suddenly had a stronger urge to go downstairs with her.Meredith could not be bothered to talk sense into him. She turned around and made her way downstairs.Both of them arrived at the cafe to find Nia and Cooper playing on the swings by the beach.And of course, Nia was on the swing while Cooper was pushing her from behind.Nia was cheering excitedly as she asked Cooper to push her harder.Cooper who adored Nia, of course, did as he was told.Meredith and Josiah exchanged a look with each other and shook their heads at the same time.Cooper and Nia, one bubbly while one was quiet. Both of them were on the other end of the spectrum.At the sight of her parents, Nia waved her hand at them and called out, "Daddy, Mommy, what are you doing here?"Seeing how Nia had le
Back in the bedroom on the second floor, Liam pulled Ivy into the bathroom to take a bath together.Ivy allowed him to take off her clothes and pulled her to stand under the water.Liam helped her take a bath and asked, "How is it? Is everything okay?""It's not bad." Ivy said, "I didn't expect your parents to welcome me so warmly."Liam looked at her proudly, with the water still flowing down from his head. "Of course! You should thank the guy that has good taste. How can they dislike a girl of my choosing?"Ivy smiled and said, "Okay, previously...""Don't mention the previous things, let them pass." Liam interrupted her.Ivy was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, it's all over.""Yes. From now on, there is only happiness." Liam lowered his head and whispered in her ear, and kissed her lips……Meredith and Josiah listened in shock to Liam and Ivy's story, while watching the three children chasing and making trouble outside the floor-to-ceiling window.They were all
Ivy raised her hand and touched the top of Siena's hair. "God treated me well, and gave me back my daughter, and also gave me the child's father.""No, you're wrong." Liam smiled and said, "God treated me well and sent the child and the child's mother back to my arms.""Oh, spare me." Madam Sheldon shook her head unbearably.Madam Sheldon finally believed that Siena was her own granddaughter.She excitedly hugged Siena into her arms, and she burst into tears with joy. "Great, our Sheldon family finally has a granddaughter! Great!""Grandma, you like Siena, right?" Siena asked sweetly."Nonsense! Of course, Grandma likes Siena. Grandma has always dreamed about a little grandson or a little granddaughter." Madam Sheldon choked as she said.Liam and Ivy looked at each other and smiled.After hugging Siena excitedly for a while, Madam Sheldon released her, and looked at her again. "Now that you mentioned it, she looks a lot like Liam. Look at her nose, her ears...right? Am I righ
"You even helped me get dressed before you left!" Liam pinched her chin. "Ivy, aren't you embarrassed saying these things?""You asked me.""...""If I didn't help you get dressed, you might be so stupid that you don't even know that you slept with someone, right?""Ivy!" Liam gritted his teeth. "You stole my seed, and you dare to laugh at me for being stupid?""Isn't it stupid?" Ivy was not afraid of him. She raised an eyebrow at him deliberately. "Liam, think about it. Were you being stupid that night?"Liam was silent.Yes, he was really stupid.He was so stupid that he was too embarrassed to admit it. He did not even have the face to mention it in front of Josiah.Looking at the woman in front of him, he wanted to laugh and be mad at the same time.He did not want to say anything. He just wanted to use actions to prove how angry he was, how excited, happy, and...Countless emotions were intertwined in his body, causing him to bow his head and kiss her lips fiercely.Ivy
"Okay, I'm sorry." Ivy got up and walked around in front of him, sitting on his lap and hugging his neck with a smile. "Do I need to make up for you as well? Say sorry to you?""Yes, of course.""I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept it from you for so long. I shouldn't have kept the news about Siena's from you until now, okay?""Do you think I'll let you off with just that?" Liam was not satisfied."Then what do you want?""The rest will be paid in the evening.""Okay, double compensation," Ivy responded generously.Hearing her say that, Liam was extremely satisfied.He did not mind his daughter's presence at all. He instructed her, "Siena, turn around, I'm going to kiss Mommy.""Why can't I see you kiss Mommy?" Siena was puzzled."Because your Mommy will be shy.""Oh, okay then." Siena turned around wisely."I'm not shy, it's you who is shy." Ivy held Liam's handsome face and kissed him on the lips.Liam was moved for a second, and when he tried to dee
The adoptive parents expressed their understanding. They waved their hands and said, "It's alright. If it were me, I'd be crying happy tears too.""Anyway, thank you very much," Liam said."Mister Liam, you don't have to be so polite. Otherwise, we will be even more embarrassed," the adoptive father said.The adoptive mother held Siena, who seemed a little lost. She pulled Siena in front of Ivy and said softly, "Siena, I'm sorry, Mommy never told you that Ivy is your biological mommy."Siena looked at her in shock. "Really? Is Mommy Ivy my biological mother? Did she give birth to me?""Yes. Mommy wouldn't just pass you to a random stranger, right?" The adoptive mother smiled and said, "Siena, you will be able to spend time with your biological mommy in the future. Isn't that great?"Siena nodded, then stretched out her palm and gently stroked Ivy's face. "Mommy, why are you crying? Don't you want to be my biological mommy?""Siena!" Ivy suddenly pulled Siena into her embrace."
Siena's adoptive parents expressed that they understood. They waved their hands and said, "It's fine. If it were me, we would cry happy tears too." "Anyway, thank you very much," Liam said."Mister Liam, don't say such a thing. If not, we will be even more embarrassed," Siena's adoptive father said.Siena's adoptive mother pulled Siena, who did not know much about what was happening, over to Ivy's side and gently said, "Siena, I'm sorry. I have never told you that Ivy is your real Mommy."Siena looked at her in shock. "Are you serious? Mommy Ivy is my real Mommy? The one that gave birth to me?""Yes, if not, how could I simply give you to any other person?" Siena's adoptive mother said with a smile, "In the future, you will be living with your real Mommy. Are you happy?"Siena nodded before reaching her hand out and touching Ivy's face. "Mommy, why are you crying? Don't you want to be my real Mommy?""Siena!" Ivy suddenly hugged her."Darling, I have been looking for you for s
Siena's adoptive parents looked at each other and smiled.The kitchen was calling them to take their seats.Liam got up and said, "Come, let's eat and talk."Then, he said to Siena, "Siena, go get Daddy and Mommy to eat. They must be hungry."Siena happily brought her adoptive parents to take their seats. The dinner was in the garden. They ate and talked at the same time. The entire process was pleasant.Toward the end, Siena's adoptive mover suddenly got up and walked over to Ivy. She looked at her deeply and said after a while, "Ivy, there is a secret I have been hiding from you for a very long time.""What is it?" Ivy saw how serious she was. She could not help but feel the severity of it."Siena…" Siena's adoptive mother paused for a while before saying, "Siena is the baby that you have been looking for all these years."Ivy was stunned. Liam was stunned too.Ivy was feeling uneasy. Blood was rushing to her head. Shock, delight, surprise, excitement, all of the emotions ga
Ivy heard what Liam said and looked out at the door.When she saw that it was Siena's adoptive parents, she was instantly stunned."They are the guests that you mentioned?""Yes." Liam stood next to her and smiled. He said, "They said they hoped that they could see Siena one more time.""Is that so? That's great." Ivy held Siena's hand and walked out.Outside the door, Siena's adoptive parents were extremely friendly. "Hello! Ivy! Haven't seen you in a while!""Hello." Ivy welcomed them. "Welcome."They looked at Siena behind Ivy. "Hello, Siena. It's been a while."Siena was so anxious she was almost in tears. She said with reddened eyes, "I don't want to go back! I don't want to!"Seeing how Siena was against them, they looked awkward. From there, one could infer how irresponsible they were of their adopted daughter previously.Ivy ruffled Siena's head and said softly in her ears, "Siena, don't be afraid. Your adoptive parents are here to send you off because you're about to
Ivy cleared her throat. She ruffled Siena's head. "Don't listen to your Daddy. How could I be tired? Furthermore, taking care of you is the happiest and proudest thing I have ever done.""Really? Mommy, you really like me that much?""I do."Siena laughed happily."Let's go. We'll head home." Ivy held Siena's hand and they walked under the sycamore tree."Mommy, has Daddy gone back?""Not yet," Ivy said, "Daddy said he wants to give us a surprise.""Oh, that's great. I don't want Daddy to leave us.""Why? Do you like Daddy?""I do." Siena nodded. "Also, with Daddy here, you will be much happier. I like to see you being happy."Ivy saw Siena's face under the sun. She could not help but be moved. Siena was too understanding and caring.She suddenly thought of her own daughter. If she was still around, she would be Siena's age. She wondered whether she was as caring as Siena.At that thought, the smile on her face faded a little."Mommy, look! There are two birds!" Siena sudd