My Handsome Uncle, Please Be Mine!

Part 37.

Joe followed his mom and dad to the living room. Meanwhile, Clara headed to her room on the second floor.

In the room were only Joe, Mr. Bond, and Mrs. Linn. The female servants in the house were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Kimmy was playing with Vivian and her nanny.

“What do you want to talk about, Mom?” Joe asked.

“It’s about Kimmy,” she said.

“What’s wrong with Kimmy?” Joe asked.

“I feel like Kimmy wants her parents to be back together,” Mrs. Linn said, unable to meet her son’s gaze.

Ugh!

Joe’s lips pressed tightly together, showing the tension in his jaw muscles. There was a bitter taste in the back of his throat.

“Does that mean I have to marry Vivian again, Mom?” Joe asked.

“Yes, that shouldn’t be difficult to achieve, right? You still love Vivian very much, and she seems to have changed now. She can improve her behavior and make you and your daughter her priorities, not for me, but for Kimmy!” she added.

Silence.

“The decision is yours, Joe!” Mr. Bond interjected, who had been silent all this time.

Joe raised his head, looking at his mom and dad alternately.

“I can’t go back to Vivian, Mom!” Joe said.

“Papa won’t force you!”

“Even for the sake of Kimmy?” Mrs. Linn interrupted.

“Yes, Mom, I have feelings for someone else, and I have no intention of reconciling with Vivian!” Joe said honestly.

Ugh.

Mrs. Linn observed her son’s facial expression; there was determination there. “Is there a woman you like?” she inquired.

Joe remained silent. It wasn’t the right time to tell his parents about his relationship with Clara.

“Don’t tell me it’s Clara, Joe? You’re not serious about your relationship with that inexperienced girl, are you?” Mrs. Linn pressed, hoping for a different answer.

Joe looked at his mom and dad in turn.

“I like Clara, Mom! And I want to marry her!” Joe confessed.

Mrs. Linn narrowed her eyes, disbelieving what Joe had just said.

“You choose one, Clara or Kimmy! If you choose Kimmy, leave Clara, if you choose Clara, I will let go of Kimmy and Vivian’s custody!” Mrs. Linn challenged.

“No, Mom, I can’t! Kimmy stays with me, and I will still marry Clara!” Joe insisted. His voice trembled with emotion.

“Open your eyes, Joe! You’re not young anymore, and you shouldn’t follow your ego. Clara, she’s not the kind of girl you can make your wife! She’s not worthy!” Mrs. Linn retorted. “Anyway, Mama disagrees! Understand!” she added.

Mrs. Linn stood up from her seat, looking at Joe with a displeased expression. “One more thing, either you end your relationship with Clara, or I will talk to Clara!” she said. Then Mrs. Linn left the living room just like that.

Joe looked at Mr. Bond. His dad remained silent. He couldn’t defend his wife or his son.

“Fight for what’s worth fighting for!” Mr. Bond advised. “It’s all in your hands, Joe,” he added, wanting to leave the living room.

“Pa!” Joe called out, stopping his dad’s steps.

Mr. Bond turned to look at the source of the sound.

“I like Clara, Pa! I will fight for Clara and also for Kimmy!” he said.

“Don’t be hasty, or you might lose her. Your mom is not a woman you can ignore, Joe, especially since she loves Kimmy so much! And you should also know, all this time your mom only considers Clara as an outsider, not as a family member! Here, you can’t be selfish, or Clara will be the one hurt!” Mr. Bond said.

The man then left the living room and headed to his room on the second floor.

==❤==

Joe stared at the walls of his room. He deliberately opened the door and windows wide, allowing the night breeze to blow on his face.

A dozen messages from Clara awaited his reply. His phone kept buzzing. Joe couldn’t bring himself to accept a call from her.

What would he say if Clara asked about their relationship?

Joe decided to talk to the girl directly.

Joe: [Clara, we need to talk!]

Clara: [Just call me, Uncle.]

Joe: [We need to talk in person!]

Clara: [Just say you miss me! Fine, I’ll go to the library now!]

Joe: [Come to my room instead!]

Not long after, there was a knock on Joe’s room door.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

He opened the door and saw Clara standing there, looking at him expectantly. Before anyone else saw them, Joe pulled Clara into his room.

“Lie down here, Clara!” Joe instructed, patting the space beside him.

Clara obeyed, crawling onto the king-size bed, occupying the spot Joe pointed to.

“What are you thinking, Uncle?” Clara asked, sensing Joe’s troubled expression.

“Turns out it’s not as easy as that to marry you, Clara. It’s easy for me because I’ve been married before, but I’m not sure it’ll be easy for you,” Joe said.

“I can still have a relationship like this, Uncle, quietly, without anyone knowing,” Clara suggested, facing Joe and looking at the man she admired so much.

“Yes, Clara,” Joe said, embracing Clara.

Clara looked up, so their faces were looking into each other’s eyes.

“You’re so beautiful, Clara. I can’t hold back anymore, but why does everything have to be so complicated!” Joe lamented. He could marry Clara if he wanted to. But what about his mom and the media, who wouldn’t stay silent? It would only hurt Clara because his ex-wife would surely not stay silent either. She could blame Clara for their divorce. The best thing to do was to wait for a while. Until the media forgot about his recent divorce with Vivian, which had only been two months ago.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

They heard a soft knock on the door.

“One moment!” Joe said. He told Clara to hide.

Joe went to the door, but no one was there. He returned to continue chatting with Clara.

==❤==

Vivian kissed her daughter’s cheek. She would be going home tonight. There were some photoshoot schedules for tomorrow. Most importantly, she was confident that Mrs. Linn was on her side. That was an advantage to get Joe back in her arms.

“Ma, I’m going home!” she bid farewell, kissing her ex-mother-in-law’s hand.

“Yes, thank you for taking care of Kimmy,” Mrs. Linn replied. “Come here often, anyway, I want the best for my granddaughter, Kimmy!” she added.

“Of course.” Vivian exited Kimmy’s room and descended the stairs, leaving Joe’s residence.

Mrs. Linn sat, observing her granddaughter’s face. She looked sad to have to part with her mom.

“Kimmy, are you okay?” she asked the little girl. A four-year-old who didn’t understand about her parents’ divorce.

“Oma, why can’t Papa and Mama be like before, putting Kimmy to bed together?” the little girl asked.

“It’s not possible, dear, but Grandma will try to make your mommy and daddy go back to how they were before. Be patient, Kimmy!” Mrs. Linn persuaded.

“Yes, Grandma!” the little girl replied. “Where’s Cici going?” Kimmy, feeling lonely, asked.

“Cici will come back here tomorrow night. Tonight, Kimmy will sleep with Grandma, okay?” the middle-aged woman comforted, feeling sad to see her granddaughter feeling lonely.

“Kimmy wants to go to Papa’s room!” the little girl suggested.

“Okay, Grandma will take you!” Mrs. Linn got up from her seat.

“No need, Grandma, Kimmy can go alone!” the little girl said.

Mrs. Linn nodded and smiled. Besides being smart, her granddaughter was also learning to be independent.

Mrs. Linn tidied up Kimmy’s room, while the little girl walked to her dad’s room alone.

Arriving at Joe’s room.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Kimmy knocked softly on the door.

“Is Papa downstairs?” she murmured. The little girl decided to go downstairs.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Kimmy counted the steps she successfully passed.

And…

She fell from the stairs. Tumbling down to the ground floor.

Kimmy passed out.

==❤==

Fifteen minutes later.

“Aaaaaaaa!”

They heard the scream of the maid from downstairs.

Mrs. Linn, who was walking to Joe’s room at that time, was surprised and hastened her steps.

“Kimmy!” she exclaimed, hurrying down the stairs. The woman grabbed her unconscious granddaughter with blood coming out from the back of her head.

“Call Joe!” she instructed Anik.

The maid rushed to Joe’s room. She knocked on the door as hard as she could.

“What’s wrong?” Joe asked.

“Miss Kimmy fell, Sir!” she said.

Joe opened the door wide, making Anik see Clara still in her room.

He saw Clara there. One thing was for sure, as usual. She would report everything to Vivian.

To be continued.