Chapter 188 Agreement (Part One)

Evenings in Z City were chilly. People were unconsciously pulling their clothes around themselves a little tighter. The moon hung in the sky and gently bathed the ground below in soft light.

After dinner, Barry, Mary and the two kids sat happily around the room, exchanging laughs and smiles. Eventually, bedtime rolled around, and the four of them nestled under the covers of the king-sized bed.

The children made themselves comfortable in the middle of the bed. The boy curled up next to Mary, and the girl tucked herself into Barry's embrace.

"Mommy, is this your hometown?" Alick blinked up at Mary. "Why didn't we sleep at your house? Why are we staying at a hotel?"

Mary felt a familiar pang of sadness. She smiled gently at her son and patted his head. "Mommy has no parents now, honey. I’m afraid there isn’t a house we could have stayed at. But this is still my hometown. I grew up here and made lovely memories," Mary said softly.

"Is this your hometown too, Daddy Barry? Did you live here?" Elissa tilted her head towards Barry, curiously.

"Yes, it is," Barry said from the other side of the bed. "We'll visit Mommy and Daddy's university tomorrow," he said. A fond smile tugged at his lips.

"Really? Yes, please! That’d be so fun!" Elissa stretched her arms out and squirmed in excitement.

"Mommy, look! The full moon is enormous! It's so beautiful!" Alick’s eyes

William frowned but stayed silent. He didn’t bother asking how Lucas would get that information, knowing the other man would find it one way or another.

The car eventually arrived at the busy intersection of Z City. From his windshield, William glanced up at the pale disc sitting relaxedly in the night sky. He felt that it was eyeing him with mild disinterest.

Lucas interrupted his thoughts. "Okay, they’re staying at a hotel called Hyatt Regency. It’s about an hour’s drive from here."

"We can get there in 30 minutes," said William shortly. It was already late in the night. If they couldn’t make it in time, William worried that Barry would have already done something to Mary. He stepped on the gas.

Back in the hotel room, Alick and Elissa had fallen fast asleep.

Seeing the kids had gone to sleep, at last, Mary closed her eyes and dozed off. She lay on the very edge of the bed to accommodate the children and was close to falling off.

Quietly, Barry slid out of bed. He kissed the two kids and tucked them into the middle.

Barry tiptoed to the other side of the bed to take care of the "third older kid."

He saw her curled up sleeping form and felt his heart melt. Carefully peeling back the covers, he lifted her up in his arms and held her tight to his chest.

"Hmm..." Nudged awake by the movement, Mary blearily opened her eyes. "Barry? What’s wrong?"