Anne stood up without letting her dear Eddy's hand out of hers. She turned to Selma and sincerely said, "Thank you, Mom."
Selma raised her chin in pride, and responded in a teasing manner, "Only I can feed them until they're nice and round and healthy!"
She took Eddy's hand from Anne's grasp, and walked forward in her sky-high heels with quite a confident swagger.
Anne looked at Kevin for his reaction. He shook his head in happy defeat. She then turned to Simon, who was in Sam's arms, and also shook her head, showing her helplessness to Selma's loving, yet dramatic ways.
'I am lucky to have such a charmed life!' she thought.
Kevin and Sam drove straight back to the Fu Family's house. Selma and the kids were exhausted from the flight, so they were quite low energy for the duration of the drive. However, they were suddenly in high spirits once they arrived home.
Selma looked at her familial home which was so comfortable. She took a seat on the couch, and happily commented, "The world is so colorful but my home is the best."
Anne smiled and poured a glass of water for Selma. She didn't expect Selma to show such a strong family orientation.
"Mom, I want to eat the food you cook." Holding Kevin's neck, Sally turned around and looked at Anne expectantly.
Anne looked Sally up and down, feeling at a loss. Sally had indeed gained quite a bit of weight.
"Mom, Sally should perhaps eat a little less, right?" Anne asked Selma in a discrete voice so that no one else could hear.
Selma did not think anything of Sally's extra weight. Instead, she said proudly, "Although Sally has gained some weight, the food she eats is very healthy. Now she is going through a phase of overindulgence, as is the case at her age. She will know how to control herself when she grows up.
What's more is that we are quite comfortable; we are well-off. Can't we satisfy the little one and give her what she likes? Just let her eat!"
Anne had no choice but to nod.
While Anne was cooking, the three kids and Emily also stayed in the kitchen to help her prepare the meal.
Selma had not been in her bedroom for such an extended time period, so she couldn't wait to pay it a visit and do a stock take of her jewelry.
Standing by the kitchen window, Kevin and Sam took in the wonderful, homey scene and couldn't help but smile.
Kevin gently swirled the wine in his glass and took a sip. The heavy aroma of the wine penetrated his senses, relaxing him.
"Such a wonderful life!" he said. "In a few short months, I will also have a child of my own. I feel so happy and comforted when I think of this," Sam said, smiling.
Kevin raised his eyebrows and reminded Sam, "I have three children."
As Sam heard that, the corners of his mouth twitched in irritation. Kevin seemed to be gloating. Sam turned to him and responded, "Emily and I are newly married. Naturally, more children will come in time."
Kevin chuckled, finished the wine in his glass and walked to the kitchen. Sam followed closely behind him.
Now that the two men had joined everyone in the kitchen, it was rather crowded. Feeling claustrophobic, Annie wiped her hands on a kitchen cloth and left the area to give a little more breathing room to the rest of them.
Keven followed Anne out of the room. Seeing him, she sat on the couch and smiled tenderly.
"Kevin, I have been thinking about such a peaceful and happy life for a long time. Since Kim came into my life, I thought this life would forever be out of my reach. I'm so gleefully surprised that I do have this life now." Anne looked out into the distance, evidently contemplating life with a look of contentment on her face.
She had her wonderful younger sister, Rose, and her best friend Emily. Selma had accepted her as her daughter-in-law with open arms. She also had Kevin and the three lovely children!
She had everything in the world. Who could be happier than her?
She closed her eyes gently in contentment. She could not stop smiling even if she tried. From now on, no one would disturb her peace. This day would be the start of their happily ever after. Kevin and Anne would watch their three dear children grow up. Although the two of them would age, they would remain as happy as they were now.
"Anne, don't worry. I will protect our family - you and our children." Kevin reached for Anne and gently gathered her in his arms. His voice was quiet yet powerful.
Anne nodded firmly and smiled at Kevin. She knew that Kevin would ensure he followed through with this promise.
The three children were still in the kitchen with Emily and Sam. Due to Sam's concern about Emily, there was commotion in the kitchen. Anne could not ignore such a ruckus and decided to go back there to assist.
As Kevin looked at all the figures making up the crowd in the kitchen, his smile widened.
He felt tremendously fulfilled. 'This kind of life should never end!
Anne, my children - I will try my best to protect you and keep you happy forever!' he thought.
Not noticing exactly when Selma had joined him and taken a seat next to him, he now realized she was there. He looked at her, and quietly said with affection in his voice, "Mom, this is wonderful, isn't it?"
Selma raised her eyebrows and nodded with the most acute movement.
After everything had transpired in the past, Selma had become frustrated and truly fed up with the state of things. Only now that she was living a life of peace did she feel a genuine sense of happiness.
"You know, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be living under the same roof as Anne. I didn't even expect that I would accept her as my daughter-in-law." Selma shook her head in happy disbelief, smiling, as she admitted these things to Kevin.
Kevin nodded, acknowledging her. Thinking of how much Selma's attitude towards Anne had changed, Kevin beamed at how things had developed between them.
"Without having gone through the travails of the past, how could we have learned from our mistakes and reached the happiness we have now?" he said to Selma.
Selma raised her eyebrows in thought and then smiled and inclined her head in agreement. She had to admit that he was indeed logical.
If she had not given such pushback in respect of Anne and him, she doubted that the two of them would be living as harmonious a life as they were living now.
What was more, there were three lovable grandchildren.
After several hours of hard work in the kitchen, Anne and Sam walked out with many delectable-looking dishes in their hands.
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