Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 1984

Shirley, clad in her cozy pajamas, entered Abner's room to set up his bed before heading downstairs to the convenience store to pick up some toiletries for him.

"We can grab anything else you need tomorrow. Dinner's almost here; let's eat first," she suggested, having ordered a feast that now covered the dining table.

Pulling out a chair, she gently pushed Abner down by his shoulders. "Make sure you eat up. It'd be a waste otherwise."

Back at his aunt's place, Abner had never had his fill, facing scorn even for grabbing a piece of meat. Having lived like that for years, now having enough to eat and a warm room seemed like a dream he was afraid to wake up from.

Shirley, seeing him eat heartily and behaving so compliantly, felt a surge of contentment. Her lips curled into a smile. "Try these meatballs, eat plenty of them. I've tried them at the diner myself; the owner makes them fresh. You need to get your protein."

Looking up briefly, Abner murmured a shy "Thank you, Shirley," before continuing his meal. Shirley felt a wave of emotion, exhaling softly.

Driving over, she'd questioned her decision repeatedly, wondering if it was too impulsive. After all, she was still a student. Was she ready to take on such a big responsibility? But seeing Abner now, she felt it was meant to be, as if they were destined to be siblings.

"You don't need to thank me. If I've brought you here, I'm responsible for you," she said with determination.

As Abner finished eating, Shirley stood to clear the table, but he insisted on doing it himself, offering to cook since he was skilled in making homestyle dishes.

"You don't need to worry about cooking. Once school starts on Monday, you'll have a hefty workload. You might have been a standout where you're from, but here, you'll need to work harder to keep up," Shirley advised, noting a spark of anticipation in Abner's eyes.

"Not scared, then?" she chuckled.

"Not scared," he replied, just as the doorbell rang.