Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 285

"I'm going to bed, everyone out!" Before they could utter another word, Elijah shooed them all out of the room. He shut the door firmly behind them and turned the lock.

After a moment of silence, ensuring the trio outside had departed, Elijah whispered, "Come out now."

Elliot and Evan crawled out from under the bed.

Evan immediately burst out, "Well, in my heart, my mom's the best mom in the whole wide world! Unmatched!"

Elijah scowled, "My mom is the best!"

Elliot, trying to keep the peace, quickly interjected, "Guys, cut it out. Everyone loves their own mom the most, and that's fine. No need to get all worked up over this."

Elijah and Evan frowned but fell silent. In their hearts, their own moms were the best.

Elliot turned to Elijah, his voice soft, "Elijah, you know my mom really loves you, right?"

"Yeah."

"As long as you know. So, for my mom's sake, please keep our meeting a secret. Don't let her know you're aware of us, and definitely don’t bring up the stuff about her and your dad."

Elijah looked puzzled, his brow furrowed, "Why?"

Elliot explained gently, "My mom doesn't want us to worry about her past with your dad. Let's just pretend we don't know, to keep her from stressing."

"Okay."

Seeing Elijah agree, Elliot's lips curled into a smile, "Let's exchange numbers then. We might not be brothers by blood, but looking this alike must mean something. If you ever need anything, give me or Evan a call. We can be friends."

Friends? Elijah had never really had friends before. The word was something of a rarity to him.

Evan chimed in, "Even though we had a little spat earlier, you recognizing my mom's a good person shows you're not bad yourself. If you ever feel down, just hit me up, Elliot and I can cheer you up!"