A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 27

Hearing the shout, Winifred looked toward the staircase.

The house was a three-story townhouse. After her grandfather passed away, she had moved to Kingsbridge with Quentin, and they had pooled their savings to buy this place together.

Quentin's two nieces lived on the second floor.

As Winifred started to stand, Celeste firmly pressed a hand on her shoulder. "Drink that first, then go."

Winifred smiled up at her. "It's still too hot. Just put it in my room, I'll eat it later."

Celeste tried to argue, but little Annelise stood on her tiptoes and tugged at her shirt. "Celeste, I can go to Mommy's room and guard the soup for her!"

"What? What did you say, little munchkin?"

"I said... I can blow on it so it cools down for Mommy."

Winifred gently pinched her daughter's cheek, her heart melting.

Her bedroom was on the third floor. Since she had two toddlers, she chose the top floor so the kids wouldn't disturb the rest of the family at night.

After sending Celeste and Annelise into the elevator, Winifred slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor.

As soon as she entered the study, Quentin's two nieces bombarded her with demands.

The youngest, seven-year-old Demi Jordan, whined, "Aunt Winifred, the boy sitting next to me stole my eraser today and pinched my cheek!"

Winifred gently cupped Demi’s round face, tilting it to inspect her skin. There were no marks. She smoothed the girl's hair and asked softly, "Does it still hurt?"

Demi shook her head. "No."

"But it made you feel really bad, didn't it?"

Demi pouted.

Winifred pulled her into a warm hug. "I’ll call your homeroom teacher in a bit and have a chat with her. Do you want me to ask if you can move seats?"

"Yes."

Beside them, the older niece, Larissa Jordan, was chewing on the end of a pen, pointing in frustration at a math workbook. Larissa had just started sixth grade, and the math had gotten significantly harder. She demanded Winifred tutor her every single night.

With Demi still tucked under one arm, Winifred used her free hand to draw diagrams and explain the math problems to Larissa.

These two girls had lived with her for three years.

When she and Quentin first moved to Kingsbridge, using her grandfather's inheritance to open the clinic, Quentin's sister had sent the girls to live with them. The sister had just gotten divorced, was pregnant again, and preparing to remarry, leaving no room for her daughters.

At the time, Demi had only been four years old, and Winifred had done absolutely everything for her. She had been pregnant with twins, raising Quentin's nieces, and working at the clinic all at once. Through all the chaos and exhaustion, she had basically become a mother to them.

By the time she finished tutoring Larissa, half an hour had passed.

Up in the bedroom, Annie was still diligently guarding the bowl of chicken soup.

"Mommy, the soup is cold now!" the little girl announced, doing a happy little hop in her pink and white tutu. It was her birthday, and she was in high spirits.

"That's okay, we'll go down to the dining room and eat something hot," Winifred said, scooping her daughter up.

As they descended the stairs, Winifred spotted Seth. He had changed into a crisp white shirt and a little bow tie, his neatly combed hair catching the light from the crystal chandelier. He looked incredibly small as he hurried around the first floor.

"Happy birthday to my beautiful Annie!"

"And Annie says happy birthday to my beautiful Mommy!"

"Should we cheers?"

"Yeah! Let's cheers!"

*Ahem.*

A loud, pointed cough came from Albert at the head of the table.

Seth immediately stood up. With his tiny hands, he gripped the heavy bottle of Scotch, wobbling slightly as he poured a glass.

"Grandpa, please have a drink."

"Oh, thank you, Seth."

"You're welcome."

Seth then grabbed a carton of orange juice, hugged it to his chest, and poured a glass for Eleanor.

"Grandma, please have a drink."

Winifred watched her son's every move. She saw Eleanor force a tight, strained smile. "Seth is such a little gentleman. Very capable."

At that moment, Celeste—the head chef of the night—and Jayce Zane, the child-care worker Winifred had hired, bustled into the dining room carrying the last two dishes.