After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 972

Twenty minutes later, Laura pulled up to the gates of the Mason family’s sprawling villa and gave a quick honk. Almost immediately, a middle-aged woman stepped outside to open the gate. It was Buena, the Mason family’s housekeeper.

“Good morning, Laura,” Buena greeted her with a warm smile.

Laura smiled back. Everyone in the Mason household treated her with extra respect now, knowing she’d eventually become the lady of the house. “Morning, Buena.”

She drove inside, parking in the open lot. When she got out, she grabbed a few gift bags from the passenger seat—some health supplements she’d picked out for Stephanie and Janetta.

Before she could take more than a few steps, Jesse appeared, striding over from the direction of the main house. The estate was huge, and the walk from the gate wasn’t short. Seeing him here so quickly told her he’d been waiting and had probably timed her arrival.

“Did you really bring more stuff? If my mom sees this, she’s going to give you another lecture,” Jesse said, reaching for the bags in her hands. “You’re always bringing gifts. These look heavy, too. We have everything we need here. You don’t have to bring something every time you visit.”

Laura laughed, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “It’s really not that much, just a few boxes of bird’s nest for your grandma and your mom.”

Jesse shook his head, grinning as he took the bags from her. “My mom would love to send you home with all the supplements we have, and here you are, bringing her more.”

He held the bags in one hand and, with the other, slipped his fingers through hers. They started walking toward the main house together, fingers intertwined so naturally it felt like they’d always done this.

“Next time, just pull your car up to the front door. No need to walk all this way,” he said.

Laura smiled. “It’s mostly for my mom, really. I’m worried she’ll get bored when she visits. If I have a garden, she can help out and won’t be so restless.”

“I like gardening too,” Jesse said. “Whenever I hit a wall with my writing, I go out to the balcony and mess around with my plants. It helps me clear my head, and then I figure out what to write next.”

Back at her own apartment, Laura had a little balcony garden, just big enough to grow some greens for herself. Whenever she went home, her mom always packed her up with fresh vegetables from the family plot.

The Charles family was pretty comfortable, but after Jesse came into their lives, their fortunes had really grown. Laura’s mom, Evelyn, had always been a homemaker and had turned the empty lot next to their house into a mini farm, full of seasonal veggies. She grew enough for their family and still sent Laura home with bags of produce.

Jesse squeezed her hand. “That’s easy. You can have as big a garden as you want. I haven’t finished drawing the plans for the backyard yet, but once I do, I’ll show you. There’ll be room for a vegetable patch and a flower garden, whatever you like.”