Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1666

Right now, Elysia was at home making a pot of chicken soup for Winona.

When her phone rang with Janelle's name on the screen, she quickly answered. "Hey, Janelle."

"Elysia, you're up?"

"Yeah, I've been up for a while."

"Are you with Winona?"

Elysia paused. The mention of Winona made her uneasy. After all, Winona's pregnancy was still a secret from the Huber family.

She swallowed nervously. "Winona's still asleep. Did you need her for something, Janelle?"

"Oh, it's nothing major," Janelle said. "I just stopped by the hospital to drop off some food for her, but she wasn't there, so I figured I'd ask you."

Elysia forced a smile into her voice. "She's been a little worn out lately, so she went home last night to catch up on sleep."

"Where did she go?" Janelle asked immediately. "She can't be staying at Riverside Manor, right?"

"No, she didn't go back to Riverside Manor. She knows she can't stay there," Elysia reassured her. "Don't you worry about her. I'll have her call you back as soon as she wakes up."

Janelle nodded on the other end of the line. "Okay, good, good. Let her get her rest."

After a bit more small talk, they hung up. Elysia glanced at her messages. She'd texted Winona half an hour ago with no reply. She was definitely still asleep.

She put her phone away and went back to prepping the ingredients for Winona's meal.

Back at the hospital, Janelle put her phone away, a little disappointed that she hadn't gotten to see or even hear Winona.

She handed the pastry box she'd brought to Keaton. "Here, you can have these. Lucky you."

Keaton had just finished reading a text from the driver and knew what had happened with Mrs. Sewell. A bitter taste filled his mouth, a mix of anger and frustration. But while he was angry at Mrs. Sewell and her cronies, he was even angrier at himself. He really couldn't make his parents proud; all he ever did was disappoint them.

Taking a deep breath, he asked nonchalantly, "What's this?"

Janelle looked at her son, seeing the serious expression on his face. She answered just as seriously, "Of course not. We might always be hoping for a daughter-in-law and grandkids, but your happiness is what's most important. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

The words hit Keaton harder than he expected. He reached out and pulled Janelle into a hug. "Mom, I don't know how I got so lucky to have you. If I had to do it all over again, I'd choose you as my mother every single time."

Janelle was taken aback for a second. "Of course I would!"

"Promise me," Keaton said. "That no matter what, you'll always be in my corner."

Janelle burst out laughing. "Alright, alright. Don't be silly. You're a thirty-year-old man, still acting like a little boy with his mom."

As he held her, his tone shifted abruptly. "Actually, Winona and I aren't together."

Janelle froze. "?"

She tried to pull away, but Keaton held her tight, refusing to let go. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye, so he just kept talking. "I'm sorry, Mom. Winona and I... we lied to you. We only pretended to be a couple to make you and Dad happy."