Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1861

Early the next morning, before the sun even peeked over the horizon, Clayton and Evan were already up.

They were currently the earliest risers in the entire house!

Today was New Year's Eve, and the main task for the morning was hanging up festive banners and putting up window decals.

Evan skipped his morning workout in the backyard, choosing instead to help Clayton write the festive banners.

The older man and the little boy worked side by side; one wrote with elegant, sweeping strokes that rivaled a master calligrapher.

The other's writing looked like chicken scratches, and he managed to get ink all over himself in the process.

Evan gripped his calligraphy brush, his little brows furrowed in pure frustration:

Why was it so ridiculously hard to make these letters look good? This was infinitely harder than getting into a fistfight!

He would rather do grueling physical training for ten hours straight than write a single extra word!

After a while, the others began to wake up and come downstairs one by one.

Baby and Emmett burst into a fit of giggles the moment they saw the ink splattered all over Evan's face.

Evan had been sulking just a second ago, but seeing how much joy his messy face brought to his younger siblings instantly lifted his spirits.

He deliberately smeared a little more ink onto his cheek and shook his head, pretending to be a monster.

"Evan the Ink Monster is taking over! I'm coming to get you! Whoever I catch has to write a thousand words as punishment! No running!"

Baby and Emmett shrieked with laughter, sprinting away as Evan chased them around the room.

Elliot and Elijah clearly thought the game was way too childish, but wanting to keep their siblings happy, they played along anyway.

The entire house was filled with joyous laughter.

Meanwhile, Pamela was sorting through the window decals, smiling affectionately as she watched the kids play.

When Elysia came downstairs, she immediately went to look for Pamela. Tarquin walked over to the desk and showered Clayton's festive banners with praise.

Clayton couldn't hide his delighted smile. "You flatter me! Here, why don't you write a few yourself?"

Tarquin rolled up his sleeves, took the calligraphy brush Evan had been using, and wrote a large, magnificent character for 'Blessings'.

Clayton's eyes widened in genuine surprise, and he nodded in continuous admiration.

"Beautiful penmanship! You don't get that kind of skill without over a decade of practice. Have you been doing this for a long time?"

Tarquin replied, "My parents were quite cultured, so they started teaching me calligraphy when I was very young."

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