Skipped At The Altar, Taken By His Uncle novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Don’t Call Me Mrs. Harris

Whitney was caught off guard by Klein’s sudden question.

She’d just been making fun of Carter, but now, she couldn’t even force a smile.

It wasn’t just that Carter was afraid of Klein. Whitney wanted nothing more than to avoid seeing her Klein.

When Whitney was 16, she spent a whole month practicing her confession in her mind before finally gathering the courage to tell Carter how she felt while the adults of the Harris family were away.

She stood outside Carter’s bedroom door, head down, nervously staring at her shoes. Gathering all her courage, she finally knocked.

The door slowly opened, but Whitney kept her head lowered, too nervous to look at the boy she liked.

Her cheeks turned bright red as she managed to say, “Carter, I like you.”

She wished she could erase that memory forever. But then, she heard a man’s slightly apologetic voice next to her ear. “Whitney, Carter’s room is downstairs.”

Whitney looked up in shock, only to find that it wasn’t Carter in front of her—it was Klein.

He stood there with nothing but a towel around his waist, smelling faintly of body wash. His eyes had a playful curve, mixed with a hint of confusion.

Whitney couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. She mumbled a quick sorry and dashed downstairs without a second glance.

After that, Whitney avoided coming to Harris Manor for months.

*****

“Hey, wake up.” Carter nudged her, and Whitney snapped out of it.

She immediately lowered her head and mumbled, “Hi, Uncle Klein.”

”She was just giving me attitude a second ago, but as soon as Uncle Klein shows up, she goes so quiet,’ Carter thought, a little amused.

“Uncle Klein, we were just talking about you. It’s been forever since you came back. We’ve all missed you,” Carter said.

Klein grabbed the seat beside James, slung his jacket over the chair, and casually rolled up his sleeves. “Oh, really? Funny, I remember you were the one laughing the hardest when I left, Carter.”

Carter looked a bit awkward. “That was forever ago, Uncle Klein. Let’s not bring it up now.”

“Dad, sorry I’m late. I propose a toast,” Klein said.

James’s eyes crinkled with laughter. It was no secret that Klein was his favorite son.

“No worries, Klein. You just got off the plane. No drinking for you,” James said.

Klein just smiled faintly, didn’t say a word, and downed his drink in one go.

Then his calm eyes scanned the room before settling on the person to his left.

“Carter, have you two gotten your marriage license yet? I came back just for your wedding,” Klein said.

Emily’s glass crashed to the floor, shards scattering everywhere.

She bent down to apologize. “Sorry, I lost my grip.”

Without missing a beat, she knelt down to pick up the shards of glass scattered on the floor.

Suddenly, Emily sucked in a sharp breath, hissing in pain.

“Careful,” Carter called out.

Seeing blood start to drip from her finger, Carter darted over and gently cradled her hand, his tone a mix of concern and teasing. “Why do you always get yourself hurt like this?”

He then said to James, “Grandpa, I’m taking Emily to get her hand bandaged.”

Without even glancing at the sour looks around the table, Carter gently wrapped his arm around Emily’s trembling shoulders and led her away.

”He should hurry up to get her bandaged up,’ Whitney thought, rolling her eyes. ‘If he doesn’t hurry, that tiny cut will be healed by the time he gets back.’

Not just James, but Sabrina and George turned grim in an instant. Nobody was fooled by Carter’s little act.

Sabrina gave a gentle smile and patted Whitney’s hand. “Whit, Emily’s always been frail since she was little, so Carter naturally looks out for her.”

Klein, with a faint, unreadable smile, turned the plate of fish toward Whitney.

“Try some fish, Whitney. I remember you loved it when you were little,” Klein said.

His tone was offhand, but the way he acted like a proper elder made Whitney squirm.

She dreaded hearing him talk about her childhood the most.

She kept her head down and replied, “Thanks, Uncle Klein.”

*****

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