Too Late To Love Me I Already Left With His Twins (Lydia and Dave) novel Chapter 289

Lydia POV

I didn’t know what had happened.

Nothing had happened, technically.

They were just shaking hands.

But I swear they held onto each other’s hands for about one hundred seconds.

Okay, maybe not one hundred seconds.

But it felt like it.

They stared at each other.

Theo’s smile disappeared.

Dave’s expression remained completely unreadable.

I looked at Anna.

She was looking at them too.

Eventually, their hands separated.

“Good to see you,” Theo said.

“Yeah.”

Dave nodded.

“So…”

Theo cleared his throat.

“Let’s go home together.”

Dave nodded.

“Yeah. Let’s.”

They both stared at each other again.

I looked away.

Men were weird.

Very weird.

Anna clapped her hands once.

“Okay! Before somebody starts another silent war in my presence, we’re going in my SUV.”

She grabbed her bag.

“It’s spacious enough for everybody.”

“Everybody?” I asked.

“Yes.”

She started counting.

“Me. You. Dave. The twins. Theo.”

She pointed toward the door.

“All of us.”

I stared at the number of people.

“That’s a lot.”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

The nurse came in shortly afterward to help with the final discharge process.

There were forms to sign, medication instructions to go through, follow-up appointments, warnings about rest, and an entire list of things I was apparently not allowed to do.

“No strenuous activity.”

“Okay.”

“Take your medications exactly as prescribed.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t drive.”

“Wasn’t planning to.”

“Don’t stay alone.”

I looked at Anna.

“Apparently I’m very popular.”

Anna laughed.

The nurse smiled.

“Someone should be with you for the next few days.”

“I’ll be there,” Anna immediately said.

Dave spoke at almost the same time.

“So will I.”

They looked at each other.

Then at me.

I pretended not to notice.

The nurse continued.

“If you experience severe headache, vomiting, confusion, weakness, seizures, loss of consciousness, or any sudden change in your condition, return immediately.”

I nodded.

“Okay.”

Finally, everything was done.

My things were packed.

My medications were placed into a little bag.

The hospital gown was replaced with my own clothes.

And standing in front of the mirror, I had another strange moment.

The woman staring back at me looked like me.

But not the me I remembered.

She looked older.

More mature.

There was something about her eyes that I couldn’t explain.

I touched my hair.

Then my face.

Then looked away.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Let’s go.”

Anna appeared behind me.

“You ready?”

I nodded.

“I think so.”

She smiled.

“Come on.”

We slowly made our way out of the ward.

The twins were practically bouncing around us.

“Mom, do you remember the elevator?”

“No.”

“Do you remember the lobby?”

“No.”

“Do you remember the café?”

I looked at Eli.

“Apparently.”

He grinned.

“See!”

I laughed.

“Don’t start.”

Outside, the SUV was waiting.

Anna unlocked it.

Everybody started arranging themselves.

And that’s when I discovered that apparently, getting six people into one car could somehow become a diplomatic crisis.

Theo opened the back door.

“I’ll sit here.”

The twins immediately protested.

“No!”

“Uncle Theo!”

“Why?”

“We’re sitting here.”

Theo shrugged.

“There’s space.”

“You’ll disturb us.”

“How?”

“You just will.”

I laughed.

“Let him sit.”

The twins looked at me.

“But Mom—”

“There’s enough space.”

Theo smiled triumphantly.

“Thank you, favorite girl’s favorite girl.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t push it.”

Dave walked around the car.

He opened the passenger door.

Then stopped.

He looked inside.

Then looked at Theo.

Then at Anna.

Then back at the passenger seat.

I had no idea what was going through his mind.

But eventually, with the reluctance of a man who had just been personally betrayed by the universe, he got into the passenger seat.

I could swear I heard him grumble something under his breath.

I climbed into the middle row.

Theo sat beside me.

The twins took the back.

Anna got behind the wheel.

She started the engine.

And almost immediately, Eli’s voice came from behind us.

“Mom, do you know what type of engine this car has?”

I turned.

“No.”

“V6.”

Ava corrected him.

“It’s a V6, but that’s not the interesting part.”

“What is the interesting part?”

“The transmission.”

Eli gasped.

“Exactly!”

I turned toward Anna.

“Do they always talk like this?”

Anna laughed.

“Always.”

Eli leaned forward between the seats.

“Do you know how combustion works?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“You have to.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s important.”

“For what?”

“Life.”

I laughed.

“That’s a very broad answer.”

Ava joined in.

“The engine converts chemical energy from the fuel into mechanical energy.”

Eli nodded.

“Exactly.”

“Okay.”

“And then the pistons move.”

“Okay.”

Theo shifted beside me.

He leaned slightly closer.

“Finally.”

I looked at him.

“What?”

“I get to sit beside you.”

I laughed.

“You’re ridiculous.”

He smiled.

“Is it telepathy or destiny?”

“Oh, pleaseee.”

He put a hand over his heart.

“I’m being serious.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I am.”

“You’re absolutely not.”

“Okay, maybe a little.”

I laughed again.

He looked at me with that same stupid smile.

“You know, even without your memory, you’re still exactly how I remember you.”

I looked at him.

“How do you remember me?”

“Annoying.”

I gasped.

“Excuse me?”

“Very annoying.”

“You’re the one who ran into my hospital room and nearly suffocated me.”

“I apologized.”

“After doing it.”

“I was excited.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

“It is to me.”

I shook my head.

“You’ve always been like this?”

“Pretty much.”

“And Anna tolerates you?”

“She’s my sister.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He laughed.

“Fine. She has no choice.”

I smiled.

“You’re actually funny.”

“I know.”

“Oh, God.”

“What?”

“Your ego.”

“My ego was there before you forgot everything.”

“Unfortunately.”

He laughed.

I laughed too.

It felt effortless.

That was the strange part.

I didn’t remember him.

Not even remotely.

But sitting there, talking nonsense with him, felt natural.

Like we had been doing it for years.

Like there wasn’t a ten-year gap between us.

Like my brain hadn’t erased an entire chapter of my life.

I glanced toward the front.

Dave was staring straight ahead.

His jaw looked tense.

I looked back at Theo.

“So tell me something.”

“What?”

“Was I always this funny?”

Theo grinned.

“No.”

I frowned.

“What?”

“You were worse.”

I hit his arm lightly.

“Shut up.”

He laughed.

I laughed.

And then from the front came a very deliberate throat clearing.

“Ahem.”

Nobody responded.

Another one.

“AHEM.”

I looked toward the passenger seat.

Dave turned slightly.

“Stop it.”

The car went quiet.

Theo’s smile slowly disappeared.

I stared at Dave.