Elijah suddenly approached her, took her hand, and whispered in her ear, “Baby, I can stand up very well! Do you need me to step up? ”
Esther was stunned, and she suddenly realized what he meant. She shyly pushed him away. “Elijah, you’re so annoying.”
“I can share it with you! If you really need me to stand up, you can release the heavy burden in your heart!” he said in a deep voice as usual. His tone was so low, just like his cold face. She wondered if he had two personalities.
“Elijah!” Esther growled. “Don’t be saucy with me.”
“Let’s chow down!” Elijah straightened up and said in a deep voice, “Didn’t you say you were hungry?”
He first took chopsticks to help Esther clip a nutball and reached to her mouth. “Have a taste of this!”
Esther opened her mouth and swallowed it. “It’s delicious!” she exclaimed.
Elijah’s heart moved when she swallowed the pine nutball. There were honey stains left on her lips. Elijah suddenly bent over to kiss her and lick the honey away.
“Eh!” Esther blushed, “Elijah!”
“It’s delicious!” He began to eat as if nothing had happened.
Esther was startled, thinking that how could he pretend to be cool after taking advantage of her. It was so hateful.
When he said it was delicious, it was unknown whether he was talking about her lips or the honey!
Esther picked up her chopsticks. In front of her was a big table full of delicious food, which was just like the whole fish dinner she had with Ethel that day. But today she was going to eat organically grown foods, which looked fresh and pleasant.
Out of the window in the distance, green mountains and clear water came to her view.
As she enjoyed the scenery outside, Esther couldn’t help thinking when Hudson would move on, hoping that he can be happy with Winnie. At that time, she would be relieved.
A moment later, Esther leaned on Elijah’s shoulder and said, “Elijah, Hudson is my elder brother. You should respect him! When you see him, you should address him respectfully.”
Staring at Elijah’s angular side face, Esther obviously felt his face sank, knowing that she upset him again. How could such a proud man address Hudson respectfully?
But anyway, Hudson had suffered a lot, and would it be so unfair that Elijah gained without paying?
“No!” he said in a deep voice.
He couldn’t address Hudson respectfully!
“If you don’t respect my family, I’ll hate you!” Esther pursed her red lips and shook his arm coquettishly. “Elijah, I hate you! ”
She looked at him with threatening eyes and then suddenly said in a begged tone, “Okay? Can’t you show any respect to Hudson? He is one year older than you.”
Knowing that it was not a good thing when she began to show weakness, Elijah was unable to reject her as he looked at her pathetic eyes. He hoped that she could be happy forever from the bottom of his heart.
“Just eat!” he spoke in a deep voice. “Do you agree?” she screamed with excitement. “I’ll take it as a yes!”
“I said eat!” Elijah sighed.
“Wow! I knew you were the best! Elijah, I love you so much! You are great.” Esther exclaimed with a smile and gave a peck on Elijah’s face.
Her words “I love you so much!” deeply moved Elijah instantly.
“Baby!” He suddenly whispered her name! He felt so happy, although he knew that she said that because she was so excited, and she didn’t mean it!
“Let’s eat.” Esther sat back in her place.
Looking at her with deep eyes, Elijah pinched her pretty little nose with his hand. He wished that one day she would say those words to him with seriousness and she knew the true meaning of those three words.
Esther tucked into the food, only to find that Elijah just looked at her without eating.
“Why don’t you eat? Are you full?” she asked, looking at Elijah with a bright smile, and she suddenly realized that she couldn’t get her eyes off him. She could be never tired of looking at him, who was too handsome. She just wanted to be with him every moment.
Even when his back was injured, he insisted on holding her in his arms when sleeping.
“Don’t you want to go to the Ball family?” he asked casually.
“Why?” She asked in puzzlement.
“Don’t you want to meet your dad?”
“To tell you the truth, I really don’t!” Esther shook his arm with a smile. “Elijah, don’t mention the word “Dad” to me, OK? Don’t you mean to be my family? You can be my father, and it’s a deal! I want to eat soup now.”
Elijah rolled his eyes at her. “Am I that old?” he asked.
“Do you want to be my family or not?” Esther retorted quickly, “I want a father, a brother, a mother, and a sister! Are you sure you want to be my family?”
“I just want to be a family of you whom you can have sex with!” he said.
“Go to hell!” Esther, who was surprised, snapped.
Elijah, however, enjoyed the dinner regardless of her reaction. The atmosphere ended till they finished dinner.
“Let’s go! Let’s go to the mountains and get some fresh air!” Elijah suggested, holding her hand. He knew that she was playful, and he would rather be with him than make money.
“Do you want to go camping?” Esther suddenly asked.
“You want to go camping?” Elijah was stunned, thinking whether he was too old to keep up with the little girl’s mind.
“Yes! Hudson used to take me camping in Switzerland. At that time…” She was so happy! Esther bit back the words she would like to have said, knowing that she made trouble again!
It was Hudson again!
Elijah decided not to tell her that Hudson was not her brother for the time being until he was sure she fell in love with him.
He had no way but to be selfish!
“There is no class tomorrow at noon, and we can go camping. I’ll ask Danny to send the tent!”
“Wow! Great.” Esther jumped up with excitement. Seeing the bright smile on her face, Elijah was speechless, wondering how she could be fast to accept that she had a father and brother. He admired her for that.
Right now, she was in a high spirit. She seemed to be full of energy. But he was getting worried about her!
Elijah called, and then they sat by the pavilion of the scenic spot, waiting for Danny to deliver the tent.
“Elijah, you are a good husband!” Esther said sincerely. “You must be a good father in the future.”
Elijah looked back at her with burning eyes. “Are you going to have my baby?”
Esther was taken aback, and she laughed, holding Elijah’s neck. “Not now. How about having babies after finishing school?”
“Great!” Looking at her smiling face, Elijah was touched by her straightness, and the smile on his face widened. He was thinking he might use a condom to protect her to make sure she would not get pregnant before finishing college!
He never thought he would love such a girl one day!
Love?
His eyes deepened!
Yes! He fell in love with her! Or already!
The air in the mountains was particularly fresh, Esther rested her head on Elijah’s shoulder.
Esther felt warm bathed in the sun. But sometimes she was restless, for some reason unknown even to her!
In the past 17 years, seven years of memory was blank to her, and she had ten years of happiness. She was glad that people around her were kind and she met the most important man in her life when she was 17, although he had handled the marriage certificate without her consent!
She felt happy that he was willing to accept her and be with her!
“Elijah, it’s really nice to know you! You know what? I can’t remember my mother’s appearance. I can’t remember who I am, and I only know that I am Esther. When I met Hudson, I was only seven years old. At that time, I didn’t like to talk, but Hudson lightened up the corners of my heart like sunshine, making me the most beautiful and lovely and richest little princess. Then, at 17, I met you…”
“You are still the little princess!” His heart ached for her as he thought of what she had suffered. He was glad that she could not remember some things before the age of seven. He would not tell her to keep her innocence and happiness. He held her shoulder and said, “Never mind. It’s not a bid deal!”
“But it is not that I can’t remember, but I don’t have any memories before I was seven!” She told him carelessly, but his heart ached.
“In fact, sometimes it’s good to forget about something!” he said in her ear, holding her shoulder more gently.
***
Raising her face, she was satisfied with his comfort. But she woke up occasionally at midnight when she had a nightmare, and she didn’t overthink!