“Hehe, I won’t say it. I’ll just act!”
Tilda tried to pinch his waist again, but Johnny grabbed her hand.
“A man’s waist shouldn’t be touched casually,” he said with a husky voice that made Tilda pause.
Johnny deliberately moved closer to her ear, his breath brushing against the fine hair on her earlobe. “If you want to touch, you can only touch mine.”
…
Rosalind was really surprised. When she returned from Sweden, Tilda and Johnny were still at each other’s throats. But when they came back to Northville City from Faydale, they were holding hands at the airport.
“Wow! Aunt Tilda, you’re not hitting Uncle Johnny anymore?” Jake was more direct, his little face showing obvious surprise.
He still remembered the loud slap Aunt Tilda gave Uncle Johnny the last time they had dinner together.
Feeling embarrassed by this public reminder of such a humiliating incident, Johnny quickly picked Jake up and covered his mouth. “You know nothing, Jake! Your Aunt Tilda did that out of love! She hits me and yells at me because she cares about me! The harder she hits, the more she loves!”
“So if my dad doesn’t hit my mom, it means he doesn’t love her?”
Tilda helplessly pushed him away. “Don’t teach the kid bad things!”
Ulric, holding Floyd in his arms, glanced at them and then wrapped an arm around Rosalind. In a gentle voice, he said, “Looks like we don’t need to worry now. Johnny is serious.”
“I hope so.”
Rosalind saw the smile on Tilda’s face and their natural and intimate interaction, which indeed put her somewhat at ease.
After getting in the car, while the men and children were laughing together in the front seats, Rosalind pulled Tilda to sit in the back row.
“Does Malcolm know?”
Tilda shook her head. “No, I don’t dare tell him.”
If she told Malcolm that she had found a boyfriend who was Ulric’s good friend and had once had a crush on Sirena, she’d probably be thrown out of the house by him!
“He’ll find out sooner or later.”
“We’ll deal with it when he does.” Just thinking about it made Tilda shrink back. “Johnny and I are moving too fast. It might end as quickly as it started. Nothing is certain.”
She didn’t hold much hope for this relationship right now. She just felt it was best to take things as they came.
Rosalind thought for a moment and then looked at her, lowering her voice as she said, “Tilda, if you and Johnny get along well and really reach the point of marriage someday, promise me you won’t let my issues affect your relationship.”
She feared that when she finally confronted the Walters family, it might drag them into it as well.
Tilda raised an eyebrow. “That depends on Johnny’s attitude! If he can’t distinguish right from wrong, I won’t tolerate him either! Ulric’s mother has done many evil deeds. If Johnny sides with her or puts in a good word for her, I’ll dump him immediately! I absolutely won’t accept anyone with skewed values!”
This was exactly what Rosalind feared. “This matter has nothing to do with you two.”
“Rosalind, don’t overthink it.” Tilda gently patted her shoulder. “Thinking about these things every day must be exhausting for you. Everyone has their own fate. Relationships are the same. How far they develop and whether they can ultimately succeed is random and uncertain! If we break up, it means we aren’t suitable for each other. Why regret something unsuitable?”
Rosalind always admired Tilda’s ability to analyze such matters so clearly.
In the front seat, Johnny vividly recounted how he got caught by Tilda’s parents without any embarrassment. He even looked quite proud. He said with a triumphant smile, “In short, I met her parents. I’ve finally been promoted from being her high-end fruit.”