“This is our sister-in-law, right? Hello, sister-in-law!” Before Andrew could finish, those men eagerly answered, showing a very warm attitude.
Andrew faintly smiled and introduced each of those men to Isabella. Her memory was pretty good; with seven or eight people, she quickly got a rough idea.
These soldiers were all very warm-hearted. One who looked relatively young stood up and saluted Isabella, and when shaking hands, he first wiped his hand on his pants.
“My palm’s sweaty,” he grinned and touched his head.
Isabella warmly treated them while sitting together. “It’s your first time here; don’t feel like strangers. Just treat it like your own home.”
Seeing that she quickly got along with his comrades, Andrew smiled lightly and went back to the kitchen.
With so many people, there was no time for last-minute cooking. Most of the food was ordered from a large hotel, just needing to be plated.
Andrew was portioning the dishes when a tall man walked in. He was Austin, Andrew’s comrade from the Yonkers Army, and they shared a close bond.
Austin came over to Andrew, casually placing his arm around his shoulder.
Andrew glanced at him and calmly said, “Congratulations on your recent promotion.”
Austin had recently received a special commendation during a live combat exercise, resulting in a promotion beyond his regular rank.
“I almost lost my life, just barely catching up to your level,” Austin chuckled, then asked, “When do you plan to come back? It’s pretty boring alone in the barracks, no one to spar with.”
“Once things are settled here. It won’t be too long,” Andrew said.
“Is she willing to come to Schenectady town with you?” Austin instinctively glanced towards the kitchen, referring to Isabella.
“I’ll ask for her opinion,” Andrew replied.
Mentioning Isabella, his expression softened. Austin couldn’t help but chuckle. This was the typical look a man in love had. He never expected Andrew, the wild horse, to be tamed one day.
“I just chatted with her for a bit; she’s a nice person, just a bit younger. There might be some generation gap between you two,” Austin said.
Andrew smiled at his comment but remained silent.
Isabella’s age was a fact, but little girls always grew up someday.
“Andrew, why do I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere?” Austin frowned slightly, seemingly trying hard to recall.
“She’s an actress; you might have seen her in some show,” Andrew casually answered.
“Really!” Austin wasn’t too sure; he rarely watched movies or shows and had almost no impression of actors.
But he was certain that he had seen Andrew’s current girlfriend before.
Austin couldn’t recall at the moment and didn’t bother to strain his brain cells further.
After Andrew plated the food, he asked Isabella to invite everyone to the table.
Meanwhile, Isabella was having a lively conversation with a few soldiers.
“You guys were in the Yonkers Army. Have you ever been on a mission in the UK?” she asked.
“A few times, but the security in the UK is pretty good; we’re rarely needed there,” one soldier replied.
“Have you heard about the terrorist attack at the West Bridge in the UK five years ago?” Isabella continued her questioning.
“I wasn’t in the Yonkers Army five years ago; you should ask Austin; he’ll surely know,” the soldier replied.
“Ask me what?” Austin happened to come out of the kitchen with Andrew at that moment.
Isabella stood up from the couch, intending to ask Austin about the events five years ago, but Andrew interrupted her.
“Isabella, help with the bowls and plates; we can start eating,” Andrew said.
“Sure.” Isabella had to go to the dining room to set the table.
Austin watched her disappear around the corner and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, slapping his forehead hard. “I remember now! She’s the girl you rescued back then, right? She’s grown so big now. Truly, women change so much with age, getting more beautiful. I almost didn’t recognize her.”
“After saying that, the way Austin looked at Andrew became a lot more teasing and ambiguous,” he joked, “Andrew, you’re quite something. Honestly, were you already interested in that little girl back then? Were you just waiting for her to give herself to you?”
“Don’t talk nonsense; it’s not what you think,” Andrew replied, cautioning him again, “Don’t be too outspoken in front of her.”
Andrew didn’t want Isabella to know about what happened in the past. His goal was simple: he wished their relationship to be pure, without any element of indebtedness. Repaying a debt was not his style.
In the dining room, after Isabella set up the bowls and chopsticks, she warmly invited Andrew’s comrades to have a meal and even specially opened a bottle of her prized wine.
However, these soldiers clearly weren’t used to it. To them, a wine worth tens of thousands couldn’t match the strength of a bottle worth a dozen or so.
After the meal, one by one, those people bid farewell. Isabella accompanied a few of Andrew’s comrades for a drink, and while they were sensible enough not to push her, she still ended up a little tipsy and stayed at the apartment.
“Hey, where are Amelia and Asher?” Drinking some honey water to sober up, Isabella suddenly thought of her beloved son.
Andrew chuckled helplessly, realizing only now that their son wasn’t at home. “With guests over today, I asked Amelia to take Asher to my parents’ place.”
“Fine.” Isabella nodded, feeling a bit limp as she leaned back on the couch.
Upon hearing Andrew mention his parents, Isabella suddenly remembered Ava’s request for her to ask about Andrew’s family situation.
“Andrew, you seem never to have told me about your family situation,” she put down the honey water in her hand, casually asking.
“Which family?” He raised his eyes to look at her, his deep blue eyes captivating.
“How many families do you have?” Isabella immediately became alert. “Andrew, do you have another family? “