Chapter 381 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“Just come out plain and say you want to know if I’m in a relationship yet,” Jade said while Sonia slowly made her way to the door.

“Well, there is that. But more than that I want to know if you are really fine. You don’t have to leave on my account, Sonia,” Evelyn said without looking at Sonia.

“We can finish our conversation over the phone some other time. I’m tired already and need to go to bed now,” Sonia said with a fake yawn.

Both Evelyn and Jade could tell that she was faking it, but they nodded, “Sure. Have a good night’s rest,” Evelyn called after her as she left them to go and find Celsie to know why she didn’t join them.

“I’m fine, mom. You should go to bed now. You need to rest,” Jade assured her mother now that they were alone.

Evelyn looked at her without saying a word and just lay on the bed, balancing her head on one of the pillows as she looked at her.

Seeing her mother assume that position, she didn’t need anyone to tell her that her mother wasn’t going to be leaving her anytime soon, so she lay down too and propped herself up on her elbows as she looked at her mother.

“Work has been very stressful, but I’m about to wrap up this case finally. I’m considering joining the legal team in Benne’s company when I’m done,” she said, and Evelyn smiled at that.

“That is awesome. Benne didn’t mention it to me when he said he was offering Bryan a job,” Evelyn said, and Jade shrugged, not wanting to tell her Harry had been the one who offered her the job and not Benne.

“I think I need to do something different for a change. If I keep taking up such criminal cases, I’m afraid I might not live long enough to give you grandkids,” Jade said, and Evelyn gave her a blank stare.

“I’m glad you are considering this. I will feel much better knowing that you all are in one city, and even if I’m not there, you got each other’s backs. I was beginning to fear that you were all drifting apart because of your jobs,” Evelyn said, and it was her eyes that gave her worry away.

“Not talking all the time doesn’t mean we are drifting apart, mom. The three of us understand that we are all busy, but that doesn’t mean we lose each other less or won’t all drop whatever we are doing at a moment’s notice if either of us needs help,” Jade assured her.

“I hope so. I raised a close-knit family, Jade. I didn’t give up my career to raise you kids only to watch you drift apart on account of your careers. Your father and I won’t live forever. We are getting older by the day, and I don’t want to think that if I’m not there to call each of you or remind you to check on each other, you won’t do so,” Evelyn said, and Jade snuggled closer to her and patted her arm knowing that she was speaking from her experience with her family.

“Stop sounding like that, mom.”

“I want you three to always be there for each other. Even when you all get married, I’d love all of you to be one big happy family still,” Evelyn said, and Jade smiled knowingly.

“It’s already settled on Benne’s and Bryan’s side. So I guess this is the part where you ask me about the man in my life, so you will try to see if he will fit into this one big happy family image or not?” Jade asked, and Evelyn laughed softly at being discovered.

“Why don’t you regrow your hair? Although this style looks good on you, but I miss your long hair,” Evelyn said, subtly shifting away from the subject.

“I will think about it.”

“Good. So what was that about you living with Harry?” Evelyn asked, and Jade blinked at her before laughing at her mother’s tactic.

“I didn’t live with him. I only spent two nights at his apartment,” Jade said, and Evelyn eyed suspiciously.

“You must think I’m too old to not have noticed how you acted every time his name was mentioned earlier. Are you seeing him?” Evelyn asked, and Jade sighed.

Could she ever keep any secret from her family? “No, I’m not. He was just very helpful to me in the last couple of days,” Jade said and explained how Harry had come to stay with her.

“What? How come something like that happened to you, and nobody thought it wise to tell me about this?” Evelyn asked with a displeased frown.

“Trust me, Harry is the best person that could have been there with me at the time. He even threatened to report to you if I didn’t eat or get enough rest,” Jade said with a grin, and Evelyn smiled.

“I’ve always liked that boy.”

“Mom, Harry is hardly a boy…”

“Of course. I see you noticed just how manly he is,” Evelyn said in a teasing tone, and Jade laughed.

“That’s not what I meant. I think Benne and Bryan are men too. You can hardly call them boys,” Jade said in her defense.

“Yeah, they will always be my boys, and Harry is my boy too. He is always so terrible at telling lies,” Evelyn said with a fond smile.

“He lies?”

“He tries to whenever he is trying to cover your brother’s ass. But I guess it’s not just his thing,” Evelyn said, and then she smiled when she noticed how Jade’s eyes were gleaming.

It had been a while since she last saw Jade looking that way. Since Todd died, it seemed like a light had gone out inside her.

“You say you are not seeing him, yet you are smiling this way merely because we are talking about him?” She asked Jade with a teasing smile.

“Stop it, mom. I’m serious. I’m not in a relationship with him.”

“You realize that I can hear the YET in that statement, don’t you?” Evelyn asked knowingly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jade denied. As much as she loved her family, knowing her so well that they could read her, she also didn’t want every one of them in her business.

“You are interested in him,” Evelyn stated. There was no need to ask. She could just tell, and it made her smile.

She would love nothing more than for Jade to actually be in a relationship with Harry. She hoped that the feeling would be mutual too since she still remembered how Harry had been staring at Jade four years ago, but she had chosen not to say anything about it since Jade was in a relationship and her husband had asked her not to meddle even though they didn’t like Todd.

“It could be infatuation. Or maybe I’m just crushing on him or something. It’s not a big deal,” Jade said lightly.

“That is fine, whatever it is. Now that I’m sure you are okay, I will just go to bed,” Evelyn said as she rose from the bed.

“Seriously, mom? I told you I was okay before we started talking about this, but you didn’t believe me. And now you are sure I’m okay just because I might have a crush on Harry?” Jade asked incredulously.

“I’m sure you are okay because I can see that happy light in your eyes that has been missing for years. You are in love with your life once again. I don’t know if it has anything to do with you being infatuated with Harry or not, but I hope the light in your eyes stays that way,” Evelyn said as she leaned forward to kiss Jade’s forehead.

Jade teared up as she watched as her mother walk to the door, and then she stopped her, “Mom?”

“Yes, dear?” Evelyn asked as she turned to look at her.

Jade got off the bed and went to embrace her, “I’m glad you are my mother, flaws and all. I couldn’t have asked for a better mom,” Jade said, and it was Evelyn who teared up this time as she embraced Jade.

All these years, she had lived with just a sole purpose in mind. To not be like her mother. From the moment she agreed to marry Desmond, she had made up her mind to give her all to her husband and the children that would come along. All she wanted was to be a good mother, and she was glad that Jade believed she was. That was all the validation she needed.

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