Hayden shot back, “Are you still young? So how do you explain your own divorce?”
Werner cleared his throat awkwardly and didn’t dare say anything. Actually, when he first heard about Donald’s divorce, he was pretty
shocked, too.
Werner thought, ‘Weren’t they still talking about Jennifer being pregnant? Then Donald said it was just a false alarm. Jennifer wasn’t actually pregnant, after all.’
Werner was inevitably a bit disappointed. He was all alone now, and he wished more than anything to be a grandpa, to have a grandchild running around.
Before long, Michael arrived. The moment Hayden saw his great–grandson, all his gloom vanished in an instant.
Hayden hugged Mike tightly, clearly reluctant to let go. He asked with concern, “Mike, did you have fun in Jarisburg?”
In his soft, childish voice, Mike replied, “Great–grandpa, Jarisburg was super fun! You should have your dad take you there, too!”
Hayden burst out laughing.
Werner, standing nearby, pinched Michael’s little arm and said, “Look at you, Mike. You’ve gotten all tanned.”
Michael, who cared a lot about his looks, covered his face with his hands. “Really? Grandpa Werner, will being tanned mess up my good
looks?”
Werner couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course not! Mike, you’re still the coolest kid around.”
Hayden shot Werner a look, telling him to quit laughing and go fetch some snacks and drinks. This was the first time Hayden got to be alone
with Michael. He liked Michael a lot.
“Just seeing your adorable little face makes all my worries disappear, Mike,” Hayden said with a smile.
“Great–grandpa, you can ask my mom for some photos of me. That way, when I’m not around, you can look at my photos and you won’t feel sad anymore.” Mike giggled.
“Alright!” Hayden pinched Mike’s chubby little cheek.
Footsteps sounded outside. Irene parked her car and strode right in.
Irene said, “Dad, Jonathan said he took Mike to Jarisburg for a trip. I didn’t believe it at first. Why is it so hard for me to see my sweet grandson?”
As soon as she walked in, Irene waved at Michael. “Mike, come here! Look what Grandma got you.”
“Grandma!” Michael shouted with glee, dashing over to her. Irene called out to him with a smile and hurried to slip the gold bracelet she bought onto his wrist.
Michael said, “Grandma, Mom got me one almost just like this.”
Irene frowned a little. “The one I bought is way fancier than your mom’s. This one’s totally one–of–a–kind.”
With that, she scooped the little guy up into her arms, studying his face. Michael looked so much like Jonathan did when he was a kid.
Irene couldn’t stop smiling. “Mike, who did you go to Jarisburg with?”
1/2
Chapter 807
“Mom and Dad,” Mike said happily.
The moment Irene heard the word “Mom“, her smile froze. “Oh, really? So where did you stay while you were in Jarisburg?” she asked,
“At Mr. Lime’s big mansion! His house is just like a palace. It’s super, super pretty!” Mike chirped excitedly.
Irene’s expression darkened again. “Mike, who taught you to call him ‘Mr. Lime‘? Was it your mom?”
Mike shook his head and said carefully, “I saw Mr. Lime on TV… Mr. Lime is my idol!”
“Don’t call him ‘Mr. Lime‘. Mike, he’s your dad! You should call him ‘Dad‘!” Irene insisted.
Hayden, who was standing nearby, chimed in, “Let the kid call him whatever he wants. ‘Mr. Lime‘ sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?”
With that, he turned to Mike and spoke to him, “Mike, you don’t have to listen to your grandma. You can call your dad whatever you like. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
Mike nodded, slipped out of Irene’s arms, and snuggled into Hayden’s embrace. Suddenly, his eyes grew a little misty. He said, “Great- grandpa, where’s my mom? I miss her. I want to see her.”
2/2
402200
AD
Comment
