The next day, Alessia brought Cole back to the Morton family home.
A fresh snowfall nketed the city the night before, so Ivan had called that morning to check if Alessia still nned oning home.
Originally, Alessia just intended to drop by for a quick meal before heading out. But Cole spoke up himself, saying he’d like to visit the Mortons. After all, their daughter had been staying with him for over a month–it was only natural that they’d be
worried, even if they didn’t say it aloud.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Alessia asked.
Cole smiled gently, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. Despite the warmth in his eyes, there was a tinge of sadness in his expression. “Of course. Besides, I’d love to try your mother’s cooking.”
With that, Alessia had no reason to argue.
It was a rare asion: all four Morton brothers happened to be home. The stic chairs they sat on looked almost dignified, like executive leather seats in a boardroom, but the cramped living room felt even smaller with them all crowded in. Naturally, York was there too, iming he’d just dropped by for dinner.
Knowing Alessia and Cole wereing, the Mortons had closed their little diner for <i>the </i>day. They’d been up early shopping, and now the kitchen was bustling.
It wasn’t that the kids didn’t want to help; the kitchen was just so tiny that even two people bumping shoulders was a bit much. Any more would only make things chaotic.
In the living room, Cole sat with his knees together and hands neatly folded in hisp, looking every bit the well–mannered guest–so much so that it was hard to imagine this was the same Mr. Cole whomanded respect wherever he went.
The coffee table was loaded with gifts. For a simple visit, it looked suspiciously like the beginnings of a formal proposal.
“I’ve seen you before at A&C Entertainment,” Liam finally broke the silence.
His debut was just around the corner, so Liam had been swamped with work. But when he heard Alessia wasing home, he’d managed to take the afternoon off, promising to make up the lost practice hours that evening–a concession that finally convinced Lillian White to let him go.
Chapter <b>243 </b>
Cole nodded. “I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myselfst time.”
Awkward silence returned, but then Alessia finally emerged from her room. She sat down beside Cole, giving his hand a reassuring pat, signaling him to rx.
“Lessie, take a look at these floor ns–see if there’s any you like?” Zachary pushed aside the pile of gifts to make space, thenid <i>out </i>several houseyouts in front of her.
“Floor ns?”
“Remember those projects I picked up a while back? They’ve all been paid off now. I talked it over with Mom and Dad, and we thought it was time to move to a bigger ce. Dad and I have already looked at a few, but we wanted to wait for you toe home before making a decision.”
Alessia was a little taken aback, but she picked up the ns and nced through
them.
“This one… this is the one I found for you before,” Cole suddenly spoke up as she reached the second set of ns.
“This one?” She looked at him.
He nodded.
She remembered now, though so much had happened since then that it had slipped her mind. When she looked up, she found her brothers watching her expectantly, clearly confused by her reaction.
She didn’t bother looking at the rest. If Cole had picked this one, it meant it was the best option.
“I actually asked Cole <i>to </i>help me find a new ce a while ago. I meant to tell you all, but with everything that’s happened, Ipletely forgot. I never would’ve guessed you’d pick the same one. Looks like we’re all thinking alike.”
“Great minds think alike, huh?” Zachary grinned. “So, should we go with this one? If we get someone in to handle the renovations soon, we could probably move in by the holidays.”
Alessia nodded. “That neighborhood is mostly Keane family properties, right? We can use the same contractors fromst time–they work for Justin, and they’re fast and really detail–oriented.”
Brendan still had their contact info, since they’d handled thest renovation at the diner.