Chapter 321: Be Good, Wear It, Don’t Take It Off

Nathan Fawcett had dinner with his mother and her friend.

The friend heard about Nathan’s condition and told him to go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow.

Nathan wasn’t particularly interested in whether he would recover, but... it was his mother’s concern, after all.

He couldn’t refuse her goodwill.

After the difficult dinner finally ended, he drove over to Anne Sutton’s place.

Before he even stepped inside, he heard Caleb Summers’s voice. The living room was lively because of Caleb’s presence.

That guy Caleb was pretty funny. He had a real knack for telling stories, and he’d even managed to put Mrs. Sutton in a much better mood.

Nathan pushed the door open, and the laughter in the living room abruptly died down.

Anne Sutton looked up and saw him. "You’re back?"

When Caleb Summers saw him appear, he immediately toned down his boisterousness, straightened his posture, and sat up properly. "Ethan, you’re back?"

Nathan had just endured an incredibly stifling dinner, so seeing Caleb looking so cheerful the moment he arrived naturally filled him with discontent.

He asked, "Why are you here?"

Caleb said, "I live next door! Mrs. Sutton is over, so I came by to chat with her."

Nathan glanced at the time. "It’s already ten o’clock."

’He’s still here!’

Caleb glanced at his watch. "Holy crap, time flies! I was having so much fun talking with Mrs. Sutton that I completely lost track. I should get to bed. Mrs. Sutton, I’ll come see you again tomorrow."

Mrs. Sutton smiled and nodded. "Alright."

Caleb stood up and glanced at Nathan. For some reason, he felt like Nathan was staring daggers at him.

He quickly scurried out the door, even pulling it shut behind him.

Nathan walked over. "Why isn’t Ian asleep yet?"

Anne said, "We were waiting for you."

Her words lifted Nathan’s spirits considerably.

He looked at her, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile.

Anne asked, "Do you want to eat?"

"No," Nathan said. "It’s too late."

He wasn’t used to eating late at night.

Anne said, "Alright then. You get some rest. I’ll take Ian to bed. Mom, you should go to bed too!"

’It’s all that guy Caleb’s fault. He’s way too chatty.’

’Time flies when you’re listening to him talk!’

’But I have to admit, he’s a fantastic conversationalist—witty and humorous.’

’It’s like listening to a comedy routine!’

...

Anne took Ian upstairs, tucked him into bed, and then returned to her room.

She saw that Nathan had already showered in her bathroom and come out.

He was wearing her pajamas. She had bought them in a larger size, but they were still a bit small on him.

Anne looked at the man and chuckled. "I was planning to have you sleep with Ian."

Nathan looked at her. "No way! Who wants to sleep with a kid?"

Anne looked at him and smiled wryly. ’There’s really nothing I can do with him.’

Nathan walked up to her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and his lips descended on hers.

Anne looked at him and said, "You’re upset, huh?"

He paused, looked at her, and said, "It’s okay. Dinner with my mom’s friend was pretty stifling. Then I finally get back, only to see Caleb so happy... It made me a little jealous."

He could relax when he was with Anne, but not with his mother.

Anne gazed at him, raised her hands, and wrapped them around his neck.

’He said he’d be back for dinner tonight. I even made extra food for him, but then he didn’t come back after all.’

’If Caleb hadn’t come over, there probably would have been a ton of leftovers.’

Anne hugged him and said, "If we hadn’t been waiting for you to come back, we would’ve been asleep long ago!"

Nathan looked at her and smiled gently. "Caleb should thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

"For saving his life." ’The nerve of him, running over to my woman’s house while I’m not here and sucking up to my mother-in-law... The more I think about it, the angrier I get!’

Anne looked at Nathan. "Why are you jealous of everyone? Caleb is your friend. The only reason I let him in was out of respect for you."

"Don’t bother!" Nathan said. "You don’t need to do that on my account."

Anne looked at him and said, "Alright, alright, let’s just go to sleep!"

’This guy!’

’He can be so childish sometimes.’

Anne lay down, but Nathan pressed down on top of her, not letting her go.

He gazed at her. "I’m not the least bit tired right now."

"But I am."

"..." Nathan lowered his head, gave her a quick kiss, and said, "Last time at the airport, when I was seeing you off to Westhaven, you kissed me first. What did that mean?"

Anne froze for a second, surprised he would suddenly bring that up now.

She averted her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes. "It didn’t mean anything!"

"Are you sure it meant nothing?" Nathan reached out, took her chin, and turned her face back toward him. "If it meant nothing, why are you avoiding me? Why can’t you look at me when you say it? Anne Sutton, are you one of those people who likes to flirt and run?"

"..." Forced to look directly at his face, Anne cleared her throat. "I just felt like kissing you, so I did. Does there need to be another reason?"

"That’s not fair!" Nathan said. "How come you can kiss me whenever you want, but I can’t?"

"Aren’t you kissing me right now?" ’Just a moment ago...’

’And he says it’s not fair!’

’How does he have the nerve to say that?’

Nathan looked at her and asked, "So, do you like it when I kiss you?"

"..." Anne stared at him, not knowing how to answer.

’What kind of question is that?’

’Even if I say I don’t like it, he’s already done it!’

’It’s not like he’s been asking for my opinion lately, has he?’

Nathan looked at her. "Say something!"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"Whether you like it or not."

"Who asks questions like that? It’s so awkward. I don’t want to answer."

"What’s awkward about it?" Nathan said. "You’re the one who said that if you weren’t willing, I couldn’t touch you. So how am I supposed to know if you’re willing now?"

"I’m not willing, okay?" Anne reached out and pushed against him.

’His question was too blunt. I didn’t know how to answer it!’

But she pushed a couple of times and couldn’t move him.

She looked at him. "Look at you! I already said I’m not willing!"

Nathan gazed at her, a smirk playing on his lips. He lowered his head and kissed her again. "It doesn’t matter if you’re not willing. You’re the one who started this with me. Now, you don’t have a choice."

Anne looked at him and said nothing, letting him kiss her.

In all the time she’d spent with him recently, he had never done anything out of line...

But tonight, it seemed he finally couldn’t hold back any longer.

The next morning, Anne had just woken up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Nathan sliding a ring onto her finger.

She said, "What are you doing?"

As a doctor, she never wore things like that.

Nathan looked at her and said, "I’ve locked you in. From now on, you’re mine. There’s no chance to back out."

"You wish!" Anne started to take the ring off. "A marriage certificate couldn’t even tie me down, and you think a single ring can? How naive!"

Nathan grabbed her hand. "Be good. Wear it. Don’t take it off!"