“Alright, alright, I understand!” Hadley smiled with gentle resignation.
The car pulled away from the curb and headed straight for Jewel Avenue. Knowing Hadley was coming back, Brady had made arrangements in advance and sent Joy back to Jewel Avenue, sparing his travel-weary sister from having to make another exhausting trip to pick her daughter up.
As soon as they stepped through the front door, Colleen stood there holding Joy’s hand, both of them waiting patiently.
“Mommy!” Joy squealed with delight, bouncing toward Hadley with unbridled excitement.
“Joy!” Hadley bent down to scoop up her daughter, though the movement required noticeably more effort now.
Over the past five months, she had managed to return to Srixby a few times, though only for brief visits. Joy had grown taller and more solid during that time.
Hadley sighed with a mixture of affection and fatigue. “Mommy’s arms are getting too weak to carry you!”
She pressed gentle kisses to Joy’s soft cheeks and smiled at Colleen. “Hey, Colleen! Did you get off work early today, or are you completely off?”
“It’s my day off,” Colleen replied with a warm smile.
“Colleen performed a major surgery yesterday,” Brady chimed in proudly, “so she gets a few days off to recover.”
They walked inside together, chatting easily as the tantalizing aroma of food drifted from the kitchen.
Once they had settled comfortably in the living room, Hadley seized the rare opportunity to ask about Brady and Colleen. “You two have been dating for quite a while now. Any plans for the future?”
Their relationship was rock-solid—there was no doubt about that. Over time, it had only grown stronger and deeper.
However, they faced their own challenges, primarily their complicated family situations.
Hearing her question, Brady and Colleen exchanged a meaningful glance, their expressions clouded with worry.
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“What’s wrong?” Hadley noticed their hesitation and guessed accurately. “Are you still avoiding telling your parents about this?”
By “parents,” she primarily meant Louise and Noreen. Louise and Noreen had never gotten along and remained equally disapproving of each other’s children.
“Yeah,” Brady admitted reluctantly, clasping his hands together tightly.
“What?” Hadley frowned with concern.
She understood Brady’s difficult predicament, but this wasn’t a problem they could avoid forever. She spoke seriously, her tone gentle but firm. “Brady, you can’t keep this a secret forever. You’ll have to face it eventually.”
“I know.” Brady nodded and glanced at Colleen with determination. “Honestly, I don’t care what my mom thinks. You know how she is. Her opinion doesn’t matter to me anymore.”
He had grown determined to make his own decisions.
.
.
.