Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Just then, a soft voice sounded from behind the two. “Grandpa!”
A small yet adorable young girl rushed over swiftly, biting her lip at the sight of the two strangers. “Grandpa, who are they?”
Although she looked a little meek, she was not afraid at all.
At the sight of the young girl before him, Welson felt his heart melt, and he immediately picked her up and raised her high in the air.
“My darling Penny, have you finished your homework?”
When she heard that, Penelope jutted her chin upward smugly and boasted, “Of course I did! Aren’t I fast?”
“Of course. You’re the best, Penny.”
With Penelope in his arms, Welson introduced her to Elspeth. “Let me introduce you two. This is your Aunt Elspeth, and the man beside her is her husband, which means he’s your uncle.”
Penelope nodded thoughtfully before she let out a chortle. “Oh, I see now. Dad is always nagging me all day.”
Welson couldn’t help but scoff. “Who knows where that useless father of yours is fooling around now? By the way, do you know where he is?”
As if she were a tiny adult, Penelope replied solemnly, “Dad told me that he’s going on a honeymoon with Mom at Langford, and he’s only coming back next month.”
“That b*stard!” Welson slammed a hand on the table, losing his temper. “I just told them yesterday that Elspeth is coming back. He really can run!”
Penelope let out a helpless sigh and shook her head. “Grandpa, you know how my dad is. Oh, by the way, he told me to pass this on to you. He said that he’ll leave the Harley Family’s business in my aunt’s hands.”
At that, she stared at the woman before her curiously, blinking her eyes. “So, this is the aunt he was talking about. She’s so pretty.”
Elspeth was rendered speechless by her words, not expecting something so ridiculous to happen to her. If she had known that she would meet such an irresponsible man, she wouldn’t have come to the Harley Residence in the first place.
“Hmph… Elspeth, don’t take Yozan seriously as he’s always been this irresponsible. So, about the Harley Family’s business, why don’t you just-“
Before Welson could finish, Elspeth let out a vicious cough and shot to her feet. “I still have something else to attend to today. I’ll come back to visit another day…”
She immediately shot a look to Callum, who was next to her. “Am I right?”
Callum stood up as well and nodded with a smile. “That’s right. Frank called us earlier to tell us that he wants to meet us.”
His words immediately stopped Welson in his tracks, and although Welson seemed displeased, he could only let out a helpless sigh in the end. “All right. Since that’s the case, I won’t force you two anymore. If you change your mind one day, I’ll come to see you.”
After dealing with Welson and leaving the house, Elspeth stretched her limbs. “I’m exhausted. Come on, let’s go home. Damian is probably waiting anxiously for us.”
As they had been rushing to head to the hospital earlier, they instructed Damian to rest at home, and he must be hungry by now.
With a nod of agreement, Callum took her home, only to find that the boy who should’ve been waiting for them obediently at home had disappeared into thin air, leaving an empty house for them to return to.
Instantly, Elspeth panicked. “What’s happening? Did someone take him away?”
“That can’t be. Damian isn’t the type of boy to open the door for anyone.”
“So, where is he now?”
The two scoured every single corner of the house, but they were still unable to find any trace of Damian. Just as they were frantic with worry, Callum’s phone rang.
When he picked up and heard the familiar voice from the other end, Callum’s expression instantly darkened. “Where did you take my kid?”
“Calm down, where else could I take him? I just brought him out for lunch.” Edmund let out a chuckle. “I didn’t expect this fellow to be this cute. He’s much better than the both of you.”
Speechlessly, Elspeth placed a hand on her forehead and asked, “So, where is he now?”
“We’re having lunch at Printempts Diner downtown. By the way, you two have gone overboard. Have you ever taken your son to try our local food?”
“Enough with the nonsense. We’ll be there in twenty.”
…
When Elspeth and Callum arrived at Printempts Diner, they were immediately met with the sight of Damian wolfing down his meal, rendering them speechless.
At the sight of his mother, Damian’s eyes lit up. “Mom, the food here is too delicious. I’ve never tried any of this before! It’s completely different from the food we ate abroad!”
Elspeth walked over with a smile and caressed his head. “That’s good to know. Now that we’re back, you can eat this whenever you want.”
With those words, she shifted her gaze to Edmund next to her. After years of not seeing him, he seemed to have lost some of his hostility and it was now replaced by a sense of maturity. After all, being a father to a child would naturally deter him from being overly imprudent.
As for the quiet and well-behaved child next to him, he must be Cameron. He had inherited Edmund’s outstanding genes, and his looks were just shy of his father’s, emanating a gentle aura that easily drew people to him.
Elspeth faced him with a smile. “You’re Cam, right?”
Perhaps because he hadn’t seen her in years, there was a trace of shyness on Cameron’s face. “Aunt Elspeth.”
“He really is much more obedient compared to when he was younger.”
Next to him, Edmund butted in sarcastically. “Well, of course. The child that I raise will naturally be cute and obedient.”
She rolled her eyes. “Who knows? What if Cam is so cautious now because all you do is pick on him?”
“How could that be?” Edmund gently patted Cameron’s head. “Come, my son. Tell her if I’ve ever picked on you.”
Cameron smiled meekly. “Of course not. Daddy is usually nice to me.”
“Hear that? Look at how polite my son is.”
Elspeth muttered under her breath, “Always talking about your son… So what if you have a son? It’s not like it’s anything impressive.”
Damian, who had been burying his nose in his food, whipped his head upward at her words. “Mom, what do you mean?”
Elspeth immediately fell silent.
Edmund rubbed his chin. “By the way, when are you going to change your son’s surname?”
It was only then that Elspeth realized that Damian was still using her last name.
Unexpectedly, Callum only took a sip of tea calmly. “Why should we change it? I think it’s quite nice.”
Instantly, Edmund was taken aback by his words. “Callum, this is your son we’re talking about. Don’t you want him to take your last name?”
“He’s also Elspeth’s son.”
Hearing that, Elspeth felt her heart skip a beat.
“Besides, it’s not like we can’t have another one. Our next kid can just take my last name.”
Hearing that, Elspeth sent him an exasperated punch. “Who said I want to have another baby with you?”
Callum wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his arms. “Who else are you going to have a baby with except for me?”
Elspeth’s face flushed red upon being embraced by him in front of everyone else.
“There are still people around. Besides, there are two kids here. Hurry up and let me down,” she whispered.
“All right, all right, stop flirting in front of me. Are you picking on me because I’m single?” Edmund pouted, his face filled with disdain.
Unfazed, Callum raised his eyebrow and refuted, “Haven’t you thought of finding a mother for your son after all these years?”
Edmund crossed his legs and said carelessly, “Why should I find a mother for my son? I think that I can raise him on my own, and I can do a good job at it too. Besides, I’m not interested in things like relationships anymore. I think that being on my own isn’t bad at all.”
“Haven’t you asked Cam’s opinion? What if he wants to have a mother?”
Elspeth’s concerns were not unfounded. Although single-parent families were common, their children would easily be subject to bullies in school, just like Damian had been in the past. Most people would use their families to mock and tease them, and it would easily hurt the child emotionally.
With how meek Cameron was, she was genuinely worried that he had become so timid as a result of being picked on.
Next to them, Cameron immediately shook his head. “I’m not really hung up over this. I don’t mind as long as Dad is happy.”
Upon hearing his sweet declaration, Elspeth couldn’t help but tear up. “What a good boy.”
Damian, who had just been scarfing down his food, suddenly rose to his feet and ran to Cameron’s side to hold his hand. With a solemn face, he swore, “Cameron, don’t worry. If you aren’t happy, I can share my mom with you. We can both call her Mom.”
At his words, Cameron’s eyes turned red. “Thank you, Damian.”
Instantly, the atmosphere became warm and blissful.
After finishing their simple meal, Damian was unwilling to part with Cameron and insisted on staying with him. It was only after Elspeth told him that Cameron had to head home to rest that he reluctantly let go.
Elspeth took him home and quickly helped him wash up. After an entire day outside, fatigue had already caught up to Damian, and he succumbed to slumber as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Once Damian was asleep, Elspeth and Callum collapsed on the couch and stared at the ceiling blankly. Eventually, it was Elspeth who broke the silence.
“Callum, can you tell me how you spent the past few years?”
His eyelashes fluttered slightly. “When I heard that you had gotten into an accident, it was like my world had come crashing down. I couldn’t believe that something like that would happen to you. You’re so intelligent and skilled, so how could you get into an accident like that?”
“When I didn’t hear any news of you, I felt like my heart had sunk into the ocean with you. I looked for you everywhere, and I practically searched every corner of the city, but I couldn’t find any trace of you. Slevin did everything he could to completely erase all news of you, so it was impossible for me to find out anything about you. However, I didn’t give up.”
Elspeth was extremely touched by his words, but she continued to press him ruthlessly, “Haven’t you thought of settling for another woman after all those years?”
“No matter where I looked, all I could see was you.”
Upon hearing such a poetic line from Callum, who was always calm and reserved, Elspeth instantly flushed red.
“After that, it was only because Harper had told me about this that I met you in that city. I felt that this must be a chance given to me from the heavens, but when I saw you smiling and laughing with another man, I felt jealous and miserable.
“Fortunately, you only lost your memory, and you didn’t stop loving me. Since it only took me a little effort for you to remember me again, it means that our fate can’t be easily broken. Besides, you gave me such an adorable child.”
Callum turned around and placed both hands on her cheeks, holding up her face. “I see your worries. In those years, I’ve seen my fair share of beautiful women with hidden intentions, but I couldn’t care less. Compared to you, they’re nothing. You, and only you, are the best person I’ve ever met.”
Tears welled up in Elspeth’s eyes. She knew how seriously Callum took his work, but she didn’t expect him to be just as devoted and passionate when it came to his feelings. Or, perhaps, she just had good taste in men.
She raised her head and stared into his eyes, making sure he heard every single word she said. “You’re the best person I’ve ever met, too.”
Callum’s gaze turned dark as they locked on her crimson lips, and he leaned in to kiss her passionately. His lips intertwined with hers, savoring the warmth between them, as if he wanted to put all of his pent-up emotions throughout the years into this kiss.
Elspeth responded passionately and meekly, her heart pounding and surging with emotions every time he called out her name lovingly. After what felt like an eternity, Callum lifted her into his arms and headed toward their bedroom.
“I miss you.” Callum let out a low and raspy laugh. “I miss all of you.”
—The End
