Kiss Me Not

Cain remained quiet the whole time. He was anxious, all because of his recent telepathic conversation with Cedric. He got his point, of course. But still, it was hard for him to let Kimmy go that easily, especially after everything he had been through just to be with her. He managed to keep his composure while engaging with Kimmy and her mother in conversation the whole way through to the Lewis Mansion though, just so that the former wouldn't notice that he was bothered by something.

It was already dark when they got home.

"I'll go check on Father," Cain informed Kimmy.

"Sure thing," Kimmy replied before moving to help her mother settle down in the guestroom.

"Is it really necessary to drag Sean here with us?" Leila commented as she set up her wardrobe. "You know how busy he is."

"Stop it, Mom. Uncle Sean already agreed, which means he's not busy enough to come with us," Kimmy reassured. "Plus, Uncle isn't even the King anymore, and Will already took over the job by assisting Gavin on the throne. Besides, he and Uncle Lucas are both on vacation already. They're just helping out if there's a need for it. But right, now Gavin and Will are doing a great job."

Still not convinced, Leila only let out a frustrated sigh. Seeing her mother in doubt, Kimmy pulled her close and sat her on the side of the bed. She then hugged her, rubbing her back while doing so as she whispered more reassurances.

"Mom, please stop thinking too much, okay? Just focus on me alone. I'm still here…" Kimmy soothingly lulled into Leila's ear. "Why don't you let me do something for you for the first time in my life? Just trust me on this. Cain and I will make sure that you'll enjoy your vacation with us." She smiled, "Don't think too much about Uncle Sean tagging along with us. I just feel shy facing Cain's mother without some sort of a good father figure, and you know that I'll never bring Father along because of it. It's either Uncle Lucas or Uncle Sean, but the former isn't fit to travel. So let's settle with Uncle Sean, yeah?"

A brief silence settled between them, and she was glad that her mother no longer said a word after her spiel. Soon enough, Cain came to call them out for dinner. Walking towards the dining area, they were greeted by his family.

"Oh. It's nice to see Leila here," Daniel warmly stated. "You should know that this house is always open for you, Leila, so feel free to stay here whenever you like."

"Thank you, Daniel," Leila answered. "Also, it'll probably be a good thing for me to stay here for a while. That way, I can closely follow the discussion about the wedding preparations. We've yet to set the date, right? I suggest that we don't keep it off for too long."

"I agree. These two should be wed as soon as possible," Daniel nodded. "If you ask me, I'd prefer them to have the wedding as soon as you guys return from visiting Evelyn."

After giving Daniel a nod, Leila turned to Cain and asked, "How's your mother, by the way, Cain?" As far as she knew, Cain's mother, Evelyn, had cancer. She only had a year to live at most according to her doctor, so it was necessary for him to see her soon.

Before Cain could respond, however, Kimmy excitedly chimed in. "Mom and I have some shopping to do. You have to tell me more about Mom, Evelyn, and your siblings so that we'll know what to bring with us."

At Kimmy's enthusiasm, Cain smiled, "Don't worry too much. Mom and my siblings are just simple. There's really no need to bring them anything."

"Still, we want to show our sincerity with our presents," Kimmy pouted. "They're your family like Uncle Daniel, so I want to impress them, at least. Besides, who would visit their in-laws from another country empty-handed?" She harrumphed, "Hmp! You're gonna have to accompany me to buy stuffs."

Leila chuckled, "I can't go, Dear. The reporters will flock to me. And I'm sure they'll pester you soon enough. You better put on a disguise once you go out with Cain tomorrow."

With the conversation settled, the group then had a late-night drink on the veranda and engaged in more conversations regarding the wedding preparations.

"Ah, I still can't believe it," Leila sighed in relief. "Finally, these two will tie the knot!"

Daniel chuckled, "Yeah. You're persistent though, Leila. I'm actually surprised when you proposed that marriage arrangement. Cain's much older than Kimmy, if I remember correctly."

"It's not about the age, Daniel," Leila chuckled in kind. "I know that I'm like an older sister to Cain, but I saw Cain's character, and I admire him. I want my daughter to be in good hands, and I know she'll get that with a good and responsible man like him."

"Ah, you two are talking about us like we're not even here," Kimmy chimed in, lightly caressing Cain's cheek while doing so. "I'm sure Cain's pretty red now." She then teasingly continued as she turned to Cain, "But Mom's actually right. I'm lucky to have Cain in my life. Who cares about our age gap?  You should get used to calling my mom 'Mom' too."

Cain had an awkward smile as he replied, "Yeah, Mom Leila…"

Leila and Daniel laughed at the antics in front of them. The two elders were very happy and content with how things ended up. Kimmy ran away before, but she was back and Cain had won over her heart.

Meanwhile, Cain tried his best to join in on the conversation, even as his mind was preoccupied with his own problems. Namely, his results on the blood tests… He could only hope that it would have a positive outcome.

"I can't wait to see little kids playing around here…" Daniel enthusiastically stated, making Cain almost choke on his wine.

"Well, I'm sure our children will give us some good news soon," Leila teasingly replied, giving Kimmy and Cain a knowing look.

Feeling the heat, Kimmy blushed at the attention. Deep inside, she was also hoping that her nonstop bedroom exercises with Cain would bear fruit soon. Unconsciously, her hand touched her belly, and Cain saw her doing the act. On his side, he also couldn't help but hope for the exact same thing.

Giving himself a nod, Cain grabbed Kimmy's hand and brought it to his lips, gently and lovingly kissing it while ignoring the fact that the elders were still with them.

"I love you so much, Kimberly," he whispered while staring at her.

In response, Kimmy lovingly smiled at him and teasingly chuckled, "Haha Stop that, Mom and Father Daniel are looking at us right now."

Cain chuckled, turning to the elders whose eyes were still glued to them. "Sorry about that. I just couldn't help it. I love Kimberly so much that I feel like nothing else matters. I just feel like her telling it to her like this whenever I feel like, regardless of where we are or what we're doing…"