Estre said, “Stop fooling around.”
Jason had always dreamed of a cozy family life with Estre and their little one. So, even without her
explicit consent, Jason had brought them back to their home in Waterfall
Acres.
After tucking Isaac into bed for a nap, Jason tied on an apron and got down to business in the kitchen.
Estre, leaning against the doorframe with an apple in hand, couldn’t help but watch, amused by the
domestic scene. He filleted the fish with the skill of a seasoned chef and chopped the veggies with
equal dexterity.
Three years ago, Estre knew Jason could handle himself in the kitchen, but she hadn’t expected him
to be even more adept with time.
When Jason returned to the stove to stir-fry, he caught Estre’s gaze and teased, “Trying to steal my
cooking secrets?”
Estre couldn’t help but admire hispetence as she responded, “You’re quite the handyman.”
Closing the distance between them, Jason leaned in and nted a kiss on her lips, “I’m even handier in
bed, just you wait til after —”
Before he could finish, Estre yfully stuffed the other half of her apple into his mouth, “Focus on
cooking, will you? Less talk, more action.”
Jason chuckled at her feistiness, “Ms. Estre, you cut me off, but you already knew what I was going
to say-a seasoned pro, aren’t you?”
After polishing off the apple, Jason pulled her into another kiss, with a triumphant twinkle in his eye.
Estre adjusted her blouse and retorted, “Seems you’ve forgotten who taught you everything.
Showing off in front of me?” Back in the day, she considered herself to be the wild one, and Jason, the
innocent. Now, it seemed he had surpassed the teacher, shamelessly so.
He arched an eyebrow yfully, “Maybeter we can have a little ‘practice session.”
Estre rolled her eyes, “Get on with the cooking. My son’s hungry.”
After nting another kiss on her lips, Jason went back to his culinary duties, whistling a cheerful tune.
Isaac awoke just in time for dinner. Jason had prepared with a light touch, knowing their child’s pte.
But he also knew Estre’s love for a bit of spice, so while Isaac got a gently steamed fish, Estre
received a dish packed with vor.
09.04
As Isaac called out for his mother, Estre felt a warm glow at the sight of her son livening up in the
presence of her and Jason, his appetite hearty as he praised Jason’s cooking.
The mostforting thing for Estre was seeing how Isaac had grown taller and more outgoing, even
holding hands with a little girl at the yground that afternoon. Her heart swelled with pride.
After finishing the meal, Estre wanted to clean up the dishes, but Jason didn’t want her to, so he
cooked the meal, took care of Isaac, and washed the dishes himself.
With the kitchen spotless, he took Isaac for a bath, theirughter echoing from the bathroom. Estre
found herself smiling. Jason’s efforts made it almost seem as if they had never been apart, and he had
been there to watch Isaac grow up all along.
Once Estre finished up her work, she found Isaac already fast asleep. Jason had tucked the child
into the adjacent bedroom, leaving the doors to both rooms ajar.
Turning to Estre, still seated at her desk, Jason wrapped his arms around her from behind, “Honey,
all done with your work?”
She looked back at him, noticing the redness in his eyes from the day’s fatigue and smiled, “Just
finished.”
Their eyes locked, and Estre, acknowledging his hard work that day, softly said, “Thank you for
today.” She knew all too well the exhaustion of caring for a child alone.
Jason closed his eyes with a gentle sigh, “For my wife and son, it’s nothing.”
She knew Jason had a silver tongue, perhaps even more persuasive than her own. After a brief
embrace, Estre suggested, “You should rest.”
“But resting means I can’t hold you or watch you,” Jason protested.
Estre smirked at his attempt to be charming. Giving in to another hug, sheined yfully,
“You’re making my shoulders sore.”
Jason then tried another angle, “After such a good performance today, don’t I deserve a little reward?”
Estre huffed, recognizing his true intentions, yet she didn’t call him out. Instead, she pecked him on
the lips, “Here’s your reward.”
Jason’s brows knitted together in mock disappointment, “That’s it?”
“What else did you expect?” Estre said, her stance clearly implying no more
shenanigans tonight.
Jason didn’t push, nor did he try to seduce her further. He simply let go and flopped onto the bed, “I’m
beat. How about a shoulder rub?”.
00:04
Seeing how hard he’d worked all day on her behalf, Estre couldn’t refuse. She rolled up her sleeves
and began to knead his tired muscles.
Jason hummed contentedly, “Your touch is magic. You’re good at everything you do.”
Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.
Estre stayed silent, focusing on easing the tension from his shoulders.
Then, in a soft voice, Jason asked, “Did you have lunch with Bryce and Jesse today?”
The night was tranquil, snowkes beginning to drift silently outside while warmth enveloped the room,
creating a cozy atmosphere.
Estre confirmed, “Yeah. Bryce has been so busytely. It’s been a while since the three of us caught
up.”
“Bryce must be swamped,” Jason mused, not mentioning that he had a hand in Bryce’s busy schedule
by setting up several projects for him. Thest thing Jason wanted was for Bryce to have free time to
bother Estre.
Estre casually shared. “Bryce mentioned Keith’s driving him nuts with all this
matchmaking business. At lunch, Bryce even asked Jesse and me to help figure out who could pretend
to be his partner to appease his family.”
Jason tossed thement aside with a nonchnt wave of his hand, “As if anyone’s going to buy that
story.”
Estre chimed in with a yful smirk, “Tell me about it.”
It had been three years since they’dst caught up like this, and Jason felt a warm nostalgia blossom in
his chest, while Estre also seemed genuinely happy by their conversation. Then, with a curious tilt of
her head, she prodded Jason further, “You know, if Bryce ended up with Jesse, it wouldn’t be the worst
thing. At least it’d keep it all in the neighborhood, so to speak.”
Bryce and Jesse?
Jasony sprawled on his bed, motionless, a chuckle bubbling up just thinking about the two of them
as an item. “If those two hooked up, it’d be the stuff of sis,” he snorted.
Estre replied, “Comedy, farce-I don’t care, as long as it’s not a tragedy.”
Seeing Estre gossiping like they were kids again brought a secret joy to Jason’s heart. He leaned in,
conspiratorially, “Let’s not fret over their drama. We’ve got our own fish to fry.”