Chapter 173: My Baby
Helen took it as she was still getting used to the new place and cheerfully took her hand and walked them to the dinner.
In the dining room were Keith’s father and his grandfather, who expressed their hospitality. Helen had arranged less of the family to give the Riley’s a relaxed first dinner. After all, there were many Clarkson family members for them to know, and they could do that when the Riley’s were in better shape. So the meeting of relatives was put on the next day.
The dinner was mini burgers, pepperoni pizza, and light salads that Helen had consulted Cathryn yesterday. And seeing Helen’s warm smile and the way she introduces everything to her family, Cathryn felt extremely warm and grateful.This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
When she passed lemon soda to Helen, Cathryn hugged Helen and said a sincere thank-you. Helen smiled in a great mood and called her “My baby” while kissing her cheek.
It’s become their normal way of interaction now. In the eyes of others, such harmony between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law was a great blessing for both of them. And Victoria, after a surprised frown, felt her nerve was somehow loosened a little.
The Riley’s asked to see little Briston after dinner. When Briston was born, Victoria had helped take care of him for a while, but now she hadn’t seen him for more than two months.
Seeing that her aunt Nancy could barely keep her eyes open, Cathryn suggested, “So, see you guys tomorrow, I’ll take Mom and Dad to see Briston first.”
“Let’s go to see him together,” Nancy struggled to open her eyes and made a big yawn.
“Come on, Mom, babies, don’t fly. You can see him tomorrow.” Cathryn’s cousin, Stella said. She’s used to dealing with jet lag herself and is in a good mood now. “Why don’t you go back to the room first, and I’ll go to check the baby with Aunt Victoria?”
Nancy didn’t insist and yawned her way to the guest room.
In the baby room, Briston was painting his fists with his saliva after his evening milk.
The 13 hours of flight had exhausted Victoria’s body and mind. She didn’t know how she had managed to dine and answer Helen’s topics earlier, but as soon as she saw Briston, the new grandma’s rigid face softened. Her eyes were only on the baby, and she felt that she could never love him enough.
Seeing her mother relaxed, Cathryn poked Briston’s little flesh arm and encouraged Victoria, “Mom, hold him.”.
Victoria leaned over and picked up the boy.
She remembered how obsessed she was with Cathryn when she was a baby and how careful she was raising her up. And now that baby girl of hers was big enough to have her own baby. Skipping a generation, this little guy in her arms was looking much more reassuring now than ever. Victoria felt great satisfaction and strange, unspeakable happiness.
“Can I hug him too?” Stella stood next to her aunt, itchy to feel the baby just by looking at him.
As Victoria was hesitating, doubting if her niece had ever held a baby, her daughter took Briston over and carefully put her son in Stella’s arms.
Her arms were a little stiff, but Stella’s smile was full of excitement. Looking down at Briston, his eyes were full of joy too.
After only holding him for a while, Stella carefully returned the baby to Victoria. Clement asked for the bathroom, and Keith took him out, and there were only Cathryn, Victoria, Stella, Briston, and the nanny in the room.
Victoria was a bit relaxed when Keith left. She put Briston back in his cradle, rocking its edge gently with one hand, and said softly to her daughter.
“I have checked the results of your teacher’s qualification certificate, you passed. Now that I have the certificate, you can start preparing for the license next year.”
It had taken her so long to prepare, after all, Cathryn was very happy to hear it.
“Really? Oh my goodness! Yes, I will start reading right away.” She exclaimed.
As soon as Cathryn finished, Stella followed, “If you have nothing to do here, you can also start preparing for postgraduate projects. When you get your master’s degree, you can go to teach in film schools.”
“Ah yes!”
The conversation went on about her future plans. The nanny smiled curiously.
“That’s a perfect plan. There’s a great future ahead of you, Miss Riley, whether you become a teacher or not.”
Understanding what she meant, Victoria’s face slightly changed. Before she could find words to say, her husband came back with Keith. Keith smiled politely to the nurse, “That’s very kind of you, Mrs. Goldstein.”
The nanny got the point and excused herself. Clement said to his wife in a great mood.
“Keith is a great young man here, I can guarantee that.” He turned to Keith and his daughter, “and I will be much honored to give you my daughter.”
They all smiled at each other, but each had their own thoughts.
Victoria and Clement returned to their suite. There was an extra room here for Cathryn on the night before her wedding.
After taking a shower and all the washing, the elder couple lay down on the bed and sighed simultaneously.
An unspeakable melancholy overwhelmed them both. After a long time of knowing Keith’s existence, they had never felt so bitter that their little girl was with someone else now.
From the little ending of the conversation, Clement knew what Victoria was telling their daughter. She had always been too worried about her life, but that’s something she couldn’t control as a parent.
Cathryn was a grown woman now, soon to be married. She should have her own plan for herself as part of her own new family, and he knew that neither Victoria nor he was on the priority list.
Victoria sighed and turned to the opposite side and closed her eyes, but she was not sleeping.
Her husband turned to look at her back and sighed again, “I guess Cathryn’s probably gonna settle in Germany now. It’ll be pointless to ask her to become a teacher back home. No need to force the child.”
Looking back at her husband, his words, “Cathryn’s gonna settle in Germany,” made her weep.