Chapter 10.2

Perhaps having his beloved in his arms made him feel relaxed, Jeff had no idea who fell asleep first, but he did have a good rest. Upon waking up, he didn't see the figure he fell asleep with. He only heard some noise coming from the kitchen, and there she was cooking away.

He went to the bathroom to freshen up and during the process, he thought back to what Tina said about her grandmother. He always wondered why she pulled back. Turned out it wasn't because of love itself, but the family pressures that came with it.

He didn't think that in this twenty-first century, there were still families which cherished males over females. That thinking was already outdated, and women have been doing great things for the longest time now. All that was left for him to do was dote on his girl endlessly, and knowing his family, they'd probably dote on her better. So, he had nothing to worry about.

After staring at her back for a while, he could not resist hugging her. He could already picture their lives after marriage. Spending much time needed together after a long day of work. How sweet the future was going to be!

"Let them come back, so we can have dinner together," Tina said while looking back at him.

Jeff was stunned by her idea. Just hours ago, she was reluctant to meet them. What changed her mind?

"Are you sure? Or did my mom say something to you when I wasn't watching?" he couldn't help asking. If one of those women pressured her, he was going to give them the silent treatment.

She shook her head, "not at all. Since I already met them, we might as well have dinner together."

He stared at her for a while to make sure that she was telling the truth.

Seeing a red tint creep up her cheeks, he smiled happily to himself while he called his dad to return home for a family dinner.

At the table, everyone complemented his wife's cooking. As the proud husband that he was, he acknowledged their appreciation with a nod of his head. There was nothing his wife couldn't do. She was simply too perfect. The dinner was filled with laughter and from the way Tina was interacting with his family, she seemed to have completely settled in.

That was the case until Sia introduced pressure.

"So how is your marital home coming along?" Sia asked as she put another piece of steak in her mouth.

The moment he heard what his granny said, his heart dropped to the bottom.

'What marital home? We just started dating at the beginning of the week. What is wrong with the women in his family?'

He noticed Tina's confused glance and thought about what to say to satisfy both sides.

Just before he could do that, Tina's voice resounded, "Marital home?!"

That was his cue to settle things immediately.

"Grandma is just teasing you. When my mom asked when I was going to start dating, I told her that I got a house of my own for the purpose of marriage. She must have spilled it to granny," he quickly explained to her while giving those two women the side eye.

"Granny, we are taking it slow. Why would you bring up the marital home?" he chided Sia, and Mrs. Strider was not exempted.

"Mom, you too. Don't scare Tina like that. You guys just met today."

He glanced at Tina and saw that she was calm, then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Honesty was really the best policy.

"Don't mind me Tina. It was just my way of asking about the progress of the ID for Jeff's house," Sia said gently.

"I understand, granny Strider. So far, we're looking for the best materials and some décor," she smiled and placed a broccoli in Sia's bowl.

Apart from that little episode, everything went well during the meal. It was so obvious how much his family appreciated Tina, and he was glad that they all got along well.

At around 10:30, he dropped her off at Lina's workshop. He parked the car in front of the garage, and they stayed in the car for a while.

"When next will I see you?" he asked as he played with her fingers.

"Monday because we have a meeting," she pulled on his chin.

"Not for work. For some me and you time," he sulked.

"Monday after work. We can spend some time together." After she said that, an idea went off in his mind.

"You can pick me up from work when you clock out," he said smugly. He wanted to show her off to his lonely employees, especially Bob.

"You want me to come to your company?"

"Sure. You'll have to someday anyway. Let's make that day Monday," he said pleadingly.

"I'll think about it and get back to you, hmmn?"

Although it wasn't the response he was expecting, he respected her decision.

"Something for the night," he said before attacking her lips and getting some comfort. She embraced his waist and he supported her head with his palm bring her closely into his arms.

After their make out session, he bid her farewell and watched Lina's car drive away before he went back home.

Poor guy had no idea what was waiting for him back home.