Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 542

Tarquin was utterly clueless about what Elysia was thinking, making it hard not to suspect that her suggestion was driven by a budding interest in him. After pondering for a moment, he called out to her, "Elysia."

"Hmm?"

"Are you...?"

Suddenly, the atmosphere dipped into silence.

Evan was curious, "What does he want to ask?"

Elijah, ever the excited one, declared, "I know Dad. Dad wants to ask Mom if she likes him!"

"What?!" Evan was taken aback, so was Emmett, while Elliot seemed a tad nervous, clenching his tiny fists secretly, eager to hear Mom's response.

But as seconds ticked by, Tarquin remained silent.

Evan, growing impatient, exclaimed, "What's taking him so long? Is he going to ask or not?"

Elijah frowned, "He might not ask after all."

"Why not?" Emmett was curious.

"Dad's got a lot of pride," Elijah explained. "He's probably worried that if he's overthinking it and gets a 'no' for an answer, he'd look vain and that would be embarrassing."

"But doesn't he want to know if Mom likes him?" Emmett asked.

As they silently stared at each other, lost in their thoughts, Elysia's resolve crumbled first. She averted her gaze, as if caught in a guilty act. Just as she was about to fabricate an excuse for her concern, Gideon, along with the Bradford family members, emerged from the chapel, observing them from a distance.

Coincidentally, Elysia's stomach chose that moment to growl.

Tarquin snapped out of his thoughts and took the lead, "Let's go, dinner's waiting."

With that, he strode towards the chapel, leaving Elysia to touch her stomach and sigh as she watched his retreating figure. She wondered if he had taken her words to heart. If he could move on and start a new romance, perhaps shifting some of his affection away from Elijah, it might soften the blow when she eventually took Elijah and left.

"Not hungry anymore?"

Realizing she hadn't followed, Tarquin turned back and called out to her. His voice was deep and soothing, carrying a hint of indulgence that was hard to miss.