"All alone and sick at home, with no one to look after me... sigh." As the old man finished, he raised his hand and genuinely wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

Grace’s heart ached watching him. "Grandpa, I have plenty of extra rooms at my house. Why don’t you move in with us? That way, someone will be there to look after you if you need anything."

"If you’re sure you don’t mind."

"Of course I don’t mind! If you don’t mind an old codger like me, how could I possibly mind you?" The old man waved his hands dismissively before grabbing a small bundle from his side. "So, granddaughter-in-law, are we heading home soon?"

The hopeful, pleading look he gave Grace made her unsure whether to laugh or cry.

’So the old man had this planned all along.’

’His bags were already packed and everything.’

She glanced at Archer.

Archer threw his hands up in a gesture of helplessness. "Grandpa said the New Year is almost here, and spending it in the hospital is bad luck. That’s why he had me discharged. My wound is mostly healed, anyway. As long as I avoid any heavy lifting, it won’t tear open again."

"Alright. The little one is getting discharged today, too. We can all go together. I’ll go downstairs and take care of the paperwork." Grace nodded and turned to leave.

The little one’s inflammation had subsided, but he still needed to be monitored. They were sent home with a good amount of medication. Archer was also prescribed some medicine to take with him.

Grace paid the bills, then went to find Irene Lynch to have her pack the little one’s things. Afterward, she headed to Archer’s room to help him pack his bags.

The group met up in the lobby on the first floor.

Her home was far away, so Grace had planned to call a cab. But the old man said he had a car. When they stepped outside, a sedan was parked right at the hospital entrance, complete with a driver and a guard.

The old man dismissed the guard and ducked into the car himself.

Grace helped Archer get into the car.

The car wasn’t big enough for all of them, but they managed to squeeze in anyway.

To make room for everyone, Grace was forced to sit on Archer’s lap, which made the entire ride incredibly awkward for her.

The corners of Archer’s lips, however, remained curved upward. Feeling the soft, warm woman in his arms, his smile never faded.

When they finally arrived home, Grace practically fled from Archer’s lap.

Her face was still burning when she got out of the car.

"Um, I’ll go get your rooms ready," she stammered.

The house had plenty of rooms, but Nolan and Brandon Winslow’s families would be coming to stay for a couple of days over the New Year. Suddenly, there wouldn’t be enough space for everyone.

Grace was trying to figure out how to free up a room for Archer and his grandfather to use for the time being.

Just then, Joanne Chase came out with a troubled look on her face.

Seeing Grace and Irene Lynch back home, she hesitated for a long moment before speaking quietly, "Grace, Godmother, there’s something I need to talk to you about."

Grace’s heart sank when she saw Joanne’s expression. "What is it?"

"Well... I’m planning on moving out. Evan Holland and I are going to register our marriage after the New Year, and I figured since we’ll be living together eventually, so..." Joanne’s face flushed, her ears turning bright red.

Grace frowned. "Are you sure he’s reliable? You two have only been dating for a little while, haven’t you? Have you really thought this through? This isn’t just an impulse, is it? You’re not just doing this to get back at Sean York?"

Joanne shook her head. "Evan’s a really good person. He’s so good to me. I think... I think I can trust him with my life. I won’t have any regrets. And if it turns out I chose wrong, then it’s my own fault for being blind. Grace, I just desperately want a family of my own. I never imagined someone could treat me this way, could be so gentle with me. I’m willing to trust him."

Looking at Joanne’s earnest expression, Grace felt a sense of helplessness. "You should at least wait until you’re married before you live together. People might look down on you otherwise. Please, listen to me. Let’s just wait until after the New Year to decide, okay?"

Joanne hesitated.

Evan had also told her not to rush, but she was just so desperate to have a family of her own.

What happened with Sean York had left her feeling incredibly insecure about relationships. The moment she was sure of her feelings for Evan, she wanted to lock things down as quickly as possible.

Even if it meant giving herself to him before they were married, she was willing.

But while she was willing, Evan wasn’t. He felt it was wrong and would hurt her reputation, so he had refused.

Joanne lowered her head, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Joy, we’re family, and family would never do anything to hurt you. We all just want you to be happy. Please, listen to me. When it comes to matters of the heart, rushing things is the biggest mistake you can make. I’ve made my own mistakes in the past, as you know. Because of that disastrous marriage, I didn’t even think about dating for years."

"I don’t want you to repeat my mistakes and go down the same road I did. That’s why I need you to treat this relationship with caution. It has to be something you’ve thought about over and over, not a decision you make on an impulse."

Grace grabbed Joanne’s shoulders with both hands, her expression serious and earnest.

Joanne opened her mouth, wanting to say that she had thought it through clearly, that it wasn’t an impulse.

But when her eyes met Grace’s, the words caught in her throat.

’Suddenly, she wasn’t sure if she was being impulsive after all. Was she just desperate to prove something? To prove that someone actually wanted her, that she wasn’t just some pitiful, unwanted girl...’

She never said it out loud, but the emptiness and fear in her heart had never disappeared.

Grace and Irene Lynch treated her very well, but they weren’t her real family. She couldn’t live in the Winslow family home forever, and she couldn’t stay single her whole life.

Grace would have her own life one day—she’d get married, have children, and slowly drift away.

She was too afraid of loss. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

That was why, after meeting Evan Holland, she was so desperate to grab onto something.

Even if the price might be steep.

She suddenly threw her arms around Grace. "Grace, am... am I a big disappointment to you?"

"Silly girl, why would you think that? We’re family. And you haven’t actually done anything wrong. I just don’t want you to ever have regrets or to suffer the pain that comes from making the wrong choice. I just want you to have a peaceful and happy life."

"Stop letting your imagination run wild. Now, we have two guests, and I need to prepare a couple of rooms for them. Hurry up and come help me. But my brothers and their families are also coming for the New Year, and it seems like we don’t have enough rooms," Grace said, her expression troubled.

"Your older sister-in-law came by earlier. She said they won’t be staying over for the New Year this year—they’ll just come for dinner on New Year’s Eve. Your second sister-in-law said the same, though she mentioned sending the kids over. Said she and her husband want some time to themselves."

Joanne blushed as she finished. "So we don’t need to prepare rooms for them, just for the kids."

Grace pinched Joanne’s cheek. "Look at our Joy, blushing! Okay, now hurry up and help me get things ready."