Contract Marriage starring Love and Revenge
Chapter 143. Side Story 7: Alan’s unsharable gift

Chapter 143: 143. Side Story 7: Alan’s unsharable gift

It wasn’t actually the question that even made him smile. It was the fact that she ran back to him just for his number even though her father was glaring daggers at him.

"N_never mind!" She suddenly says and runs off saying, "Bye! See you next week."

And she joined her family, Alan could see her dragging her father along, for the man seemed like he wanted to engage in some staring contest against Alan.

"Come on daddy." She was pulling him, his wife was pulling him too, but the two of them were not strong enough to easily move the big tall man.

"I just don’t like him. He’s trying to steal my baby girl, isn’t he? And from what I hear he is way older than my baby" He’s saying.

"Look who is talking? You were about that same age, maybe older when you married me and that’s why I like him cause he reminds me of you. And besides, I was someone’s baby girl before you stole me too. Now move, mister." Mrs Conroy says with a firm tone and this time without even pushing, he moves after her firm order.

"Don’t compare me to that thief. I know his type, he relies on his looks to steal innocent girls."

"Well, my Dada thought the same thing about you and look how happy we are today. We have four kids now too." His wife again said and he went on grumbling about her comparing him with the blond haired young man who was trying to steal his baby girl.

Alan watched with a smile on his face as they walked away bickering. His eyes went back to the gift bag he was holding and he wondered. "What should I do with this? She got hurt making it." He appreciated the effort she put into making something for him, but he didn’t like that they were the cause of her bruised finger tips...

He hadn’t noticed the little bruises earlier because of the white frills of her sleeve that covered her hands.

It vexed him.

If the gift she gave him was a person, he would have punished them for bruising her fingers.

So how was he supposed to make a non-living thing suffer for making his cute Janey suffer?

It was quite vexing that he couldn’t do anything to the gift.

...

All the way home, they all tried to snatch his gift from him but he wouldn’t let them. He’d say, "This was made specifically for me. The person who made it got hurt while making it so I cannot out of good conscience give it to anyone."

Duke and Champagne had teased him knowing who must have given it to him, asking again and again if he and Janey were dating now. And he’d simply reply to them with, "She’s not yet in her twenties, she’s still in her teens, that means she’s still a minor. Have some shame, both of you." and they’d finally get off his back.

...

"Alan, are you staying over?" Champagne asks as Duke drives into the gates of their mansion.

"Oh, uhm, no. No, I just need to pick up the files I left in his study on Friday." He responds.

Alan stared at the little bag in his hand and he suddenly remembered her asking for his phone number only to run away before he could even try and give it to her.

Maybe she thought it was an overly bold request... But I don’t mind her being that bold.

After everyone was down from the car, Champagne headed straight into the kitchen as though she left something on the stove, and Duke went with the kids to their room to do only God knows what. Alan went straight to Duke’s study to get the files he needed all the while still securing his little gift bag in his hand.

"Hey Gio." He waves as he sees the man step out of his room. "How’s the back? Better?" He asks because Gio hadn’t gone with them to church because he complained of his back aching him.

"I’ve seen worse days." Thy man simply says.

"Good to know." Alan chuckles.

"I’m off." He yells so the whole house can hear that he’s already leaving.

"Alan, wait wait wait!" Champagne yells from the kitchen. "Just a minute." She says and he looks up at the time as though he was in a hurry to get somewhere.

After about thirty seconds, he calls out to her, "Mrs Grand, can you hurry up? What do you need me for anyway?"

"Oh hush, it’s not like you have anywhere you’re running off to." Champagne retorts as she finally steps out of the kitchen with a rectangular container in her hand. "Here, I made some frozen yogurt this morning before heading to church."

"Are there cherries?"

"Yes, there’s cherries in it, red and black actually. Then there’s red berries, blue berries, strawberries, dates," as she listed every fruit she put into the frozen yogurt, the frown on his face quickly curled into a big smile.

"Have I ever told you you’re a wonderful sister-in-law?" He asks and she chuckles.

"Yes, every time I make this."

"Ah, well, you are a wonderful sister-in-law." He says again and she just shakes her head as he turns towards the door to leave.

"You can’t eat everything now, so keep the rest in your refrigerator." She reminds him.

"Yes ma’am." He says.

As he reaches the door, Champagne suddenly calls out to him again, "Oh, Alan, earlier today, uhm, well, Janey—" At the mention of her name, he instantly paused and turned around.

"Yes?"

"Well, she asked me for your phone number."

"Did you give it to her?" He asks.

"No. I don’t give people’s phone numbers without asking them first. I didn’t know if you would want me to share your contacts with her so I told her to ask you directly. Did she?"

Alan held back a smile. To think she already asked Champagne for his number before coming to him. She must have been too timid to come to him directly which was why she wanted to get it from Champagne instead, but since Champagne didn’t, she ended up asking him. Only she ran off as soon as she asked.

"She didn’t? I guess she was too shy to ask you. Should—"

"Give it to her." Alan simply says. He then looks at her little gift bag in his hand and says, "Or better still, give me her’s. I’ll call her with my phone number."

"You?! Really?" Champagne asked with her eyes open wide. "Seriously?"

"Well, I guess it’s the least I can do for a girl who bruised her fingers baking for me." He shrugs as though it was nothing when in fact he was somewhat excited to see her reaction when he contacts her.

"We_well, I guess since she wanted your number first, it’s alright if I share hers with you." She says and he nods. "Alright, I’ll text it to you." Alan wanted to insist that she gave it to him that very moment, but he didn’t want to seem overly interested.

"Alright. Tell the guys I’m off. For real this time." He says and walks towards the door but is once again halted by Champagne’s words...

"She’s a sweet young girl Alan," she says, "don’t break her heart."

His eyes play on Janey’s gift in his hand and he mutters with a smile, "I have no such intentions."

...

As soon as he got to hiss apartment, he took of he did as Champagne had ordered him to. He scooped the amount of yogurt he could take at the moment and placed the rest in his refrigerator. Then he took off his jacket, brought out his phone and placed it on the small round table in his living room. Next to his phone was Janey’s gift bag and a small bowl of Champagne’s ice-cream.

After sinking into his chair, Alan picked up his phone and when he saw there was still no message from Champagne, he placed it back down.

The he picked up the gift bag and a soft chuckle left his lips as he stared at the bag. He opened it and pulled out a cellophane bag filled with tiny cookies. At the bottom of the gift bag was a little blue note.

He picked it up and after reading what was written there, he found himself laughing his head off.

"Ahh," He held his face in his hands and rested his back and head on the chair. He lifted the note in front of his face and he couldn’t hide the smile. Everything about her was adorable. Even the things that shouldn’t be. "Now I really want to tease her about this."

And he couldn’t wait for Champagne to send him her phone number.

"What is taking so long sister-in-law," He mutters to himself as he picks up his bowl of frozen yogurt and digs in, "Send me her number quickly."