CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45- HAPPINESS

Weekend.

Time for the Morrison family gathering.

Morrison had brought along a pregnant Lilian, while Karl was accompanied by Marylin.

Ever since that time Karl had schemed to have her meet Linda and Mr. Mos, Marylin had no reason to refuse when Karl invited her back to the Mos household again. After all, she had already met his parents; there was no point in being fussy.

For Marylin, her relationship with Karl had progressed at lightning speed. From confirming their relationship to meeting each other’s parents, and then moving in together, everything had happened in a flash.

Marylin could not understand why her usually rational and composed self had gone along with all this, but Vivian explained it as the power of love: because she loved Karl, she was willing to go at his pace.

It couldn’t be denied that Karl was truly a perfect partner, in both daily life and... intimate matters.

She had expected that moving in together so quickly would lead to constant quarrels, given that they lacked a traditional emotional foundation.

Marylin even prepared herself mentally for arguments, but in reality, there were hardly any. Their time together was sweet and gentle; even when minor disagreements arose, Karl would compromise immediately, or soothe her without any principle if she became upset.

Any small quarrel or sulking never lasted more than a day, and never overnight.

When Marylin shared this with Vivian and Laurent, Vivian said that she and Frank sometimes didn’t speak for days, and Laurent mentioned the same with Dave—they also had cold wars.

Marylin could not understand how they could do that. Sometimes she wanted to sulk too, but Karl’s persistence wore her down—he would beg for reconciliation or start talking to her first, and gradually, she would give in and make up with him.

Vivian explained that it was because they were still in the honeymoon phase; Karl’s persistence reflected his desire to appease her. Laurent added that the other men simply didn’t have Karl’s thick skin, which allowed him to shamelessly coax her.

Marylin thought both Vivian and Laurent were right. She had always assumed Karl was a gentle, refined man, but living with him revealed how shamelessly persistent he could be.

With the lifelong plans for her two sons settled, Linda couldn’t stop smiling, enjoying a lively conversation with her daughter-in-law and future daughter-in-law in the living room.

One son, Morrison, was sent to the kitchen to help Mos prepare a lavish dinner—he was the one who could cook.

The other son, Karl, was unfortunately tasked with sitting by the piano in the living room to provide musical accompaniment for the three women’s chatter.

Karl complained inwardly while keeping a polite exterior. People say a man forgets his mother after marrying, but in their family, it was as if having daughters-in-law meant forgetting the sons. When grandchildren arrived, the sons’ status would diminish even further.

Lost in such thoughts, his playing became mechanical and emotionless. Luckily, the three women were so engrossed in conversation that they didn’t notice his lack of feeling.

Meanwhile, Morrison, finished with his kitchen duties, felt a craving for a cigarette. Since Lilian was pregnant, he was strictly forbidden from smoking in her presence. Lilian herself wasn’t bothered, but Linda forbade it—any action that could harm a future grandchild was off-limits, and smoking was strictly prohibited.

Morrison, cigarette in hand, entered the living room and listened briefly to Karl’s playing. He frowned and called him out:

"What are you playing? There’s no emotion at all."

Karl, "...."

When Morrison spoke up, the three women chatting in the living room paused, listening carefully to the piano. Linda, in particular, immediately protested to her youngest son:

"What’s this attitude of yours? We asked you to play the piano for us, and you’re being so half-hearted!"

Karl, "...."

Morrison, the instigator of the trouble, had already left the room, leaving Karl as the focus of everyone’s attention.

With no choice, Karl straightened up, focused, and began playing properly, trying to please the three women.

Lilian glanced at Morrison’s broad back as he stood outside in only a shirt smoking, then got up and grabbed his jacket. The weather was cool, and it had just rained—she worried he might catch a chill.

Even though he was a strong man, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Linda watched Lilian being so considerate of her son and felt a warm satisfaction. As a mother, there was nothing more gratifying than seeing her son and his wife showing such care for each other.

Lilian draped the jacket over Morrison’s shoulders. He had only taken a few puffs of his cigarette when the cool back of his shirt was instantly warmed.

Morrison turned and, with one swift motion, pulled Lilian into his arms, holding her close. He looked down at her gently and asked:

"Why are you out here?"

At the same time, he was about to stub out the cigarette on a nearby stone post, but Lilian stopped him.

"It’s fine, have a smoke."

She didn’t object too much to him smoking. Besides, they were staying at the old family house tonight, and with Linda’s strict rules, Morrison likely wouldn’t be allowed to smoke the entire evening. So this one cigarette was just a little indulgence.

Her understanding and thoughtfulness warmed Morrison’s heart. He let out a soft chuckle, then leaned down and kissed her, stubbing out the cigarette in the process.

"No more smoking. We’ll indulge in another way."

He pressed closer and kissed her more deeply.

Since Lilian became pregnant, most of their previous intimate actions had been prohibited, leaving them only able to exchange light kisses.

Being held in his arms, Lilian felt warmth radiate through her entire body.

Morrison shifted slightly, using his tall frame to shield her from the wind, and murmured:

"The wind’s too strong over there."

He wrapped his body around her, protecting her from the chill. Lilian felt a deep sense of comfort and security, holding onto him and not wanting to leave his embrace.

She was content and cherished this moment.

The two of them stood there, embracing, when Morrison suddenly asked:

"Have you thought about your brother’s lifelong happiness?"

Since the lifelong matter of their other brother, Dave, had already been settled, Lilian knew that the brother Morrison referred to was Bert.

Honestly, Lilian also hoped that Bert could find a woman he truly loved, build a warm family, have a pair of children, grow old together with someone he loved, surrounded by family—living the simple, ordinary life of a couple with love and children.

However, having spent some time with Bert, Lilian also knew that in many matters, he was stubborn, especially when it came to love and marriage. In her impression, Bert tended to resist such things.

She sighed softly and said,

"Of course, I hope he finds a good match."

Then she emphasized,

"When I say a ’good match,’ I mean that he should marry a woman out of love, not because my father or outside pressures force him to marry someone indiscriminately."

"You’ve always gotten along with him well, and he usually listens to your advice. Why don’t you find a chance to talk to him about these things indirectly sometime?"

Morrison decided to entrust Lilian with the task of guiding Bert toward settling his lifelong matters.