Chapter 492: Chapter 501: Bond

At noon, John Brown just made a little something simple, but by evening, Gina and the others had returned here. He showcased his skills and prepared a table full of dishes, all crafted with his utmost care, as these were his best specialties. The ladies feasted with delight, and even the very picky Little Violet was praising how delicious it was.

Thanks to Emily Berns’ concessions, the atmosphere was much more harmonious today. Emily Berns raised her glass to Gina and said, “Gina, I hope you won’t hold onto past grievances. It was my fault for having a bad attitude, please don’t take it to heart.”

Gina, truly feeling a bit surprised, also raised her glass and said, “I also had my share of mistakes in the past; let’s forget about them.”

“Of course, I won’t take it to heart. Here, I have a request: as Emily Jones will be living with you, I hope you can be kind to her.” At this point, Emily Berns looked toward her daughter with eyes full of tenderness.

Gina promptly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll treat Emily Jones as if she were my own daughter. You can visit Emily anytime, and if she’s ever treated unfairly, hold me responsible.”

“Then I’m relieved, here’s a toast to you.” After saying this, Emily Berns drank her beer in one go.

Once Gina finished her drink, Emily Berns poured another glass and toasted Melody Yoody, saying, “Melody Yoody, here’s to hoping past events are left behind. As two people who share a common plight, may we become friends in the future.”

Melody Yoody didn’t have alcohol in her glass, only a drink. She said, “I don’t mind you toasting me, but due to this reason, I just can’t drink. I don’t consider myself pitiable.”

Emily Berns chuckled, saying, “That’s right, my mistake. We women don’t necessarily need to be men’s appendages. Even if we have a child without a legitimate husband, we can still live life wonderfully.”

Only then did Melody Yoody take a sip of her drink.

After toasting the two ladies, Emily Berns turned to Sarah Utah and said, “Sarah Utah, although we’re not well acquainted, your sudden appearance showed deep feelings for James Brown. I toast to you.”

Sarah Utah instantly blushed deeply. At that time, she stood up, but with all of James Brown’s women suddenly getting along, she felt embarrassed and awkwardly said, “I… I… I just spoke casually.”

“Haha, such words aren’t simply said casually. For your courage, I definitely must toast you.”

Sarah Utah’s face turned red all the way to her neck as she nervously picked up her glass and drank, not daring to lift her head.

No one teased Sarah Utah; she was the girl who often stepped up at crucial moments while usually quietly watching over James Brown from behind. Such feelings seemed even more valuable.

But there was only one James Brown, and they couldn’t let him go just because they admired Sarah Utah.

After finishing the meal, Emily Berns said, “Everyone, James is about to take Emily Jones away. We three don’t know if we’ll have another chance to be together, so tonight our family of three wants to stay together. Do you have any objections?”

Before James Brown could speak, Gina said, “No objections. Of course, it’s normal for your family of three to stay together; it’s beneficial for the child.”

“Gina.” Melody Yoody tugged at Gina.

Gina chuckled lightly and said, “This is what James owes Emily and Emily Jones; I don’t want Emily Jones to harbor any regrets.”

Seeing Gina say this, Melody Yoody didn’t say more and, upon reflection, found herself quite comforted. Even if James Brown couldn’t divorce Gina in the future, because of the child in her belly, couldn’t James naturally be with her?

Yet a pang of bitterness crept into her heart. Clearly, James was her first love, and she’s carrying his child; why should she not only fail to become his wife legitimately but also seek Gina’s forgiveness now?

At this time, Gina gave James Brown a push and said earnestly, “James, you must spend tonight properly with Emily Jones. Let the child understand the joy of parents being together.”

“Dear…” James Brown held Gina’s hand, feeling quite touched.

Gina sweetly smiled again, saying, “Go ahead. Tonight, we’ll all stay here, and your family of three can stay in that room.”

James Brown and Emily Berns took Emily Brown to the neighboring room. Upon entering what she considered home, Emily Brown immediately jumped for joy. In her mind, this was her home, where all her belongings were.

However, after a moment of joy, she pouted and said, “Foster Father, Foster Mother, why aren’t my parents back yet?”

Emily Berns picked up her daughter and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, saying, “They’re very busy right now; it’ll be a long time before they can return. But you have Foster Father and Foster Mother here to take care of you.”

“But I still miss mom and dad.” The little girl pouted.

John Brown tried to please her, saying, “Good girl, tomorrow your godfather will take you out to have fun, okay?”

The little girl’s mood changed quickly, and she immediately said excitedly, “Okay, where will we go to play?”

“Your godfather will take you to the beach, swimming, collecting shells, catching little fish, and you can even catch little crabs.”

“Godfather, I want to go, I want to go!” The little girl immediately stretched out her hands, asking John Brown to hold her.

John Brown immediately picked up his daughter and said, “You want to go, then godfather will take you, we’ll go tomorrow.”

“Yay, godfather is the best.” The little girl excitedly puckered her lips and kissed John Brown’s cheek.

John Brown was immediately overjoyed, laughing heartily. Although it was the fun that lured her, having his daughter affectionate towards him still gave John Brown a great sense of accomplishment.

“Godfather, if I go to the beach with you, what about kindergarten?”

“Let’s have fun first, and then we can go to kindergarten.”

“Okay, okay.” The little girl quickly nodded vigorously.

That night, the little girl was so excited, she kept pestering John Brown to talk about the sea. She was only three years old and had never been to the beach before, so she was very curious about the sea. John Brown patiently told her many interesting stories about the seaside, making the little girl very excited.

Emily Berns was helping her daughter pack things, looking at her daughter from time to time, with a happy smile on her face. However, behind that happy smile, there was inevitably a trace of reluctance.

“James, this time our daughter is going with you, take good care of her, don’t let her be wronged.” Having packed everything and given the little girl a bath, she was laying in bed asleep. John Brown and Emily Berns sat on either side of their daughter. Emily Berns looked at John Brown and softly said.

John Brown looked at his daughter’s adorable expression and nodded, “She is my biological daughter, how could I let her be wronged?”

Emily Berns said, “I know you wouldn’t be bad to our daughter, but after all, Gina is not the biological mother of our daughter. She might be good to her for some time, but when she has her own child, I worry she might not treat our daughter well.”

John Brown shook his head and said, “Gina won’t, she’s not that kind of person.”

“She may not intentionally bully our daughter, but once she has her own child, naturally she will focus on her own child. Let’s put it this way, if someone else’s child were left for me to take care of, I certainly wouldn’t treat them as well as my own daughter.”

John Brown was momentarily stunned, realizing that Emily Berns made a valid point. It’s quite natural when seeing things from another perspective.

Emily Berns sighed and said, “If it’s really for our daughter’s good, it’s best if we are together, but… forget it, forcing a relationship won’t sweeten it. At least now we’re not enemies, if I really force you to be with me, there will always be a knot in your heart, forget it, forget I said that. If our daughter is unhappy with you, I will take her back.”

John Brown sighed and nodded, “I understand, I will do my utmost to give our daughter a warm family. Besides, feel free to visit our daughter anytime, really, I think Gina will also understand.”

Emily Berns nodded and said, “Alright then, let’s sleep.”

The lights were turned off, and the two lay down on either side of their daughter. Emily Berns didn’t make any move to be close with John Brown, just lay on her side, watching her daughter without blinking.

John Brown suddenly felt a pang of heartache, forcibly taking his daughter away, how could Emily Berns bear with it, it seemed quite cruel to her.

Emily Berns lifted her head, looked at John Brown, and showed a bright smile, “This can be considered our karmic fate, you bullied me back then, so I gave birth to a child out of spite, and now I’ve given you a big burden. If it weren’t for this child, I could have lived a peaceful life with your wife.”

John Brown sighed, “Emily, I never blamed you, instead, I should thank you, thank you for giving me such an adorable daughter.”

“Hehe, I liked you back then but didn’t know how to express it, which led to this outcome. If I hadn’t quarreled with you then and instead clearly expressed my feelings, this might not have happened. It’s only after going through these that one grows up, never mind, it’s useless to talk about it now. Today, let it make up for it a bit, let me feel like a real family of three.”

Saying this, Emily Berns took hold of one of her daughter’s hands, while John Brown held the other. A strange feeling welled up in John Brown’s heart, this was his and Emily Berns’ daughter. The daughter is like a bond connecting him with Emily Berns, even if he doesn’t want to admit it, he and Emily Berns will never be able to completely separate in this lifetime.