Fireworks lit the night sky signifying the arrival of a new year.
Clarissa carried Damian, who was sound asleep, in her arms. She was ready to head to bed as she could not stay up any longer.
Meanwhile, Catherine also felt drowsy after the clock struck twelve.
“Damien and I will head to bed first,” Clarissa said.
And by the time she tugged her son in bed, Catherine had already gone back to her room.
When Clarissa got back to her room, however, Matthew was already there.
He was in his pajamas, lying leisurely in wait on Clarissa’s bed with a grin. His gaze was profound and filled with passion.
“Happy new year, Honey,” he said.
At that moment, no matter how much she wanted to chase him out, seeing Matthew like that still put a faint smile on her face.
She did not want to be mad at him on the first day of the new year.
So, she approached the bed, ignoring what happened previously, and smiled at Matthew.
“Happy new year.”
Matthew raised an eyebrow after hearing that, seemingly still waiting for something.
Clarissa chuckled. “Happy new year, Hubby.”
With that, Matthew was satisfied, pulling her straight onto the bed, catching her off guard as he placed his hands on either side of her neck. Matthew then lowered his head and kissed her on the corner of her lips.
“It’s late. Matthew. I’m tired.”
“Oh. That’s disappointing.”
Clarissa knitted her brows, but Matthew smiled and proceeded to lie down before wrapping his arms around Clarissa.
“Alright then. Good night.” His deep voice echoed above Clarissa’s head.
Is he really not going to do anything?
Clarissa was relieved. I doubt he dares to.
As the sound of the fireworks slowly subsided, she was able to fall asleep after a brief moment.
For Matthew, it was the first time in a long time that he got to sleep so soundly and comfortably. He had his wife in his arms, his son in the house. The New Year’s celebration was average, to say the least, but it was the most heartwarming and satisfying one for Matthew.
That night, his sleep was exceptionally peaceful.
When dawn came, the sound of the celebration continued, but the Quigleys were all still sound asleep.
They had nothing going on.
Clarissa and Matthew were sleeping in each other’s arms, but soon enough, Damian was awake, shouting excitedly outside their door.
“Happy new year, Mommy! Happy new year, Daddy!”
He kept knocking at the door.
Matthew was the first to wake up before Clarissa did.
When she saw him heading to the door, Clarissa stopped him.
“Wait!”
She went and took out a gift from the bedside drawer and passed it to Matthew.
Seeing that, it dawned on Matthew, and he grinned. Then, he opened the door to greet Damian’s bright smile.
However, he was mostly happy about the new year gift he was about to receive for the new year.
When he saw the gift in Matthew’s hand, the thrill on his face was visible.
Back then, whenever they went to the mall, Clarissa would often reject his requests when he wanted something. That was when Damien started appreciating the times where his parents would give him gifts.
“Thanks, Daddy! You’re the best!” Damien said as he wrapped his hands around Matthew’s neck.
By then, Clarissa was out of bed and stood beside them with her arms crossed. She looked at them with a wide-eyed smile.
When Damian saw his mother, he immediately altered his statement.
“You’re the best too, Mommy!”
“You cheeky boy!” Clarissa smirked.
“No, I’m not. You are!” Damian responded with a smirk of his own.
“No, Damian. You are the cheeky boy.”
“I’m not! Hahaha.”
The two had a lively exchange early in the morning and took some time before they all headed downstairs.
Meanwhile, Catherine was on a video call with all her friends. A whole group of old ladies was gathered as though they were having a meal, chatting and laughing.
When they got downstairs, Clarissa brought Damian over and greeted everyone in the video call.
Matthew also greeted them politely when he got caught by the camera.
Everyone in the call was stunned when they saw him. They were all Catherine’s closest friends, so they had heard about Clarissa getting married and having kids, but they never asked about it to not put salt on the wound.
Hence, they actually did not know anything about Clarissa’s husband.
Catherine was rather proud to see that all her friends were stunned after seeing Matthew.
“This is Matthew. Damian’s father.”
“Oh, wow! Catherine, he’s so good-looking.”
“That’s great. He’s a good match with Clarissa.”
“Yes. You’ve got a winner there, Catherine.”
All of them started praising him, and it put Catherine more at ease.
Back then, the neighbors were talking badly about how Clarissa gave birth to a child out of wedlock, so much to a point where Catherine decided to move away. She kept in touch with some of her closest friends but had never talked about Clarissa whenever they contacted each other.
Now, she could finally show everyone that her granddaughter wasn’t abandoned.
After that, Clarissa left Catherine be and went on to take their breakfast. When they finished, Catherine suddenly told them that the friends she was talking to were paying them a visit and they should get ready.
It took Clarissa by surprise, but she quickly realized that all those old ladies were excited to meet Matthew.
She gave Matthew a look, and he smiled.
He was unconcerned, but little did he know the sort of ladies he was going to face.
Clarissa looked at Matthew’s relaxed expression and decided not to tell him about them. She wanted to see his rude awakening unfold before her.
However, Clarissa was surprised to see someone else at their door before Catherine’s friends.
The first to appear was Yarick. He bade them a happy new year and proceeded to ask them what they were eating.
It was clear that he was there for a free meal, and he was not embarrassed about it.
Jeremy came in as well with an apologetic smile on his face as he greeted Catherine. After that, he sat down and started talking to her. Jeremy was good at handling women. No matter who or how old they were, he could always maintain a conversation.
Justin, on the other hand, said that he was there because he had nothing better to do.
Having said that, Henry was absent. He was caught up on his road to pursue his future wife.
Ellie was there as well, going to Damian immediately and fighting Yarick for him. Neither of them was backing down, but her phone started ringing during their fight for Damian, and she eventually picked it up. It was not hard for her to guess that it was a certain police officer.
Furthermore, there was Ryler. He was on a show that night prior but had rushed back overnight to meet his parents for the new year. He was now there as well.
He bumped into Jeremy and the lot at the door and was now talking to Clarissa. Matthew stayed right beside her as he was still a little concerned.
“It’s lively here this year. Your hands are going to be full once your grandmother’s friends arrive. Let me help you out with the cooking, perhaps?”
“There’s no need. You’re a guest, Mr. Cooper. I’ll help her.”
“It’s alright, Matthew.” Ryler looked at Matthew. “We’re family. Besides, I came here a lot back then to cook as well as handle the chores. I’m already used to it.”
The word “family” irked Matthew, and Clarissa was secretly smiling while his face froze.
“No. You’re my senior, Mr. Cooper. A very important guest.”
“Pfft.”
Senior?
Clarissa had a weird expression on her face, looking at Matthew all confused.
Meanwhile, he was calm and composed while Ryler seemed to be in shock.
“Alright now,” Clarissa immediately interjected. “I’ll be fine on my own, but there are too many guests right now. So, Matthew, please call the hotel to send some more food over. Ryler, you accompany Grandma and help her entertain her friends.”
Ryler listened and quickly followed Clarissa’s order, whereas Matthew stayed in the kitchen to help out after the call. She’s my wife. I’ll keep it that way.
Matthew had been helping out since the day prior, so he knew his way around the kitchen at that point, but it was all the more simple chores; chopping, of course, was off-limits.
Soon enough, the old ladies arrived, so Clarissa and Matthew went out to welcome them. Clarissa’s expectation was not met, though, as Catherine’s friends surrounded Yarick with all their attention instead of Matthew.
“How old are you? Do you have a love interest? Where do you work? Bought a house yet? We can introduce you to a nice girl, you know? What kind of girl do you like?”
You lucky guy. None of them here had ever experienced such special treatment before. There’s nowhere out of it.
With so many bachelors present, the ladies’ interest in someone married like Matthew dulled significantly.
Clarissa looked towards Matthew as he looked outside, grinning at the lively atmosphere outside.
“Clare, something dawned on me. Marrying early actually has its quirks.”
Clarissa sneered in response, “How old were you when you got married? Can you call that early?”
“Well, compared to them, it is.” Matthew smiled.
“Now you know how scary us peasants can be, right?”
“No. They’re not scary at all; they’re just passionate and excited.”
“In that case, you should go talk to them and experience their passion for yourself.”
Matthew shook his head and walked towards Clarissa, pulling her into his arms. “I have my wife’s attention. Why would I want theirs?”
Right then, Yarick came running in. He was trying to escape from the madness outside but accidentally heard Matthew boast about having a wife.
So what if you have a wife? I’m definitely finding one this year. Hmph! And she’s going to be great at cooking!
