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“I can’t sleep. I’m not comfortable here.”

Ian Sterling opened his eyes, dazed, and sat up. “Then let’s go home. We can sleep when we get home.”

He got out of bed and glanced back at Lynn Winslow, who was clearly having trouble moving. Stifling a laugh, he asked, “Uh, want me to help you?”

Lynn shot him a furious glare. “I don’t need your help!”

Ian chuckled to himself but walked over and swept Lynn up into his arms.

In their hurry to get home, there was no time to wash up. Once they were changed, Ian carried Lynn downstairs.

Lynn had already fallen asleep on the way home. After they arrived, Ian couldn’t wake her no matter what he did. Seeing her curled up uncomfortably in the car seat, he bent down, lifted her out, and carried her back into the house.

Back inside, he took Lynn to her room to continue sleeping and quietly left.

The previous night, Lynn had agreed to get back together with him. At first, Ian hadn’t been that emotional; exhausted, he’d fallen asleep right after the call. Now, however, the excitement was hitting him with a delayed reaction.

He stood on the balcony, pressing his lips together as he let out a silent cheer, grinning like a fool.

He bit his lip, taking a long moment to calm down before finally letting out a soft breath and clenching his fists.

Ian Sterling had even figured out where they would hold the wedding. To prevent any mishaps, he planned to skip the engagement entirely!

After finally suppressing the wave of excitement, he returned to the room and held Lynn as he went back to sleep.

*

After several days of Ian Sterling clinging to her, Lynn Winslow never would have expected the Sterling family to suddenly show up in Morelia.

She had thought it was just a simple dinner with Ian. She never imagined that when she opened the door to the private room, she would find a table full of people.

“…” Lynn tugged on Ian’s sleeve and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me? And why are my grandfather and brother here too?”

Ian chuckled softly and murmured, “You could say our bond spans two lifetimes. A proper meeting of the families isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

Lynn was about to frown when Nina Norton stood up, walked over to her side, and gently took her hand. “Lynn, hello,” she said softly. “I’m Ian Sterling’s mother.”

Lynn was a little nervous, but she still managed a gracious smile and greeted her, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

“Oh, hello to you too.” Nina nodded, her smile widening. “Please don’t mind our sudden arrival. We were worried it might be a bit forward of us, but this troublemaker of mine is rather clueless and insisted that we should meet your family.”

Lynn shot Ian a sidelong glance, her lips curving into a smile. “It’s no problem at all. It’s about time, really. We’ve been together for a while now.”

Hearing her say that, the Sterling family breathed a collective sigh of relief. Spencer Sterling stood up, his usually stoic face breaking into a rare, gentle smile.

“Lynn, hello.”

“Hello, sir.”

Lynn was sensible and her demeanor was poised. The more Spencer looked at her, the more pleased he was. He had initially held some resentment, believing Lynn was the cause of his son’s suffering. But when he later learned it was because of his nephew that the young woman had gone through such an ordeal, he felt even more guilty.

As a result, his attitude toward Lynn became even kinder.

Elder Winslow watched them with a beaming smile, clearly very satisfied with his future in-laws.

Putting other things aside, while the Winslow family wanted for nothing, the endless stream of gifts the Sterlings brought with them clearly showed how much they valued Lynn.

Throughout the meal, the adults from both families chatted happily, especially Nina.

Ian kept Lynn’s hand in his the entire time. Even when Lynn was chatting with Ian’s sister, she couldn’t pull her hand away.

Selene Sterling shot Ian a meaningful glance but spared him the embarrassment by not saying anything.

After dinner, Elder Winslow invited the Sterling family to stay at Winslow Manor.

“There are plenty of hotels nearby, but it’s certainly not as comfortable as staying with family. Winslow Manor is large enough, so please, just stay with us.”

Nina and Spencer Sterling were a bit hesitant, so Elder Winslow continued, “How about this? You two come back with me. We’ll leave the younger generation in Lynn’s hands. It’s still early, so let them go have some fun.”

“Alright, let’s do that then.”

The couple was led away by Elder Winslow, while Ian’s older brother and sister left with Lynn and Ian.

Lynn knew plenty of fun places. As the host, it was her duty to show them around. However, Elias Sterling and his wife, as well as Connor, had work to attend to, so she had a driver take them back to their hotel.

When everyone had finally dispersed, Ian and Lynn were at last alone.

Lynn reached up and pinched Ian’s cheek, her expression a mix of amusement and annoyance. “You actually kept this from me.”

Ian let out a yelp, covering her hand with his own as he begged for mercy. “I was just afraid you wouldn’t agree, so I decided to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.”

“And you have the nerve to say that? You scared me to death.” Lynn gritted her teeth and, grabbing Ian’s face with both hands, started squishing his cheeks. She only stopped when she saw his handsome face get all distorted in her grip.

Seeing she was about to leave, Ian stuck close to Lynn, hugging her. “Will you marry me?” he asked.

Lynn turned to look at him, frowning. “Aren’t you going to propose?”

“I’m afraid something might go wrong. I can make it up to you after we’re married,” Ian said, his gaze falling. The memory of that engagement was still painful for him, a pain that hadn’t lessened with time.

Lynn stared at the emotion in his eyes; the hurt was obvious. She lowered her gaze and hugged his waist tightly. “Okay,” she said softly. “I agree. No engagement. But… isn’t it a little too soon to get married?”

“It’s not too soon, Lynn. It’s been two lifetimes…” Ian bent down and nuzzled her cheek, his voice soft and coaxing. “Please.”

His pleading melted her heart. As he leaned in to kiss her, she narrowed her eyes and gave a muffled “mhm,” which he took as her consent.

She wasn’t that particular about such things. If it would make him happy, there was no reason not to agree.

Since Lynn had agreed, Ian let her go and immediately called Nina Norton, telling her to go back and start preparing early.

He was so rushed and excited that Nina didn’t understand what he meant and frowned.

“Didn’t we just get here? Why are you in such a hurry for us to go back? Prepare for what?”

Ian’s lips curved into a smile. He captured Lynn’s hand, pressing it to his lips for a kiss, and said with a light laugh, “To prepare for my wedding with Lynn. Two of them—one in Veridia and one in Morelia.”

He frowned, a sudden thought occurring to him. “Actually, don’t rush. You should discuss it with Mr. Winslow first.”

Lynn, who was busy replying to an email nearby, rolled her eyes when she heard him.

Typing with one hand was too much trouble, so she had just pulled her hand back when Ian frowned. Seeing that she was busy, he didn’t interrupt her, but he linked his arm through hers instead. He was determined to stick to her and not let go.

Lynn shot him a helpless glance. Seeing that he was still on the phone, she spared his pride and said nothing.

When Ian finally hung up and practically attached himself to her limb by limb, Lynn gave him a sidelong glance and said, “Are you made of glue?”

“Nope, I’m a Dragon,” Ian said, his lips curving as he pecked her on the cheek. He grinned, his eyes crinkling. “But you used to say I was a Dog.”

A sharp pain shot through Lynn’s head as a scene suddenly flashed before her eyes.