Nothing she said hit the mark quite like the promise of setting off fireworks until dawn.
Mary had a quiet but fiercely decisive personality, which was exactly why she had forged a career in surgery.
Strangely enough, her obsession with lighting and watching fireworks wildly contradicted her otherwise serene demeanor.
It was precisely this bundle of contradictions who had raised Claire.
"If I can light fireworks, then it's just like being back home." Mary insisted on doing it every single year.
But doing it completely alone simply lacked the festive magic.
She could have invited her children and grandchildren, but the truth was, she wasn't particularly fond of either of her sons.
Her grandchildren were tolerable, but she had never been the clingy, dependent type.
Claire, on the other hand, was not just her granddaughter, but her star pupil.
She had visited The James Village before; the locals were warm, welcoming, and incredibly tight-knit.
It honestly had a better atmosphere than her own countryside neighborhood.
Spending the holidays there sounded delightful.
The only issue was that she had already committed to her second son's family.
And then there was her eldest's messy situation...
Mary hesitated, torn between her options.
"I already told my second son I'd spend the holidays at his place."
Sensing her temptation, Claire offered a solution. "Why not just invite them all to The James Village?"
The more people, the merrier the party.
Pandora generally preferred her peace and quiet, but Claire was absolutely certain she would adore Mary.
Both women were towering figures in their respective fields.
They would undeniably hit it off!
"Dragging an entire family out to the village would be a terrible imposition."
Mary firmly rejected the idea.
"However, I can drive out there after I visit the cemetery on New Year's Day."
She couldn't bring herself to turn Claire down entirely.
She wanted to check on her eldest son while still indulging in the village festivities.
Delaying her trip until New Year's Day was the perfect compromise.
Claire agreed immediately.
On New Year's Eve Eve, she headed back to the countryside with Edison and Jenny.
Oh, there was one major event scheduled for the holidays this year.
Jenny and Edison were finally tying the knot on the third day of the New Year.
Claire stared in awe at Jenny's rounded belly "It's honestly
sligh
magical going to have a little, half Solenian cousin soon. .net>
friend was becoming her aunt,
It was utterly bizarre that hint net.
suddenly dropping Claire a rung on the family ladder, and she felt quite perty about it content
Jenny's face used to be masked in the cold professionalism of a corporate
powerhouse, but now it glowed with radiant maternal warmth.
Pregnancy really did transform people in the most unexpected ways.
"But Edison, you really crossed the line! How could you get her pregnant before you even threw the wedding?"
Claire poked at him on purpose, desperate to see his reaction.
Honestly, she had been floored when they first announced their engagement.
Neither Edison nor Jenny struck her as the type to prioritize romance over logic.
They were both viciously ambitious career sharks, and their hobbies didn't even align.
Could two people like that actually go the distance?
Claire had her doubts.
She assumed they were just casually hooking up and enjoying the thrill of the chase.
Even if they stayed entangled for years, they didn't seem like the marrying type. Yet here they were, locking it down and starting a family at breakneck speed.
Well, technically, they had locked in the baby before locking in the ceremony.
Claire could only sigh at her own naivety; she simply didn't understand the messy, primal desires of adults.
Hearing her accusation, Edison
offered a helpless shrug. "It waspet
exactly planned but when life hands. you a beautiful surprise, you welcome it with open arms."
When they first discovered the pregnancy, he had sat down to consult Jenny on her boundaries.
He had made it clear that if she didn't want the baby, he would hold her hand through the procedure.
To his utter shock, Jenny had cursed him out, demanding to know if he was trying to discard her after using her.