My brows snapped together at her words. I just couldn’t fathom her mentality. No matter how Parker entrusted her to Ashton and the others, more than ten years had passed, and they all had their own families now. Besides, they had provided and taken good care of her as much as they could. In my opinion, Ashton and Joe had done more than enough.
How could Rebecca take it as a matter of course? The woman was so self-centered to the extent that she thought their lives revolved around her. Even biological siblings had no obligation to take care of one another for life, not to mention that Ashton and Joe were not related to her by blood.
That was how selfish Rebecca was.
Holding Ashton’s hand, I went into the ward. There was no sign of Jared, so I became worried. “How’s the checkup? Where’s Jared?”
Helping me to take a seat, he brushed my question aside. “You’re pregnant now, so regardless of what’s happening around you, you’ve to take the baby and me into consideration. Can you do that?”
I froze at his words. Only then I noticed that his face was a little pale. Perhaps Rebecca’s attack scared the daylights out of him. I couldn’t help but smile. “Actually, I had seen it coming and was ready to defend myself, so Rebecca wouldn’t have been able to hurt me or the baby. I didn’t put myself and the baby in a dangerous situation.”
Exasperated, he sighed softly. “Even so, we can’t afford to let such things happen again. Most of the time, a lot of things are not within our controls.”
Nodding my head, I asked him about Jared again. “How are things going at Jared’s end?”
He heaved another sigh. “Be patient. He just finished the checkup. The results will be released only after one or two days.”
I was a little anxious. “But Summer’s illness can’t wait any longer. By the way, has the hospital found a suitable kidney for her?”
For a split second, the man appeared slightly dejected at the mention of this issue, but he quickly regained his composure and said, “Don’t worry. Trust me, I’ll definitely find a suitable one.”
I knew he had been asking around, but I was overcome with anxiety about Summer’s condition. Though she had gone through a few rounds of chemotherapy, the result was not ideal. Each therapy was a torment for her. Feeling that I was undeniably responsible for her illness, I didn’t even have the courage to see her now.
Even if I threw a fit in front of Ashton, it wouldn’t help a thing. Pulling myself together, I looked at him. “What happened just now? Hasn’t Joe been very caring towards Rebecca? What’s with the sudden change of attitude? What’s going on?”
He pulled me into a hug. “I guess he ran out of patience. Rebecca is unwilling to marry him, yet she depends on and clings to him. Both men and women naturally become worried when they reach a certain age. Joe’s parents have been urging him to get married, and he himself becomes anxious as well since he has waited for years.
“In fact, Joe’s a conservative man on the inside, so he’s of the same mind as his parents. He feels everyone should do what they’re supposed to at the right time. He isn’t young anymore, but Rebecca keeps wasting his time and refuses to tie the knot with him. That makes him feel even more restless than he already is. Besides, I just told him that you’re pregnant, which means everyone around him is settling down and starting a family.”
As I listened to his words, a sudden realization hit me. Ashton seemed to have become a different man. Previously, he was driven by dreams and ambitions, aspired to scale new heights. He was like an emperor who was eager to expand his territory. But now he put all his heart and love into this little family of ours.
Seeing me staring blankly at him, he rubbed the tip of his nose bashfully. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I chuckled. “I’m just thinking that I have to be a good mom, and I can’t be as wayward and reckless as I used to be.”
He chuckled. “Hmm? Are you going to be a good mom only?”
“Of course, an amazing wife too!” I snuggled up to him. “Just wait till Summer recovers, and the baby is born. I am sure everything will be fine”
We had been waiting for things to fall into place. Other than waiting, there was nothing else we could do.
Thinking of Joe again, I asked, “After chasing Rebecca away, is Joe going to look for a socialite in K City and get married?”
Ashton kept quiet for a moment. Suddenly, his expression grew solemn as he gazed at me and said, “Sometimes, love and marriage are entirely two different things to men.”
Stupefied for a few seconds, I grasped the meaning of his words. He was right. No matter how much Joe loved Rebecca, there was no way she could be one of the Quinns because of her background. We could never deny that in marriage, both parties had to be a good match.
Other than love, there was nothing useful that Rebecca could offer. His family wouldn’t be able to accept her, let alone the ambitious man himself. She was like a toy which a child had. Once he grew up, the toy would be put away, regardless of how good it was.
