Flash Marriage: In His Eyes-Chapter 242: Mother

–Livana–

I extended my arms to my sister while remaining seated. She came to me shaking, crying, sobbing so hard it seemed to steal the air from her lungs. I wrapped her in my arms and kissed the crown of her head. She burrowed against my chest, her grief pouring out of her like a broken dam.

"I’m here," I whispered. My own eyes burned, vision blurring as tears gathered despite my restraint.

That was when I saw Damien. He dropped the bags in his hands the moment he caught sight of me.

"Liva!" He ran toward us and pulled both Laura and me into his arms. "You’re alive!" He was crying too. It was almost ironic—both of them unraveling at the same time. I had always thought Damien would be Laura’s steady shoulder, the one holding her up.

The embrace lingered, heavy and desperate, until Sky and the twins suddenly began crying as if they felt the emotional shockwave ripple through the room. Damon stepped in and gently separated us. I wiped my tears while Laura cried like a child who had lost and found everything all at once.

"Livy!"

"I’m not dead," I said softly, wiping her cheeks as I held her trembling hands. "But I have another surprise. Remember when you were in the hospital and kept thinking about Mom?"

She nodded, eyes wide, breath hitching.

I slowly turned her around.

Mother stepped out, wearing an apron, as if she had merely stepped away to cook and not disappeared from the world.

"Nana!" the children shouted in unison, their cries abruptly stopping.

"Mom?" Laura froze. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed. Damien and I caught her at the same time.

"Laura!" Damien shook her gently, panic threading his voice. He looked up at Mom, pale. "I’m seeing a ghost," he muttered before returning his focus to Laura. "Baby, wake up." He tapped her cheeks lightly.

Mother hurried forward, already arranging the cushions along the long sofa. Damien carefully laid Laura down.

"Damn it, you all overstimulated her," Damon scolded, sharp but worried.

"Mimi!" Zendy cried dramatically. "Dada, Mimi~"

"Mimi’s fine, Princess," Damien said, patting her head.

Jane emerged from the kitchen and immediately checked Laura’s vitals. "She needs to calm down," she said firmly. "Her heart is racing. We can’t crowd her." She nudged Damien aside.

I pressed my fingers to my temple as Sky tugged insistently at my dress. I lifted him into my arms while Mother gently caressed Laura’s cheeks. Damien rushed to get a damp towel and a glass of water, his movements quick but careful.

After a few minutes, Laura finally stirred. Mother sat beside her, tending to her with practiced gentleness, grounding her until her breathing steadied. Laura cried quietly now, clutching Mother’s face, hugging her as if afraid she would disappear again. Mother spoke softly, explaining everything—why she left, why she hid, why it had to be this way.

The irony did not escape me. Mother’s choices had once protected us, and now I had made the same choices—for our family, for everyone we loved.

"I love you, Mommy," Laura cried, hiccupping between words. Damien chuckled softly as he rubbed her back.

"Babe, Mom’s here. Stop crying," he teased gently, handing her another glass of water. She sipped it, and I smiled at how he eased the tension with humor.

"Mimi, cry!" Zay-Zay announced proudly. He grabbed a box of tissues and offered it to Laura. She laughed through her tears, pulling out a few and wiping her face.

"I love you!" Zay-Zay said clearly, his small voice full of certainty.

"I love you too," Laura replied, kissing his forehead. Zay-Zay promptly tossed the tissue box aside and wiped her cheeks himself, shaking his head.

"No cry. K?"

"Owie?" Sky asked, pointing at Laura from my arms.

"Probably," I murmured, kissing his cheeks firmly. He immediately pushed my face away, offended.

And just like that, amid tears, laughter, and fragile hearts stitching themselves back together, our family began to breathe again.

–Logan–

It was a big drama. Yes. Laura is emotional and dramatic—but hey, I was shocked too when I found out Auntie was alive. Still, everything went smoothly in the end. We had our very late lunch. Laura was laughing. The kids were happy chaos—running everywhere. And the one who didn’t know how to run yet? Crawling like his life depended on it.

Weird, Skyler.

Very weird Skyler.

"Why are you drinking?" Jane asked, eyeing my beer.

"What’s wrong? It’s a celebration."

She rolled her eyes. "Arrange the dishwasher."

"Oh, come on! I just—"

She kicked my knee.

I immediately stood up and arranged the dishes in the dishwasher. Livana was busy serving more food, wearing a fancy apron, while her husband hovered behind her like a loyal shadow.

Weird, Damon.

Very weird Damon.

Now I understand where Sky gets his weirdness.

When I finished loading it, Jane shoved more plates in front of me. I sighed and slid them in neatly. It was already full, so I started the washer. Finally, I grabbed my not-so-cold beer and headed back to my seat.

Jane poured me a slushie beer. I grinned and thanked her. She moved efficiently, smoothly—like a professional waitress.

But she’s my sexy waitress.

"Want."

I looked down to see Zendaya pointing at my beer.

"Want."

She climbed onto my lap and reached for the glass.

"That’s not for you," I told her.

"Want." She pouted. Her lips wobbled. Her eyes turned cloudy.

Jane swooped in, poured apple juice into a small beer glass—the exact same color—and handed it to her. Zendaya held it with both hands. I helped steady it. She drank, went "ahh," then smiled up at me proudly.

She’s ridiculously adorable.

I’m seriously considering just adopting her as my daughter.

Or—

I looked at Jane and tilted my head.

I could just propose making babies.

A big fat gray cat strutted in, meowing loudly. There was a nano camera hanging from his collar.

"Hello, Mr. Grey," Livana greeted, bending down to pet him. "Are you hungry?"

The cat meowed like a distinguished gentleman and sat in front of his clean bowl as Livana served him gourmet food.

"You work really hard, Mr. Grey," she praised, patting him.

"Kitty!" Sky squatted beside him and patted him too. Mr. Grey stared back, unimpressed.

I chuckled and pointed Sky out to Zendy. She giggled and covered her mouth.

She’s just like Laura. Same mannerisms.

"She’s your photocopy," I told Laura.

"I caught that," Damien laughed. Apparently, he’d been recording us. "Babe, she really has your mannerisms. Logan’s right."

I reached for my beer. Zendaya reached for it too.

"Take your daughter. She’s trying to steal my beer," I told him.

Damien waved it off. "You’re the godfather."

He hugged Laura from behind and kissed her cheek.

I sighed and looked down at Zendaya. She leaned against me, grabbed my hand, and guided it toward my beer. I lifted the glass and moved it closer to her.

"Smell."

She sniffed it, cringed instantly, and shoved it away.

"No!" she declared firmly.

"Liva, love," Damon called. He’d definitely been watching us.

"Yes?"

"Let’s go upstairs and make a daughter."

Like he was inviting her to watch a movie.

"Babe, it’s too early," Livana giggled.

"Can both of you be louder?" Sophia snorted.

Auntie laughed and hugged Laura. "Well, I heard you’re planning another batch?" she asked Damien.

"We were," Damien laughed.

"Mom, were you in the hospital—" Laura tilted her head.

"I was always in the hospital when one of you got sick or got into an accident," Auntie said, stroking Laura’s hair. "I was there when you gave birth to the twins."

"I knew it," Laura muttered.

I was just... happy. Happy that Laura was finally happy.

They kept chatting while Aunt Ines explained everything Laura wanted to know.

Zendaya slipped, and I caught her arm. She grabbed my hand and dragged me along while I carried my beer. We stopped in front of a shelf. She pointed at a porcelain doll.

"Pretty!" she squealed. "Pretty!"

"I can’t," I said. "It’s heavy."

"Hmp!" She crossed her arms, stomped her foot.

"Wow," I murmured. "She really is Laura’s copy-paste."

"Auntie! Your porcelain doll! Zendaya wants it!"

"It has a camera inside," Aunt Ines said. "You can’t take it."

"See?" I told Zendaya.

"You can have this."

Jane to the rescue.

She handed Zendaya a smaller porcelain doll, kneeling to show her how to hold it. "You can’t drop it. No drop."

Zendaya ran off happily.

"So... what happens if she drops it?" I asked, finishing my beer.

"Well," Jane shrugged, "good luck with that doll."

I pulled her closer by the waist. She crossed her arms, one eyebrow arched. I kissed her lips.

"Let’s have a daughter too."

"No." She pushed my chest. "Find a suitable wife. Make your daughter."

I laughed and shook my head. There’s no one suitable but her—if only she knew that.

She’s a perfect wife I don’t deserve.

"Hm," I hummed, kissing her earlobe. "Let’s see about that. How about roving tonight?" I grinned.

"Sounds fun. I’ll prepare my shotgun."

"Shotgun?" I tilted my head. "Not a condom?"

She smacked my chest. "Why is your head so corrupted?" She pointed at Zendaya. "Watch her."

I laughed and held her waist before she could escape.

"I have a surprise for you," I whispered, kissing her neck. "Later."

"Make sure it’s not something lewd."

"It’s not," I chuckled, finally letting her go.

I watched her return to the kitchen.

Jane isn’t interested in romance. And I keep telling myself I’m not interested either.

We were just sexmates—sleep partners.

But my limbic system goes insane when it comes to Jane.

Or Emilia Grace Luna.

Beautiful name. Too beautiful for something so ordinary.

Fuck.

Am I falling in love with her?

Or is this just protectiveness?