No Strings Attached

Clara groggily crawled out of bed, her eyes barely open, muttering, "So early? I haven't had nearly enough sleep."
Casey stroked his daughter's hair affectionately and said with a chuckle, "Well, it's almost nine o'clock, darling. The wedding party will be here soon, and you've still got to have breakfast and get your makeup done. Time's gonna be tight."
Still half-asleep, Clara stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom. When she emerged, she spotted a fluffy little head peering in through the doorway.
Orin was all dressed up in a crisp little white suit with a black bow tie, his curly locks styled to perfection.
His eyes were wide with curiosity. He scampered around the room until he caught sight of Clara coming out of the bathroom. Immediately, he toddled over, craning his neck to look up at her. "Clara, aren't I looking sharp today?"
Clara crouched down to his level, eyeing him up and down, and nodded with a smile, "Orin, you're definitely the most handsome little man today."
"Who's more handsome, me or Uncle lan?" Slalch Thi (ind) vel.n't website on Gøøgle to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Obviously, you! Uncle lan's getting on in years, nowhere near as adorable as you." Clara playfully pinched Orin's chubby cheeks.
The little guy gazed up with serious eyes and declared, "Then you should marry me, Clara. I'm more handsome than Uncle lan, and I'll always save you the last slice of pie. And when the new baby comes, I'll help take care of him too."
Clara couldn't help but burst into laughter. She planted a smacking kiss on his forehead and giggled. "Sweetheart, you're just too cute. When you grow up, you're going to find a girl even prettier than me to be your wife, okay?"
Orin blinked his large eyes a few times and whispered, "Pretty like Della? Clara, I've got a secret, and you can't tell anyone, okay?"
He leaned in close to Clara's ear, his breath warm. In a hushed voice, he confided, "I like Della, and she likes me too. She always smiles at me. Do you think I could marry her when I'm grown up?" Clara's eyes widened in surprise. "Of course, you can! Della's my goddaughter, and I'll definitely give you my blessing when the time comes."
As they were chatting, Elle walked in, a smile on her face. She approached Orin, gave a playful pinch to the nape of his neck, and said, "I knew I'd find you here with Clara. Come on, let's go downstairs for breakfast. The makeup artist has arrived."
Meanwhile, lan hadn't slept a wink all night, partly from excitement and partly because his buddies had thrown him a bachelor party at his place, which went on until the wee hours.
After getting dressed, he stood in front of the mirror, his heart thumping non-stop at the thought of spending the rest of his life with Clara.
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Ryker, standing at the doorway, couldn't help but click his tongue. "Have you been single for so many lifetimes to be this giddy? You've been admiring yourself in that mirror for over half an hour now." Chase joined in with a tease, "Not that many, just about eight lifetimes of bachelorhood, I reckon." The content is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest chapter there!
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lan glanced at their reflections in the
mirror, the corners of his mouth
curling slightly. "You two bachelor's wouldn't understand. You've never even been in love. This, my friends, is what happiness looks like." Ryker pointed at Chase. "Hey, I'm only 23, not old. He's the real bachelor here." The content is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest chapter there!
"Hey, watch it, kiddo. Who says I haven't been in love? I'm officially Sasha's boyfriend now."
"Hah! Official boyfriend, right? That's pretty much like a contract wife. Same difference. You're bound to split up sooner or later."
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Chase, annoyed, threw a punch at
him. "Can't you say
say something nice
for a change? Don't you realize his
En
wedding's got me all choked up?" The
content is on Novelxo.org! Read
the latest chapter there!
Ryker grinned, "Why would his wedding upset you? Don't tell me you've got a
thing for my brother?"