SWNOVELS Chapter 2281
Wayne had always been more of a no-nonsense guy who wouldn't spare a second glance at the decorations of life - the little things like flowers and plants just didn't interest him. He indeed had changed.
As the plane touched down in H City around noon, there was a subtle shift that didn't go unnoticed. After a quick bite at their apartment with Rosalynn, Wayne suggested they stop by the local florist. The florist, a cheerful lady with a knack for remembering faces, nearly toppled over when she saw them. "My goodness, Mr. Wayne, it's been ages!" she exclaimed.
"I've been abroad handling some business," Wayne replied, his gaze scanning the blossoms. "I'm here for some sunflowers today."
"Oh, of course! Right this way!"d2
The florist was beside herself with excitement. Just the other day, when she'd seen Rosalynn alone, she had the sneaking suspicion that perhaps Wayne was out of the picture for good. Now, feeling a tad embarrassed by her previous assumptions, she watched as Wayne contemplated buying out her entire stock of sunflowers to gift Ivy.
Rosalynn, practical as ever, put a stop to that.
In the end, Wayne left with a stunning bouquet of sunflowers, and as they walked away, the florist clasped her hands together, whispering a grateful prayer to the heavens for keeping her favorite customer around.
The wind chimes at the door tinkled their farewell as Rosalynn and Wayne drove off towards Moonlit Lake.
In the days following, with Rosalynn's gentle social coaching, Wayne felt his anxiety melt away, replaced by a keen sense of anticipation - for the reunion with his kids and for the new life that awaited them all. At Moonlit Lake, Ivy was as busy as a bee. She'd taken to waking up at the crack of dawn, eager to join Molly in her morning workouts. Molly, a true early bird, would practice her boxing with Calvin, and Ivy had decided to tag along.
Her endurance might have only lasted five minutes each session, resulting in her collapsing on the grass, but it was a start. Max and Naomi would keep her company, and once Ivy was sprawled out, Naomi would curl up beside her, half-watching the sparring session between Molly and Calvin with sleepy eyes. Despite being physically outmatched by Calvin, Molly was quickly improving, occasionally landing a solid kick or punch that left Calvin impressed.
Once the sparring was over, Ivy would dutifully feed the cats, then force Max to run twenty laps around the garden - a weight loss regime that he didn't quite appreciate.
After Max's exercise, it was time for Ivy's breakfast. She'd take a quick shower, change, and sit down for her meal.
The post-breakfast routine involved feeding the koi in the lake, watching them grow plump and healthy, which brought Ivy immense joy. On the day Rosalynn left, Ivy sketched a group of cartoon koi on her iPad, so charming that Paige, seeing potential, decided to produce a line of koi-themed T-shirts to giveaway to the fans of Cory and Ivy.
But this morning's fish feeding had a hiccup - Max, ever the troublemaker, knocked over a bag of feed, causing one particularly greedy koi to bloat and flip belly-up. A rushed trip to the vet thankfully saved the day, and the fish was back in the water by lunchtime.
Relieved, Ivy rushed home, barely making it in time for lunch. After a morning full of activity, Ivy went back to her room for a nap, planning a brief twenty-minute rest that turned into a three-hour slumber deep into the afternoon.