Chapter 448: You’re Family Now
The living room looked like something out of a holiday magazine; a tree heavy with ornaments, candles flickering on the cabinets and ribbons trailing across the banister.
"Where are Grandpa and Grandma?" Ruediger glanced at Felicia, asking about her elderly parents. The Walters traveled from the countryside to celebrate Christmas in the capital.
"Your grandparents are resting," Felicia gestured for Ruediger and Lariette to sit, "Haa... You don’t know. Your grandpa kept trying to install new lights outside when it’s snowing heavily yesterday. Your grandma nearly chased him inside with a broom."
Lariette and Ruediger burst out laughing while Madeline shook her head. The latter had witnessed the old man’s embarrassing moment yesterday.
Lariette had met the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Walters twice, albeit briefly. The pair left her a good and deep impression. She looked forward to seeing them again, especially after being Ruediger’s partner.
Felicia looked from Ruediger to Lariette, "Tea or cocoa? We’ll have lunch in an hour. The chicken’s still roasting. Do you want to rest upstairs first?"
"Aunt, don’t trouble yourself," Lariette waved her hands, "Do you need help with lunch? Our flight wasn’t that long. We’re not tired."
"I’ll handle it," Ruediger pushed her to the couch, a grin tugging on his lips, "Aunt, just sit here and chat with Lari. I’ll get us some drinks."
"Good. Actually, that’s what I wanna hear," Felicia hurriedly slipped into the seat beside Lariette. She shooed Ruediger away, also reminding him to bring her favorite hot lemon tea.
"Bring me a drink too!" Madeline quickly ordered. Her cousin shot her an annoyed look.
As the crimson-haired man disappeared into the kitchen, footsteps echoed from the back hallway. Two elderly figures appeared, Felicia’s parents.
As she was quite nervous, Lariette abruptly stood up, "H-hello... Mr. Walter and Mrs. Walter."
"Oh, hello, Lari," Mr. Walter beamed upon seeing Lariette, his white hair peeking from under his wool cap, "We’re happy to have you here! Welcome!"
"Welcome, darling," Mrs. Walter approached Lariette with a warm smile before hugging the young lady, "Alas! You’re here! I didn’t expect our Rudy to be married to a sweet girl like you."
Lariette returned the hug, "Thank you. I’m happy to meet you again, Mrs. Walter and Mr. Walter. I think the last time was two years ago."
"Grandma and Grandpa will do just fine, sweetheart," Mrs. Walter released Lariette, taking her hands while smiling affectionately, "You’re family now. Don’t be so formal with us."
"I understand, Grandma and Grandpa," the young lady smiled before nodding shyly. Her heart thumped with excitement as warmth flooded over.
Then, Mrs. Walter insisted on showing Lariette around the house, even beating Ruediger to it. The old lady brought her to the hallways, which were lined with framed photos.
"This was when Rudy graduated from high school. Maddie was just done with middle school. Hehe, we celebrated him at his favorite Chinese restaurant."
"Oh, do you see this? It’s Maddie’s eighteenth birthday. Rudy made this cake for her."
"Look, a photo from Rudy’s travel to Malaysia. Isn’t the scenery pretty? Don’t you feel like going there to experience it for yourself?"
Mrs. Walter enthusiastically told Lariette the story behind each photo. The way her eyes, wrinkled with crow’s feet, lit up flooded the young lady’s heart with warmth.
Ruediger was indeed loved here. Even though he was not biologically related to them, the Walters poured their genuine affection onto him.
Truly, just sharing the same blood didn’t mean one was family.
Lariette swallowed her dissatisfaction toward Martin and the Alvords inside. She didn’t want to ruin her holidays by thinking of them. Doing so would also worry Ruediger.
Thus, her full focus was on enjoying every moment in Norvonna.
Throughout the holidays, Lariette enjoyed each day she spent with Ruediger, Madeline and the Walters. She easily adapted to being with them, even sharing little jokes and laughter.
Before the arrival of the New Year, Ruediger fulfilled his promises by bringing Lariette around.
He began from the high school he attended back then. They explored the school grounds while he mentioned some interesting stories.
She said teasingly, one hand using her own phone as a microphone, "Excuse me, how many love letters and Valentine’s gifts and chocolates you got, Mr. Popular?"
"Too many to count," he played along, his lips curved into a smirk, "My arms hurt from holding them all. At that time, I didn’t predict that my wife in the future would be jealous."
"Who says I’m jealous?"
When she rolled her eyes, he immediately kissed her. Snowflakes drifted from the sky, falling onto the pair of lovers.
Then, they toured the university next, including the river where Ruediger used to go fishing and boating. He had also shown Lariette the place where he and Nathaniel played the heroic act that led to them building a friendship[01].
Before Ruediger took Lariette to Uncle David’s house, he first brought her to visit his burial site. No photo was attached to the tombstone, but she could imagine a jovial and kind-hearted old man smiling at them.
On the New Year, relatives from both sides visited Felicia’s townhouse. Lariette grabbed this chance to get acquainted with them.
Like Felicia and her elderly parents, they warmly welcomed Lariette. She had also seen how at ease Ruediger was when interacting with them, no matter whether they were young or old.
The adults worked together to cook up a feast while the young ones were given other tasks. The house was full of merry laughter and chatter. Some of them fondly brought up stories when Ruediger was younger.
One of Madeline’s distant uncles said, "This lad once scared the life out of us. He vanished into the woods for an hour during our camping trip. And he had the audacity to come back grinning?!"
Another quickly resumed, "He returned with fish and a handmade fishing spear. Thank goodness we didn’t send a search party. It turned out he was just improvising dinner."
Everyone boomed with laughter. Lariette nudged Ruediger, whose smile tinged with embarrassment, but also joy.
That night, she whispered while cuddling with him on the bed, her voice laced with undisguised happiness, "You’re so loved here, honey."
He responded by kissing her forehead. The touch was simple, but it held all his warmth and tenderness.
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