Page 118 of One Nightstand With My Ex's Uncle

JOHN’S POV.

I looked out the window, and saw it was snowing heavily. The snowflakes seemed to turn and fall like confetti. The morning would definitely be dull and gloomy.

Katie couldn’t have left, so I dialed her number.

She picked on the third ring.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“In the living room.”

“Lucas and Emily?”

“In the kitchen.”

“Damn them. Well, I need you.”

“For what exactly?” She asked, with her tone sounding hard.

“I’m not telling you to sleep with me. I want information. Come up to my room.” I said, rolling my eyes.

“I’ll be there.” She replied, and ended the call.

“You are mine, Emily. Mine and no one else’s.” I said, pouring myself wine. “We’re going to end up marrying, and I’ll find a way to convince you that I’m the best for you.” I picked up my glass, looking at it like it were Emily.

“You enjoyed singing with me at the arcade. We shared popcorn at the cinema, and you blush each time you look at me. You want me. You love me. You just don’t know it yet, and I would make you know it.” I said, then drank. The wine was sweet, and it refreshed me.

It would all be fine. I was quite sure of the battle I was fighting. It was one I would win.

My door opened, and Katie walked in.

I got up, and went to my shoe rack. I pulled out warm fur slippers, and handed them to Katie.

“You’ve been wearing heels all morning.” I said, and she took them from me, and gave a reluctant smile.

“So you actually care.” She replied, going to my bed, where she swapped her heels for the slippers.

“There’s this kind of marriage I heard about once. It was the old Alpha marriage. Once they’re bound, they cannot be separated.” I said, settling in my chair, and moving in front of her, with the aid of its wheels.

“Oh, the old Alpha Marriage.” She said, smiling, and leaning on her arms, which supported her weight behind her on the bed.

“Yeah.”

“Things were good then. An Alpha could have only one mate. Once bound, bound forever, but now, things are so crooked in the name of modernity. A man like John Granger can have a hundred mates.” She said, and I chuckled.

“That’s not true. I only play around with them.”

“So what? Why are you asking about marriages?”

“I was thinking of marriages. Because I want to marry Emily. I’m wondering how I can convince her to marry me. While I was thinking of that, I thought about the old Alpha marriage.”

“You want to do that with her?” She asked.

“No way. She’d never consent to it.”

“Back then, it was nice. You’d know that no one was taking your mate away from you. He was yours, and only yours.”

“Do you think Lucas is your mate?”

“I don’t know. He could be. I heard that back then, you knew your mate just by locking eyes with them, or touching them.”

“But now, you wouldn’t even know your mate even if you lived with them.” I replied.

“When did you know Emily was your mate?”

“The first time we kissed. We both realized it, and laughed.” I said, and she smiled.

“Maybe the next time Lucas and I kiss, we might realize we share a bond.”

“Hopefully.”

The next day, as I walked, my feet sunk deep into the snow. Pretty Christmas lights were hung around, and Aunt Genevieve was instructing the tree men on the best places to place the Christmas trees.

Sadie and Jude were dressed till they were as fat as bears, and the sound of their giggles sliced through the cold air, as they decorated a Christmas tree.

Emily was sitting in the snow with Lucas, staring at him as he spoke.

Derel and Derella were watching something Derel’s phone, and seemed excited.

Everyone was doing something Christmas related, except me, who was heading over to Aunt Genevieve sulkily.

“You called for me.” I said, grumpily.

“Oh yes. Go into your dad’s mansion. Wait for us in his study.” She said, and I headed inside without a word.

No one was in his study, and I sat on the chair, dusting my coat, as I waited for them.

Uncle Will came in first, and sat opposite me.

“How are you doing, John?” He asked.

“I’m doing fine, Uncle Will.” I replied.

“You look restless.”

“I’m just wondering what you guys want to see me for. It’s odd for you guys to call me out of the blue.” I said, leaning back in my chair, and he smiled.

“I think it’s about something you already know.”

“Marriage?” I asked, flatly.

“Yes, marriage.” My dad said, coming in with Aunt Genevieve, and Aunt Mira.

They sat in front of me, and I sighed.

“What’s your next step?” Aunt Genevieve asked.

“Have you found a woman?” Aunt Mira asked.

“If you haven’t, then let us pick for you.” Uncle Will said.

“I’m a grown man, and I can do the picking myself. I decide who I want to be with.” I said, and Aunt Mira rolled her eyes.

“So when are you going to get married? Let us know how to deal with things, and what story, and excuse we’ll give for you not marrying Waston.” Aunt Mira snapped.

“You don’t need to worry about a story. I’m still marrying her.”

“Emily?” Uncle Will asked.

“Yes, I’m still going to get married to Emily, so you don’t need to worry.” I said, firmly.

“How are you going to get married to a woman who resents you, and is always seen with your Uncle?” Dad asked.

“You only need to wait. I’ll bring the good news to you soon. I hope preparations for the Christmas party is going on well. Merry Christmas in advance.” I said, got to my feet and left the room.

I didn’t bother talking to Emily, or bothering her. Giving her space for a few days was the next thing to do, before I continued researching on how to get her to love me again.

The three-day trip worked. She was no longer mad at me, and was talking to me. I needed another effective plan like the three-day trip. One that would make her realize she would never stop liking me.

I gave Emily the few days break she deserved, and on the night of the Christmas party when people were dancing merrily, greeting strangers happily with a merry Christmas, eating, drinking, talking, forming connections, and meeting mates— for the first time— I decided to keep her company.

She sat with the children, and I pulled up a chair next to her.

“Hi.” I said.

“Hi.” She replied.

“Your dress is not exactly christmas-ish. Is it?” I teased, looking at the golden dress she wore.

It was fitting, and flared out beautifully at her knees. It had no arms, revealing her beautiful shoulders, and the soft curve of her neck.

“It is.” She said, pointing to the shiny, green ribbon holding her beautiful hair in a bun. Then, she held out a foot, showing a shiny red heel. “There’s my red and green. Where’s yours?” She asked, indicating my white tuxedo with black lapels.

“Here it is.” I said, plucking a red and green leaf from a nearby tree, and tucked it into my pocket.

She laughed, “Now you’re complete.”

“Can we be friends again? Not just people who aren’t fighting with each other.

Can we be real friends? Friends who call, friends who text, friends who hangout like we did at the arcade?

Friends who talk late into the night?” I asked.

It was the next thing to do. Once we hung out frequently, redoing all the things we used to do, there was no doubt she’d feel love again—love for me.

She looked at her smooth and slender fingers which held themselves on the table.

“Emily.” I called softly. “I’m not asking for much, am I?”

She glanced quickly at me, and went back to staring at her fingers.

“Are you a thing with Lucas?”

“No.” She said immediately.

“Then why don’t you want to be friends with me?”

“It’s sudden. We can be friends who see each other, and talk nicely, but not yet friends who stay together all the time. I have other friends too.”

“Lucas?”

“Sadie, the kids. It has to be a gradual process.” She replied.

“That’s fine with me.” I said, reaching out for a pack of cards on a shelf behind me.

“What comes to your mind when you see cards?” I asked her, picking a card.

“A house of cards.” She said, picking a card, and setting it against mine.

“We still got this strange clicking connection.” I said, picking another card, laying it gently atop the two that had found comfort in each other.

“I guess. We’ll make good friends.” She said, setting another card perfectly.

And we went on and on, building our house.

We were totally unaware of everything going around us.

It felt like we were in an entirely different world of ours.

The noise, the music, the people— they weren’t there.

The only thing that existed was me and her, and our house of cards, which crumbled immediately Sadie dropped a macaron on it.

“Sadie!” We both snapped, and she giggled.

“You should make this with the man I’m matchmaking you with, not John.” She said, and bounced off.

“Gosh! It was beautiful.” Emily said, unaware of her pout.

I laughed.

“Hey. Wanna have dinner with some friends on New year?”

“New year?”

“I’ll let them know we’re no longer together, so you can be comfortable. I just would like you to be there.”

“New year… it’s a bit…”

“You have plans with Lucas?”

“No.”

“Then please come with me. They’ll be delighted to see you.”

“So they won’t think we’re engaged, or anything like that?”

“Nope.”

“Then, it’s fine.” She said, smiling, and I tucked away a strand of hair from her face. She turned pink.

“I… I can do that myself.” She said, looking like she didn’t know how to feel about me touching her. “I have to find someone. Bye.” She said, getting up, and I watched her go.

At that point, I didn’t bother if she was going to find Lucas or not. I had already made up my mind.

I was going to escalate things, and do something risky.

Something bold, something reckless.

Waiting for the moment was for weak fools; Seizing the moment was for conquerors.

And I was a conqueror.