Chad heard the ruckus upstairs and wasted no time, heading up the staircase in a hurry. He'd been to the Cedillo household countless times, always as a guest, sticking to the common areas unless specifically invited elsewhere. But now, as the soon-to-be son-in-law, he was considered family, and nobody stopped him as he climbed the steps.
Upon reaching the top, he saw exactly what he had expected: his fiancée, Molly, giving her young nephew, Leo, a hard time.
“Molly, why are you picking on Leo again?” Chad asked, his voice tinged with exasperation.
Molly, unfazed and unapologetic, replied, “He wouldn’t call you ‘uncle,’ so I gave him a little smack.”
Chad was at a loss for words. He couldn’t really fault Molly for her reasoning.
Leo, glaring at Chad, complained, “Can you please just marry her already?”
Chad, just as eager for the wedding, reassured him, “Hang in there a few more days. Freedom is near.”
Leo couldn’t wait for the day Molly would officially be part of Chad's family.
From the doorway, Anya had been observing the scene. Finally, she spoke up, “Auntie, Uncle, Chad’s sports car got towed again, and he’s been in a bad mood.”
Molly retorted, “Serves him right for making every kid in town cry. Leo, do you think you can mess with Henry without facing the consequences? Did you forget who his parents are? Regretting it yet?”
Leo didn’t directly answer but instead pushed Molly towards Chad, “Enough with the cold comments. Go pack your bags for your new home. And try not to come back too often, even for the holidays.”
Though Leo hadn’t formally addressed Chad as ‘uncle,’ his actions won Chad over.
Chad opened his arms, catching Molly as Leo pushed her towards him.
“Ah, come on! Leo,” Chad sighed as he held Molly, deciding it was time to head downstairs and put an end to their squabble.
Molly tried to rush back upstairs for another round, but Chad, wrapping his arms around her lazily, joked, “Why compete with the kids? You’re the adult here.”
Molly paused, then burst into laughter, realizing Chad referred to Leo as “the kid.”
Back in his room, Leo, with Anya tagging along, lamented over Chad’s knack for troubling the little ones, “He’s just too good at making the babies cry, and it breaks everyone’s heart.”
Leo admitted, “If I don’t get him, his dad will get me.”
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