Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 105

“Daddy!”

“Welcome home, Josh.”

Pete, who had rushed over as soon as the door opened, immediately clung to Josh’s leg. His mother followed, greeting him with a smile. Pete, stretching out his arms and waiting to be hugged, looked incredibly adorable, but Josh couldn’t move immediately. For a moment, Chase’s face, which had been looking at him, overlapped with Pete’s. It was strange that no one noticed how similar they were.

“Daddy?”

Pete called him, puzzled. Seeing Pete anxiously stretch out his arms and stomp his feet, Josh couldn’t help but hug the small body tightly.

That guy was much bigger.

Would Pete grow as tall as Chase? Even as a child, his long limbs and above-average height were enough to predict his future. After savoring the child’s warmth and scent, Josh finally lifted him onto his shoulders as usual. His mother, who had been watching them, then spoke.

“A vacation? Didn’t you just visit? Well, I’m happy, of course.”

She seemed worried, wondering if something had gone wrong with his work. Josh lied casually.

“My employer wasn’t feeling well, so they canceled all their appointments. So, the remaining staff are taking turns on long vacations.”

“Oh, really? That’s too bad. Is he very sick?”

Josh had nothing to say to his mother’s sympathetic words. So he repeated what he always said.

“I can’t talk about clients, Mother.”

“Ah, right. My apologies. I hope he gets well soon.”

His mother quickly corrected herself and changed the subject to everyday matters. Pete, perched on Josh’s neck, patted his head and wiggled his bottom, as always.

“Do you like riding on Daddy so much?”

His mother asked with a laugh, adding that Pete never asked her for a ride. Pete nodded from atop Josh’s head.

“Daddy is super tall. Thissss tall.”

As the child stretched his body while sitting on Josh’s neck, Josh quickly grabbed his legs. Thanks to this, Pete could move freely without any danger, but he still seemed dissatisfied.

“I can go even higher.”

“You’ll grow big soon, Pete. Then you’ll always be able to see from that height without riding on someone’s neck.”

“No, Daddy.”

Josh was puzzled by Pete’s reaction, who whined and rubbed his face against Josh’s head. Unexpectedly, Pete, who had been acting childish, hesitated in that position for a while, then mumbled with his lips still pressed against Josh’s head.

“You saw him last time, the pretty person.”

“Huh?”

Josh paused for a moment. Then Pete shook his body as if frustrated.

“At the amusement park, when we went to ride the train. You gave me a piggyback ride.”

Ah.

Only then did Josh understand what he meant. He was talking about Chase. When his name came from the child’s mouth, his chest felt tight. Josh quickly cleared his throat and spoke.

“Do you miss Chase, Pete?”

“Yeah,” Pete replied softly.

“He’s pretty.”

“…He is.”

There was nothing more to say. In fact, that day was the only time Pete had met Chase. It was fortunate that Chase’s appearance suited Pete’s taste. Josh subtly probed him.

“Shall we meet him again next time?”

“Yes! When? When?”

Pete immediately asked excitedly. Josh said “Soon,” then quickly cleared his throat again, his voice hoarse. Just then, his mother, who had gone to the kitchen, came out and asked.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Uh…”

It was an everyday question, but Josh hesitated for a moment. Is this the right time?

“Josh?”

Josh, who had stalled for a few more seconds, finally spoke to his mother, who asked him quizzically.

“What about Emma? It’s the weekend, isn’t she coming?”

He glanced at the clock, and his mother replied.

“She’ll be here soon for dinner anyway. Could you help me with dinner preparations?”

Josh followed his mother into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He found a few large steaks and looked up.

“I’ll grill these.”

He readily took out the meat and then opened the connecting door to the garden. Pete was still on Josh’s shoulders, but it was time for him to get down. After taking the meat out to bring it to room temperature, he went back inside and spread out toys in the living room for Pete to play with alone while dinner was being prepared.

“Just a moment, Pete. I’ll be right back.”

He kissed Pete’s cheek and stroked his head, and the child took the toys without much fuss. The dog doll that was always with him was gone now. Realizing this suddenly, Josh asked his mother, whom he met in the kitchen before going out to the garden.

“Isn’t he talking about Jason?”

“Well?”

His mother blinked, as if she hadn’t realized it until then. Josh glanced back and mumbled to himself.

“He must miss him… I’ll have to buy him another doll, I guess.”

“Yes, that would be good.”

His mother readily nodded and began preparing dinner. Josh also went out to the garden to check the grill. After his father passed away, once Josh was old enough, grilling meat became his role. As he was almost done preparing the steak, connecting the gas and checking if the fire was burning properly, Emma’s car pulled up in front of the house.

“Pete, you little rascal!”

Emma, who had immediately hugged Pete and showered him with kisses as soon as she entered the house, belatedly noticed Josh and her eyes widened. Before she could speak, Josh explained.

“It’s a long vacation. We have more members, so we’re taking turns resting. I’ll be here for a few days.”

He said a few days, but in reality, he didn’t know how long it would take. If the contract ended during that time, he would have to decide whether to return to the East or stay here.

He had no intention of quitting his job, and if Chase’s condition didn’t improve, he would remain in this state, so he would probably return to the East, but…

Emma only responded with a nonchalant “Oh, really?” to Josh, who had been thinking for a moment. After checking the doneness of the steak, Josh was about to go back out to the garden when Emma asked from behind him.

“Speaking of which, Josh, who was that pretty person you met with Pete the other day?”

“That’s right!”

His mother also chimed in, as if she had just remembered. Josh, flustered, looked between them, and Emma glanced at Pete before continuing.

“Pete talked about it several times, saying you went on a date with an incredibly beautiful person? What happened? To even meet Pete, is it a serious relationship? Pete said they were as beautiful as an angel, thisss beautiful, and really, really beautiful?”

“Oh my. Did that happen, Josh?”

His mother joined in with a delighted expression. Josh was momentarily embarrassed, but since he was going to talk about it after dinner anyway, it might have been for the best.

“I was going to tell you anyway… Let’s talk over coffee after dinner.”

Josh tried to speak as casually as possible, but the reaction he received was explosive.

“Oh my god, Josh!”

“Who is it? How did you meet? Tell us now, why later?”

“Josh, I’m curious! Can’t you give us a little hint?”

Emma, then his mother, then Emma again, took turns expressing their impatience. Josh smiled ambiguously and only said, “Later.” Soon after, he went out to the garden, lit the grill, and prepared to cook the steaks. Emma and his mother stood by the kitchen door, silently watching him, exerting unspoken pressure, but he pretended not to notice until the end.

“Alright, now tell us.”

Emma, who had been glaring at Josh throughout dinner, gritted her teeth and spat out the words. They had to wait until after dinner, when Pete was bathed and put to bed. As soon as Josh came down the stairs and appeared in the living room, Emma clenched her fists and stood up. As if there was no turning back now. But Josh walked towards the kitchen.

“Josh!”

“Wait, I haven’t had my coffee yet.”

“Here.”

No sooner had Josh finished speaking than his mother handed him a mug. To Josh, who paused, she raised her eyes and said,

“Here it is. Come to the living room.”

His mother forcibly handed him the lukewarm coffee and then pushed his back. With her attitude of not being able to wait any longer, Josh had no choice but to move.

The three sat in a circle on the living room sofa, silent for a moment. Emma and his mother waited for Josh to speak, but Josh only drank the tasteless coffee, his mouth reluctant to open. Finally, he finished all the coffee, and he could no longer stall for time.

“Ahem.”

As he cleared his throat, Emma and his mother’s attention immediately focused on him. Feeling the two pairs of eyes, which had been fixed on him, sparkle, Josh endured the pressure and finally opened his mouth.

“I’m getting married.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

At the sudden bombshell, his mother and Emma simultaneously let out high-pitched screams. Josh was embarrassed by the more intense reaction than he had expected, but it didn’t end there. The two, who had hastily looked at each other, turned their faces back to Josh and began to pour out questions.

“What happened? Josh getting married, Mom, can you believe it?”

“Oh my god, I thought you’d never get married.”

“Who is it? The other person. How did you meet? Are you really serious? Are you confident you won’t regret it?”

“Does he know about Pete?”

“Mom, he said they met together.”

“Ah, right. So, they’ve agreed to raise Pete together too?”

“Then what are you going to do? Are you getting married here, or are you going back to the East?”

“Where are you going to live from now on?”

“Is the other person an Alpha? Or just a Beta?”

Josh waited silently until the barrage of questions ended. He instinctively reached for his cup, but seeing it empty, he put it down on the table with regret. In the meantime, his mother and Emma stopped asking questions and waited for his answer. Josh leaned his upper body forward, resting his arms on his spread thighs, and began to speak.

“I think I’ll probably live in California. I haven’t told the company yet, but I don’t plan on quitting, so I’ll either come back here whenever I have time off… Since bodyguard work involves traveling all over the country anyway.”

Still, most of the other members lived in the East, so work there would be primary. I’ll have to discuss that with Mark too, Josh thought, and continued.

“There are some circumstances now, so I can’t introduce them right away… I’ll introduce them when the time is right. I’ve known them for a few years, but we recently decided to get married.”

“You’ve been dating someone for that long? I had no idea!”

“Mom, that’s impossible. The longest Josh has ever dated someone is two months!”

“Three months.”

“Anyway! …Wait, you’ve known them for years?”

Then Emma blinked in surprise. She seemed to have noticed something. Josh, who had corrected his sister’s words, took a shallow breath and then spoke.

“Pete’s Papa.”

“…”

Josh realized that being bombarded with questions was much better than the silence he was now facing. His mother and Emma just stared blankly at Josh, their mouths agape, unable to speak.

“…What?”

“What did you just say?”

Following his mother’s near-gasp, Emma finally managed to form a sentence and asked. Both their gazes, as if by prior arrangement, turned to Josh’s ear.

“He’s the one who marked me.”

Still, they said nothing. Their eyes just widened even more. Josh continued to speak as casually as possible.

“He’s Pete’s Papa. It happened by chance a few years ago… and we met again recently. I only found out about Pete recently, and he was surprised at first too, but he’s accepted it now.”

“Papa? Not a woman?”

Emma finally managed to ask, as if she couldn’t believe it. Josh nodded.

“He’s a man.”

If he said he was an extreme Alpha, they would immediately know who he was. Emma was quite perceptive. But for now, he didn’t want to reveal that much. It would be enough to reveal it later when Chase came to greet them himself. His mother and Emma probably wouldn’t go around blabbing about this to anyone, but it seemed better to keep it a secret for now.

Chase’s condition isn’t good either.

There were so many things to hide, and if he said one, it was obvious that everything else would unravel like a tangled thread. For now, he had to observe the situation. Instead, Josh briefly added,

“There are some circumstances on his end, so the introduction has been postponed for a bit. We’ll set a new date, and I’ll talk about what we’ll do in the future then.”

“Okay…”

His mother was still dazed, nodding blankly. Josh sighed, feeling like he had passed the hurdle, and straightened his back. He soon noticed his empty coffee cup and readily stood up.

As he poured coffee from the pot into his cup, Emma followed and held out her own cup. Josh poured coffee into his sister’s empty cup and handed it back, and Emma looked up at Josh with an unusual expression.

“If you get married, you have to live with one person for the rest of your life.”

“I know.”

Josh replied simply and brought the cup to his lips. The warm coffee moistened his lips and went down his throat. Emma, holding her cup, didn’t drink a sip and still only looked at Josh.

“You shouldn’t cheat if you get tired of them.”

“I said I know.”

As Josh spoke again, Emma took a sip of coffee with a suspicious look on her face. With her still full of distrust, Josh added,

“I didn’t tell you at first because I wasn’t sure about it. I hadn’t told him about Pete either. Because it could have just been a relationship where we only wanted each other’s bodies.”

“…”

“I took Pete because I became sure.”

At his last words, Emma stared intently at his face, then finally lowered her gaze. After taking another sip of coffee, she opened her mouth.

“It really doesn’t suit you, getting married.”

Emma mumbled as she turned away.

“If they both fell for him at the same time, he must be incredibly beautiful. I’m really curious.”

She wanted to tell him to bring him over right away, but since Josh had given her a heads-up, she couldn’t force it. Emma left the kitchen without further questioning, and Josh was left alone. He looked into the black coffee and mumbled to himself.

“He’s insanely beautiful, yes, he is.”

A faint coffee aroma wafted past his nose. But that was all. No matter how hard he tried to smell the scent mixed in the dry air, he couldn’t detect the familiar sweetness.

…How is he doing? He must be getting treatment well.

Josh suddenly thought of it and then stopped. Scratching his head, suddenly embarrassed, he drank the coffee in one gulp, put down the empty cup, and left the kitchen.