Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 4

Mark glanced at Rose, who was flustered and quickly turned around to straighten her clothes, then immediately entered the office. Josh quickly followed him in and closed the door behind him.

“Phew.”

He exaggeratedly sighed, and Mark, who was walking around his desk, glanced back.

“Why don’t you just accept it? It must be hard raising a child alone.”

To him, who said the same thing as Rose, Josh repeated the lie he had told countless times.

“The child’s mother will come back after she finishes her studies.”

“Oh, right.”

Mark said indifferently and took out a cigarette, lighting it. Josh had quit smoking when he had Pete. And he hadn’t smoked since. He stood as far away as possible to avoid the smell clinging to him and opened his mouth.

“Mark, can I get an advance?”

“An advance? How much?”

“…Ten thousand dollars?”

“Cough.”

Suddenly, Mark began to cough violently. Josh instinctively recalled the steps of CPR, wondering if he would choke. Mark, who had finally regained his breath, asked suspiciously.

“Did you gamble?”

“No.”

Josh shook his head and answered honestly.

“My mother is sick, and I need some money.”

“You said she had a chronic illness, right? Is it because of her blood pressure?”

“Yes, her kidneys aren’t good either… various things.”

He finished speaking with almost no emotion. He spoke the words he had prepared as professionally as possible, deliberately not wanting to stir Mark’s sympathy.

“There are also overdue hospital bills… I have some money saved up, but it’s far from enough. What do you think, is it possible?”

Mark smoked his cigarette silently. Could a small security company really afford that much? Mark seemed to ponder for a while, then sighed and opened his mouth.

“…I’ll think about it.”

He didn’t say no. But he looked very troubled. Josh was curious about the reason, but he didn’t think he would get an answer if he asked more.

“…Any job is fine, though… even security work.”

When he said it one more time before leaving, Mark grumbled.

“How are you going to earn ten thousand dollars doing security work? You need to say something that makes sense.”

Josh could only smile awkwardly and leave the office. Behind him, Mark was still smoking with a serious face.

“Daddy, cigarette smell.”

The child, who had been left with Mrs. Robert, brightened as soon as he saw Josh’s face, then immediately pinched his nose and scolded him. Josh hastily brushed himself all over, and Pete waited until he was ready, then held out both hands. Josh quickly picked up the child and rubbed his lips against his round cheek.

“Brrr.”

“Kyahahaha.”

When Josh made a blowing sound, Pete shook his whole body, unable to resist the tickles. In the meantime, the child seemed to have received a new toy from Mrs. Robert. A small car, which he had never seen before, was tightly clutched in his equally small hands. When Josh looked, Mrs. Robert smiled and said,

“I just bought one, I thought of Pete when I passed by.”

He felt bad refusing her kindness, so he smiled and thanked her instead. He also didn’t forget to have Pete greet her.

“Was everything alright? Did Pete cause any trouble?”

“Pete is always well-behaved. You could have come later, I enjoy spending time with Pete so much. You’re always welcome, so don’t worry.”

Her gently smiling face was sincere. Since Mrs. Robert, who lived on her pension, had given Pete a gift out of consideration, Josh felt he had to reciprocate in some way.

Come to think of it, she said the bathroom light was out.

He subtly looked behind her, then changed the subject and asked.

“Is there anywhere that needs repairs? I have some free time today since I’m off.”

In his words, Mrs. Robert couldn’t hide her joy.

“Would you really? Then, the bathroom light… And, the sink too. The water isn’t draining well…”

“Understood. I’ll go get my tools now.”

Josh returned home, holding the child in one arm so he wouldn’t cry. When he came back with his tools in the other hand, Mrs. Robert was already preparing to bake cookies.

Oh, this is endless.

He thought to himself, but he had no words to refuse. In the end, the repairs, which started with the bathroom light, ended with fixing the living room chair. In the meantime, Pete, who had been watching Josh work, seemed to have gotten bored and had fallen asleep.

By the time he returned home with the child, it was already dinner time. Mrs. Robert invited them to dinner, but Josh politely declined. He felt it would truly be endless if he accepted. Instead, he received a generous helping of freshly baked cookies and returned home. Just then, Pete opened his eyes and reached for the cookies, and Josh quickly snatched them away from his sight.

“No, you have to eat dinner first.”

Pete followed the retreating cookies with a wistful gaze. For a moment, Josh’s heart softened. Pete looked up at Josh with a sad face. In just 3 seconds, Josh let out a groan of surrender.

“Ugh.”

He’s my child, but how can he be so cute and lovable?

Clutching his heart, he finally gave in and handed him one. Pete bounced up and down in his chair, taking it. Josh quickly wiped the overflowing drool from Pete’s mouth with his thumb and hurried to prepare dinner.

When would Mark call?

Even while feeding Pete dinner, Josh kept thinking about whether a loan was possible, how much savings he had left, and if there was anywhere else he could get more money. Because of that, he failed to stop Pete from dropping his spoon twice and had to get him a new one.

The doorbell rang when dinner, which had lasted about two hours, was almost finished.

“Oh, sorry I’m late.”

As soon as Josh opened the door, Mark brusquely walked past him and entered the house. Josh’s heart pounded with a mixture of surprise and nervousness at the unexpectedly quick visit, and he followed him inside. Pete, who was sitting in his high chair dipping cookies in milk for dessert, widened his eyes at Mark’s sudden appearance. Josh quickly approached him and kissed his head so the child wouldn’t be startled.

“Pete, Uncle Mark is here? Say hello.”

“Hello.”

Only then did Pete babble a greeting. Mark casually patted the child’s head and then changed the subject.

“Let’s talk.”

As Mark familiarly headed to the living room, Josh asked from behind him.

“What about dinner?”

“I ate. You haven’t yet?”

“Well, it’s fine.”

He was about to have a late dinner himself while the child ate his cookies, but the conversation came first. It was no ordinary matter for his boss to visit his home, especially at such a late hour. Moreover, there was the matter from earlier in the day, so he couldn’t help but feel nervous. Josh hid his true feelings, encouraged Pete to eat by himself, and then followed.

“Phew.”

Even after sitting on the sofa, Mark didn’t speak easily. Josh deliberately sat a little distance away, waiting for him to speak. The waiting time felt incredibly long, but he couldn’t rush him.

He silently waited, occasionally checking on Pete, and after a long while, Mark finally opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.

“That, job… about that.”

The boss sighed again and continued.

“There is one. Well, the pay is decent, and the conditions are generally not bad. No, they’re very good. The amount you mentioned, all in one lump sum, and it’s even possible as an advance. They’re willing to pay that much as a down payment, so you’ll get more pay after the job is done… They’ll pay in installments, so that’s good too. There’s nothing to fault. The conditions are really good, but… the person who made the request is the problem.”

Who could it be that he was stalling like this? Josh patiently stared at his lips. After what felt like an endlessly long time, Mark finally opened his mouth. When he finally uttered the name, Josh understood why he had hesitated so much.

“It’s Chase C. Miller. …You remember him, right?”

The moment he heard that name, Josh forgot even to breathe. Chase C. Miller. How could he forget that name?

Those chilling purple eyes that looked down at him. The natural blond hair that shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight. The distinct, flamboyant face and the thin, long, elegant physique that always gripped his heart. Chase C. Miller, who had been Hollywood’s hottest male actor number one since his debut, and had held the title of sexiest man number one for several years.

The extreme Alpha who had marked Josh.

And the man who had impregnated Pete.