Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



Keith's eyes twinkled with mischief before he broke into a grin and asked, "So, you've mistaken me for Elijah's dad, huh?"

Elysia felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

Keith's laughter softened the awkward moment. "Seems like Ms. Thorne has fallen for him. That's great. He is the kids' father, after all. If you two got together, it would be like a family reunion. Best wishes to you both."

Elysia's eyes widened in shock at Keith's words, nearly forgetting that he knew her secret! It was a reminder that she couldn't afford to get too close or offend him easily.noveldrama

"Our family situation is a bit... complicated," Elysia managed to say.

"I know, Elliot filled me in. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I won't gossip or spill anything. I'll help you keep it under wraps," Keith reassured her.

Elysia thanked him politely, then asked why he had come over.

Keith had brought over a cake, apologizing for dampening the mood when he first moved in and wanting to make amends.

Elysia was looking for a way to decline the cake when Blossom suddenly appeared.

"Keith?"

She had planned to catch up on the latest gossip with Elysia and Tarquin, so Keith's presence took her by surprise.

After a brief exchange at the door, Blossom warmly invited Keith inside.

The kids, hearing Keith's voice, came to greet him. "Hey, brought you guys some cake," Keith announced cheerfully.

"Thanks, Keith! Come on in, let's chat for a bit," Elliot welcomed him eagerly.

Elysia felt uneasy, not fully trusting Keith despite not knowing what specifically was off about him. She remembered someone's warning and preferred the kids not to be alone with him.

"Uh, Elliot, whatever you need to say, we can talk in the living room," she intervened.

"Don't worry, Mommy, we'll be quick! We won't give Keith a hard time!" Elliot assured her, dragging Keith into the playroom and deliberately closing the door behind them.

Evan and Emmett greeted Keith enthusiastically, only Elijah remained aloof.

The kids had agreed on their approach toward Keith after returning from the ice cream parlor.

Elliot had his reasons. Firstly, Keith knew their secret, so they couldn't afford to alienate him. Secondly, after returning from the ice cream parlor, Elliot had done some digging but found nothing suspicious about Keith, which meant they needed to keep him close to uncover anything. Lastly, they had liked Keith before, and a sudden change in attitude might tip him off.

Acting innocently, Elliot asked, "Keith, we wanted to know about the test results. Do you really like our mom?"

Without hesitation, Keith nodded, "Like her? I really, really do!"

The kids were taken aback by his candid admission.

Keith continued, "He punched me today because I disrespected your mom in my words. If a man doesn't love a woman enough, he wouldn't care what anyone says about her. So, you can rest assured, he truly likes your mom."

Evan frowned, "So, the disrespectful things you said about our mom, you did that on purpose?"

Keith feigned surprise, "You knew?"

The kids exchanged puzzled looks.

Keith sighed, explaining with a helpless smile, "Your dad must have told you. I turned off the bug because I didn't want you to get upset. Only he and I knew about it. Please explain to him for me. I did it on purpose, not to actually slander Ms. Thorne. I have a lot of respect for her."

Keith's open and straightforward demeanor didn't seem deceitful at all, leaving the kids with mixed feelings.