One Wild Night

Chapter 965: Positive What Ifs

"We're home," Tom said softly as he turned to look at Lucy, who smiled wearily and reached over to squeeze his hand.

"We weren't gone for long, but it always feels good to be back here," she murmured, already imagining the comfort of their bed and the warmth of the home.

It had become clear to her that no matter how nice anywhere else was, she always felt more at home here than anywhere else and that was the sole reason she was moving in completely.

Once Adolf parked the car, they got out and headed for the door, leaving him to bring their bags. But before they could get to the front door, it swung open and they were greeted by a small, excited voice.

"Lucy! Tom!" Jamal called as he came rushing towards them, his face lighting up with joy.

He had clearly been waiting for hours, his curly hair slightly tousled and his pajamas wrinkled as if he had been too restless to sit still.

Lucy immediately dropped to her knees, her arms wide open as Jamal threw himself into her embrace. "Jamal!" she laughed, hugging him tightly, feeling the warmth of his small body against hers. "I missed you so much, sweetheart."

Jamal squeezed her back, his face buried against her shoulder. "I missed you more, Lucy!" His voice was filled with so much affection that it made Lucy's heart swell.

Behind them, Candace, stood in the doorway with a gentle smile. "The moment we arrived in Ludus, Jamal wouldn't stop insisting we come see you two first. He's been counting down the hours."

Lucy pulled back just enough to look at Jamal's face, brushing a strand of his hair away from his forehead. "Well, I'm so glad you came, buddy."

After kissing Lucy's cheek, Jamal turned to Tom, his eyes bright with excitement. He ran into Tom's arms next, and Tom bent down to scoop him up. "I missed you too," Jamal said, though there was a mischievous smile on his face.

Tom ruffled Jamal's hair, chuckling. "Missed you too, little man." He put Jamal down and raised an eyebrow. "Though I bet you missed Lucy more."

Jamal nodded enthusiastically, laughing. "Yeah, but that's okay, right?"

Tom laughed, shaking his head. "Totally fine by me."

Jamal's eyes sparkled as he looked between the two of them. "Can I stay the night with you? Please?"

Before Candace could interject, both Lucy and Tom looked at each other and spoke in unison. "Of course, you can!" Tom said, and Lucy added warmly, "We'd love to have you."

Jamal's face lit up with pure joy, and he jumped up, clapping his hands together. "Yes! Thank you!"

Candace let out a small chuckle. "Well, I guess I'll have a peaceful night to myself then," she said, shaking her head, though there was no mistaking the fondness in her voice.

"Come on," Lucy said, taking Jamal's hand. "Let's go in. I'm hungry."

After freshening up, Lucy and Tom joined Candace and Jamal at the dining table, where a simple, warm meal had been prepared, and they all settled into their seats.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"So," Lucy began as she passed a plate of vegetables to Tom, "when did you arrive in Ludus? I thought Harry and Jade were in Sogal to see you? Did you come alone? How's Andy and Aaron doing?"

Candace smiled, taking a sip of her water. "That's a lot of questions," Candace said, and Lucy grinned.

"Can't help it."

"They're doing great. They stayed home tonight with Harry and Jade. We all came from Sogal together earlier in the day," Candace explained.

Lucy nodded, glancing at Tom, who was focused on cutting up Jamal's chicken into bits. "That's good to hear. Hopefully I'll see them both before you leave," she said thoughtfully.

"Definitely," Candace agreed, cutting into her food.

After dinner, Lucy and Candace moved toward the living room to catch up on both their lives, while Jamal tugged on Tom's sleeve, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Tom, do you have a study?" Jamal asked, his curiosity evident.

Tom smiled, "Of course, I do. Why?"

"I want to see it. Can we go to your study?" He asked eagerly.

Tom smiled, amused by his curiosity. "Sure, let's go."

Jamal practically skipped down the hall as Tom led him to the study and Tom laughed when he ran past the study, "Come back," Tom called as he stopped by the door and Jamal returned.

Tom opened the door and gestured for Jamal to enter. He watched as Jamal's eyes widened with fascination as he looked at the book and he smiled, glad that he had not disappointed him.

"Can I sit in that chair?" Jamal asked, pointing at the chair behind his desk, and Tom gestured for him to go ahead.

Jamal eagerly climbed into the large leather chair, his small legs barely reaching the edge. Jamal gave the chair an enthusiastic spin, giggling as he twirled in a circle.

"Grandpa Aaron has a chair like this in his study," Jamal said proudly as he came to a stop. "He said one day, I'm gonna take over his company and sit in a big chair like this all the time!" Tom smiled warmly, leaning against the desk. "I'm sure you'll do an amazing job, Jamal. I have no doubt."

Jamal's face grew serious as he stared up at Tom. "Will you teach me how to be like you if I call you Uncle Tom?"

Although Tom was amused, he raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why do you want to be like me?"

Jamal shrugged, fidgeting with the edge of the desk. "Because I like you. And I want to have a big house like you and a big company and many cars."

Tom chuckled. "So, you don't want to be an actor anymore?" Tom asked since he remembered that Candace had mentioned in the past that Jamal had wanted to be a child actor.

Jamal shook his head. "I wanted to be an actor so I could have money to take care of Mom and Aunt Andy so they wouldn't have to work at night anymore. But now that we have money and they don't work at night, I don't need to do that."

Tom's heart softened at the boy's words, and he ruffled Jamal's hair again. "You're such a

good kid, Jamal."

Jamal looked up at him, eyes wide and curious. "So, will you teach me?"

Tom nodded. "I'll be your mentor."

Jamal blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What's a mentor?"

Tom chuckled softly and explained, "A mentor is someone who guides you, teaches you how

to achieve your goals and become the best version of yourself."

Jamal's face lit up. "Yeah! That's what I want!" He spun the chair again happily.

Later that night, Jamal snuggled between Tom and Lucy in their bed, his small body cocooned between them as they settled in for the night.

Lucy stroked his hair, her voice soft and soothing. "Your mom told me your birthday is

coming up next month."

Jamal tilted his head up to look at her, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Yes!"

"Really? What do you want us to get your for your birthday?" Tom asked, exchanging a glance

with Lucy.

Jamal's eyes lit up as he turned to look at Tom. "Anything I want?" He asked, and Lucy smiled.

"It depends on what you want. So, what do you want, sweetie?" Lucy asked again.

"I want to go see Dawn and celebrate my birthday with her," Jamal said earnestly, his eyes

filled with hope.

Tom groaned, "Do you both ever make any requests that doesn't revolve around Dawn?"

Lucy laughed softly, "So?" She asked as she looked at Tom, waiting for his response. "Since that is what you both want, we'll see how we can make it happen with your Mom's permission," Tom promised.

Jamal smiled sleepily, his little body relaxing as he nestled closer to Lucy, satisfied. "I can't wait to see Dawn," he whispered, already drifting off to sleep, a content smile on his face.

Lucy smiled as she looked at his face, "I can't believe he's asleep already," Lucy said as she adjusted the duvet over his body.

"This feels like we are married and our child is sleeping on our bed," Tom said and Lucy

grinned.

"I'm surprised you let him sleep here," Lucy said, amused.

"Well, we don't get to see him often, and I missed him very much. So, there's no harm in

letting him do so," Tom said, and Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"What if we had a child? Would you let him or her sleep on the bed with us?" Lucy asked, and

Tom chuckled.

"I like the sound of that question."

Lucy raised a brow. "Why?"

Tom shrugged, "I like such positive what ifs. Like, what if you marry me and wait until we

have a child so you find out if I will let them sleep between us or not?" He asked, and she

giggled.

"I love you. Goodnight," Lucy said with a yawn.

"I love you more," Tom said, and watched as she cuddled Jamal before going to sleep.