Chapter 124 Madly in Love with Her
"Why was Mr. Baker looking for you?" Caroline asked. "If I remember right, he's been retired for four or five years now." She vaguely recalled Zaid, a former colleague of her father's.
Elijah paused from washing his hands. "You remember him?"
"I do," Caroline confirmed. "One time, you guys had to stay late at the station, and I brought you a change of clothes. He was at the door seeing someone out."
Elijah dried his hands and walked into the kitchen. "An old veteran is living in his apartment complex. The guy fought in some major campaigns back in the day. His military service records, even his medals—they were all lost in a house fire years ago. A few days ago, the vet's wife passed away, leaving him all alone. No kids, no one. Zaid knows his situation and wanted to ask if we could get the government to help track down his old military files, or maybe find someone who served with him. If we can just prove he fought in those key battles, it would secure his benefits and give him some peace of mind."
Caroline's brow furrowed. "After all these years? Would there even be any records left?"
Elijah shook his head, his expression grim. "Probably not. Back then, everything was handwritten. There were no computers. It's a long shot."
"But what do we do?" Caroline's voice was laced with a fierce sense of justice. "He contributed to our country. We can't let these veterans who bled for us be left out in the cold. When they were young, they protected us. Now, it's our turn to protect them."
Her earnestness was striking. A heavy air of respect and duty settled over both her and Elijah. It was a sentiment Leopold had never witnessed in his own family. Preston saw only profit and loss; Quinlan, only the fickle whims of love.
Elijah was quiet for a moment. "When I get to the office tomorrow, I'll call the Department of Veterans Affairs and coordinate with them. I'll ask them to assign someone specifically to investigate the old soldier's identity. Finding a witness would be ideal, but if we can't, I'll apply for a special grant for him. I already contacted a retirement community on my way back; they can arrange for his long-term care."
Elysia, who had been letting them talk, chose this moment to interject. "Come on, you two, let's eat. The food's getting cold."
Only then did Caroline notice the change in Leopold's gaze. He was looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher. "What are you looking at me like that for?" She whispered.
Under the table, Leopold's hand found hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Nothing," he murmured. "Let's eat."
Elijah produced a bottle of whiskey and set it on the table with a thud. "Care for a little?"
Before Leopold could answer, Elysia intercepted. "Oh, no, you don't. You're really going to give Leopold something that strong?"
Leopold smiled. "It's okay, Mom. I can handle a little."
"See?" Elijah said, a triumphant gleam in his eye. "He wants some."
"Does he want some, or do you want some?" Elysia shot back, knowing full well her husband was the one craving a drink. Ever since his last check-up, she'd put him on a strict no-alcohol diet.
"Leopold's here, I'm just happy," Elijah argued, already trying to bargain. "We'll just have a little."
Leopold poured a measure for Elijah, soothing Elysia. "I'll watch Dad. I'll make sure he doesn't have too much."
"You need someone watching you," she grumbled, but relented.
As Elysia headed back to the kitchen to grab another dish, Elijah shot Leopold a conspiratorial look. Leopold picked up the bottle to pour more, but a sharp "Nope" from Caroline stopped him.
Leopold froze, a guilty smile spreading across his face. He put the bottle back down. "Sorry, Dad. My hands are tied."
Elijah turned his commanding gaze on his daughter. "Pour a little more. It's fine."
Caroline wasn't budging. She stared Leopold down. "You dare pour another drop, and you'll see."
"Go get me some silverware," Elijah ordered Caroline, trying to dismiss her.
"Nice try, trying to get rid of me." Caroline nudged Leopold. "You go."
Leopold dutifully rose and went to the kitchen. The second he was out of sight, Elijah glanced toward the kitchen, then lifted his glass and downed the entire contents in one go.
Caroline's eyes widened. "Dad, what are you doing?"
Elijah held out his empty glass. "Quick, before your mother sees."
When she hesitated, he pressed, "What are Leopold and I supposed to drink? How are we supposed to bond?"
Pouting, Caroline reluctantly refilled his glass.
Long after the women had finished their meal and were eating fruit in the living room, Elijah and Leopold were still at the table, their glasses clinking as they unraveled the mysteries of life.
Through the frosted glass of the room divider, Caroline watched her father nod in enthusiastic agreement at something Leopold said, looking genuinely pleased. He topped off Leopold's glass again.
Leopold's posture had softened, his body swaying slightly. He was clearly drunk.
"Mom," Caroline said to Elysia, who was engrossed in her TV show, "what on earth do they have so much to talk about?"
Elysia chuckled along with the show's laugh track. "That's just what happens when men drink. Even the most stoic guy becomes a chatterbox after a few."
Caroline's gaze drifted back to Leopold. And sure enough, the performance had begun. A river of praise and admiration for Elijah flowed from him, as endless and unstoppable as a mighty current.
She rested her forehead in her hand and forced her attention back to the television.
Suddenly, she understood her mother's devotion to TV.
Some things were just too cringeworthy to watch.
A drunk Leopold wasn't even handsome anymore.
The bonding session continued until almost eleven. In the end, it took Elijah's help to get Leopold into the bedroom.
After depositing him on the bed, Elijah turned to Caroline. "He's a good one."
Caroline raised an eyebrow. "What's a good one?"
The alcohol had deepened the intensity in Elijah's eyes, though his face showed no flush of red. "His character," he said simply.
Caroline blinked. "I know."
"You should get some sleep, too."
"I will," she replied, standing by the desk. The angle of their conversation felt strangely familiar, like a throwback to her childhood.
Elijah closed the bedroom door. A moment later, they could hear Elysia's voice. "I told you to drink less, and you still overdid it. Don't you care about your own health?"
Elijah's voice, thick with drink, drifted back. "Elysia, I know you're the one who worries about me the most, who cares for me the most."
"And you still drink this much?"
Elysia helped him back to their room, their voices fading down the hall.
Caroline sighed, looking at Leopold sprawled on the bed. She moved closer and began to unbutton his shirt, one by one. Just as her fingers brushed against his belt buckle, her wrist was seized in a firm grip.
She looked up. Leopold's beautiful eyes, now smoldering with a wicked, drunken glint, were fixed on her.
"You're not drunk? You were faking?" She asked, a gasp escaping her lips.
He just stared at her. "Wife," he slurred, his voice a low rumble. "You're so beautiful."
A smile tugged at her lips, and she had to turn away for a second to compose herself. When she looked back, her expression was playful. "More beautiful than your first love?"
His lips crashed down on hers, sealing her question. The potent taste of whiskey flooded her mouth as his tongue tangled with hers in a frantic, desperate kiss that made the whole world spin.
She tried to push him away, but his movements only grew bolder. He pulled her flush against him, the thin fabric of her clothes doing little to separate them. His lips moved to her ear, his voice a hoarse, desperate whisper. "Caroline, Caroline, don't be mad anymore. Please, don't be mad."
A laugh, half-ticklish, half-breathless, escaped her. "Stop moving around. Stop it, Leopold. Stop messing around."
But as his hands mapped the curves of her body and his pleas ghosted against her skin, Leopold knew with a soul-deep certainty: he was hopelessly, irrevocably in love with Caroline.