That day, Deanna stayed home playing with the two little ones.
Most of the time, however, she lounged on the sofa, watching them play. She had been extremely tired lately and didn't want to move at all.
The two little ones noticed and didn't disturb her. Gregory, being very considerate, approached her and said in his sweet voice, "Mommy, are you tired? Let me massage your legs." Chloe, seeing this, also climbed onto the sofa and moved behind Deanna to massage her shoulders. Deanna enjoyed their massages and felt extremely happy.
Lance watched them with a gentle expression. Even though they stayed home all day, they were never bored.
In the evening, Old Ashley specially made a ginseng chicken soup for Deanna, which was very nourishing. However, Deanna had been drinking similar soups for several days and had lost her appetite. Old Ashley, not noticing this, happily brought the soup to Deanna and urged her to drink it while it was hot.
"I'll drink it later," Deanna said, planning to give the soup to Lance once her grandmother left. Old Ashley didn't insist and smiled, "Alright, drink it later. I'll take the kids for a walk in the garden to help with digestion."
"Gregory and Chloe, take good care of Great-grandma," Deanna instructed the two little ones as she watched them leave. As soon as they left, Deanna pushed the bowl of soup towards Lance. "Quick, drink this for me."
Lance knew immediately that Deanna was tired of the soup. He shook his head and teased, "This is specially made by Grandma for you. I can't drink it. Besides, if she finds out, she won't be happy."
"Grandma isn't here now. If you don't tell and I don't tell, she won't know," Deanna said, clinging to Lance's arm and pouting. "Please drink it for me. I really can't drink any more of these soups. It's either ginseng or angelica soup every day. I feel like my mouth tastes like medicine."
Lance was deliberately teasing her. "What's in it for me if I drink it?"
"You're eating it anyway, why do you need something in return?" Deanna pouted adorably.
Lance's voice turned deep as he looked at her, "I could choose not to eat it, but if you ask me to, it means something different."
Deanna couldn't argue with that. She looked at the slyly smiling man in front of her and finally understood what he wanted. Without hesitation, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Is this enough?"
"What do you think?" Lance raised an eyebrow.
Deanna felt both amused and shy but didn't refuse. She kissed him again on the lips. Just as she was about to pull away, Lance held her waist and deepened the kiss.
After a while, they finally separated, both breathing heavily. Deanna leaned weakly against Lance's chest. Lance held her tightly as if he wanted to merge her into his body. The next moment, he picked her up and carried her upstairs.
Deanna instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, knowing what he intended to do. Her face turned red as she nestled into his chest.
An hour later, in the dimly lit room, Deanna lay exhausted on the bed, too tired to open her eyes. Lance, on the other hand, looked satisfied and energetic. He bent down and whispered in a deep voice, "Rest for a while. I'll bring dinner up for you."
Deanna didn't even have the strength to respond and closed her eyes to rest. Lance didn't mind and went downstairs.
In the living room, the two little ones saw Lance and greeted him cheerfully, "Daddy, it's time for dinner."
"Where's Mommy?" Gregory asked curiously when he didn't see her.
Lance cleared his throat and said, "Your mommy is a bit tired and won't be coming down for dinner. You two eat with Great-grandma."
"Why is Mommy tired? I wanted to play with her after dinner," Chloe said disappointedly.
Gregory seemed to understand something and comforted his sister, "It's okay. We'll play with Mommy tomorrow. Let's let her rest today and go eat dinner."
He took his sister's hand and led her to the dining room. Lance followed them but was stopped by Old Ashley who walked past him and advised, "Even though you're young, you need to take care of your health and know when to be moderate."