Grandma Rivers pulled the two of them down to sit. Since New Year's, it had been ages since the old house was this lively.

Everyone in the household was happy—up and down. They all adored Cecilia; she was sensible, sweet, kind to everyone.

Grandma Rivers called Aunt Whitney over. Aunt Whitney smiled at Cecilia, her eyes crinkling. "Cecilia, what do you want to eat? I'll make it for you at lunch."

Cecilia blinked. She'd been craving this for a while and finally gave in. "Aunt Whitney, I want your tomato beef stew."

"Of course, just right! We had a delivery of fresh beef this morning," Aunt Whitney replied. She turned to Ye Jing, "Madam Ye, do you have any preferences? Any tastes you like?"

Ye Jing was momentarily startled. Seeing Aunt Whitney's gentle eyes, she realized what Cecilia had told her was true—this family really was as warm and caring as described.

She waved her hand, politely declining, "It's fine, I'll eat anything. Thank you."

Cecilia hugged her mother's arm and sweetly said, "Thank you, Aunt Whitney."

"You!" Aunt Whitney chuckled, and went off to start cooking.

Xavier Foster walked over, standing behind the sofa where Cecilia sat, and gently patted her head. "Weren't you still sleepy? Want to nap a bit more?"

She'd been drowsy in the car, but now she seemed full of energy again.

"No, I'd rather watch TV with Grandma Rivers." After a little chit-chat with Grandma Rivers, Cecilia's sleepiness had vanished. It'd been so long since she spent time with Grandma Rivers—perfect chance to sit together with both Mom and Grandma Rivers.

Xavier Foster nodded in understanding. Just then, Uncle Zhou came in from the main entrance, a few helpers trailing behind.

"Young Master, the non-slip mats have arrived," they said from the doorway, tools in hand.

Xavier Foster nodded, and said to Cecilia, "I'll go check upstairs."

He had Uncle Zhou lead the workers up to replace all the bathroom mats in the bedrooms with anti-slip ones. Then he watched over them as they hammered anti-slip strips onto the spiraling mahogany staircase.

Honestly, Uncle Zhou was meticulous enough—he didn't need to supervise. Still, Xavier Foster insisted on standing by, inspecting every strip as it was installed.

Cecilia glanced up at the workers on the stairs, her heart warm. She knew all of this was for her—Xavier Foster went out of his way to take care of her. Though, she couldn't help but think, the stylish staircase looked a bit odd now. Apparently, Xavier Foster's sense of aesthetics was just as questionable as her brother's.

Grandma Rivers followed her gaze, chuckling. "We all thought you'd be living over at the other place. Zhiye had Uncle Zhou install these, thinking you'd only visit now and then. Never imagined you'd move back to the old house."

"It's wonderful, having you home. Seeing you every day eases my heart," Grandma Rivers said, beaming.

"I want to stay with Grandpa Rivers and Grandma Rivers, too—but Zhiye's commute to the office will be longer," Cecilia fretted, only just realizing the inconvenience.

"Don't worry about him! That injury of his still hasn't healed—he doesn't need to rush off to work. He can stay home and take care of our Cecilia." Grandma Rivers’s protective streak had never dulled, as if Xavier Foster weren’t even her own grandson.

They sat a while longer. When the last anti-slip strip was hammered into place, Xavier Foster circled the staircase a couple of times, checking for problems, before finally letting Uncle Zhou and the workers go.

The kitchen was already filled with the delicious aroma of food. Dishes soon covered the dining table, and Aunt Whitney called everyone to eat.

Everyone sat down. Even Grandpa Rivers looked especially cheerful, a flush in his cheeks. He poured himself half a glass of rice wine, sipping contentedly with his eyes half-closed.

One by one, Xavier Foster peeled shrimp for Cecilia and scooped a small bowl of tomato beef stew for her.

He placed the peeled shrimp in her bowl, wiped his hands, and turned to ask, "Anything else you want?"

"Nope, that's plenty," Cecilia replied, her little bowl already loaded with shrimp and dishes Grandma Rivers kept topping off for her. She rubbed her tummy—it felt like she couldn't eat another bite.

Nearly six months along, she was growing fast. She got hungry easily, but couldn't eat much in a single meal.

Finally, she got to savor Aunt Whitney's beef stew. The meat was tender and fragrant, the tomato flavor rich—she squinted in bliss as she ate.

Watching everyone dote on Cecilia like this, Ye Jing felt a weight lift from her heart. Cecilia was right. The elderly Mrs. Fu and everyone else truly cherished her.

After finishing her shrimp and beef, Cecilia looked down at the dishes left, frowning, and snuck a glance at Xavier Foster.

He noticed her troubled face, and without a word, picked the remaining food out of her bowl and put it in his own, his arm slipping around her waist under the table.

Everyone pretended not to notice, sharing a look—coyly indulging the young couple.

Cecilia was shy. Even though it seemed no one noticed, she still poked Xavier Foster quietly, whispering, "Let go! Eat properly,"

Xavier Foster just looked at her, stuffed a spoonful of rice in his mouth for show, and refused to let go.

There was nothing she could do, so she finished the meal like this.

Xavier Foster saw Ye Jing off to her bedroom, which happened to be next door to theirs. Then he and Cecilia returned to their own room.

A servant brought in quilts that had been sunning all day. As Cecilia bent over to arrange them, Xavier Foster wrapped his arms around her waist.

Stooped over, Cecilia felt his hand gently stroke her rounded belly.

It tickled; she shivered slightly, straightening up and turning to look at him.

Xavier Foster dipped down to kiss her soft lips, then pulled her into his arms.

Thinking back to their last time here, when they were on the outs and he’d slept in the room next door, Cecilia felt wistful. She’d been naïve, thinking she just needed coaxing. She hadn’t realized she’d truly lost hope in him—

—but luckily, now she’d gotten her Zhiye back. It felt so, so good.

After snuggling in his arms for a while, Cecilia lifted her head. "Zhiye, I want to take a shower."

"Okay," he said, reluctantly letting her go, handing her pajamas from the wardrobe and escorting her into the bathroom.

His gaze lingered on her belly as he softly brushed her cheek. "Need help?"

"N-no, I can manage," Cecilia stammered, her face burning bright red. It was just a shower—no need for help.

The tub slowly filled with water; non-slip mats covered the floor. Xavier Foster tested the temperature and double-checked everything in the bathroom before Cecilia shooed him out.

"Alright, alright, go on!"

"Mhm. Call me if you need anything," he said, still sounding a bit worried.

"Got it." Cecilia closed the door, her heart thumping wildly. Even though they’d kissed and made up, somehow everything felt different now.

Thinking about how Zhiye said he loved her too, Cecilia suddenly felt shy.

She shook her little head, undressed, and glanced in the mirror. Her belly had grown big and round. Her skin looked so pale, but still—was she still pretty?

She reached out to touch her belly, then slid into the tub. The perfectly warm water wrapped around her body—soothing, comfortable, almost making her sleepy.

"Cecilia, are you in the shower?"

Xavier Foster’s voice came from outside. It hadn’t even been five minutes.

"Yeah, I’m showering."

"Okay," he replied, pacing outside the bathroom door, checking in again soon after.

"Baby, are you almost done?"

……

Not even ten minutes. "No, I’m… still showering." Cecilia replied obediently.

When Xavier Foster asked the third time, Cecilia couldn’t take it anymore.

"Zhiye, go rest. I’ll call you when I’m done!"

"…Alright, I’ll just wait here at the door."

Finally, peace. According to the doctor, mothers-to-be often get anxious before the baby’s born, but Cecilia felt like Xavier Foster was even more nervous than she was.

Once she finished, she slipped into her nightgown. Just as she called out, "All done!"

—the door swung open at once. Xavier Foster had been waiting outside the whole time, not leaving for even a minute.

Didn’t matter that Cecilia said no more checking—he’d struggled so hard waiting.

"I…"

Cecilia bent down to pick up her strawberry panties, and suddenly froze.