It’s My Brother’s House Afterall

Charles's mouth spasmed in a smile. "Sorry," he wrote down. He knew his uncle was only joking but still felt sorry for him.

But the truth was that he neither missed his father nor his uncle when he had to spend the whole day with his kind nanny. As far as he was concerned, she was his own superhero and held a special place in his heart.

They had a lot of fun together today and he enjoyed her company greatly. It was even more exciting when he discovered that his nanny could draw very well just like him.

Jace moved his eyes from Grace and his son. When it settled on Caden, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Why are you here again tonight?"

"To see my darling nephew whom I have not seen for an entire day, of course."

"Really?" Jace sneered. "Or you came here for some free meal. I must say you are doing very well with such a special talent," Jace scoffed.

Caden chuckled, "It's my brother's house afterall," he said jovially and made himself comfortable on one of the couches.

Dinner was exciting as expected and by the time Caden was leaving everyone had had a great time.

It was close to Charles's sleeping time when Caden eventually left, so Grace accompanied him to his room and read him one of the bedtime stories she had downloaded online. By the time she was on the second story, he had already drifted off to sleep.

Lunged lazily against the door with arms folded across his chest, Jace watched quietly as Grace lightly caressed Charles' hair, drew his blankets over him and bent down to plaster a gentle kiss on his rosy cheeks.

"Sweet dreams, Pumpkin," he heard her whisper and he couldn't help but shake his head. 'She's still so disobedient even after promising not to call him that." But he couldn't deny though, that it sounded nice the way she said it.

Before Grace could straighten up and settle back down into her wheelchair, he quietly slipped away just as he had come.

"Ask the Nanny to meet me in the study in five minutes," he instructed Mr Fitz who was just leaving the living room.

"Yes, Boss," he bowed and headed towards Grace's room.

"She should still be in Charles' room," Jace said casually.

"Thank you, sir," Mr Fitz redirected his steps towards Charles' room.

Grace was already in the hallway, wheeling herself to her room to freshen up when she met Mr Firz.

"Good evening, Mr Fitz," she nodded politely, stopping briefly to greet the butler. Apart from Ingrid he was one of the few staff that had made her feel comfortable and had not acted judgmental with her.

"Good evening, Ms Fowler," he replied, his tone neither cold nor friendly. It was warm enough to make her feel at ease.

"Is Master Charles asleep?"

"Yeah, he fell asleep a moment ago," Grace said, her mouth unconsciously curving in a smile.

Mr Fitz was taken aback by her smile. Why did she suddenly smile when talking about Master Charles? It's like she really liked him.

He had seen their interactions today and had been surprised at the speed at which they bonded. It was like they had known each other long before now. And for that, he was glad, at least Master Charles looked more like a normal child when he was with her.

He couldn't help but wonder if Charles's condition would improve if he had a mother figure in his life. But so far he hadn't seen anyone yet who could fit into that role.

Ms Beaumont was definitely not that woman although she had been parading herself as a potential candidate. He knew she was just dreaming based on the fact that Mr Brandon didn't have a thing for her.

The only reason he was giving her access into his house was because they were cousins, he was sure.

"That's good to know, Mr Brandon wants to see you in his study in five minutes," he informed Grace.

Wondering why she had been summoned, she wheeled herself to the study.

She tapped gently on the door and opened the door after a deep rich voice asked her to come in. "Good evening, sir. You sent for me?"

As Jace stared at the woman who could barely lift her eyes to look at him, he was again struck by her beauty. Her long dark lashes formed a beautiful contrast against her flawless white face as she kept them lowered.

The scene he saw tonight in his son's room reminded him of the one that had been on his mind since yesterday. Somehow he had not been able to wipe off the picture of the little woman shielding his son under her arms like mother hen after she saved Charles from the oncoming vehicle.

"How did your day go?"

Grace released a deep breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "It was fine, Sir. And thanks a lot for the clothes, they're all very beautiful and lovely."

"It's good you like them. Starting from tomorrow, you should wear them."

"Yes, sir."

"And your ankle? How is it now?"

"It's much better, before long I should be able to walk perfectly on my feet."

"Are you sure about that, shouldn't you use crutches first?"

"No, sir. The wheelchair is already too expensive, I can't allow you spend more on crutches. Moreover, I'll be fine soon. I can even take a few steps already and by tomorrow it should be much better. I'm still using the wheelchair because it's faster to get around with but I won't need it fromq tomorrow.

"Alright, if you say so," Jace said.

An awkward silence settled between them, both lost in their respective thoughts.

"I… em… can I, can I ask you something, Sir?"

Jace raised an eyebrow, "what do you want to know?"

"I hope you won't be angry, Sir."

"If you continue like this I'll definitely get angry," Jace warned. One of the things he hated most were people who are not sure of themselves.

"It's about Charles, sir." When he didn't give any reaction, Grace continued hesitantly.

"Why… doesn't he… go to school?"