"How about waiting until tonight? We can get in bed and you can clearly see if I am okay or not. What do you say, honey?" Edward whispered in Daisy's ear. Daisy blushed and got red instantly. She looked up at Edward and gave him a hard stare. To her surprise, Edward didn't seem to be bothered at all. He kept that flirty smile on his handsome face and looked back at Daisy daringly. Daisy was amazed by the way her husband didn't feel ashamed at all after implying intimacy even when people were around them. Though other people might not have heard them because they were speaking in very low voices, Daisy still felt really embarrassed. She felt as if she had done something really bad.
"Daddy, what did you just say to mommy? Her face looks so red!" asked Justin curiously. Back when he and his mother stayed at the army base, there were only two of them who ate together. Sometimes Kevin and Mark would join them, but it was never like this. Today, having dinner at a big table with all his family members around was indeed very new and exciting for him. He felt immensely happy and cherished every minute of it.
"Do you really want to know what I said to your mommy?" asked Edward, grinning wickedly at Justin. His message of 'Keep Off or Else' was so evident that Justin instantly realized that he should stop probing any further.
"No, no. I think I'll pass," replied Justin hurriedly. The look on his father's face made it clear that he didn't want him to make a topic out of his little talk with his mother. Even though Justin was a little curious, he wouldn't dare to mess up with his father. As a famous expression warned, curiosity killed the cat. He thought he might as well behave himself for the moment.
'Astute observation and quick response. That's my boy!' mused Edward to himself. He was glad to see that his good genes were playing their roles well in his son. It was quite amazing to see that such a little boy was so good at reading other people's expressions and adjusting his reaction swiftly. He even had a feeling of being surpassed by Justin some day somehow.
Though he didn't speak a single word during the meal, Jonathan enjoyed the dinner just as much as others did. He tried not to get too emotional but rather just experience everything and enjoy every bit of it. He realized that he actually had missed out a lot on the family reunions and other similar things in the past. This very well explained the void in his heart each time he reflected on his family life.
At this moment, everyone at the table had their own share of mixed feelings - happy yet retrospective. With Luke, it was very simple: as long as he was not being probed about how he got hurt or being forced to drink herbal soup, he was perfectly happy to let Justin start any conversation he liked.
"Uncle Luke, Didn't I just do you a big favor by changing the topic to my daddy's little talk so that granny wouldn't ask you to drink herbal soup? So, how about you taking me to a taekwondo kwan tomorrow in return?" Justin suggested, his eyes full of mischief. Luke was horrified that Justin was talking about him again.
Soon, a thin layer of sweat was formed on his forehead. 'What kind of favor is that? You started the whole conversation about me, okay? Where in the world did you get the idea that I should be thanking you? Shouldn't I be mad at you for getting me into trouble in the first place? The only person who does this kind of thing is your father. Guess the old saying does make sense now, like father, like son. Who says not!' thought Luke to himself, indignantly. Though he felt upset, he knew that he had to calm himself down, quickly. After soothing himself, he said, "Hey, kid. Are you sure you weren't making things worse for me?" Luke shot a sideways glance at Justin, lowering his voice so as to not draw much attention to himself.
"Uh-oh. You got me, Uncle Luke. I didn't mean it. It was just a slip of the tongue. I am sure you understand, right?" said Justin apologetically, trying to make up for his fault. He now realized that he had been a little too active just now. It might just cost him the chance of going to a taekwondo kwan with his Uncle Luke.
"No, I don't. I only realized that I was being set up and I might end up with your grandmother forcing me to have that horrible herbal soup too." Even the slight mention of the soup made Luke shiver. Everyone in the family knew that Cynthia lacked experience in cooking. So, naturally it didn't take a genius to know that the soup she cooked sucked.
"What? I can't believe you just said that granny's soup was horrible. That's really hurtful, Uncle Luke. I am going to tell her this." 'Haha! I dare you to say no to me!' Justin smirked. He had been planing all this ever since he said that "Uncle Luke, didn't I just do you a big favor". His mention of the herbal soup was only a trap. He knew his uncle hated the soup and would sooner or later make some unwise remarks on it and he could use that against him. He just didn't expect that this moment would come so soon.
"Hold on! All right, I will take you to the taekwondo kwan tomorrow if your dad doesn't have any special plans for me. But first, we have to make a deal. We are only staying there for a couple of hours, not the whole day, okay?" Luke admitted defeat. He grabbed Justin as he was about to walk away, and gave in to his threat. Luke knew Justin always tended to get too excited when he went to a taekwondo kwan, so he thought it was better to set some rules before taking him there.
"Deal! I am glad we worked this out. And I am sure my father won't have any problems with it. Justin was overjoyed by his small victory. He was confident that his father wouldn't have time to make plans for him tomorrow. Because his father would be busy tonight, and after this long trip, he would be needing more than one night to spend alone with his dear wife. Justin was aware that grown-ups had needs. As to how he found out about that, well, let's just say he wanted to keep it a secret, or there would be more rules and restrictions on him from his mother.