The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 65

Seeing tears on her mother’s cheeks, Aiden reached out his chubby little hand, his voice soft and earnest. “Don’t cry, Mommy. We’ll always be here with you.”

Rebecca squeezed his tiny hand and kissed it. A wave of warmth swept through her as she smiled and said gently, “Thank you, Aiden. You’re always so thoughtful.”

Hearing this, Noah, Ethan, and Evan scrambled over, crowding around Rebecca. Each of them chimed in with their sweet, childish voices, “Mommy, we’re good kids too!”

In that instant, Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.

The children’s pure, innocent affection always had a way of dissolving her worries, sometimes before she even realized it. She understood that, even though she’d left the Thomson family behind, as long as she had these little ones by her side, she would never truly be alone.

“No more tears, Mommy,” Noah added, his tone unusually steady for a boy his age. “We’re a family, and we’re going to be happy—together.” With his gentle maturity, he sounded almost like a tiny adult, and Rebecca felt a pang of wonder at how quickly her children were growing up.

She nodded, smiling, her heart lighter.

Up in the driver’s seat, Dennis kept his eyes on the road, but every now and then he glanced at the rearview mirror, taking in the cozy scene unfolding in the backseat.

He couldn’t help but notice how much Rebecca’s four children resembled Mr. Austin. The longer he looked, the more uncanny the resemblance seemed.

Shaking his head, Dennis tried to banish the thought. What on earth was he thinking?

He silently scolded himself. He knew full well that Mr. Austin despised gossipy employees—especially those who speculated and spread rumors. If Mr. Austin ever got wind of Dennis harboring such suspicions, he’d be out of a job before he could blink.

Besides, there was Ms. Thomson’s appearance to consider…

No wonder Mr. Austin didn’t want her to fall for him. Who would have imagined that the illustrious Ms. Thomson would turn out to be so…plain? She really had nothing going for her but money.

Dennis made up his mind to focus on his driving and leave his speculations behind. His job was simple: get Rebecca and her children safely to their destination.

Still, despite his best efforts, the question lingered stubbornly at the back of his mind.

Just then, Rebecca leaned forward a little and asked, “Excuse me, how should I address you?”

Dennis smiled. “The name’s Dennis, ma’am. You can just call me Dennis, if you like.”

Ma’am? Rebecca still wasn’t used to the new title. She cleared her throat and continued, “Dennis, are you taking us to the Austin family’s old house?”

Ethan cheered, waving his hands. “Yay! That’s awesome!”

Aiden piped up, “Mr. Dennis, I like towers and building castles.”

Dennis grinned. “That’s nothing! Mr. Austin actually owns a real castle in France.”

Aiden’s jaw dropped. “Whoa, our new dad is super rich!”

Evan chimed in next. “I love toys. Planes are my favorite.”

Dennis smiled. “Well, what do you know—there’s a helipad in the back hills of the estate, and a few planes parked there. Not only can you look at them, but when you’re older, you could even learn to fly.”

Evan squealed in delight. “Wow, our new dad is amazing!”

Dennis laughed. “Of course he is.”

Noah glanced at his brothers, his tone calm and a little proud. “Don’t get too carried away. If you really wanted something, Mom could give it to you, too.”