The Bond Between Us ( Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 1147

Herman couldn’t make heads or tails of what Mr. Walker was up to. Joseph had already turned down Mr. Walker’s offer to be his godson—was this just Mr. Walker showing off how big-hearted he could be?

Family-wise, things were a tangle. Joseph had married Mr. Walker’s daughter, making him the son-in-law. Mr. Walker’s own son was technically Alan’s great-uncle. Autumn’s son and Julie were full siblings, and Alan was Julie’s boy, so the connections went round and round.

Mr. Walker definitely knew all this, yet he still invited Joseph over like it was no big deal. Didn’t he find it awkward? Joseph had pieced together Autumn and Julie’s relationship, too, and was just as curious about Mr. Walker’s real motives. So he simply brought Alan along for the get-together.

When Autumn spotted Alan, she was torn between happiness and embarrassment.

As if things weren’t awkward enough, Mr. Walker strolled over and said with a grin, “Autumn, keep an eye on Daria for me, will you? You’ve always liked him. Look after him, and when everyone heads out later, don’t forget to give him a nice red envelope.”

Where Mr. Walker came from, it was tradition—if you brought your kid to a party, the host would give the children little cash envelopes as they left.

If Mr. Walker hadn’t brought it up, Autumn wouldn’t have felt so much pressure. But after that reminder, she just felt put on the spot—and she couldn’t help but notice how fake Mr. Walker’s kindness seemed.

Mr. Walker was the perfect host, flitting from guest to guest. After lunch, there was afternoon tea and some games for entertainment.

Carter and Scott roped Herman into a game of pool, leaving Anastasia to look after Alan. After lunch, she handed Alan some fruit and pastries, and they found a quiet corner to relax.

Alan, as always, was good as gold. “Aunt Ana, why didn’t Nate and Emmie come today?”

“They had school,” Anastasia answered with a smile. “If you miss them, you can always come over to play.”

“Can I come tonight?” Alan’s voice was soft and hopeful. “My dad got me the day off. No school for me.”

Anastasia couldn’t quite figure out what Joseph was thinking, bringing Alan to this kind of party. It was awkward enough already—if Alan ran into Autumn’s son, what was he supposed to call him? Brother? Great-uncle?

And sure enough, just as she was worrying about it, Mr. Walker showed up with Autumn and her baby. He smiled and said, “Ana, why don’t you all sit together, chat a bit, swap some parenting tips? I’ve still got guests to greet.”

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