[BL] A Marriage Ruled by Family, Saved by Desire Chapter 97: The Wedding Is Finally Coming

~Alistair’s POV~

As the car pulled up in front of the house, Alex rushed outside.

He walked straight to my side, his eyes searching my face.

"What happened?" he asked quickly. "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine, Alex," I said, but he wasn’t really listening.

He didn’t even spare his mother a glance as he took my hand and led straight into the house.

He didn’t slow down until we reached our bedroom, only stopping when the door was closed behind us, shutting the rest of the world out.

The second the door clicked shut, the questions ca one after another.

"What did she say to you? Did she threaten you? Did she say sothing bad? Did she try to make you promise to leave?" Alex didn’t even give a second to breathe. He kept firing questions, one after another, his hands gripping my shoulders as if he were checking for invisible wounds. "Did she tell you I’m better off without you? Did she—"

"Alex!" I finally cut him off, placing my hands over his. "Can you just let speak first?"

He stopped, his chest heaving, a look of pure desperation in his eyes. "I’m sorry, baby. I’m just... I need to know what she said. I’ve been sitting here imagining the worst for the last two hours."

"Calm down," I said softly, pulling him toward the bed so we could sit.

Once we settled, I looked at him and spoke gently.

"Nothing went wrong. Everything actually went fine. We went shopping for things for the house... and that was it."

"No, I don’t believe it," Alex snapped, standing back up and pacing. "I don’t believe it was just about shopping. What did she say to you when the two of you were alone? Please, Alis, tell the truth. Don’t let her words get in your head. I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and find you gone because she convinced you to leave. Tell , please!"

Seeing the raw fear in his voice, I realized I couldn’t keep the details from him. I pulled him back down and held his hand.

"She begged , Alex," I said quietly.

Alex froze. "She what?"

"She begged to take care of you. She told how much she worries about you because you’re gentle and soft-hearted. She apologized for everything she did in the past, saying she was just a mother trying to look out for her child’s happiness. She told that she gives us her blessing and that we should look after each other, no matter where we decide to live."

Alex stared at , his mouth slightly open. "Are you sure? That’s all she said?"

"Yes, that’s all," I said, a smile tugging at my lips. I couldn’t help it; a laugh escaped .

"What? What’s funny?" Alex asked, looking confused.

"I just rembered... while we were at the store, a young man tried to approach ."

Alex frowned. "What?"

"Wait," I said, trying not to smile. "That’s the sa reaction your mom had."

"What do you an?" he asked, confused.

I shook my head, laughing softly. "He barely said ’hello’ before your mother ca out of nowhere. She chased him off like a hawk, telling him to stay away from her son-in-law."

Alex blinked, a look of pure shock crossing his face. "Seriously? My mother did that?"

"Seriously," I laughed, shaking my head. "I couldn’t believe it. She just looked at him and said, ’Leave my son-in-law alone.’ I was stunned."

Alex laughed. "Wow... that’s unbelievable. I hope she really ant everything she said in the car."

I looked at him. "Which part?"

He shook his head slightly. "All of it. Everything she said to you. Every promise she made... I just hope she ans it."

We spent the rest of the afternoon joking and relaxing.

But as evening approached, a knock sounded on our door.

"Master Alis," the maid said politely, "Madam would like to see you."

Alex frowned and stood up to open the door. He looked at the maid, then asked,

"Why is she calling for him?"

The maid explained, "Madam wants to cook sothing special for the family, so she asked that Master Alis join her in the kitchen."

Alex frowned. "Why? We have plenty of staff. Why Alis?"

The maid shook her head. "I don’t know, sir. She only asked to call him."

Alex sighed. "Alright. Tell her he’ll be there soon."

The maid nodded and left.

Alex closed the door and walked back into the room.

My heart imdiately started to race.

"Alex," I said quickly, "what if your mother finds out I can’t cook? What is she going to say? You’ve spoiled , you do everything for . This is going to be a disaster."

I ran my hand through my hair, already panicking.

"She’s going to think I’m a useless husband."

"Baby, calm down," Alex said, gently rubbing my arms. "It’s not like you can’t cook at all. You know the basics. Just do what you can."

"You know how she is," I panicked. "One mistake and she’ll have a reason to judge again."

"I’ll follow you," Alex promised. "If she asks you to do sothing, I’ll be right there to help you or distract her. We’ll do it together."

"Okay, baby," I said quickly.

We walked down to the kitchen, but just as we reached the door, Alex’s father called out from the living room.

"Alex! Good, you’re here. Co here, please—I need your help with so estate docunts. It’s urgent."

Alex looked at , torn. He couldn’t say no to his father when it sounded that important. I gave him a shaky nod, telling him to go. I had to face this on my own.

When I stepped into the kitchen, Alex’s mother was already there, sleeves rolled up, alongside his sister. The atmosphere was busy, and I felt like a deer in headlights.

"Alis, good," Alex’s mother said, pointing to a station. "I want you to handle the seasoning and the reduction for the main dish."

I felt myself start to shake. Alex’s sister gave an encouraging look, but the pressure was still there.

I took a deep breath.

If she had truly accepted ... then she had to accept the fact about too.

"Mother," I said softly, stepping forward. "I need to be honest with you. I only know the basics when it cos to cooking. I’m not... very good at it. Alex usually handles the kitchen at ho."

I braced myself for a sharp remark or a disappointed sigh. Instead, she paused and looked at , her expression surprisingly calm.

"It’s okay," she said calmly. "If you don’t know how to do sothing, Alis, you learn. That’s how life works. If you can’t cook, then you learn."

I blinked, shocked by her lack of judgnt.

"You should be able to cook for your husband," she continued, guiding my hand as she showed how to hold the knife. "It doesn’t matter how many maids you have or how much money is in the bank. Sotis, a husband just wants to eat sothing made by his partner."

She glanced at briefly, then added,

"In my marriage, sotis my husband cooks for , and I cook for him. That’s how it should be. It keeps the marriage sweet. It’s an act of love."

She didn’t raise her voice or mock . She was patient. "I want you to be attentive and active today. Watch what we do."

For the next hour, the kitchen was a place of teaching. Alex’s mother showed how to prep the ingredients, while his sister stepped in to guide my hand when I was unsure. It was peaceful, a family working together toward a common goal. I wasn’t being tested; I was being included.

By the ti Alex finished with his father and hurried into the kitchen, his face full of worry, he stopped dead in his tracks. He saw expertly tossing vegetables in a pan under his mother’s watchful, nodding approval.

"Babe?" he said, a stunned laugh escaping him. "When did you learn to do that?"

I looked at him with a proud, playful smirk. "I had a very good teacher, baby."

His mother smiled at the exchange. Alex imdiately reached for a towel, intending to step in and take over the heavy lifting, but his mother held up a hand to stop him.

"No, son," she said. "Allow him to do it. He’s a fast learner, so let him find him figure it out."

I glanced at Alex, feeling a new sense of confidence. "It’s okay, babe. Don’t help . I really want to learn this."

Alex’s expression softened into a proud smile. He stepped back but stayed right beside , watching with fascinated eyes as I worked through the rest of the al.

When the food was finally ready and served, the dining room filled with the soft clinking of cutlery and quiet, appreciative murmurs.

Alex’s father took a bite, then smiled at his wife.

"Honey," he said, "this is delicious."

Alex’s mother smiled back. "Thank you, love."

Then he took another bite before turning his attention to . He nodded slightly, a look of approval on his face.

"This food has sothing extra tonight," he said. "I think it’s because you joined in the kitchen, Alis."

I bead, my heart swelling at the praise. That bit of encouragent was all I needed; it made want to master every recipe so I could surprise Alex with his favorite als back at our ho.

We ended the evening in high spirits, eventually retreating to our rooms as the quiet of the night settled over the house.

The next morning, it was ti for us to leave.

We said our goodbyes to his parents and his sister, carrying with us a sense of peace that hadn’t been there when we first arrived.

Then we got into the car and headed back ho.

A few days later, the phone rang.

It was Alex’s mother, her voice crisp and full of excitent. The invitations were ready, and she said they would be delivered to us the next day.

"Alright, Mother," Alex and I said.

When the call ended, Alex turned to , his eyes filled with emotion.

"The invitations are out, Alis," he said. "It’s finally happening... our wedding day is close."