"You can visit anyti you want, Kate," Maya said as she stood in front of the bakery with her mother, sending off Kate and Theo as they were about to move out from Camden back to New York City. "I won’t change the bakery’s na. It will always be Kate’s Bakery, and you are always welco to stay here since the house is yours in the first place."
"Thank you, Maya. But don’t worry, the house and the bakery are yours. You earned it," Kate smiled before hugging her. "I’m going to miss you, Maya."
Maya hugged her tightly, "I’m going to miss you too, Kate. Thank you for everything."
"Alright, shall we go now?" Dahlia asked while carrying Theo.
"Yes," Kate nodded. She took Theo from Dahlia’s hand, allowing the old mother-in-law to enter the car, and sat at the front next to the driver.
"I’m leaving. Take care of yourself, Maya."
"Take care of yourself as well, Kate," Maya said. "And you too, Theo. Bye-bye."
"Bye, Maya!" Theo waved his hand, then said, "Don’t cry..."
Maya wiped her tears, "I’m not crying, silly boy. I will visit you and your Mom in New York once I have enough money."
Kate finally entered the car with Theo, followed by Henry, who was sitting with her in the back seat.
They took off imdiately, leaving Camden, a small town that had beco a peaceful hiding spot for Kate to heal from her trauma and ntal breakdown for two years.
Kate stared at the beautiful view of Camden and then glanced at Henry, who seed to be in deep thought.
She slowly reached to hold Henry’s hand, which alerted the man.
Henry turned his head and asked, "Do you need sothing, Kitty?"
"No," Kate smiled. "I just want to say that I won’t miss this city as long as I am by your side."
**
They flew from Maine to New York and went straight to the Phoenix Tower’s penthouse.
Henry hadn’t moved out from the penthouse because it was located in the heart of New York, so it was convenient for him to drive around.
However, if Kate wished to move out, he wouldn’t hesitate to purchase another estate, probably around Vernon’s area, so their families could constantly gather, even for a simple dinner.
Kate stood behind Henry and Dahlia as they opened the door to the penthouse.
Henry looked at Kate and said, "Welco ho, my love."
Kate smiled as she entered the penthouse while carrying Theo.
The mont she stepped in, there was a loud cheer from the living room;
"WELCO HO, KATHERINE, THEODORE!!"
Kate was caught off guard when she saw Mai, Michael, Chloe, and Vernon cheering together for her arrival.
Theo looked at the four strangers inside the penthouse and quickly hugged his Mama’s neck as he got scared.
"Oh no, did we scare him?" Chloe asked.
"I told you we shouldn’t be yelling," Vernon chuckled. He grabbed his wife’s hand and was the first one to approach Kate. "Welco ho, Katherine."
Chloe was trying her best to contain her joy. She wanted to hug Kate tightly, but she also didn’t want to overstimulate Kate who was still trying to get used to everything she abandoned before.
After all, they hadn’t t for two years, and things had changed after so long.
Chloe observed Kate and comnted, "Look at you. You look a lot healthier and even more gorgeous now."
"Yeah, she doesn’t seem to age at all," Vernon added. Looking at the shy little boy in Kate’s arms, he said, "And you look exactly like your Dad, Theo."
"Yes! Theo looks exactly like how I imagine Henry if he’s a toddler!" Chloe giggled.
Kate giggled together with Chloe, "You’re right. Theo even has the sa habits as his father. I feel like I’m carrying little Henry in my arms."
"For sure, the resemblance is uncanny!" Chloe added.
Henry walked towards Kate and took Theo from her arms, "I will take care of Theo for now. You should talk with the others first. They have been waiting for you."
"Thank you, honey."
Kate observed Chloe and Vernon, who stood side by side, "You two haven’t changed at all after two years. Still in love, still harmonious."
"Of course!" Chloe looked at her husband and teased, "Well, he’s been having a back problem due to overwork. Can you imagine? He’s only twenty-eight, and he has a back problem!"
Vernon cleared his throat and glanced at his wife, "It’s not only , you know. Even Henry has a back problem because of stress and overworking. I think it runs in the family."
"Wait, really?" Kate looked over her shoulder towards Henry. "You have a back problem?"
"It’s nothing serious," Henry replied. "I just need to adjust my workload."
"That’s what you said last year," Vernon sneered. "At this point, we might have to book a chiropractor for the whole family."
Kate laughed with Vernon and Chloe as the air beca warm around them. Kate finally realized how much she missed her family.
Two years was too long to be separated.
After talking with Chloe and Vernon, she excused herself to walk towards Mai and Michael, who had been standing in silence in the corner of the living room. They didn’t seem intimate, which was a surprise because Kate thought Mai and Michael would’ve dated when Kate was out of their life.
After all, they were busy because of Kate’s problems before.
Kate stood in front of Mai first and opened her arms, "It’s been two years, sister. Can I get a hug?"
Mai had been acting tough the whole ti. But the mont Kate called her sister, she dropped all of her pretense and hugged Kate tightly.
She sobbed in Kate’s chest and murmured, "What took you so long, sister? I was so worried. I’m scared that sothing must’ve happened to you for the past two years. I... I feel so lost without your guidance."
"Mai..." Kate gently caressed Mai’s head like she would caress Erin’s when they were young. She didn’t expect her disappearance to have a huge impact on Mai. "I’m sorry for leaving. I didn’t know it’d be hard for you as well."
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