I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home Chapter 231: Wanting to Move Out

"All alone and sick at ho, with no one to look after ... sigh." As the old man finished, he raised his hand and genuinely wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

Grace’s heart ached watching him. "Grandpa, I have plenty of extra rooms at my house. Why don’t you move in with us? That way, soone will be there to look after you if you need anything."

"If you’re sure you don’t mind."

"Of course I don’t mind! If you don’t mind an old codger like , how could I possibly mind you?" The old man waved his hands dismissively before grabbing a small bundle from his side. "So, granddaughter-in-law, are we heading ho soon?"

The hopeful, pleading look he gave Grace made her unsure whether to laugh or cry.

’So the old man had this planned all along.’

’His bags were already packed and everything.’

She glanced at Archer.

Archer threw his hands up in a gesture of helplessness. "Grandpa said the New Year is almost here, and spending it in the hospital is bad luck. That’s why he had discharged. My wound is mostly healed, anyway. As long as I avoid any heavy lifting, it won’t tear open again."

"Alright. The little one is getting discharged today, too. We can all go together. I’ll go downstairs and take care of the paperwork." Grace nodded and turned to leave.

The little one’s inflammation had subsided, but he still needed to be monitored. They were sent ho with a good amount of dication. Archer was also prescribed so dicine to take with him.

Grace paid the bills, then went to find Irene Lynch to have her pack the little one’s things. Afterward, she headed to Archer’s room to help him pack his bags.

The group t up in the lobby on the first floor.

Her ho was far away, so Grace had planned to call a cab. But the old man said he had a car. When they stepped outside, a sedan was parked right at the hospital entrance, complete with a driver and a guard.

The old man dismissed the guard and ducked into the car himself.

Grace helped Archer get into the car.

The car wasn’t big enough for all of them, but they managed to squeeze in anyway.

To make room for everyone, Grace was forced to sit on Archer’s lap, which made the entire ride incredibly awkward for her.

The corners of Archer’s lips, however, remained curved upward. Feeling the soft, warm woman in his arms, his smile never faded.

When they finally arrived ho, Grace practically fled from Archer’s lap.

Her face was still burning when she got out of the car.

"Um, I’ll go get your rooms ready," she stamred.

The house had plenty of rooms, but Nolan and Brandon Winslow’s families would be coming to stay for a couple of days over the New Year. Suddenly, there wouldn’t be enough space for everyone.

Grace was trying to figure out how to free up a room for Archer and his grandfather to use for the ti being.

Just then, Joanne Chase ca out with a troubled look on her face.

Seeing Grace and Irene Lynch back ho, she hesitated for a long mont before speaking quietly, "Grace, Godmother, there’s sothing I need to talk to you about."

Grace’s heart sank when she saw Joanne’s expression. "What is it?"

"Well... I’m planning on moving out. Evan Holland and I are going to register our marriage after the New Year, and I figured since we’ll be living together eventually, so..." Joanne’s face flushed, her ears turning bright red.

Grace frowned. "Are you sure he’s reliable? You two have only been dating for a little while, haven’t you? Have you really thought this through? This isn’t just an impulse, is it? You’re not just doing this to get back at Sean York?"

Joanne shook her head. "Evan’s a really good person. He’s so good to . I think... I think I can trust him with my life. I won’t have any regrets. And if it turns out I chose wrong, then it’s my own fault for being blind. Grace, I just desperately want a family of my own. I never imagined soone could treat this way, could be so gentle with . I’m willing to trust him."

Looking at Joanne’s earnest expression, Grace felt a sense of helplessness. "You should at least wait until you’re married before you live together. People might look down on you otherwise. Please, listen to . Let’s just wait until after the New Year to decide, okay?"

Joanne hesitated.

Evan had also told her not to rush, but she was just so desperate to have a family of her own.

What happened with Sean York had left her feeling incredibly insecure about relationships. The mont she was sure of her feelings for Evan, she wanted to lock things down as quickly as possible.

Even if it ant giving herself to him before they were married, she was willing.

But while she was willing, Evan wasn’t. He felt it was wrong and would hurt her reputation, so he had refused.

Joanne lowered her head, like a child who had done sothing wrong.

"Joy, we’re family, and family would never do anything to hurt you. We all just want you to be happy. Please, listen to . When it cos to matters of the heart, rushing things is the biggest mistake you can make. I’ve made my own mistakes in the past, as you know. Because of that disastrous marriage, I didn’t even think about dating for years."

"I don’t want you to repeat my mistakes and go down the sa road I did. That’s why I need you to treat this relationship with caution. It has to be sothing you’ve thought about over and over, not a decision you make on an impulse."

Grace grabbed Joanne’s shoulders with both hands, her expression serious and earnest.

Joanne opened her mouth, wanting to say that she had thought it through clearly, that it wasn’t an impulse.

But when her eyes t Grace’s, the words caught in her throat.

’Suddenly, she wasn’t sure if she was being impulsive after all. Was she just desperate to prove sothing? To prove that soone actually wanted her, that she wasn’t just so pitiful, unwanted girl...’

She never said it out loud, but the emptiness and fear in her heart had never disappeared.

Grace and Irene Lynch treated her very well, but they weren’t her real family. She couldn’t live in the Winslow family ho forever, and she couldn’t stay single her whole life.

Grace would have her own life one day—she’d get married, have children, and slowly drift away.

She was too afraid of loss.

That was why, after eting Evan Holland, she was so desperate to grab onto sothing.

Even if the price might be steep.

She suddenly threw her arms around Grace. "Grace, am... am I a big disappointnt to you?"

"Silly girl, why would you think that? We’re family. And you haven’t actually done anything wrong. I just don’t want you to ever have regrets or to suffer the pain that cos from making the wrong choice. I just want you to have a peaceful and happy life."

"Stop letting your imagination run wild. Now, we have two guests, and I need to prepare a couple of rooms for them. Hurry up and co help . But my brothers and their families are also coming for the New Year, and it seems like we don’t have enough rooms," Grace said, her expression troubled.

"Your older sister-in-law ca by earlier. She said they won’t be staying over for the New Year this year—they’ll just co for dinner on New Year’s Eve. Your second sister-in-law said the sa, though she ntioned sending the kids over. Said she and her husband want so ti to themselves."

Joanne blushed as she finished. "So we don’t need to prepare rooms for them, just for the kids."

Grace pinched Joanne’s cheek. "Look at our Joy, blushing! Okay, now hurry up and help get things ready."