Love the Second Time Around

Chapter 144 Always Thinking of Him

I gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Uncle Frank. Dominic won’t be drinking. I’ll get him some juice later.”

Uncle Frank frowned. “I don’t blame you for not knowing your liquor, Lili, but this whiskey here is the good stuff. I specially bought it for this occasion. And you know it’s a family tradition for us men to toast each other at the family gathering.”

I tried to let Uncle Frank down easy. “I’m so sorry, but he really—”

Grandfather harrumphed loudly. “Lili, don’t coddle him. If he wants to drink, drink. If he doesn’t want to, he should say it himself rather than hiding behind his girlfriend.”

“Grandpa…” I pouted.

Dominic’s hand covered mine, taking it off the glass. “I’m fine.” He gave me a reassuring squeeze before addressing Uncle Frank. “I’ll have a glass, thank you.”

“Now we’re talking.” Pleased, the latter filled more than half the glass. “There you go.”

When Uncle Frank moved on to his next target, I elbowed Dominic in his ribs. “Did you forget about what happened the last time?” I hissed in annoyance. “We’re in the countryside. It’s a long way to a hospital if you get alcohol poisoning again.”

Although we did have the local doctor, a proper hospital would be quite out of the way.

Dominic’s expression was calm. “I know what I’m doing.”

As if! Internally, I was throwing my hands up in chagrin. If that were true, you wouldn’t have been hospitalized in the first place, nor would Benjamin and Yvonne tell me you’d nearly drunk yourself into an early grave.

Unable to resist, I pinched his leg under the table. “Just this one glass, okay?” I said warningly. “No seconds.”

He smirked. “Are you henpecking me?”

glared at him, peeved by his devil-may-care attitude when his health was at stake.

nothings are you two whispering? Keep your pillow talk to another

In retrospect, Dominic and I did act like quite a couple

right, enough talking, more eating,”

passed around and the clinking of glasses filled the room. There was one thing Uncle Frank was right about—it was in fact a tradition in this household for the men to drink and make toasts during a family

person. Back in the day, when his health was better, he used to have a drink

on the other hand, was a social drinker

some time ago, the doctor had told him to cut back on

how the tradition was born—Grandfather was allowed to indulge in his drinks during special occasions where our family gathered and the men

me frown in concern. It’s true that it’s a special occasion, and he could

passed him a glass of juice and

okay. I promise I’ll stop after your boyfriend

Dominic as if daring him to do

I said pleadingly. “Dominic’s not good with alcohol. He was hospitalized

I forgot that in the eyes of someone like my grandfather, who used to guzzle booze as freely as he breathed, being “not good

longer insisted for Dominic to drink, he had instead found something else to pick on the latter—more specifically, that he had too weak a stomach and ought to exercise

in amused exasperation, I watched Dominic nod amicably in response to Grandfather’s chiding before promising that he would exercise to be stronger so he could “take better care

part, he looked at me with a raised brow loaded

a second before the realization that it was an innuendo dawned. I turned away, cheeks burning. He’d better not put in any more hours in the gym! If his stamina becomes

persistent attempt to stop Dominic from drinking as a sign of how much I cared about him. Aunt Vivienne, in particular, joked that I was always thinking

laughed good-naturedly while I feigned

pleasant atmosphere lasted for the rest of the

room, but not before telling Dominic very sternly that the