Husband With Benefits-Chapter 851: Worried

"You do realize my hands are my bread and butter, right?" Cai teased, his lips curling into a playful smirk. "If you keep squeezing like that, I won’t be able to do surgery for quite a while."

Lily’s eyes darted to their joined hands, her face heating with embarrassment. Her fingers had turned into a vice grip without her even realizing it. She exhaled a shaky breath, silently commanding herself to loosen her hold. Relax, Lily. Relax. Stop crushing the poor guy’s hand.

Easier said than done.

Her brain issued the orders, but her hands outright refused to cooperate. She could feel the warmth of his skin against hers, the reassuring steadiness of his presence, but that only seemed to make her more aware of her spiraling nerves.

"I’m sorry," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. "I’m just... really nervous."

Cai chuckled, the sound rich and unbothered, as if he hadn’t just been subjected to her iron grip. "I noticed." Gently, he pried her fingers free, one by one, his touch deliberate and patient. He flipped his hand over and wrapped it around hers, his thumb brushing lightly over the back of her hand in soothing strokes.

"Relax," he said, his tone low and reassuring. "They’re going to love you. I promise. And you’ll like them too. You might even end up wondering why you were so worried in the first place."

"You think so?" she asked softly, trying to mask that feeling of vulnerability and fear of rejection pressing down on her.

"I know so," Cai replied without hesitation, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "You’ve got nothing to prove, Lily. Just be yourself."

Lily shot him a sideways look, her lips twitching into a small, reluctant smile before she sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. "Cai... you’re the best," she murmured, her voice soft but genuine.

Cai’s grin widened as he tilted his head slightly, rubbing his cheek against her hair in a gesture that was both playful and affectionate. "Of course I am. I knew that already, but it’s nice to hear it every now and then. A little acknowledgment never hurts," he teased, his tone light and breezy.

A giggle escaped Lily, her nerves easing as warmth filled her chest. She kept her gaze fixed on their joined hands, her fingers tracing lazy patterns against his skin. After a beat, she sighed again, her tone growing more serious. "I meant it, though. I wanted to thank you... for talking to my mother."

Cai’s expression softened, the humor fading as he exhaled slowly. "It’s going to be a long journey, Lily," he said gently, his voice carrying both understanding and gravity. "Forgiving and forgetting doesn’t happen overnight. You’ve been through so much because of her, and she deserves to know that—really know it. But it’s good she’s trying, that she’s willing to understand the pain she caused. And going to counseling? That’s a huge step forward. Uncle Kingston had the right idea suggesting it."

"I know it’s not going to be easy," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But... I want to try. For both of us. When that news came out and I realized that she was the one who had done it, I was shattered.. I didn’t know what to make of it. Until now, I always convinced myself that it was her grief for Jasmine that continued to make her like that towards me. But to deliberately plot against me and have someone record our conversation and then to goad me into saying those things... I’d given up, Cai. Given up the hope of ever having a mother."

Cai patted her hand and let his head rest on her as the car continued to cruise forward. After all, there was nothing he could say to console her. Of course she had been hurt. And Mrs Kingston may have not known the extent of her actions, but she was still responsible for the hurt she had inflicted, knowingly and unknowingly. The only reason he had even tried to remain civil to Mrs Kingston was that the lady had tried to correct her mistake by providing the recording of that Merton leading them to having solid proof against Professor White.

Realizing she’d unintentionally darkened the mood, Lily let out a quiet sigh and turned her head slightly to look at him. Her lips curled into a faint, apologetic smile. "Okay," she said, her tone deliberately lighter. "Tell me once again—who else is going to be there?"

Cai arched a brow at her obvious attempt to steer the conversation onto safer ground, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Well, my parents will be there, of course. They’re the hosts, after all. Then there’s my uncle Demon and Aunt Nora—you’ll love Nora. She’s full of mischief but in the best way possible. And my cousins—an assortment of them, really, coming from all over. They range from about fourteen years old to four months old. It’s hard to keep track of who’s confirmed and who might flake last minute, but Uncle Seb and Aunt Olivia are definitely coming."

"It’s shaping up to be a big gathering, but honestly, that’s how it always is with my family. Organized chaos."

Lily tilted her head slightly, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Is there a particular occasion? Or is this just a ’let’s get everyone together because we can’ kind of thing?"

Cai’s grin widened as if he’d been waiting for her to ask. "It’s actually a two-fold celebration," he explained,

"A celebration?" Lily prompted,

He nodded, his voice carrying a note of pride. "My younger cousin, Innocensa—she’s just won a gold medal at the International Youth Games. It’s a huge deal, and we’re throwing a party in her honor.

"Oh, wow. And what’s the other reason? You said it was a two fold celebration."

Cai’s grin turned sly, and before she could react, he leaned in and stole a quick, feather-light kiss. The suddenness of it left her blinking in surprise, and his laughter rumbled as he pulled back, clearly pleased with himself.

"Cai!" she exclaimed, her cheeks warming.

He shrugged nonchalantly, though the sparkle in his eyes betrayed his amusement. "The other reason," he said, his tone growing softer, "is us. Everyone wants to meet you, Lily. They’re excited to finally see the person who’s managed to make me so happy."