NovelXXXChapter 585 As soon as Hilda stepped into the Carmichael home, she couldn't help but search the crowd for that one familiar face she longed to see.
Raymond caught the look in her eyes right away. "Citrine's out back, grilling with her friends." Hilda hesitated, asking softly, "Would it be alright if I joined them?" "Of course." With Raymond's reassuring nod, Hilda led Monica and Wade toward the backyard.
They had barely reached the pawhen Hilda heard her daughter's laughter. "Big bro, that's delicious! Makeanother skewer!" Citrine sounded so relaxed, so lighthearted-so different from how she usually acted around the adults. There was a spark in her eyes that Hilda hadn't seen in a long time.
Hilda glanced at Travis with a tinge of envy.
Travis was the quintessential doting big brother; when his sister asked for food, he beamed with pride and immediately set to grilling more meat for her.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMonica and Wade watched the little scene unfold, both feeling a pang of jealousy. Weren't they Citrine's siblings too? And yet, somehow, Travis was the one she always turned to.
Wade huffed, narrowing his eyes at Travis. "Why does he get to be the big brother she calls for? I'm her brother too, but Citrine's never called'big bro' even once." His voice was tinged with genuine hurt.
"What's so great about that guy anyway?" Wade muttered, glaring at Travis. "It's just sgrilled meat-big deal. I can do that too." Determined to prove himself, Wade marched over to Travis, drawing surprised looks from everyone.
Travis glanced up. "What are you doing here?" Citrine was startled to see Wade, but then she spotted Hilda and Monica approaching from across the yard.
"Happy birthday, Citrine." Hilda's eyes shimmered as she greeted her daughter, her voice catching with emotion. "Happy nineteenth, Citrine!" Monica added, beaming.
"We brought you something." Hilda handed Citrine a neatly wrapped present.
Monica chimed in, "And this one's from me." "Thank you," Citrine said politely, setting the gifts aside and gesturing for them to join her. “Con, sit down and have sbarbecue with us." Hilda and Monica exchanged delighted glances and settled opposite Citrine, smiles lighting up their faces.
Wade looked at his sister with uncharacteristic tenderness. "Of course I'm here for your birthday, Citrine. What kind of big brother would I be if I missed it?" He grinned. "Looks like you're enjoying the food. Well, lucky for you, I happen to be pretty good at grilling myself. Letmake you something special." At the mention of "big brother," Travis's expression soured.
He muttered, "Who do you think you are? Citrine's never called you her brother." "Shut it," Wade shot back, stung by the truth. He snatched the tongs from Travis's hands.
Travis raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what you're doing?" Wade ignored him, focusing on the grill. He tried to remember how his
friends prepped meat at last summer's picnic, flipping the skewers and sprinkling on seasoning as if he were a pro. Hilda and Monica exchanged an amused glance, barely holding back their laughter at Wade's antics.
But as Wade's grilling started to look halfway decent, Travis decided to let him have his moment.
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A few minutes later, Wade proudly plated his skewers and set them in front of Citrine, his eyes full of hope. "Try one! I made these just for you." Citrine eyed the skewers—at least they looked alright-and picked one up, giving it a tentative bite.
The taste hit her like a shockwave. Citrine: #@ ¥ %&#%#&¥#-words failed her.
The flavor was...indescribable.
And yet Wade was watching her, expectant and eager.
For a moment, Citrine genuinely didn't know whether to swallow on spit out whatever it was she'd just bitten into.
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