Chapter 242 I’m His Wife
All the onlookers were holding their breath after listening to Gale’s sentimental proposal.
For a long time, Courtney had her doubts on his relationship with Cameron, but she conceded after what he had done. He had been taking care of Cameron for the past couple of months and in light of her upcoming treatment in America, he was willing to leave his carefree life behind in order to go with her. His commitment extended far beyond that of his role as a boyfriend and that alone deserved praise.
Courtney did not think she would be able to refuse him if she was in Cameron’s shoes.
However, Cameron stayed true to her nature. She did not waver at the sugarcoated, heartfelt proposal and instead turned him down with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, but I can’t marry you.”
Upon hearing that, Gale’s face fell and the hand that carried the ring awkwardly hung in mid-air. He looked torn, as though he could not decide whether he should give her the ring anyway or if he should tuck it back into his coat pocket. Even Courtney cringed at the sight of his conflicted expression.
Cameron drew in a deep breath and appeared deadly calm as she explained, “Look at me, Gale. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to go with me to America, but honestly, I would never have asked that of you. This is my whole life now—unpredictable and always spiraling out of control. No one knows how I might become tomorrow. You, on the other hand, are nothing like me. You aren’t obligated to take care of me, so why would you drag yourself into this mess?”
It was hard to refute her when she was being sensible like that, but Courtney felt bad for him nonetheless. After all that he had done for Cameron, she still could not trust him enough to walk with him for the rest of her life.
If Courtney was that upset, she could not imagine how terrible he was feeling.
“I-I understand,” Gale kept the ring as he said before he added softly. “It’s fine. I can wait. I can wait until after you’ve recovered.”
The air grew heavy and everyone could feel their hearts tugging with sympathy for him. Elijah appeared to be the only sensible one as he looked at the time and pointed out, “It’s getting late. We have to go through security now.”
There was a soothing undertone to his voice and his calm demeanor was juxtaposed with the forlorn one that was shared between the star-crossed lovers next to him.
Courtney reached out and took Cameron’s hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll stand by your decisions, no matter what they may be, but remember how you once told me you wanted to experience and take on everything this world has to offer? All I ask is for you to live your best life. There are places you haven’t seen and food that you haven’t tried.”
Cameron nodded. “I know.”
“Take good care of her,” Courtney said as she took Cameron’s hand and placed it in Gale’s before looking at him meaningfully. “Time can change everything and maybe one day…”
She trailed off, but she knew that Gale understood what she meant. Time could change everything and as long as he kept trying, there would be a day where his wish would be realized.
“I know,” he murmured with a smile, taking Cameron’s hand and clasping it in his. He glanced at Elijah. “We’ll head over to the security and let you guys talk.”
Having said that, he walked toward the airport security with Cameron in tow. Elijah, on the other hand, turned his attention back to Courtney and took out a bluish-grey velvet box from his pocket. He then handed it over to her. “This is for you.”
Courtney graciously beamed and took the box.
Standing at one side, Alexander grew grim as he watched the exchange.
Elijah looked at her. “There are a lot of things to attend to in America, so I won’t be seeing you for a while. Take good care of yourself until then, okay?”
“I will,” Courtney promised as she nodded her head. “I would have brought Tina along to see you off, but she has to attend school.”
“It doesn’t matter. There are still plenty of chances for us to meet in the future,” he replied kindly. His eyes darkened and he added after a pause. “Give me a call immediately if Tina feels unwell. I have a friend back in America who knows a doctor specializing in this particular field. I can bring Tina over for a check-up the next time I return.”
“Okay,” she answered.
The both of them were still talking when Alexander’s voice drawled, “The plane’s about to take off.”
She turned to see that Alexander was standing a couple of steps away from them; his towering figure looking as stoic and stiff as a lamp-post. He was glancing at the watch on his wrist and when he lifted his head to look at Elijah, his face was impassive. “Weren’t you asking Gale and Cameron to hurry into the boarding hall earlier? Do the normal rules of catching a flight not apply to you?”
Courtney’s brows furrowed at his words. He doesn’t usually talk this much.
“Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Duncan, but I didn’t ask Mr. Langley and Cameron to enter the boarding hall because I was worried that they might miss the flight. I was worried that they might miss the best time to check into the ward upon their arrival; there is a limited number of beds at the rehabilitation center and any delay on their part would be problematic if it means Cameron missing out on a private room. My delay, on the other hand, would be of no concern at all.”
Elijah was unfazed as he spoke and his patience was a stark contrast against Alexander’s irritable countenance.
Upon hearing his words, Alexander’s eyes dangerously narrowed. “Does this mean that you don’t actually plan on leaving?”
Is he really trying to pick a fight right now? Courtney’s frown deepened as she hissed, “Alexander, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I was only asking,” he retorted lightly as he shot her a look. Past events had taught him a lesson—albeit a painful one—and he was more than inclined to stick to it, which was why he was now trying hard to suppress his anger.
The corners of Elijah’s eyes crinkled as he smiled affably. “I really don’t want to leave. This trip hasn’t been long enough. I haven’t been able to spend much time with Tina because of all the time spent on work and I couldn’t help Courtney with what happened at work either. However, I’m sure you would compensate for my absence by taking care of Courtney on behalf of Mr. Langley and Cameron—right, Mr. Duncan?”
There was a deeper meaning behind Elijah’s words—one that Alexander dreaded to dissect.
Courtney saw him as a gentleman who was making polite conversation with Alexander.
Alexander, on the other hand, took it as an outright challenge. Elijah made his stance perfectly clear on the matter when he asked him to take care of Courtney—not on behalf of their past relationship, but on behalf of Gale and Cameron.
The more Alexander thought about it, the more he was convinced that Elijah was being deliberately evasive of his past relationship with Courtney.
More to the point, one look was often all it took for one man to size up another in order to determine whether they were friend or foe. It was almost always the case when it came to women.
As far as Alexander was concerned, Elijah did not come with friendly intentions. “Of course,” he answered nonetheless, although his eyes were burning with a dark fire as he regarded Elijah with a hostile gaze. “While our past alone would have been a sufficient reason, I would have taken care of Courtney anyway even if it wasn’t on behalf of Gale and Cameron. After all, Jordan and Tina get along really well.”
He was not planning on bringing that up, but the male ego was a funny thing and it was now too late to back down. See if you can one-up that!
However, Elijah was impervious and his voice was light as he remarked, “Children tend to get along easily. Jordan happens to be the same age as Tina and she always had a pleasant personality. So, she’s able to get along with anyone.”
“Well, yes, but it’s mainly because Jordan is really fond of Courtney.”
It seemed as though their conversation was taking a turn and Courtney was losing track of what they were saying. “I’m sorry, is this a parent-child conference? Why are you both talking about the kids all of a sudden? Elijah, you don’t have to keep up with the small talk—just go and get through the security check before you’re late!”
Elijah smiled. “Right. I’ll head off then.”
Courtney waved as she watched him leave. “Text me when you get down from the plane.”
He said nothing, but he lifted his hand and waved goodbye without turning to look at her.
There was a ditch between Alexander’s brows as he mumbled unhappily, “Are you his mother? Why does he have to give you a text when he gets off the plane?”
She turned to glance at him in amusement before breezily responding, “I’m his wife.”
