Chapter 201: Home

Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Home

The final two hours of the drive passed in a blur of music and changing scenery. As the Brabus crossed the provincial boundary line, the rugged landscape smoothed out, welcoming them with a well-maintained, tarred main road.

Jake looked out the window, taking in the sights of Darmin. While it was classified as a village, it felt much closer to a bustling, established town. Sleek streetlights lined the main strip, and they passed a sprawling, modern high school complex with neat brick buildings and paved sports fields. This is definitely not the isolated outpost I pictured, Jake thought, feeling a wave of relief. The area felt peaceful, developed, and alive under the afternoon sun.

"Take the next right after the supermarket, Jake," Catharine said, pointing toward a neatly paved side street that eventually transitioned into a smooth dirt road as they neared the residential plots.

From the back seat, Melissa was practically vibrating with excitement. She had her face pressed against the glass. "Look at the rims on the Brabus reflecting off the shop windows! Everyone in our street is going to lose their minds when they find see you guys dropping me off."

"Melissa, please," Catharine laughed, though she nervously adjusted her hair in the vanity mirror. "Let’s keep things low-key."

"Too late for that, Cath," Jake joked, checking his rearview mirror.

Exactly five hundred yards back, Elias’s black S-Class followed smoothly, its polished exterior coated in a light layer of dust but still looking incredibly striking. The two-car capital convoy turned heads as they rolled past neat, face-brick homes with manicured lawns and gated yards.

Jake steered the Brabus down the lane, pulling up outside a charming, well-kept home with a green lawn and a wide veranda. The engine let out one final, deep rumble before Jake turned the key, settling the cabin into a quiet calm.

The front door opened instantly. A neat woman with graying hair tied back in a vibrant wrap stepped out, her eyes widening as she took in the massive black vehicle, then the security sedan pausing down the street.

"Cathy!" her mother called out, her face lighting up as she hurried down the veranda steps.

"Hey, Mom," Catharine said, throwing open her door and stepping out into the warm air.

Melissa scrambled out right behind her, immediately bursting into a loud, rapid-fire retelling of the road trip, proudly holding up her premium paper bag with the new tablet. Her mother hugged them both tightly, but her eyes kept drifting over their shoulders to Jake, who was currently unloading the heavy red duffel bag and exam guides from the rear cargo bay.

Jake carried the luggage toward the veranda, his posture relaxed and an easy, polite smile on his face. Knowing this was his official introduction to Catharine’s family, he wanted everything to go perfectly.

Catharine walked over to his side, naturally sliding her arm through his and looking up at her mother. "Mom, this is Jake."

Catharine’s mother smoothed down her apron, a sudden warmth overtaking her initial surprise. "It is so wonderful to finally meet you, Jake. Melissa has talked non-stop about you, but pictures don’t do justice to how much you care for my daughters. Thank you for bringing her home safely."

"The pleasure is entirely mine, ma’am," Jake said respectfully, offering a warm, firm handshake. "Darmin is beautiful. The drive out here was exactly what I needed."

Catharine smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder. Jake wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close and pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her temple.

From the porch, Melissa let out a loud, dramatic groan. "Oh, come on! We’re literally standing in front of my mother and you guys are still doing the lovey-dovey stuff? It’s absolutely disgusting! Go be romantic somewhere else."

Catharine’s mother burst out laughing, swatting playfully at Melissa’s shoulder. "Be quiet, Melissa, and take your bags inside." She turned back to Jake and Catharine, her expression turning firm with maternal authority. "Now, I won’t hear a word about you two driving five hours back to the capital tonight. You look exhausted, Jake, and the highway passes are dangerous after dark. Where is our rural hospitality if I let my daughter’s partner sleep in a car? You are staying the night."

Catharine blinked, looking at Jake. "Mom, Jake has an incredibly busy schedule on Monday, and—"

"And Monday is a long way from Saturday night," her mother interrupted smoothly, leaving absolutely no room for argument. "The guest room is always ready. No excuses."

Jake caught the slight, hopeful glance Catharine shot him. He smiled down at her before looking back at her mother. "If it’s not too much trouble, ma’am, we’d be honored to stay."

"Excellent. Now come inside, the tea is already brewing so come have some."

An hour later, after a refreshing cup of tea and a mountain of homemade scones, the atmosphere in the house had settled into a comfortable, domestic rhythm. Catharine’s mother was busy in the kitchen preparing a massive traditional dinner, stubbornly refusing any help from the city guests.

"Go on, show him around the village," her mother called out from the kitchen. "Don’t let him just sit in the living room all afternoon."

Catharine looked at Jake, a playful spark in her eyes. "Well, Mr. Rivers, want a VIP tour of Darmin?"

"Lead the way," Jake smiled.

They walked out to the Brabus, where Elias was standing post near the gate. Jake gave his head of security a quick brief. "Elias, we’re staying the night. Stand down and get the team checked into a local lodge. Catharine is driving me around for a bit."

"Understood, Mr. Rivers. The perimeter team will remain active but low-profile," Elias replied, offering a respectful nod.

Catharine slid into the driver’s seat of the Brabus, adjusting the mirrors with a grin. "I haven’t driven a car like this before. Don’t complain if I clip a curb."

"The car can handle it," Jake laughed, settling into the passenger seat.

Instead of rushing through the main strip, Catharine took her time, navigating the smooth asphalt roads before pulling into a paved parking lot right by the center of the local market square. The market was vibrant, filled with local traders under colorful gazebos, the rich smell of roasted maize and woodsmoke hanging in the air.

"Come on," Catharine said, cutting the engine. "You can’t experience Darmin from behind a tinted window."

As they stepped out, the Brabus immediately drew curious glances, but Catharine casually linked her arm through Jake’s, guiding him past the rows of clothing stalls and handmade crafts. She stopped at a popular local street-food setup where a woman was grilling fresh, seasoned beef skewers over an open drum braai.

"Two skewers and a couple of fat-cakes please," Catharine said warmly, pulling out a few notes.

Jake, however, beat her to it, sliding his cash across the counter with a smile. The vendor grinned widely, handing over the hot, brown paper bag filled with the freshly steaming meat and fat-cakes.

They walked over to a nearby concrete bench under a massive shade tree, completely content to eat with their hands. Jake took a bite of the hot, fluffy dough, nodding in genuine appreciation. "Okay, the capital has nothing on this. This is incredible."

"Told you," Catharine beamed, leaning over to steal a bite of his skewer. She chewed happily, pointing with her napkin toward a large brick building just across the street. "That library over there is where I spent half my life. I used to forge my mom’s signature on the permission slips just so I could check out the advanced economics textbooks they kept in the senior section."

Jake looked from the old library back to Catharine, watching the soft breeze catch her hair. She built an entirely new life in the city, he thought, but this place shaped the incredible woman she became. He felt a profound sense of gratitude just to be invited into her past.

They finished their snacks and walked over to the high school campus. Because it was Saturday and schools were also closed, the main gates were locked, but Catharine led him down the perimeter fence line to a specific spot where the chain-link was slightly warped.

"I used to sneak out through here when the debate team practice ran late and missed the local shuttle," she whispered, her fingers tracing the metal wire.

Jake smiled, stepping up close behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. "So you were a rebel student?"

"The worst kind," she laughed softly, turning her head to look up at him.

Jake leaned down, pressing a sweet, slow kiss to her lips right there against the school fence, completely indifferent to a few teenagers walking by who giggled and pointed at the lovey-dovey city couple.

By the time they returned to the house, the sun was casting long, golden shadows across the courtyard, and the kitchen was filled with the mouth-watering aroma of slow-cooked beef stew and fresh maize meal.

Dinner was a lively, noisy affair. Melissa spent the entire evening showing off her tablet settings and demonstrating her new exam study apps, while Catharine’s mother kept loading Jake’s plate with extra servings, absolutely delighted by how much he appreciated the home-cooked food.

As the night wore on and Melissa finally retired to her room to study, the remaining trio sat in the living room, sharing a quiet conversation. The initial intimidation her mother felt had completely vanished, replaced by a deep, comfortable acceptance of the man who held her daughter’s heart.

Later that night, after saying their goodnights, Jake and Catharine stood by the window of the guest room, looking out at the incredibly clear, starlit Darmin sky. The distant hum of the village was peaceful, a stark contrast to the endless sirens and traffic of Veyra.

Catharine wrapped her arms around Jake’s waist from behind, leaning her cheek against his back. "My mom really likes you, you know. She hasn’t smiled like that in a very long time."

Jake turned around in her embrace, trapping her gently against the window frame. He looked down at her in the dim moonlight, his chest full. "I like her too, Cath. You have an amazing family."

"We have our moments," she whispered, looking up at him.

Jake leaned down, closing the distance between them, kissing her deeply and slowly. Catharine sighed into the kiss, her hands moving up to wrap around the back of his neck, pulling him closer as the quiet peace of the village enveloped them entirely.

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