One Wild Night

“Tom?” Jamal called from the backseat of the car after Tom had driven for some time without saying a word.

“Hm?” Tom, who was driving, responded absentmindedly.

“Why are you always mad?” Jamal asked reasonably, and his mother, who was in the front seat, turned to cast him a warning glance while Tom scowled at him through the rearview mirror despite his mild amusement at the question.

“Who said I’m always mad?”

“Me. You are mad all the time,” Jamal said, ignoring his mother.

“That’s not true. I’m not always mad,” Tom countered.

“Yes, you are. You were mad when we came to your house. You were mad yesterday, and now you are mad,” Jamal retorted.

Tom sighed. He couldn’t deny the fact that he had been mad when they came to his house. He had made it clear in the manner he had received them that morning. However, he was surprised that Jamal had noticed that and did not forget it.

“You can’t say I’m always mad because of those few occasions when you’ve seen me in a better mood at other times. That’s a hasty generalization fallacy,” Tom said, and Jamal looked at him in confusion, not understanding the big words he had just spoken.

“You’ve been with me at times when I was in a good mood, so doesn’t that tell you that I’m not always mad? I only get upset when people don’t act as they should….”

“Does that mean you were mad at me because I was running…”

“No. I was not mad at you. I was mad at my sister. She did not inform me that you were coming until you had arrived,” Tom explained for both Jamal’s and Candace’s benefit.

“It makes me frustrated when things don’t go according to plan,” Tom tried to explain, and Jamal felt relieved to hear that.

Deep down, he had thought Tom didn’t want them in his house and that he was only being nice to them because of Lucy.

“But things can’t always go according to plan, right, mom?” Jamal asked, and Candace cleared her throat awkwardly at being drawn into their conversation.

Without looking at Tom, she gave Jamal a nod. That was a line both she and Andy often used, especially on days when she had to do her part-time job and couldn’t pick him up from school but had to send his nanny.

“See? Things can’t always go as planned, and people can’t always act as you think they should, so you shouldn’t always get mad,” Jamal said reasonably, and Tom turned to Candace.

“Are you sure he is only seven? Maybe you had his birth date mixed up or something,” Tom said, and Candace laughed in amusement.

There were times when she also found it difficult to believe his age, despite the fact that she was his mother. She often felt amazed by Jamal’s insight. He sometimes behaved like a little man trapped in a kid’s body.

“Did you know that Lucy is my family? She is my aunt,” Jamal told Tom when he noticed that Tom seemed relaxed now and more approachable.

He had wanted to share the news with Tom earlier, but he had seemed too angry, and Jamal had been wary of him in that mood.

“You are her cousin once removed. She is not your aunty,” Tom corrected.

“Once removed from where?” Jamal asked in confusion, and Tom laughed.

“I have no idea. You should ask her that when she gets back. I’m sure she can explain better,” Tom said, and Jamal sighed.

“So I guess she gets to be your girlfriend now,” Jamal said, and Tom chuckled.

“She has always been my girlfriend,” he said as he met Jamal’s gaze in the mirror.

“But I guess now that she is your family, I need to get your approval to be with her,” Tom said when Jamal continued to stare at him.

“Will you still give me the car if I leave her alone and let you have her?” Jamal asked, and this time both Tom and Candace laughed.

“You can’t leave her alone anymore. Don’t worry, I don’t mind sharing her with you since she’s your cousin,” Tom said, and Jamal’s brows pulled together.

“But it’s not the same.”

“I will give you the car, but you don’t have to leave her alone. She likes having you in her business,” Tom assured Jamal, and this time he smiled.

“That’s cool! Did you hear that, mom?” Jamal asked, and Candace smiled.

“Yes, I did. Congrats Jam. You will become a car owner,” Candace said, and Jamal shook his head.

“The car will be for us. You can use it until I’m big enough to buy you a new one,” Jamal said, and Candace felt her heart swell with love for her kid. Jamal was just too precious.

“Thank you, baby,” Candace said, but Jamal had moved on from there and was facing Tom again.

“So we made breakfast for grandpa Aaron and Harry….”

“Uncle Harry,” Candace corrected, and Tom looked at her as it dawned on him that she had told Jamal about Aaron and Harry.

He hadn’t really thought of it when Jamal had said Lucy was his family. He smiled as he glanced at Jamal through the rearview mirror.

He did not doubt that Jamal was all they needed to fix their family. With him in their midst, they would bond in no time.

“If Harry is your uncle, then I’m also your uncle. You know that, right?” Tom asked, but Jamal shook his head.

“Uncle Harry is mommy’s twin brother. You are not,” Jamal pointed out.

“But Harry is family to me, and he is just like my brother, so that means you are also family to me. You have to call me Uncle Tom,” Tom said, and Jamal looked at him thoughtfully for some seconds.

“If you are my uncle, does that mean the lawyer lady is my aunt too?” Jamal asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

“Yes. Jade is family, too,” Tom said, and Jamal’s brows pulled together.

“That means she can’t be Ha… uncle Harry’s girlfriend, right?” Jamal said, and Tom looked at Candace.

Candace shook her head, “I didn’t tell him that. Where did you hear that from, Jamal? Who told you she wants to be his girlfriend?” Candace asked, and Jamal shrugged.

“I heard Abigail telling….”

“You shouldn’t listen to such things,” Candace quickly cut in, not wanting Jamal to mention the name of the other person so they won’t get in trouble.

No employer would like to know that his employees were gossiping about his best friend and his sister.

She wondered why they all kept talking freely in front of Jamal when they knew how sharp he was.

“So?” Jamal asked Tom.

“So what?” Tom asked, not understanding his question.

“If she can be his girlfriend, that means Lucy can be my girlfriend, too, right?” Jamal asked, and Tom sighed.

“I thought you were done with that already?” Candace asked, and Jamal shrugged.

“I just wanted to know,” Jamal said as Tom drove into the hospital.

Once Tom parked the car, he glanced at Jamal as Candace got down to open his door and take out the food packs, “So I’m Uncle Tom, right?” Tom asked, and Jamal shook his head.

“No,” Jamal said as he got out of the car, leaving Tom, who was scowling at his back.

As they all walked into the hospital, Jamal ran ahead of Tom and Candace, eager to see Aaron.

“Slow down, Jamal,” Candace called, and he stopped running, but that lasted only for a few seconds before he resumed again, and Candace sighed as she shook her head.

Jamal burst into Aaron’s room, startling the father and son in the room, “Mommy says you are my grandpa,” Jamal announced happily as he threw himself at Aaron.

Aaron laughed happily and exchanged a look with Harry as he embraced the kid, “Did she now?” Aaron asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.

“Yes. And she said you are my uncle,” Jamal informed Harry, and he grinned at him.

“That’s right,” Harry said, and they all turned to the door when Tom and Candace walked into the room.

“Jamal,” Candace called in a disapproving tone, but seeing the happy smile on Aaron’s face and the gratitude in his eyes, she didn’t scold him as she had wanted to.

“Good morning. I hope you haven’t had breakfast yet. We brought you breakfast,” Candace said to both Aaron and Harry as she carried the food pack to the table in the room.

“Mommy cooked. I helped, too,” Jamal whispered to Aaron.

“You didn’t have to bother yourself on our account,” Aaron said softly, even though he appreciated the gesture.

“It wasn’t a bother. I wanted to do it,” Candace said, and both Harry and Aaron exchanged a look as neither of them had the heart to tell her that they had eaten already.

“Good morning, old man. You look better than you did yesterday,” Tom greeted Aaron.

“Why don’t I see Lucy with you?” Aaron asked curiously.

“She traveled,” Jamal supplied before Tom could, and Candace sighed inwardly.

“Something came up, so she had to leave for Heden. She said she would give you a call when she settles in,” Tom assured Aaron.

“I see. I hope everything is fine?” Aaron asked, and Tom gave him a nod.

“Thanks, KID sister,” Harry said with a wink as he received the food Candace served him, and both Candace and Aaron chuckled.

“And you too, kiddo,” Harry said as he playfully ruffled Jamal’s hair, and Jamal laughed as he moved closer to Harry.

He was willing to let Harry ruffle his hair this once since he was his uncle. Once they were cool with each other, he would ask him not to.

“Wow! You must be delighted to be an uncle,” Tom taunted when he saw the grin on Harry’s face as he pulled Jamal closer.

Harry chuckled, “Why do I sense jealousy in your tone?”

“He wanted me to call him uncle, and I refused,” Jamal said, and Tom glared at him while Harry, Candace, and Aaron laughed.

“Wow! It’s like that now, huh? I see you’re all ganging up on me,” Tom said with mock annoyance.

“No wonder he is so jealous. I’m the only one you’re to call your uncle, alright? If he wants a nephew so bad, he should go get one for himself,” Harry said, and Tom raised a brow.

“Yeah. Aren’t we all just sitting here and waiting for you to give me one?” Tom said, making Aaron and Candace laugh while Harry glared at him.

“Where is Jade, by the way?” Tom asked when he noticed that his sister wasn’t around.

“She went home. Let’s step out for a moment,” Harry said and turned to his father.

“We will be at the rooftop. Jamal, can you help me hold on to this until I get back?” Harry asked, and Jamal gave him a nod as he took Harry’s dish from him.

“How is he doing now?” Tom asked Harry once they shut the door behind them.

“He is fine. We are going home soon. That’s why Jade decided to go ahead of us. She wanted to prepare the guest room for Candace and Jamal so they would move in with us,” Harry said, and Tom nodded. Although he would miss the kid, the kid was needed there most.

“Did the doctor say he is good enough to leave?” Tom asked as they took the flight of stairs that would lead them to the rooftop, and Harry shook his head.

“Not exactly. But a nurse will go home with us to keep an eye on him until he is completely fine,” Harry assured him.

“That’s good to know. How about you? I believe you’re doing better now, seeing how you are already kissing our sister. So much for asking me to get her out of your house,” Tom said with a shake of his head and chuckled when Harry glared at him.

“What kind of a….”

“What kind of a brother am I? The type that wants to see my sister happy with a good man,” Tom cut in, and Harry scowled.

“I was going to say what type of a friend are you.”

“I know that’s a lie. But I will tell you regardless. The type that wants to see my best friend happy with a good woman,” Tom said with a chuckle, and Harry shook his head.

“I hate you,” Harry muttered as he walked over to stand at the spot where he had stood with Jade in the early hours of the morning.

“We both know you don’t mean that. You are just embarrassed that I was right the whole time. Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s incest or anything since we both know she is not really your sister or….”

“Shut up!” Harry growled as he pushed Tom away, and Tom laughed as he placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“I feel so relieved that I’m able to laugh with you this way. I thought you were going to be weighed down by all of this,” Tom confessed, and Harry sighed as he turned to look at him.

“I would have been if my mother didn’t turn out to be someone like that. She is not worth it. Jeff called to tell me they had arrived. Have you spoken with Bryan yet? What happened?”

“I don’t even want to think about him right now. He’s getting on my nerves,” Tom hissed in annoyance. He had momentarily forgotten about that.

“Why did Lucy travel?” Harry asked curiously, and Tom told him all about Bryan and Sonia’s issue. At least the part of it he had heard from his father.

“As if that’s not enough, Lucas’ ex had Lucy’s mom arrested,” Tom said, and Harry shook his head.

“Why did she do that?” Harry asked and listened as Tom told him all about it.

“Your life is so full of drama,” Harry said, and Tom sighed.

“Tell me about it. I feel exhausted. I’m no longer looking forward to the anniversary as much as I was,” Tom confessed.

“Don’t worry. All of this will pass soon enough. I will clear Bryan with the board. How is Barry coming along with the plans?” Harry asked curiously.

“Everything is going smoothly. Did the guys find anything at the hospital? Or you haven’t put them up to it yet?” Tom asked, and Harry told him about the ‘accident’ at the hospital.

“Interesting. You don’t intend to go easy on her, I believe?”

“I won’t. Her attempts to cover up her crimes will be her undoing,” Harry said, and Tom nodded.

There was no need to tell Harry yet what his plan for her was. He would present it to Harry as a gift after she had completely fallen into his trap.

“Enough of the unpleasant topics. So tell me what led to the kiss. I’m surprised you summoned the courage to kiss her,” Tom said with a grin.

“Get lost.”

“I guess she kissed you. You’re too scared to make any move,” Tom taunted.

“You’d be surprised,” Harry said as he headed for the stairs.

“Really? Surprise me,” Tom urged, and Harry chuckled.

“She is your sister. I can’t give you the details,” Harry said as he kept walking.

“C’mon!”

“That’s what you get for wanting me to date your sister. It means I can’t tell you stuff like this. Do you still want me to?” Harry asked with a smirk.

“Are you both dating now?” Tom asked curiously.

“No. She’s on probation until the end of the anniversary week.”

“Probation?” Tom asked incredulously.

“Yes. I’m observing her. I need some time to decide if I want to get that deeply involved with your nosy family. Lucy isn’t even married to you yet, and she has been influenced already. I wonder what’s going to become of her when she officially becomes a Hank,” Harry said, and Tom smiled wryly.

“You don’t have to wonder too much. She doesn’t plan to become a Hank officially,” Tom said casually, and Harry stopped walking and turned to look at him.

“What do you mean?”

“She doesn’t want to get married.”

“But you want to get married. You’ve always wanted to,” Harry said with a slight frown.

“Yeah.”𝐎𝚟𝑙xt.𝗇𝓔t

“So, what do you plan to do?” Harry asked, and Tom shrugged.

“What can I do?”

“You’re going to give up on your plans?” Harry asked, and Tom sighed.

“I will have to do so if she doesn’t change her mind. You have to keep this to yourself. You’re the only one I’ve told about it,” Tom said, and Harry gave him a nod.

“Sure. Let’s talk about it some other time, and maybe we can find a way to change her mind. For now, let’s take them home. Jade would be waiting,” Harry suggested, and Tom nodded as they returned to join the others.