Love the Second Time Around Novel

Chapter 144 Always Thinking of Him

I gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Uncle Frank. Dominic won’t be drinking. I’ll get him some juice later.”

The last time, he had drunk himself into a stupor and ended up in a hospital. I would really rather not have him repeat that experience again.

Uncle Frank frowned. “I don’t blame you for not knowing your liquor, Lili, but this whiskey here is the good stuff. I specially bought it for this occasion. And you know it’s a family tradition for us men to toast each other at the family gathering.”

I tried to let Uncle Frank down easy. “I’m so sorry, but he really—”

Grandfather harrumphed loudly. “Lili, don’t coddle him. If he wants to drink, drink. If he doesn’t want to, he should say it himself rather than hiding behind his girlfriend.”

“Grandpa…” I pouted.

Dominic’s hand covered mine, taking it off the glass. “I’m fine.” He gave me a reassuring squeeze before addressing Uncle Frank. “I’ll have a glass, thank you.”

“Now we’re talking.” Pleased, the latter filled more than half the glass. “There you go.”

When Uncle Frank moved on to his next target, I elbowed Dominic in his ribs. “Did you forget about what happened the last time?” I hissed in annoyance. “We’re in the countryside. It’s a long way to a hospital if you get alcohol poisoning again.”

Although we did have the local doctor, a proper hospital would be quite out of the way.

Dominic’s expression was calm. “I know what I’m doing.”

As if! Internally, I was throwing my hands up in chagrin. If that were true, you wouldn’t have been hospitalized in the first place, nor would Benjamin and Yvonne tell me you’d nearly drunk yourself into an early grave.

Unable to resist, I pinched his leg under the table. “Just this one glass, okay?” I said warningly. “No seconds.”

“Are you

if I am?” I glared at him, peeved by his devil-may-care attitude

us teasingly. “What sweet nothings are you two whispering? Keep your pillow

retrospect, Dominic and I did act like quite a couple just

enough talking, more eating,” Grandfather

was one thing Uncle Frank was right about—it was in fact a

in the day, when his health was better, he used

other hand, was a social drinker and only imbibed alcohol when Grandfather was

the doctor had told him to cut back on liquor,

during

me frown in concern. It’s true that it’s a special occasion, and he could cut loose a little… But he has already downed

you’ve had enough for today! Drink something non-alcoholic, okay?” I passed him a glass of juice and raised my own by way of toasting.

laughed in delight. “Thanks, Lili. Okay, okay. I promise I’ll stop after your boyfriend over there downed a drink with

at Dominic as if daring

I said pleadingly. “Dominic’s not good with alcohol. He

the eyes of someone like my grandfather, who used to guzzle booze as freely as he breathed, being “not

Dominic to drink, he had instead found something else to pick on the latter—more specifically, that he had too weak a stomach and ought to exercise more

amicably in response to Grandfather’s chiding before promising that he would exercise to be stronger so he could “take better care

at me with a

I turned away, cheeks burning. He’d better not put in any more hours in the gym! If his

attempt to stop Dominic from drinking as a sign of how much I cared about him. Aunt Vivienne, in particular, joked that I was always thinking

good-naturedly

for the

Dominic very sternly that