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

peeved by his devil-may-care attitude

sweet nothings are you two whispering?

and I did act like quite a couple

more eating,” Grandfather said. “Everyone dig

Uncle Frank was right about—it was in fact a tradition in this household for the men to drink and make toasts during a family

person. Back in the day, when his health was better, he used

on the other hand, was a social drinker and only imbibed

a heart bypass surgery some time ago, the doctor had told him to cut back on liquor, much to his

how the tradition was born—Grandfather was allowed to indulge in his drinks during special occasions where our family gathered

me frown in concern. It’s true that it’s a special occasion, and he could cut

Drink something non-alcoholic, okay?” I passed him a glass of juice and raised my own by way

delight. “Thanks, Lili. Okay, okay. I promise I’ll stop after your boyfriend over there

if

with alcohol. He was hospitalized

to cut Dominic some slack, but I forgot that in the eyes of someone like my grandfather, who used to guzzle booze as freely as he breathed, being “not good with alcohol” was effectively a demonstration of one’s

something else to pick on the latter—more specifically,

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

at me with a

the realization that it was an innuendo dawned. I turned away, cheeks burning. He’d better not put

drinking as a sign of how much I cared about him. Aunt Vivienne, in particular, joked that I was

laughed good-naturedly while

lasted for the rest of

room, but not before telling Dominic very sternly