The Billionaire And His Son Want Me Back by Juliette Vaughan

Chapter 43

Paisley glanced up at Grayson, who was standing not far away, staring blankly at a tree. She then turned to Serena and asked, "Aren't you playing with Grayson? What are you doing over here with me?" Serena pursed her lips awkwardly before replying, "I was not playing with him."

Paisley nodded, thinking, 'Oh, geez. Both of them are so stubborn.'

Serena fidgeted awkwardly for a moment before grabbing Paisley's hand and pulling her toward Grayson. They stopped in front of a tree, and Serena said, "Mom, come help us check this out."

Paisley saw that the tree wasn't particularly tall, and its leaves were still green. Hanging from its branches were long, pod-like fruits.

Serena pointed at the pods and said, "Mom, Grayson said these are green beans. Can we pick some and take them home to eat?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she stared at the pods, already imagining them as part of Maria's green bean salad, her favorite dish.

Paisley looked at the tree and couldn't help but chuckle, "Nope, these aren't green beans."

"They're not?" Serena's disappointment was obvious.

Meanwhile, Grayson scratched his head, looking puzzled. He'd eaten green beans before, and these looked pretty similar to him.

Paisley crouched down and patiently explained to the kids, "This is a Catalpa tree. Those long pods are its fruit, and they're actually used in medicine."

of medicine made Serena scrunch up her face

the other hand, looked intrigued. "What

his interest but continued, "Catalpa trees usually flower in May or June and bear fruit

even stop itching. The bark also has medicinal value. It's

plain-looking tree to

those little fruits?"

glanced at the plant Serena had called "little fruits" and chuckled. "You can eat them, but they're

exclaimed, taking a step

further, "That's nightshade. It's another medicinal plant that helps with bruises, swelling, and detoxifying the body. But kids should never pick or

letting out a breath of

longer skeptical. Instead, it carried a note of surprise and even excitement. Serena stuck out her lower lip proudly and said, "My mom knows everything. She's practically a walking encyclopedia." The way she beamed with pride made Grayson stay quiet, unsure how to respond. Checking the time, Paisley remembered Emery mentioning that Teddy would be dropping something off soon. Paisley said, "It's getting late. Let's head back." Turning to Grayson, she added, "Your dad should be here any minute to

saying a word. Then, he quietly followed Paisley

*****

strolled, Serena pointed to a tree and asked, "Mom, what's that

an elm,"