The Cherished Wife by Chweety

Caught in an awkward spot, Noelle reached out and shook Charles's hand slightly. "Hey... Charles, weren't you going to show me how to ride a horse?"

Her words sliced through the weird silence like a sword, and Charles let out a light laugh, nodding. He playfully tousled Noelle's hair. "Sure thing. Let's get you into some riding gear, then we'll go find you a horse."

With that, Charles and Noelle headed off, leaving Sean staring after them, a storm brewing inside him. After a while, he finally let out a gruff, "Sorry!"

Peter narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, and his hand fished in his pocket before pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Sean, who just shook his head. "I quit!" Peter might not have known that Sean had kicked the habit years ago, though sometimes he would still hold onto a cigarette for old times' sake.

Catching the cue, Peter pocketed the cigarettes again and twirled one between his fingers. His gaze drifted off into the distance. "I'm in the wrong, too. It's not just you."

With a shared look and a chuckle, they reached a silent truce. "Let's go give Charles a run for his money. It's just us single men here. No way we're letting him have all the fun."

Sean's eyebrow quirked up in agreement. "Now you're talking!"

Noelle cast a worried glance over her shoulder. "They're not going to throw punches, are they?" The tension had been thick just moments ago, and Noelle was seriously scared that the trio might come to blows. That was why she had piped up to shatter the uneasy quiet. Charles had just grabbed her hand and pulled her away, leaving Noelle fretting that Peter and Sean might still clash if things went south.

on him. He did not care about them fighting each other. Out loud, though, he played

Peter's not going to

Sean."

could tell each of the men had a powerful presence. They might have come to blows if she had not

Noelle had every reason to be concerned. It had happened before, but Charles was not about to spill that to freak her out.

"Can I ask you something?" She bit her

gave a

ended up being raised by this

ve

out the

up.

resemblance to my second aunt, which made people look into it. She has a long history with

after they got married, and she has been

sensed how much