The Cherished Wife by Chweety

Charles and Noelle had not expected Henry and Nancy to still be up. "Uncle Henry, Aunt Nancy, why are you still up?" Charles asked, surprised.

Henry grinned at them, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Back so late? Looks like someone had a date night."

Noelle let out an awkward laugh and quickly fetched slippers for Charles, then knelt to slip off her shoes.

Charles shot Noelle a look and said while changing his footwear, "We were just giving you lovebirds some alone time. I bet you wouldn't get a moment's peace at the Hoffman family's old house, right?"

Henry chuckled. "Look at you, acting like it's all for our sake." He was clearly delighted with Charles's consideration. "So, Noelle, did you have fun today?"

"Yes! I'm so happy," Noelle said with a bright smile as she slipped on her shoes and headed over first. "Charles mentioned that today's your anniversary. You guys must've had fun too." She dug through her bag for a moment before pulling out a small box. "Oh, here's a little something Charles and I picked out for you while we were out today. It's nothing fancy, but we hope you'll like it."

Show me!" Nancy could not hide her excitement, knowing it was from Noelle and Charles. She eagerly grabbed the box from Noelle's hands and gasped-it was a guardian

you safe," Noelle explained as she cozied up next to Nancy. "I mean, it's all for a bit of comfort, but I say it's

appreciated not just the charm but also the thoughtfulness behind it. "I

beside Henry. The uncle and nephew seemed to have their own world of topics to explore. Meanwhile, Noelle popped into the kitchen to whip

years, and this year's no different. I'll skip out on the fanfare this time

a steaming cup of coffee. His face lit

head.

still part

Nancy isn't feeling so great, and with the crowd there, I'm worried it might be too

Nancy chimed in,