Lifting her eyes, Melissa took in the sight of him dusty, disheveled, but unmistakably content in his labors of love.

Caught off guard, Melissa paused before responding, “I'll just order them on Amazon. They'll turn out better than anything we could make."

Yet Marcus was nonchalant, gently pressing, “Matthew mentioned he'd like them more if you made them."

With a resigned nod, Melissa agreed.

At that moment, Minnie, full of energy, bounded into the room and leaped into Melissa's arms, sniffing curiously at the financial report she set aside. Melissa quickly put that away to save it from the puppy's playful gnaws.

She petted the puppy with a smile and teased Marcus, "Seems Like you're treating Minnie as if she were your little girl."

Marcus, with a hint of something deeper in his gaze, threw out a playful challenge. "What do you think about adding another kid to the mix?"

Melissa remained silent at the suggestion. Marcus, sensing the weight of the moment, smoothly shifted gears. "I'm taking Matthew to the Civil Office tomorrow to change his name and address."

The words hung in the air;

Matthew was to take Marcus’ last name instead of her own.

Looking into her eyes, Marcus spoke earnestly. “You know, we could just get married. I'm not looking for a stepmom for Matthew."

Before Melissa could reply, her phone disrupted the moment.

Jessie's name flashed on the screen.

She didn't take the call but instead look up at Marcus.

“What, is that a call from your lover? Need me to step out for a moment?"

Marcus' teasing was met with an eye roll from Melissa as she picked up the call. Jessie's voice, strained with emotion, resonated from the other end. "Melissa, how can you do this to me? My engagement is tomorrow. Tell me you'll be at my bachelorette party tonight, please.

I need clarity."

Melissa suddenly remembered the significance of the date-

Valentine's Day was also the day of Jessie's engagement.

Sensing Jessie's disheartened mood, Melissa asked with genuine concern, “Hey, are you by yourself right now?"