From His Wife to His Uncle's Wife novel Chapter 220

After dinner, Eleanor started to get up and head for the kitchen, but Max called out to her. “I’ll do the dishes. Go hang out with Jared for a bit.”

She looked at Jared, unsure how to start. He sat there, eyes a little red, doing his best not to look upset. Still, Eleanor could see he was imagining all kinds of terrible things, convinced she’d been forced into this marriage.

“Eleanor, did he make you do it? Just tell me the truth,” Jared said quietly.

She sighed, not sure how to explain. “No, of course not. Max is a good guy. He treats me really well. He didn’t force me into anything. Honestly, I was the one who brought up getting married.”

Jared stared at her, completely thrown. “You did?”

“Yes.”

“But he’s so old,” Jared blurted out.

Right then, Max walked back in and caught that last part. He wanted to march over and give Jared a piece of his mind, but he held back. This was his wife’s little brother, after all. Family.

Eleanor almost choked on her drink. “Don’t say that, Jared. He’s only six or seven years older than me.”

“That’s still old,” Jared insisted. “When you were eleven, he was eighteen. That’s a big gap.”

Now that he put it like that, it did sound a little awkward.

“Alright, enough with the numbers,” Eleanor interrupted before he could keep going. “Max is good to me. And another thing, please don’t tell Mom about my marriage. From now on, you don’t have to update her about anything in my life.”

The mood turned heavy. Jared’s shoulders slumped. “Okay, I get it.”

He paused, then glanced up at her with determination. “Eleanor, just wait one more year. Next year I’ll be an adult. If he ever treats you badly, I’ll stand up for you.”

She looked at him, both touched and amused by how stubborn he was. Smiling, she reached over and ruffled his hair. “Stop worrying about that. Everything’s fine.”

She made sure Jared was settled in for the night at her place. Then she went home with Max.

Max let out a low chuckle. “They wouldn’t dare. The principal handled it, and the Goff family knows better than to challenge him.”

Eleanor found herself curious about this principal. He must be a force to be reckoned with.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

The study was filled with warm, golden light that made Eleanor’s skin glow. Her pajama top had a wide neckline, and as she leaned in, the soft curve of her collarbone caught the light.

Max’s gaze dropped, his Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed. His eyes softened and turned gentle. “How are you going to thank me?”

Eleanor froze, caught off guard. She found herself staring at his face—strong jaw, striking features, that perfect nose. When he wasn’t smiling, he seemed intimidating, but now his eyes crinkled just a bit, a teasing light in them. His low, magnetic voice lingered in the air.

Without thinking, Eleanor leaned in and pressed a quick, feather-light kiss to his lips. She pulled away, heart racing.