Chapter 42
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket Who Favors Outsiders
Although Sheriff George's action was not intentional, but purely a coincidence.
But unintentionally, it gave Peter, who was already feeling guilty, a real fright.
Fearing that Riley might do something wrong and upset George, he quickly reached out to help Officer George up, frantically trying to explain.
"Hey, hey, hey? Are you alright, Uncle George? I'm so sorry... but I assure you, Riley absolutely didn't mean it...!"
"Relax, kid, of course I know that, I was just joking... I'm so happy to see Simon so happy, why would I blame Riley?"
Before Peter could finish speaking, Sheriff George patted Peter's hand with a smile, interrupting him and indicating that he was alright.
Then, looking at Simon, who was full of the energy and mischief that a child of this age should have, he turned his head a few times and looked at Howard, who was not far away, immersed in the ocean of science and enthusiastically tinkering with the little gadgets that Peter had made.
As Sheriff George continued speaking at a leisurely pace, his gaze softened considerably, making him appear like an ordinary old father.
"You know, because of work, sometimes I can't go home for days on end. Over the years, those two brats not only became afraid of their father, but they also looked at me more and more like I was a stranger who had suddenly barged into their home. That's what truly broke my heart..."
"But ever since you and Riley started coming to our house more often to play with these two little rascals, their personalities have become noticeably more outgoing. They've even mustered the courage to come and talk to me more often..."
"So, I've always wanted to tell you two brothers that I'm really grateful to you."
Speaking slowly and deliberately, Officer George, who was usually impartial and incorruptible, earnestly and proactively expressed his gratitude to the Parker brothers, who were much younger than him.
This, ironically, made the guilty Peter sweat profusely and unable to meet his father's gaze.
You can't exactly tell Sheriff George, "You don't actually need to say thank you, because your daughter is already with me as a thank you gift," can you?
"Oh my, I never expected our Chief to say such cheesy things! I'm actually a little envious of Simon and the others. If I had met Peter and Riley earlier, I wouldn't have had to wait until I grew up to understand your predicament, Dad~"
Fortunately, Gwen had been quietly observing Peter's every move.
Therefore, seeing Peter in such a predicament, he was always at risk of arousing his father's suspicion.
Gwen then took three steps at a time and deliberately sat down next to her father, taking his arm. While doing this to attract Officer George's attention, she jokingly probed her father's intentions from the side.
"Speaking of which... Dad, what do you think would happen if Peter and Riley really became part of our family? Like... as our older brothers?"
As soon as Gwen finished speaking, Peter, trying to hide his embarrassment, almost spat out the Coke he had just taken a sip of.
Then her heart began to race, and she was so nervous she dared not breathe. She tried to remain calm, avoiding looking at the father and daughter to prevent giving herself away. Meanwhile, she anxiously awaited Sheriff George's answer.
Even Riley, who was playing around with Simon, couldn't help but slow down his offensive pace and pretend to be playing a serious game. He was multitasking, secretly pricking up his ears, and becoming a spectator watching the show from the front row.
"Let them both become part of our family? I'd be laughing in my sleep! Seriously, Peter and Riley, you two are more like part of this family than those hypocritical relatives who just want to profit from me and fawn over me."
Fortunately, Sheriff George, who was kept in the dark, was completely unaware of the deeper meaning in his daughter's words.
Recalling his interactions with the Parker brothers, who were the epitome of well-behaved and sensible "other people's children," Sheriff George was extremely pleased. Without even thinking, he gave an affirmative answer.
It wasn't until there was a brief pause in their conversation, and Officer George noticed the excitement and satisfaction in Gwen's eyes, and vaguely sensed that something was amiss, that he reached out and ruffled Gwen's hair, asking her curiously.
"But why are you suddenly asking this? Do you want me to adopt the Parker brothers? That's impossible! If I did, your Uncle Ben would probably come storming over here and fighting me to the death, hahaha!"
Fortunately, Gwen, familiar with her father's personality, quickly adjusted her mindset. Pretending nothing was wrong, she playfully stuck out her tongue and replied seriously, "I was just asking. It's your fault for always saying that my two younger brothers aren't as sensible as them and should take them as role models to learn from."
Meanwhile, although Peter knew that Sheriff George's words didn't mean he approved of their relationship, his mind went blank, and he felt his face burning. Before Officer George could turn around, he quickly looked down at the magazine in his hand, pretending to be engrossed in reading the articles.
But they didn't notice at all that the magazine Peter had grabbed in his haste was upside down, completely reversed.
A quick glance reveals that Peter at this moment is somewhat like someone trying to hide something.
"Let Riley and Peter be our family? Then Riley can play games with me every day! That's awesome! Daddy, let's go and beg Uncle Ben to let Riley come live with us, okay?"
Fortunately, at this critical moment...
Simon, who had just finished a game and narrowly lost again due to Riley's skillful point control, became extremely excited after overhearing the conversation between his sister and father.
He threw down the controller, scurried over to Sheriff George, and shook it vigorously, successfully diverting George's attention.
"Hey! What kind of talk is that!"
Seeing this, Gwen, who had been racking her brains trying to figure out how to smooth things over for Peter, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she reached out and poked her younger brother's head, pretending to be angry, while making a serious joke.
"And what about me? Haven't I, as your older sister, been good enough to you?"
"Of course, I love you, sister! So after Riley and the others move in, you can sit next to us and be a referee!"
But this kind of question obviously can't stump our "witty and clever" little Simon.
Almost the instant Gwen finished speaking, Simon put his hands on his hips and responded confidently, which made everyone burst into laughter.
For a moment, Gwen was both amused and exasperated.
After exchanging a glance with his father, he saw a look of understanding in his eyes, a look of shared misfortune.
Sigh, these two little ones are no longer suitable...
Now that you have an older brother, you've forgotten about your older sister and father!