One Wild Night

Chapter 971  That’s Insane

As Tom walked up to the front door, he could hear chatter and laughter from inside. It made him smile, and he imagined the aftermath of the girls\' night in. He reached the door and rang the doorbell.

Andy opened the door, her hair still in disarray from sleep, her face free of any makeup. She blinked in surprise, taking in Tom\'s presence on her doorstep.

"Tom?" she exclaimed, her voice still thick with sleep. "You\'re here so early!"

Tom grinned, leaning casually against the doorframe. "It was a girls\' night out, right? Well, it\'s morning now, so it\'s my turn to be with my Jewel before she heads off to the bridal shower again."

Andy chuckled, opening the door wider to let him in. "Come on in. The others are still lazing about in the living room."

"Ladies, Tom is coming in," Andy announced as she shut the door behind her.

As Tom stepped into the house, he was greeted by a chorus of surprised exclamations and giggles. The ladies were sprawled across the living room, some still in their pajamas, others wrapped in blankets. They had clearly been caught off guard by his early arrival.

"Tom!" Sonia called out, her eyes bright with amusement. "You\'re up early. Couldn\'t stay away from Lucy, huh?"

Tom chuckled, shaking his head. "What can I say? I missed her."

The room erupted in a mixture of laughter and playful "awws" at his comment. Lucy, who had been sitting on the couch with Sonia, looked up with a sheepish smile. She seemed both surprised and pleased to see him.

"I told you he\'d show up," Sonia teased, nudging Lucy with her elbow.

"Well, you know him," Lucy said with a grin, standing up to meet him.

Tom wrapped an arm around Lucy\'s waist, pulling her close. He leaned in to kiss her cheek but paused when he noticed the mischievous glances the women were exchanging.

"What\'s going on?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Jade couldn\'t contain her grin as she chimed in, "We saw your \'Thomasina\' look last night. You looked really pretty."

Tom blinked in confusion, glancing at Lucy, who was now blushing. "Thomasina?" he echoed, trying to make sense of what they were talking about.

Lucy bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "I may have... shared your little fashion moment from yesterday with the girls."

Realization dawned on Tom, and he couldn\'t help but laugh. "You showed them those pictures?"

"How could I not?" Lucy replied with a giggle. "You looked too adorable not to share."

The room filled with more laughter, and Tom shook his head in mock disbelief. "I should\'ve known better than to let you take those pictures."

"Too late now," Candace quipped, winking at him. "They\'re out there, and we loved it."

Tom chuckled and pulled Lucy closer. "Alright, alright. You\'ve all had your fun. Now, can I steal her away before she has to head off again?"

"Fine, fine," Andy teased, waving them off. "But only because we know she\'ll be back later."

"Tom, I think you should hold a masterclass on how to be romantic. I\'ll make sure Phil signs up," Aurora said with a grin.

"Thanks. I\'ll keep that in mind," Tom said with a chuckle.

"Amy, are you ready to leave?" Lucy asked, and Amy, who had been busy gathering her things, hurried over to join them.

"Yes, I am. I hope you don\'t mind that I\'m joining you. I can take a cab if it inconveniences you," Amy said to Tom, and he waved it off.

"Let\'s go," Tom said, holding the door open for Lucy and Amy.

As they stepped outside, the morning sun greeted them. Just as they were getting into the car, they saw Bryan\'s car approaching. He slowed down, rolling down the window as he pulled up beside them.

"Good morning, Tom!" Bryan called out, giving Tom a nod. "I\'m here to pick up my babies. Didn\'t expect to see you here this early."

Tom grinned. "Well, I couldn\'t wait any longer. Besides, it\'s good to be early sometimes."

Bryan chuckled. "True enough. Hello, Lucy! Hey, Amy! You all have a good day."

"Catch you later," Tom replied as he got into the car with Lucy and Amy.

As they drove off, the conversation was light. Lucy and Amy talked about their night and their plans for the day. Tom listened, nodding along, but his mind was preoccupied. He kept stealing glances at Lucy, thinking about the conversation they needed to have.

After Amy was dropped off at her destination, the car was quiet. There were just the two of them now. Lucy seemed to sense the shift in his mood and turned to look at him, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah," he said without glancing at her. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Are you sure? Are you upset that I showed them your picture? If that\'s it, I\'m sorry…"

"That\'s not it. I don\'t mind them seeing that. They\'re all close friends, and I could have pulled that up in front of them. But wait, you didn\'t send the picture to them, right?" He asked, and she grinned.

"Nah. I didn\'t. So, if that\'s it, what\'s on your mind?" she asked gently.

Tom sighed, "I... I spoke with Kimberly last night. I called her after you left."

Lucy\'s expression shifted, her curiosity deepening. "You did? Did you tell her we are coming over. What did she say?"

Tom\'s jaw clenched as he recalled the conversation. "She said she doesn\'t want us to come over. She\'d rather the Hanks stay away from Dawn. According to her, Dawn is no longer a Hank because her husband has officially adopted her. So, she doesn\'t want us anywhere near her daughter."

Lucy sat up straighter, her brows furrowing in concern. "What? Why would she say or do that? But... did she even inform your parents before doing that?"

Tom shook his head. "No. She said she had no reason to inform them. She\'s Dawn\'s biological mother, and it\'s up to her to decide whether she wants her daughter to be part of the Hanks or not."

"But is that right? Shouldn\'t her paternal side of the family have a say?" Lucy asked with a deep frown.

"Well, if you think about it, we sort of rejected the kid. We said we didn\'t want her with us. So, I guess we can\'t exactly blame her. She also said we shouldn\'t think of contesting the adoption because she has the recording of my father asking them to come get Dawn or he\'ll put her on the plane. She also threatened to get a restraining order," Tom explained.

Lucy let out a resigned sigh, leaning back against the seat. "I guess that\'s it, then. We can\'t see Dawn anymore." She paused, her voice softening. "But I\'m glad Jamal can still talk to her and let us know how she\'s doing."

Tom nodded, but Lucy\'s phone buzzed with a notification before he could respond. She glanced at it, her eyes narrowing as she read the message.

"What\'s up?" Tom asked, noticing her frown.

"It\'s from Andy," Lucy said, her voice tinged with disbelief. "She just sent me a screenshot of a text Kimberly sent her. Kimberly is blocking Andy and Jamal from reaching Dawn because she wants Dawn to forget the past and focus on her present. She says Dawn needs to develop new friends around her instead of being fixated on an online friend. Can you believe this?"

Tom frowned, "That\'s... that\'s insane."

Lucy nodded, her expression mirroring his frustration. "She\'s crazy. What is she thinking? This doesn\'t feel right," Lucy said with a frown.

Tom shook his head, his voice quiet but firm. "It doesn\'t sit right with me either, but what can we do? Kimberly\'s made her decision."

They drove in silence for a while; both lost in thought, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. Tom reached over, taking Lucy\'s hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Try not to worry too much. I\'ll discuss it with my parents and siblings, and we\'ll figure out what to do," he said softly.

Lucy turned to him, her eyes filled with worry. "I\'m just worried about Dawn and Jamal. I can\'t imagine how Jamal is going to feel about this," she whispered.

Tom nodded, his heart heavy with the same concern. "It\'s going to be tough. But let\'s hope he\'ll adjust."

Lucy sighed deeply. "I hope so."

She couldn\'t shake off the feeling that there was more to this than met the eyes, but then again, there was little or nothing that she could do. Kimberly was Dawn\'s mother, and if she said she didn\'t want them around Dawn, then they were going to have to respect her wish.