Many children bring happiness, a shameless start

"Ding dong~"

Lip rang Karen's doorbell.

"It's Lip! Come in quickly," said Mrs. Sheila, opening the door with her usual warm smile.

"No need to take off shoes or bag?"

"No, thanks! I've conquered my demons."

"Congratulations."

"Karen's upstairs. Go find her yourself."

"Okay."

Lip headed upstairs with ease and gently opened Karen's door.

Suddenly, a doll flew straight at him.

Lip reacted quickly, dodging it and catching it mid-air.

Karen, sitting on her bed, pouted and turned away, looking unhappy.

"Huh~" Karen shot him a glare before turning her back on him entirely.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

Lip smiled cheekily, handed the doll back to Karen, and sat beside her.

"Hmph~"

Karen refused to answer, sulking.

Lip was puzzled, unable to figure out what was wrong.

"Lip, you've been gone for six hours and didn't even call me. You don't love me at all!"

Finally, Lip understood the problem.

Without a word, he hugged Karen and planted a kiss on her lips.

In no time, her sulkiness melted away, replaced with a twinkle in her eyes.

So, Lip thought, reasoning doesn't work with women—kiss them until they're weak or love them until they gasp. Simple and effective.

"Fool, I've been busy cleaning and fixing up our future nest. Look!" Lip showed Karen pictures on his phone.

Karen's eyes lit up at the sight of a cozy, tidy, romantic room. The photos revealed thoughtful details: a beautiful glass vase, her favorite vinyl record player, and more.

"Lip, I was wrong," Karen murmured, hugging him tightly.

"Silly girl," Lip said, gently stroking her back.

"Hehe, you know I love you. And I have a surprise for you!"

Lip's heart raced. Karen's sudden shift in mood caught him off guard.

She pulled out two packages from under her pillow.

"Ta-da!"

"What's this?"

"Hehe, look closer!" Karen grinned mischievously, flipping the thin, transparent plastic bags to reveal their contents.

Lip's heartbeat quickened as he realized what they were—stockings, one black, one white.

"Master, do you want black tonight? Or white?"

"Only children make choices. Adults want both!"

"Master's so greedy! I like it!"

"Where's that stylish lingerie set you wore yesterday?"

"Master, you like it? I'll wear it later too."

Seeing Karen's teasing look, Lip knew it was going to be another distracting night.

"Get up, silly. We need to head back," Lip said, patting her gently.

"Heehee, carry me!"

"Alright."

Though Karen looked curvy and voluptuous, she wasn't heavy, and Lip had no trouble carrying her.

She wore a white fur coat that made her look especially cute.

As they left the room, they ran into Eddie coming upstairs.

"Karen, did you twist your ankle?" Eddie asked, glancing at her feet.

"No, Daddy! I just wanted Lip to carry me."

"Well, you young folks have all sorts of tricks," Eddie remarked.

Lip rolled his eyes.

"Daddy, can I stay out tonight?" Karen asked sweetly.

"Karen, if Lip's bed is big enough, you don't have to come home," Eddie replied with a wink.

Lip stared at him in disbelief. Was this the same uptight Eddie he knew? How had he become so laid-back overnight?

"Thanks, Daddy! I won't be back tonight."

Eddie winked again, and Lip realized the older man just wanted the house to himself and Mrs. Sheila for some privacy.

Carrying Karen downstairs, Lip said goodbye to Mrs. Sheila, and they stepped outside.

Once on the street, Karen got down, embarrassed to be carried any further.

They walked hand-in-hand toward the Gallagher house.

The snowy Chicago streets were busy, and steam rose visibly from bundled-up pedestrians, like moving chimneys.

Inside the Gallagher house, the warmth was stifling. Fiona and Veronica, busy with chores, had taken off their coats, leaving them in tank tops.

"Hey, Carl, stop staring at Veronica!" Fiona teased, noticing Carl's gaze.

"Veronica's so hot, it's hard to look away!" Carl said, shrugging.

Veronica and Fiona exchanged glances before Veronica walked over to Carl, grinning, and pushed her chest together playfully. "Come here, little man. Take a good look!"

"Ugh! Gangster!" Carl blushed and bolted upstairs.

"Hahaha!" Fiona and Veronica burst into laughter.

The back door squeaked open.

"Hi, everyone! This is Karen, my girlfriend!" Lip announced, walking in hand-in-hand with Karen.

"This is Fiona, the best big sister in the world," Lip introduced. "And this is Veronica, our amazing neighbor and Fiona's best friend."

"Hi!" Karen greeted with a warm smile.

"Welcome, Karen!" Fiona responded, smiling back. "How'd you fall for this little brat?"

"He's a bit of a mess," Karen admitted, "but he's so charming." She looked at Lip lovingly.

Lip raised his eyebrows smugly and kissed her. "My irresistible charm."

"Sure, kid," Veronica teased. "Karen, you've got great taste—your top is stunning!"

"Thanks!" Karen laughed.

"Dinner's going to take a while. You two can hang out upstairs in the meantime," Fiona said.

"Okay."

Laughing, Lip led Karen upstairs.