“I will keep it a secret for as long as I can! Both the kids hate him and do not want to acknowledge him as their father.”
“I wouldn’t like him either if I was Hayden or Layla. He is extremely arrogant and self centered, so he doesn’t even know how to respect others,” Tammy said as she held Averie’s arm and led her out of the shop. “Let’s go eat something good! My treat!”
Averie frowned and asked, “Why isn’t Jun here with you today? Shouldn’t he be here with you today?”
“He is slowly taking over the family business. He started this year, so there is a lot to handle. If I want to go for a honeymoon in May, then I will need to give him time to sort things out now.” Tammy sighed and continued, “I’m not exaggerating when I say that I spend more time with you than with him lately.”
“Do you two plan on having kids? You need to start taking folic acid if you are preparing to get pregnant,” Averie reminded Tammy.
Tammy shook her head with a troubled expression. “You know that I’m really scared of pain. I don’t dare give birth, so we won’t try for now. Don’t tell anyone else… His parents and mine all want me to have kids!”
Averie was slightly surprised. “I thought you like kids!”
“I do! I love your kids, but liking kids and giving birth to kids are two different things.” Tammy struggled and said, “I am waiting for technology to catch up. One day, when men can pregnant as well, I will be the first to make Jun give birth.”
Averie burst into laughter at her words.
“Get your bodyguard to take the kids here once they are done with school. We will have dinner together. It will be an early birthday celebration! Let us first go back to my place so that I can get the gifts,” Tammy said. “I won’t call Jun along tonight, alright?”
Averie nodded with a smile. “Thank you, God-mother.”
“Just doing what I should do! This is one of the many reasons why I hate Elyette. Those kids are so adorable and because of a dirtbag like him, they don’t get to have a complete family like other kids.”
The smile faded from Averie’s face.
“No offense, Averie. I’m not saying that the kids are not happy under your care. I just think that they could have been even happier with both parents.” “None taken. You are right.”
Averie had always felt guilty and had never stopped thinking about whether it was the right decision to stubbornly insist on giving birth to the children. If her children could choose, would they have chosen to be born?
At six in the evening, the bodyguard brought the two children to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city.
Tammy and Averie were seated next to the window. They had a good view.
“Mom!” Layla ran toward Averie while holding her brother’s hand.
Averie lifted them up and sat them down on the couch. “Did you have fun in kindergarten today?”
Layla shook her head. “Mom, the teacher says we need to poke our fingers next week… I’m scared…”
“It’s a blood test. They are going to check our blood sugar levels,” said Hayden.
Realizing what her daughter meant, Averie immediately comforted her and said, “Don’t be scared, baby. It will just be a pinch.”
Layla’s attention was instantly drawn toward the cake on the table.
“Mom, whose birthday is it today, Aunt Tammy?”
Tammy shook her head with a smile. “We are having an early celebration for you and your brother’s birthday! Surprised?” She then took out two beautifully wrapped gifts and handed them to the children.
“I am!” Layla accepted the gift excitedly and said, “Thank you, Aunt Tammy! I love you so much!”
“I love you too!” Tammy patted Layla on the head.
Averie signaled Hayden to accept the gift, so he did with a blush on his face and said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome! Open them up! I’ll get it changed if you don’t like it!” Tammy told them how to open the box. “Just pull the ribbon, and it will pop open.”
Soon, the children had unwrapped their gifts. Tammy had gotten Layla a beautiful delicate doll that was made in Layla’s image.
“Wow, I like it so much! Isn’t this me?” Layla lifted the model up and planted a kiss on it.
Hayden’s gift was the same as Layla’s. He looked at the handsome doll; he could not say he liked it, but he did not hate it.
The waiter came with the food, and once everything was out of the kitchen, Averie put on birthday hats for the children.
“Let’s just have a simple celebration this year. I will arrange a birthday party for you in the future when I have the chance,” Averie promised.
“Mom, as long as you are with us, we don’t care if there’s a party!” Layla said sweetly. “It’s a shame that Grandma isn’t around anymore. She said that she was going to make Hayden and I a chocolate cake before she passed away.”
The smile on Averie’s face froze.
Tammy immediately changed the subject. “Do you want some cake, Layla? Let’s cut it!”
“We need to make a wish first, Aunt Tammy.” Layla picked up the candles and said, “We need to put the candles on and sing a birthday song!”
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the restaurant, a tall figure stood still.
The man’s dark, brooding eyes locked onto Averie’s familiar face, before moving to look at Hayden and Layla.
Elyette saw the birthday hats on their heads and thought to himself, “Today’s their birthday?”
“Mr. Foster, this way,” the person behind him said respectfully.
Elyette ignored him and walked directly toward Averie. Confused, the others could only follow him without knowing what was happening.
When Elyette appeared by the table, Averie was about to take a bite of the cake and she almost snapped the plastic fork in half at the sight of him. What were the odds that she would run into him in the rare chance that she dined out?
Tammy frowned. “What a coincidence, Mr. Foster. Do you have a meeting here?”
She waved at the group behind Elyette sarcastically, and the others gave her smiles that were both polite and careful at the same time.
Elyette glanced at the cake on the table and looked at the two children. “It’s your birthday?” His voice was low, powerful, and confused.
He remembered that Hayden’s birthday was on the 13th of April, not today.
Averie’s blood ran cold at that very instant. She had not wanted to celebrate their birthday because she feared that he would get suspicious. Yet, he had still caught them celebrating in secret.
Elyette studied the panicked and anxious expression on Averie’s face thoughtfully.
“So Hayden’s birthday isn’t on the 13th of April, but today? And so is Layla’s birthday? Do these two kids share the same birthday? Could it be-”
“Do you have a lot of free time on your hands? Why do you care whose birthday it is today? Besides, who says that we can only eat cake on someone’s birthday?” Tammy snatched the birthday hats from Layla’s and Hayden’s heads and put them on Averie and herself. “Today is the anniversary of my friendship with Averie, so we came out to celebrate. Do you have a problem with it?!”
Her panicked expression disappeared in an instant at Tammy’s words.
Elyette lowered his gaze to look at Averie and said sarcastically, “Longing to get married, Averie?
Startled by the question, she looked up to meet his eyes. Before she could say anything, Tammy seized the chance and said, “Can’t you just mind your own business, Elyette Foster? Whether Averie wants to get married or not has nothing to do with you. Even if she does want to get married, she won’t marry you! Just give up!” Tammy’s words stung Elyette’s heart and his eyes turned vicious. “Tammy Lynch, I wasn’t talking to you. Mind your tongue!”
Unable to stay out of it, Averie intervened. “Tammy only said what I meant to say. You don’t have to yell in public, it’s very unbecoming of you!”
She emphasized the word ‘public’ and Elyette instantly snapped out of his rage.
He clenched his fists with a cold expression and turned around to leave.
After he had left, Tammy sighed a breath of relief and said, “That was so scary! It’s the first time he’s been that vicious toward me!”
“Don’t stand up for me next time, or Jun is going to have a hard time. He will be caught between the two of you.”
Tammy pouted and said, “Don’t you think that he is acting odd? You two have divorced, so why does he keep bothering you? He even asked if you want to get married… Is he going to marry you if you say yes?”
Troubled, Averie simply said, “Let’s not talk about him. Next time we go out, we’ll just avoid the places where rich people frequent.”
“Hey, it’s not like we are doing something wrong! Why should we be the ones to avoid him? I’ m not scared of him!”
Averie took a deep breath.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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