“If you are really pregnant, you have to bring the baby into the world,” Waylen whispers in a low, hoarse voice.
Stunned by the emotion in his words, Leilani looks up and meets his eyes. His expression is complicated and pleading, and Leilani feels her heart lurch painfully in her chest. Her expression frightens him, and his face hardens slightly. He worries she wants to escape from him, and give up the baby.
“Do you hear me?” Waylen whispers, “This is our child. You can’t do anything to hurt him, you can’t give up on him.”
He holds her hands tightly in his. Leilani takes her hands back and shakes her head, frightened by his intensity.
“I’m not really pregnant,” she whispers sadly.
She wonders why he’s so willing to believe in the pregnancy. In the last few weeks, she’s used all sorts of tricks to get her way and escape from danger; she doesn’t understand why Waylen refuses to recognize this trick for what it really is. Before she can say anything else, the servant emerges from the bathroom and wordlessly passes Waylen the test.
Waylen looks at the stIck with hope, but his face instantly registers disappointment. Leilani frowns and stares at him.
“What does the test report say?” she asks.
“You’re not pregnant,” Waylen says flatly.
Leilani lets out the breath she was holding.
“I should feel relieved,” she thinks, “But instead I feel a strange ache in my heart.”
“Well, these tests can be inaccurate,” Waylen said, “We’ll have a blood test done at the hospital too. That will be more accurate.”
“I won’t go there,” Leilani refuses without hesitation, but suddenly she pauses as an idea occurs to her, “Not unless—”
“Unless what?” Waylen asks.
“Unless you promise me to save Gabrielle from Andrew Clifford.”
She is afraid that she needs a bargaining chip to convince Waylen to help her save Gabrielle. Once he finds out she’s not pregnant, she worries she won’t have any way to convince him to do what she wants. She also knows that she’s running out of time to save her sister. In just a few days, Andrew will try to exchange her and Gabrielle. Though she knows it’s safer for her to be with Andrew, she recoils from the thought of spending any time with the loathsome man.
“I promise,” Waylen says, without stopping to consider the consequences.
In truth, he feels guilty about what happened at Andrew’s villa. He can’t deny the fact that his actions forced Leilani to leave Gabrielle with Andrew.
“Mr. Bamford, it’s all ready,” Robert says through the door.
Waylen pulls Leilani to a sitting position and then scoops her into his arms. He carries her downstairs to the dining room. Chefs dressed in crisp white uniforms are lined up on one side of the dining room table. Strangely, the table is empty.
“Are they waiting for me to order dinner?” she wonders, “Even though it’s my birthday, I’m surprised to be awarded such a privilege.”
“Mr. Bamford, these are the top bakers and pastry makers in the world,” Robert announces, “The booklets in their hands display their best, most distinctive works.”
As if they’ve rehearsed, the chefs all open their booklets displaying a variety of cakes and desserts. Waylen puts Leilani down and gestures at the photos.
“Which one do you prefer?” he asks.
She looks at these cake patterns one by one, shaking her head.
“Could you choose one for me?” she asks, suddenly overwhelmed.
He pulled her toward him, snaking his hands around her waist. He wants the warmth of her body to soothe the ache in his heart. He thinks for a while before pointing to a photo of a cake decorated with blue roses.
The cake consists of three layers, each made of several smaller cakes. It’s decorated with realistic looking roses made of frosting. At the top, two bears snuggle together, holding a bar of heart-shaped chocolate with the words “I LOVE YOU.”
“It’s beautiful,” Leilani murmurs.
“Mr. Bamford here is your apron,” Robert says.
Leilani stares at the apron in confusion. When she understands what’s happening, she can’t help but smile to herself.
“Are you going to make the cake?” she asks.
“Is there a problem with that?” Waylen asks, raising his eyebrows.
“I just didn’t know you could bake,” she replies honestly.
“Actually, this is my first time.”
Leilani looks at the cake pattern and then looks at him again.
“Isn’t that too complicated for your first time?” she asks skeptically.
“Come on, don’t underestimate me,” Waylen says arrogantly, “Besides how hard can it be?”
He glances at Robert, and the butler passes the apron to Leilani. She ties it snugly around Waylen’s waist. When he’s ready, the baker who made the cake shows Waylen how to make the roses out of frosting. Waylen picks up the icing bag and squeezes it as the baker did, but instead of roses, he creates a pile of ugly, misshapen blue lumps. Leilani can’t help but laugh.
“Clearly it really is your first time,” she says, “Still think it’s so easy?”
“I just need a little practice,” Waylen replies.
Waylen continues to squeeze frosting from the bag. Each time he creates a different shape, but none of them resemble the roses.
“Well, why don’t we change the cake pattern?” Leilani suggests, “I see a simpler one.”
“You don’t think I can do it?” Waylen asks defensively.
Leilani sighs. She knows that Waylen has made up his mind to make the blue cake, and nothing she says will dissuade him. She bites her lip and smiles.
“Let’s make it together,” she suggests.
“Together?” Waylen teases, “Just what do you want to do with me?”
For a moment she doesn’t understand him. When she sees his flirtatious expression, she realizes he’s talking about making a baby. She glares at him.
“Be serious, there are a lot of people here,” she whispers.
“They don’t understand,” he responds.
Leilani glances at the chefs—they’ve come from all over the world, and if they do understand they professionally hide it. Then she looks at Robert who deliberately stares at the ceiling. Leilani ignores Waylen’s comment and reaches out to take the frosting from him.
She doesn’t know how to bake a cake of make frosting flowers either, but she figures she can’t be any worse than Waylen. Instead of accepting her help, he holds the bag just out of reach and pulled her into his arms. Though the chefs may not understand Waylen’s words, they clearly understand his actions and they hide their smiles behind their hands.
“How about teaching me?” Waylen asks.
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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