Waylen wrinkles his forehead and says, “No, I’d rather not.”
“Why not?” Leilani asks.
“Last time you made me a gift, you left me,” Waylen explains. “I treasure your gifts, but I treasure you more. I’d rather have you than a thousand gifts.”
Leilani looks away guiltily, knowing that she plans on leaving him again. She chews her lip, trying to think of another way to distract him. She rubs her hands over her stomach, and suddenly she has an idea.
“What if we went and bought some gifts for our baby?” she asks. “Together?”
Waylen frowns, “The baby isn’t even born yet. Why do we need to start buying things for him or her?”
Leilani rolls her eyes. She can’t believe Waylen is acting jealous of his own child. He’s like a little kid, worried he wouldn’t be the center of attention anymore. Leilani sighs and runs her fingers through her hair.
“Waylen, we don’t have a single thing for the baby yet,” Leilani says. “We haven’t bought a crib or clothes or diapers or even a stroller. We’re completely unprepared. I haven’t even given birth, and we’re already terrible parents.”
Waylen’s face turns thoughtful, and Leilani feels guilty for being so manipulative. At the same time, she’s relieved that her distraction has worked. Waylen blinks, and Leilani watches his long eyelashes sweep the tops of his cheeks.
“Okay, as soon as I can leave the hospital, we’ll go buy things for the baby,” Waylen says. He smiles and adds, “We’ll be just like a real family.”
“As soon as you can leave the hospital?” Leilani asks. “You’re willing to go out in public even if you’re still wearing the gauze? That might start a lot of rumors. Do you think your grandfather would be okay with that?”
Leilani knows that Waylen cares about his image, and he doesn’t want the public to know about his latest injuries. She hates forcing him to stay in the hospital, but she’s worried by the eagerness in his eyes. He’s too excited about going shopping with her. If Andrew sees them out in public together, he’ll assume she’s broken their deal.
Waylen nods sleepily and says, “Okay, we can go as soon as the bandages come off.”
Leilani asks Robert to bring a cot into the room so she can sleep next to Waylen. Waylen wants her to sleep in his hospital bed, but she’s scared about rubbing against his injuries at night. She doesn’t want to do anything that could hurt him.
When she wakes in the morning, a warm pair of arms are wrapped around her waist and a strong chest is pressed against her back. She turns her head and sees Waylen’s face. His eyes are closed and he’s in a deep sleep—he looks perfectly peaceful.
Outside the door, Leilani can hear whispered voices. A doctor is trying to make the rounds, but Robert is asking him to leave Waylen alone. He’s worried that the doctor’s rounds will disturb Waylen’s sleep. Though bright light streams in through the window, Leilani falls back asleep. When she wakes again, she’s heard Robert’s voice.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Bamford, but Mr. Bamford is sleeping,” Robert says nervously. “If you go into the room, you might wake him up. The doctor said it’s really important that he sleeps. You don’t want to risk his healing process, do you?”
“Who do you think you are?” Florence Bamford shouts. “I have every right to see my grandson. I can’t believe some servant thinks he can stop me!”
“Of course, of course,” Robert says. “Please forgive me. It’s just that he’s been through so much in the last 24 hours, and it’s my job to make sure that he heals.”
“Stop babbling and open the door,” Florence says.
Leilani hears a loud knocking on the door, and she tries to wake Waylen. First, she whispers his name, and then she says it again a little louder. She wants to shake him or kick him, but he’s holding her too tightly, and she’s scared of accidentally touching his injured skin.
“Mr. Bamford,” Robert shouts through the door. “Mr. Bamford, your grandmother is here to see you. She’s coming in.”
Waylen continues to sleep, and Leilani tries to break free. If Waylen’s grandmother sees them in bed together, she’ll be furious. Leilani tugs harder against his hand and manages to loosen his grasp. Waylen grumbles sleepily and reaches for her again.
“Waylen, wake up,” Leilani whispers. “Your grandmother is coming in.”
“Ignore her and go back to sleep,” Waylen says, tightening his arm around her again.
Leilani swallows nervously, and the door swings open. Florence Bamford struts into the room as arrogant and angry as a peac.o.c.k. Leonie trots behind her, wearing a pale pink dress. Leonie smiles her fake innocent smile and holds her flat stomach as if she’s worried about her baby.
For a moment, Leilani wants to close her eyes and pretend she’s asleep, but she decides it’s better to face them head-on. Florence frowns angrily when she sees Leilani. Leonie’s eyes flash with jealousy, but her fake smile stays plastered to her face.
“Hello, Waylen,” Leonie says in a cheerful voice. “Your grandmother and I wanted to check up on you. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” Waylen snaps, pulling Leilani closer to him.
“Oh, you’re so brave to say that, but I heard you were badly hurt,” Leonie says. “Grandma and I heard that there was an explosion. Really, Waylen, you need to be more careful. Why do you always end up in such dangerous situations?”
Florence stares accusingly at Leilani, and Leilani stares back at her as boldly as she can. The old woman’s small eyes narrow. She purses her lips as if she’s tasted something sour and looks at the empty hospital bed.
“Waylen, you’re in the hospital after an explosion,” Florence says. “You’re staying in the VIP ward with a proper bed, but you’re lying with your mistress on a cot instead. What’s wrong with you? Don’t you have any concerns about our family image? Don’t you have any respect for me? How dare you rub your affair in my face like this?”
Leilani feels Waylen flinch at the words “mistress” and “affair.” She wonders if it’s part of the reason he’s so desperate to marry her again. She sighs and hopes he’ll keep his cool. If he angers his grandmother, it’ll only make things worse.
“I wanted to lie in bed with my wife,” Waylen snaps. “I don’t see any problem with that.”
“Don’t you take that tone with me,” Florence says.
“Leilani is pregnant with my child—your heir, but she stayed up almost all night to take care of me,” Waylen says. “You say you’re so concerned about me, but where were you last night? Why weren’t you here?”
“We didn’t get the news until very late,” Florence says. “We didn’t want to bother you, so we came first thing this morning instead.”
“That’s right, Waylen,” Leonie says with a huge smile. “If you want us to take care of you, I’m happy to stay with you tonight.”
Though Leonie’s tone is innocent, her eyes are full of invitation and enticement. Leilani glares at her, but Leonie doesn’t seem to notice or care. I can’t believe her, Leilani thinks. She’s trying to seduce Waylen in front of his own grandmother—she’s absolutely shameless. But the old woman is so wrapped around her finger, and she doesn’t even notice.
“No, I don’t want that,” Waylen says rudely. “Now that you’ve paid your visit, Robert can escort you back to the mansion. Leilani and I need to rest.”
Florence’s face goes pale, and then red splotches appear on her cheeks and nose. She scowls at Waylen and shakes her head warningly, but she has no choice but to leave. She doesn’t want to cause a scene in the hospital.
“I’m going to forgive your rudeness because you’re tired and hurt,” Florence says, but her voice sounds threatening. “Leonie and I will leave now, and I hope to find you in a better mood next time.”
“Take care, Waylen,” Leonie says, waving her fingers as she leaves. “I hope you get well soon.”
Leilani breathes a sigh of relief as soon as the door closes behind them. Waylen sighs sleepily and closes his eyes, eager to sleep again, but Leilani is too angry and worried to sleep.
Leonie glances over her shoulder as she leaves and feels her blood boil with rage. That should be me curled up with him, she thinks. I deserve him, not Leilani. Everyone tells me to be patient, but I’m sick of waiting. I’m sick of watching her rub her relationship with him in my face. Enough is enough.
“That woman is so shameless,” Florence says in the elevator. “She saw me come into the room, but she stayed in bed with him. Besides, what kind of a woman sleeps with such an injured man. She must have cast some sort of spell over him to make him so careless about his own health.”
“I agree with you,” Leonie says. “I’ve always said that Leilani is bad for Waylen. Whenever she’s around him, he acts like he’s someone else. Besides, he always seems to get hurt when he’s around her.”
“They’re not meant to be together,” Florence says. “That woman is a curse.”
Leonie takes Florence’s wrinkled old hand in hers and frowns deeply. She says, “It’s just so sad. He does so much for her, but she treats him so terribly. She’s always going with other men or—”
“Going with other men?” Florence 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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