Chapter 371
Chapter 371
“Russel Dawson, there’s no need for you to get involved in this. As long as Neil doesn’t find me and doesn’t know I’m pregnant, everything will be fine.” I rejected
Russel’s advice.
I was indeed worried about Neil finding out about my pregnancy, but I didn’t want to get tangled up with Russel again because of that.
Russel asked back, “You don’t believe in Neil’s ability to find people?”
I did. He always had ways to find the people he wanted, including evidence, but since he had Karina Aaron by his side, he probably wouldn’t have wasted his time
on me.
“Just let it be. All you need to do is keep your promise to Mrs. Finch and not tell anyone about me. Even if something happens later, I won’t blame you.” I still didn’t plan to listen to Russel. That was not only weird for me but also unfair to him.
We tried dating before, and it was a total flop. There was no need to repeat the same mistake then.
“I won’t force you. I’m just giving you a piece of advice. If you ever need me, just let me know. I’ll probably be around here for a while.” Russel was not upset by my rejection; he just spoke to me kindly.
I hope I never have to rely on Russel. If the day comes, it means I’m back in the messy situation with Neil, unable to solve the problem with the babies.
After Russel left, I lost my sleepiness. From time to time, I would check the blocked numbers in my contacts and see that the cold number I blocked was lined up with the number I blocked from Neil previously.
Then I opened my inbox, only to find two messages from that number.
[Where are you?]
[Let’s meet and talk:]
I hadn’t noticed the messages before. The only people I was in touch with were a few people like Stella Wallace, and we usually contacted through WhatsApp, so I had no idea Neil had messaged me.
The messages were from yesterday afternoon.
He must have tried to contact me yesterday afternoon, but when I didn’t reply, he held back until tonight to call me, only to be blocked by me.
Because of that call and the messages, I had a restless night. The twins inside me seemed to feel my unease and occasionally kicked me. Finally, I fell asleep.
When I woke up the next morning, I smelled the scent of baking. It smelled like cookies or cakes. Mom was not very good at that type of cooking and rarely made it. “Russel, I didn’t know you could bake cookies. They look pretty good!” On the table in the living room, there was a plate of freshly baked cookies. The round cookies were slightly browned, with crushed cranberries mixed in, emitting a rich aroma.
а
I felt my stomach rumble. I had to admit, my appetite was pretty good at that time. I wanted to try anything edible. Even foods I didn’t like before, I could tolerate
then.
Why did Russel come to my house to bake cookies so early? I was puzzled. I couldn’t just go and eat the cookies, so I decided to freshen up first and pretend I didn’t
see him.
I brushed my teeth and washed my face slowly. Mom couldn’t wait any longer and came to hurry me, “What’s taking you so long? Those cookies were specially made for you by Russel. He said you used to like them.”
It was true that I used to like them. After tasting Russel’s baking skills, I even joked with him that he might consider being a pastry chef instead of a doctor.
“I’ll be right out.” I put down my toothbrush and then whispered, “Don’t let Russel come to my house so often. You promised me that you would stop trying to match me with him. Plus, I’m pregnant now. There’s no way I can be with him.”
“It’s not me who called him here; he came by himself. I can’t just turn him away. Besides, we’ll be neighbors. We’ll see each other often, and it’s inevitable that we’ll interact. Mom replied in a low voice, afraid Russel might hear.
I was a bit surprised. Neighbors?
I was neighbors with Neil before, and then I had to be neighbors with Russel?
“Mom!” I was about to say something when Russel came over.
He looked at me with toothpaste foam still on the corner of my mouth. His eyes were gentle as he asked, “Haven’t you washed your face yet? Hurry up; you need to eat something in the morning. It’s good for the babies.”
I didn’t ask any more questions and silently washed my face.
Russel not only made cookies, but he also made breakfast.
He even made extra meat for me because pregnant women need more nutrition.
I didn’t refuse, because Russel’s cooking was really good. Compared to Neil’s cooking, it was like a disaster.
Mom and dad couldn’t stop praising Russel’s breakfast. I didn’t praise Russel, but I politely finished all the food, feeling very satisfied.
“If you like it, I can come and cook for you every day, Russel’s eyes were full of affection when he looked at me, “Or anything else you want to eat, even if I don’t know how to cook, I can learn.”
“Russel, you’re too considerate. With us here, we can cook whatever she wants.” mom quickly said. She was not sure if she was really embarrassed or if she was taking my words to heart.
Of course, Russel knew my mom was tactfully rejecting him. He was a very smart person, so when my mom said that, he nodded, “If you guys are not available, I can come and take care of her, We’re neighbors; it’s normal to help each other out.”
“Mom and dad are very free now. How could they not be available?” I thought to myself..
“Okay, we’ll definitely ask for your help if we need it.” my dad was not shy, “Look, the weather is getting colder plan to cover the top of the yard. I’ll need to hire a few workers, but I also need to supervise them. I might need your help occasionally; is that okay?”
need to supervise them. I might need your help o
The way my dad asked for help was very natural. How could Russel refuse?
“Sure, no problem.” Russel agreed readily.
Russel started popping by my place a lot in the following days. Sure, he was our neighbor, but truth be told, he spent most of his time at my place, only heading back to his for some sleep. He’d either help with pruning the plants or give my dad a hand with some do-it-yourself jobs around the house. At first, I wasn’t too thrilled about it, but seeing as my protests were falling on deaf ears, I figured I might as well roll with it and save myself the headache.
Our yard was a bit of a construction zone, and strolling around was off the table. When Russel caught a break, he asked, “Fancy a walk?”
The beach wasn’t too far from there. A leisurely stroll would probably take about half an hour. It had been a while since I’d last seen the sea, and the weather was pretty good today. So, I just nodded, “Hmm.”
