Chapter 159

TIMOTHY POV Timothy sat in his car, his fingers drumming nervously on the steering wheel. The quaint little cake shop, Sweet Delights, stood before them, its windows filled with decadent cakes of all shapes and sizes.

Stella was still in a sour mood from their argument at the hospital. Her behavior toward his mother was something he could never tolerate. Still, he needed to approach Stella’s attitude with care, and his brittleness toward her had done them any good.

He took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. “Your behavior towards my mother was inappropriate. She’s my mom, Stella.”

Stella’s face reddened, and her voice grew sharp. “Inappropriate? Timothy, it’s your duty to defend your future wife, even against your own mother if necessary. She can’t just barge into our lives and dictate everything!”

Timothy clenched his jaw, his frustration mounting. “My mother is important to me, so you two needs to find a way to make this work without all the drama.”

Stella scoffed. “Make it work? It shouldn’t be up to me to remove harmful people from your life, Timothy. Including Evie.”

Timothy’s heart sank at her words. The accusation raised alarms in his mind. Evie was one of the least harmful people in his life, but Stella was stuck on this idea of her having a personal vendetta against them.

The air inside the car grew thick with tension as Timothy turned off the engine. They sat there, both seething, until Stella finally opened her door and Timothy followed suit, and they walked to the entrance of the cake shop.

got out.

Timothy took a deep breath, attempting to keep his voice steady. “Look, I just don’t believe that Evie ruined your dress.”

Stella turned to face him, her eyes blazing. “Timothy, this isn’t the first time she’s done something to undermine our relationship. She’s always meddling, her and that dumb sister of mine, He shook his head, trying to find common ground. “She’s a lawyer, so meddling is 174 A kind of part of the job. Plus, she’s my neighbor, so I can’t just cut her out of my life.

Stella’s face contorted with frustration. “Which is why you need to move out,” she stated firmly, then twisted around to face him.

“And she’s my friend,” he added, and this seemed to set her off completely. “Can’t move away from that.”

“Friend?” she hissed. “Since when?”

“Since I got to know her!” Timothy snapped back. “Which you’ve never taken the time to do yourself.”

Their argument was spiraling out of control once again, and Timothy felt his control slipping. Before he could add onto his argument, Stella’s expression grew into one of surprise and she walked around him. Timothy turned to see Andy stepping out of a sleek black sedan.

“Hey, you two!” Andy greeted them as he approached.

Stella’s face seemed more disturbed than Timothy’s at the sight of Andy. She blurted out, “Andy, what are you doing here?”

Andy flashed a smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hey there, Stella. I thought I’d drop by and make sure you two are on top of your wedding duties.”

ho Stella exchanged a quick glance with Timothy, who found himself growing increasingly irritated by Andy’s presence. He couldn’t understand why his brother had decided to intervene in their wedding planning.

Without waiting for their response, Andy continued, “You’re here for some cake tasting, right? Let’s not keep ‘em waiting.”

Stella hesitated but ultimately nodded, her suspicion lingering. As they entered the cake shop, Timothy couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. Andy’s unexpected visit had thrown him off balance, and his thoughts kept drifting back to how Evie how danced around the subject of Andy and Stella.

The sweet aroma of freshly baked cakes enveloped them as they stepped into the shop. The walls were adorned with photographs of exquisite wedding cakes, each a masterpiece of culinary artistry.

A friendly cake artist stood behind the counter, ready to guide them through the tasting process.

As they settled into their seats, Timothy found himself unable to focus on the task at hand. His thoughts were consumed by the image of Evie from their last encounter. The look of betrayal in her eyes haunted him, and he wondered if he had made a mistake by not defending her enough from Stella and his family.

Stella tried to engage him in conversation, her voice soft and coaxing. “Timothy, are you okay? You seem distracted.”

Timothy tore his gaze away from the window and turned to face her. “I’m fine, Stella. Let’s just get through this tasting.”

The cake artist began presenting them with a selection of bite–sized cake samples, each more delicious than the last. Stella eagerly sampled each one, her eyes. lighting up with delight.

Timothy, however, couldn’t muster the same enthusiasm. As Stella tried to stuff a forkful of lemon cake into his mouth, he turned away in disgust.

Stella frowned, noticing his reluctance. “Come on, Timothy, you have to try this. one. It’s so good!”

“Not a fan,” he said simply, turning away as she made another attempt at shoving it in his mouth.

His gaze wandered to the next cake on the platter, banana nut. He hesitated for a moment, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions. Banana nut was Evie’s favorite.

Stella noticed his hesitation and followed his gaze to the banana nut cake. “Timothy, what’s wrong?”

He tore his gaze away from the cake and tried to focus on the task at hand. “Nothing. I just… I’ll try the banana nut cake.”

As he took a bite of the cake, the familiar taste brought back memories. The rich, nutty flavor filled his mouth, and he couldn’t help but smile. It was delicious, but the guilt of enjoying something so closely associated with Evie gnawed at him.

“Why are you two acting so weird?” Andy finally asked, his irritation thinly veiled. “At least act like you like each other!”

Timothy’s attention snapped back to Andy, his irritation matching his brother’s. “Are you supposed to be our chaperone? Why are you even here?”

O Andy raised an eyebrow and raised his hands in surrender. “I just thought it was important to ensure everything is going smoothly for your wedding. I didn’t expect to walk into a battlefield.”

Stella interjected, trying to diffuse the tension. “Andy, it’s fine. We’re just a little stressed out.”

Timothy, still conflicted, decided to put an end to the discussion. “Stella, let’s just have two flavors of cake at the wedding. You can pick whatever you want.”

Stella leaned into him, her brow furrowed in thought. “But some people may have nut allergies.

Banana nut cake might not be the best choice for everyone.”

Timothy blinked rapidly. It was a rarity to see her so concerned about the well- being of others, unless it was solely so that she wouldn’t look bad.

“That’s why I said we can have two cakes at the wedding. You can pick whatever flavor you want.

It’s not that complicated.”

She sighed heavily, tugging a strand of hair behind her hair. “Fine. Two cakes it is, then.”

Timothy nodded, feeling slightly more positive. Andy regarded him with a cold glare, however, that Timothy caught onto immediately.

“Such a loving groom,” he heard his brother mumble. Andy’s bitterness wasn’t something he had the energy to decipher at the moment. He’d just achieved a momentary victory.

of defiance that would As the cake artist continued the tasting, Timothy took an extra slice of the banana nut cake and wrapped it up carefully. It was a small act hopefully serve as a tasty apology as well.

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