Curtis lifted his gaze from his phone screen, hiszy eyes sweeping over the trio. "Since when did I have so many wives?"


    Leanne nearly choked on her drink.


    "Is it only your wife who gets to enjoy your cooking?" Devin asked.


    "What else?" Curtis replied with an air of ''my wife rules the world''.


    Devin attempted to guilt-trip him with their lifelong brotherhood. "Come on, man. It''s great you treat your wife right, but doesn''t our years of friendship mean anything? Not even worth a te of chicken noodle soup?"


    Curtis coldly responded, "Talk to me about that after you cough up the investment of six hundred million dors."


    Devin immediately backed off. "Forget I said anything."


    Joy cleared her throat, stepping into the fray. "And you haven''t given me six hundred million, yet you''ve charmed my best friend. If I didn''t give the green light, this wedding wouldn''t have happened."


    While pointing at Leanne''s rosy, glowing cheeks, Joy added, "Look at this sweet face. Doesn''t it deserve a te of chicken noodle soup?"


    "Sure does," Curtis replied indifferently, "She''s already eating it."


    Joy was left speechless.


    After both got defeated in their arguments, Selina pondered before giving up. "Fine, if you''re not eating, neither am I."


    Leanne couldn''t stopughing at their pitiful expressions.


    She turned to Curtis. "Honey?"


    Curtis set down his phone, gracefully rose from his chair, and gently pinched her cheek as he passed by her. "I''ll cook. Eat well, love."


    Their efforts were nothingpared to Leanne''s simple request, leaving Devin wronged by the different treatment and slumped onto the couch. "Had I known, I would''ve been a woman."Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s not about wanting to be a woman but about whether your dad would''ve allowed it," Joy retorted.


    Unable to contain her excitement, Joy showed Leanne the baby clothes she''d bought. "Look at this adorable pink floral one. Isn''t it love at first sight?"


    "Check out this baby hat I got," Selina interrupted, bringing it close for Leanne to feel. "Super soft, right?"


    Both of them had been shopping for baby products despite Leanne''s due date being four months away. She had more than a dozen baby bottles and gifts from various friends.


    They chose everything with so much


    care and adoration, from the cute et


    designs to the soft fabrics, making Leanne utterly delighted. "So pretty."


    s


    "What if it''s a boy?" someone mused.


    Preferring the idea of a tough, resilient boy over a delicate girl, Devin looked forward to sports and roughhousing.


    "Who says boys can''t wear pink florals?"


    After herment, Joy whispered to Leanne, "Haven''t you told Curtis it''s a girl yet?"


    Leanne shook her head. "Not yet."


    "Perfect. Let''s keep Curtis guessing," Joy boasted, relishing the fact she knew something Curtis didn''t, "Ah, this feeling of superiority."


    Leanne had never disclosed the


    baby''s gender to Curtis, but he


    Lit


    assumed it would be a girl, buying


    everything in pairs to ensure


    readiness for either gender.


    However, Leanne knew he


    el


    was


    hoping for a daughter, a mini version


    ofher.


    As Curtis served the steaming chicken noodle soup, the noisy trio instantly quieted down, focusing on their meal.


    Curtis handed Leanne her daily calcium supplement, and she chewed it thoughtfully while observing him.


    The others were slurping away when Curtis, oblivious to them, kissed her. "What are you looking at?"


    Leanne nestled into his embrace, asking, "Why do you want a daughter?"


    "To see what you looked like as a little girl," Curtis said. "Must''ve been adorable."


    When she joined the Richardson family at twelve, still chubby-cheeked with bright, big eyes, Curtis already thought she was cute.


    "And what if it''s a boy?" Leanne probed, "Would you be disappointed?"


    Curtis smiled. "Of course not. Boy or girl, as long as it''s our baby, I''ll love them."


    His slight preference for a girl was merely an extension of his love for Leanne, hoping for a mini-her.


    Even a boy would be fine.


    "Though, if he ends up too much like


    me,"


    of a a


    s considered the like him fi


    just


    CF instincts wavering.


    his paternal instincts wavering.


    "I might want to discipline him."


    Leanne burst intoughter. "You admit you''re a handful, then."