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.


    Ste 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 Ste’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, Ste.”


    Ste’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!”


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    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.”


    Ste 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 usation raised rms in his mind. Evie was one of the


    least harmful people in his life, but Ste 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 Ste 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.”


    Ste turned to face him, her eyes zing. “Timothy, this isn’t the first time she’s done something to


    undermine our rtionship. She’s always meddling, her and that dumb sister of mine,


    He shook his head, trying to findmon ground. “She’s awyer, so meddling is


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    kind of part of the job. Plus, she’s my neighbor, so I can’t just cut her out of my life.


    Ste’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 offpletely. “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, Ste’s expression grew into one of surprise and she walked


    around him. Timothy turned to see Andy stepping out of a sleek ck sedan.


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


    Ste’s face seemed more disturbed than Timothy’s at the sight of Andy. She blurted out, “Andy,


    what are you doing here?”


    Andy shed a smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hey there, Ste. I thought I’d drop by


    and make sure you two are on top of your wedding duties.”


    ho


    Ste exchanged a quick nce 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


    nning.


    Without waiting for their response, Andy continued, “You’re here for some cake tasting, right? Let’s


    not keep ‘em waiting.”


    Ste 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 bnce, and his thoughts kept drifting back to how Evie how danced around the subject of


    Andy and Ste.


    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.


    2/4


    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 theirst 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


    Ste and his family.


    Ste 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, Ste. 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 thest. Ste eagerly sampled each one, her eyes. lighting up with delight.


    Timothy, however, couldn’t muster the same enthusiasm. As Ste tried to stuff a forkful of lemon


    cake into his mouth, he turned away in disgust.


    Ste 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 tter, banana nut. He hesitated for a moment, his


    heart heavy with conflicting emotions. Banana nut was Evie’s favorite.


    Ste 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 vor 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.”


    Ste 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. “Ste, let’s just have two vors of


    cake at the wedding. You can pick whatever you want.”


    Ste 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 vor you want.


    It’s not thatplicated.”


    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 re, 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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