Billionaire Defiant Wife

Chapter 147: I Love You

Avery sighs. She knows that Evan has made up his mind to make the blue cake, and nothing she says will dissuade him. She bites her lip and smiles.

"Let's make it together," she suggests.

"Together?" Evan teases, "Just what do you want to do with me?"

For a moment she doesn't understand him. When she sees his flirtatious expression, she realizes he's talking about making a baby. She glares at him.

"Be serious, there are a lot of people here," she whispers.

"They don't understand," he responds.

Avery glances at the chefsthey've come from all over the world, and if they do understand they professionally hide it. Then she looks at Robert who deliberately stares at the ceiling. Avery ignores Evan's comment and reaches out to take the frosting from him.

She doesn't know how to bake a cake of make frosting flowers either, but she figures she can't be any worse than Evan. Instead of accepting her help, he holds the bag just out of reach and pulled her into his arms. Though the chefs may not understand Evan's words, they clearly understand his actions and they hide their smiles behind their hands.

"How about teaching me?" Evan asks.

He wraps her little hands in his big ones and waits.

"How can I teach you is you're holding my hands?" Avery objects.

"I won't hold too tight, and I'll follow your lead," Evan whispers.

The four hands begin to move. Avery knows how to paint, and she finds that frosting isn't terribly different from some of her paints. She quickly makes a series of beautiful blue roses. As they work, Robert quietly takes out his phone and photographs the warm, romantic scene.

Finally, they finish the cake. Although it's ugly and slightly lopsided, they smile at it because they made it together. Evan takes the icing bag from Avery to add the finishing touches. He carefully pipes icing into words: I love you.

"Shouldn't you write Happy Birthday?" Avery asks.

"Avery," he sighs exasperated, "You're smart enough to know why."

Though she's usually so bright, he kinds she becomes dull and confused whenever he tries to show her his feelings. Avery bites her lip. At first, she assumed he unthinkingly copied the words from the pattern, but she begins to wonder if he actually means them. Her cheeks flush and her blood begins to boil. Evan looks at her and smiles sadly.

"Don't pretend you don't know that already," he says.

"Know what?" Avery bites her lip.

She refuses to allow herself to believe it. He gently turns her to face him and stares at her with depth and sincerity.

"I love you," he says, "Every time I see you get hurt, it hurts me more. I want to hide you in a place that only I can find. I love you so much that I want to keep you at my side forever. I can't bear for anyone to take you away from me."

Avery's mind goes blank. His sudden confession of love overwhelms her. For years he never gave her a second glance, and now he suddenly loves her. She wants to bask at the moment, but the rational part of her brain makes her stop.

"What about Diana?" she wonders.

"You don't have to answer me," Evan says with a small smile, "You just need to know how I feel."

He doesn't expect her to answer him or return his feelings, he just needed to express the overwhelming love he's started to feel for her. He looks at her again and kisses her soulfully, sliding his tongue into her mouth. The kiss is hot and lingering, full of all his repressed love. He pulls her firmly against his body and kisses her even more forcefully.

Thoughts whirl in Avery's head without fully taking form. She feels like she's melting, and she can't tell where her body ends and his begins. When he finally pulls away she realizes that the entire dining room has fallen silent. She can hear her own ragged breath and pounding heartbeat. Embarrassed, she buries her head in his chest, hiding her brightly flushed cheeks.

"Would you like to try the cake we made?" Evan asks.

Avery nods her head against his chest. Evan cuts a small piece of cake for her, but she doesn't move her head from its place on his chest.

"Do you want the cake or me?" Evan asks teasingly.

With a reluctant sigh, Avery lifts her head. She immediately feels something cool and slippery on her cheek. Evan has dipped his hands in the icing and he's playfully smearing it on her face.

"You're so childish!" she complains.

"Maturity is for the outside world," Evan says with a playful smile, "Childishness is for my love."

"It sounds about right," Avery grumbles.

"Only you bring out this side in me," he says.

"What an honor," she jokes.

"No! It's my honor!" he thinks, "If it weren't for you, I would still be serious and miserable. You make me so happy."

She slowly reaches her hand to her face to wipe away the icing, but Evan grabs her wrist.

"Don't wipe it!" he commands.

He quickly grabs his phone from his pocket and snaps a picture of her. She takes his phone and finds that he's written his name on her forehead. The blue letters seem to brand her more deeply than a tattoo.

"Wipe it off!" she demands.

"It's so childish for him to write on my forehead," she thinks, "Does he think I belong to him just because his name is there?"

Evan lifts her face to his and slowly licks the icing from her forehead.

"Ugh, that's dirty," Avery complains.

She reaches for a napkin and forcefully wipes his saliva from her skin.

"This was my present to you,' Evan says abruptly, "what about your present to me?"

"Your present isn't ready yet," Avery says, "besides, we made the cake together. It's not exactly the same as a proper present."

"You think the cake is your present?" Evan asks.

"Well, what else could it?"

"I'm your present," he says, kissing her on the forehead.

She stares at him speechless.

"So when can I receive my present?" he asks lightly.

"Umm, in five days," Avery responds.

"Why do you need five days?" Evan asks, "You can have one."

"Don't try to bargain with me," Avery says, "Otherwise I'll ask for ten!"

In five days, she will have her appointment with Andrew. If Evan can't save Gabrielle by then, she knows she'll have to find a way to escape and do it herself. If he thinks she's working on his present, he'll be less likely to keep track of her every move. Evan pinches her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"How dare you deny your husband like this," he teases.

Avery tilts her head to the side. She can't understand why he's behaving like this. Just days ago they signed the divorce papers, and now he's acting like they are newlyweds. She wants to believe his confession of love, but she doesn't dare.

"After all, I only bring trouble to the Howel family," she thinks, "The family desperately needs a woman who can continue the family line, but the toxins in my body makes it almost impossible for me to have children. I still don't know if it can be cured, and I have no idea if someone is deliberately poisoning me. I want to tell Evan, but he probably won't believe me. Charles is the only doctor smart enough to detect it, and now he won't return my calls."

"What's on your mind?" Evan asks.

He straightens her chin and gazes into her eyes as if he wants to read her thoughts.

"I'm thinking about what present I should give you," she lies smoothly.

His eyes are soft and flirtatious and she's scared he'll kiss her again.

"And please don't say you'll like anything I make," she adds, "I want it to be good."

She thinks for a moment.

"What about some paintings?" she suggests, "In five days, I could make five paintings for you."