Chapter 184
When Ava heard his words, she froze.
Her lips trembled, unable to speak. She didn't know what to say.
She knew he didn't like children. She wasn't confident in herself, uncertain whether the little one in her belly would be acceptable to him. But at this moment, with a nervous heart, she carefully observed him and didn't seem to see any displeasure in his expression. Instead, there was a kind of tenderness that a father-to-be would have.
That kind of expression shouldn't normally appear on his face.
"How, how did you find out?"
After holding it in for a long time, she finally managed to ask.
William rubbed his temples.
"I know everything now, so are you moving back to SilkGrove Estates with me, or am I moving here?"
Ava was like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to face him. The exposure of the truth was beyond her expectations. She had thought he would never find out about the baby she was carrying.
So was her plan to take the baby to Lumaria going to fall through?
She lowered her head and asked tentatively,
"Can't I just live on my own?"
William chuckled softly, his breath falling on the top of her head.
"Do you think I'd still let you live alone in this situation? Make your choice—move back or I move here?"
Ava remained silent. She didn't want either option.
William sighed helplessly and directly lifted her up by her thighs, carrying her toward the sofa.
This position reminded Ava of some embarrassing memories. In the past, he had loved doing that in the bathroom...
She tried to stay calm and not look at him, but her slightly reddened earlobes betrayed her current thoughts.
William sat down on the sofa with her on his lap, one hand rubbing her earlobe, taking in her embarrassment.
"Ava, don't let your mind wander. I asked the doctor—we can't!"
Ava glared at him, a bit embarrassed and angry.
"What are you talking about? Who's letting their mind wander?"
William laughed softly. Knowing she was thin-skinned, he didn't dare tease her anymore. If he kept going, she would get upset again, and he had no idea how to comfort women.
"Come move back to SilkGrove Estates with me later. Grandpa has already told Jeremy to send all the bird's nest soup over there. He'll definitely make me video call to watch you eat it. You don't want me to get scolded again, do you?"
Ava's mind was in chaos at this moment. What she really wanted to hear was his attitude toward the child, but he didn't say a word about it, leaving her feeling uncertain.
"Do you want the baby?"
William held her waist, his eyes falling on her slightly swollen belly.
"Since it's here, how can I not want it?"
Setting aside whether he wanted it or not, if he dared say no, Howard would tear his arms and legs off. His current position in the family was already the least welcome one. It seemed he had no choice.
Ava understood what he meant. He still didn't want it, but because the baby was already here, he had no choice but to accept it..
Her heart softened a bit. At least he wasn't as bad as she had imagined—he hadn't told her to get an abortion.
William's hand on her waist slowly slid forward, landing on the small bump. A strange feeling arose in his heart. A little life was living in there—it was the continuation of his and her life.
For the first time, he felt anticipation, thinking it wouldn't be so bad to have a little thing following him around calling him dad.
Ava's body stiffened, and even her breathing became tense. Feeling his hand gently moving on her belly, she couldn't help the joy rising in her heart. It felt as if the baby was happy too, sensing its father's touch.
After being troubled for these past few days, it seemed like the clouds were finally clearing.
"Will you abandon them?"
William was amused by her question. How could he abandon his own child? What kind of silly question was that?
"Why would you ask that?"
Ava licked her lower lip.
"You don't like children. I thought you would take me to... get an abortion."
When she said this, her whole body was tense.
William rubbed his forehead.
"Because of this, you didn't dare tell me all along?"
Ava said nothing, which was answer enough.
"Silly, aren't you?"
William chuckled and asked again,
"Which time did this happen?"
He remembered he had taken precautions every time. He was absolutely careful in this regard. The little one in her belly was quite clever to come despite all his precautions, which surprised him.
Ava kept her head lowered as she recalled,
"That night you came back after drinking. You didn't take precautions."
William had no memory of the time Ava mentioned. Hearing her say the words "after drinking," he silently decided he would avoid alcohol unless absolutely necessary in the future. After all, the baby in Sarah's belly had also been the result of drinking.
He hadn't figured out how to deal with that situation.
Ava slid off his lap and sat down on the sofa.
"I need to take my folic acid."
She bent down to get the two new bottles from under the coffee table. Before she could find them, she touched his hand. He was holding the half bottle she had left at Howard's place.
Ava paused, guessing that he had seen this and that's how the truth came out. But seeing his attitude, although he couldn't say he loved the baby, at least he didn't hate it.
This made her feel much better.
William watched her take the folic acid and vitamins, then stood up and walked toward the bedroom.
Ava hurried after him.
William looked around. This rental place had everything, and she had cleaned it well. But the furniture was too simple, especially the mattress—it was so hard, completely unsuitable for a pregnant woman to rest on.
"Ava, come back with me. I really can't feel at ease with you living here alone."
Ava could see there was no escaping this, but when she moved in, she had promised the agent to give design lessons to his relative's child, and today was the scheduled time.
"I can't go back now. I really have something to do today."
William had already pulled out the few clothes from the closet and thrown them on the bed, preparing to pack them up. Hearing her words, his eyes showed some disappointment.
Then he collected his emotions.
He remembered the doctor's advice to keep her in a good mood.
He swallowed the words that were about to come out. He knew he wasn't good with words and didn't want to upset her again, especially when he didn't even know why she was angry.
He paused and said,
"Then you stay here for now. The house needs to be prepared too."
The room needed to be set up, and all the baby supplies needed to be prepared in advance. They also needed to find reliable nutritionists and childcare specialists ahead of time.
When Ava heard that, and a smile appeared on her face without any attempt to hide it. William felt both amused and exasperated—letting her stay here made her this happy.
Was going home that terrifying?
William canceled his afternoon meeting. He still had a dinner engagement in the evening.
James called to remind him,
"Mr. Morgan, shall I pick you up before six o'clock tonight?"
William was in a very good mood today. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window looking at the view below.
"Cancel all of today's schedule."